Woe be to Icarus for daring to fly too close to the sun, so close that his wax wings melted in the heated fury. This para-glider was sailing along the cliffs of La Jolla the other day, floating gently past the sun so that it was eclipsed and I found myself looking up into the shadow of the glowing red sails.
A colony of kittywakes in Prince William Sound, Alaska. They glue their little nests up against the steep cliff walls so bears, foxes and other hungry critters don't get the eggs/chicks. It's pretty impressive but I suppose you need to go through extreme measures to stay alive when you're on the bottom of the bird food chain.
The Prince William Sound is full of waterfalls. Probably the only other place I've been to that comes close is Hilo, Hawaii. The dot the cliffsides wherever you look. Some are just trickles and others are huge cascades. This one was a medium sized one that was falling right through the trees.
First there was Moose and Squirrel (Rocky and Bullwinkle) and then there was Moose and Magpie! This little magpie is checking out the lawn ornaments in the front lawn of a house in Anchorage, Alaska. It was kind of fun having the sun set at 11:30pm. Wow.
Picture from Prince William's Sound (near the Cascade Falls), Alaska. Well, Happy is the dog's name and it is totally fitting. Happy is just ecstatic as long as there is someone to play fetch with. I've never seen a dog so determined to play fetch. If there is no stick, he'll make a stick off of a nearby tree. Amazingly good natured and tough as stones. Cool dog. If only people were all so happy and so simple.
The first bear into the water had jumped in to play with a log that was in the water. The second bear promptly had to have the first bear's log and stole it away (more like badgered it away). The first bear grabbed onto another log in the pond which the second bear promptly decided was even better than the first. Finally, the first bear found a little piece of wood to play with. After a few minutes of playing with the little piece of wood, the first bear had had enough and jumped in, claws flying. In this picture, bear #1 has a mouthful of fur.
In spite of global warming, Alaska is still jamm packed with glaciers. This one is called Bear Glacier. You can also just see the bow of the boat we were on while we waited for the glacier to calve.
There has been a hummingbird hanging around the Mexican sage in front of the house for a month or two. I normally get a glimpse before he buzzes off. This time, I snuck out of the front door and used the passion fruit vine for cover as I snapped some quick photos. It's kept me from trimming the sage even though the flowers are starting to look ratty, not wanting to bumm out our hungry little buzzing buddy.
Hahah, I could use some chocolate right now. I found this sign up in the Seattle airport promissing stress relief via chocolate. Of course, I had not thought it would be prophetic (grin). As the credit card bills roll in for my little Alaska vacation, I'm thinking that chocolate is looking better all the time.
On another note, I'll get more pictures up of Alaska shortly. I have finally finished weeding out and deleting the worst of the blurry, underexposed otter, bear and bird pictures and STILL have over 12 GB of pictures left. 10MPixel is great until you have to store them all, chuckle. Meanwhile, I have a new appreciation for sun and warm weather and am going out to enjoy the San Diego beaches for a little bit.
More pictures from Prince William Sound, this one en route to Cedar Bay. There were seals and otters resting on little ice bergs. This one was so comfortable, he wasn't budging as the boat slowly chugged by. I love the way the water was glassy and reflective, showing off his beautiful fur coat.
I'm back from Alaska. This is a picture of me in front of Meare's Glacier in Prince William Sound. The park ranger told me that the snow crystals are packed down under tremendous pressure and that pressure changes their crystal structure to produce their wonderfully cold looking icy blue color. It is really stunning and if you sit there long enough, you can watch the glaciers calve off huge chunks of ice into the sea. It's a little scary watching the huge glacial wave coming towards you realizing that the water is incredibly cold but, hey, that's why you're in a boat (that floats over the waves...). It's quite a rush. Overall, it was a fun trip with lots of stunning vistas and cute furry animals (heh). More later.
I found this little swamp monkey giving his otter friend a kiss. Who says mixed couples don't work? Certainly a lot of swamp affection going on here.
I'm heading North to take some pictures so the blog will be quiet for a little bit. I hope to come back with all sorts of pictures of whales, bears, birds and otters. We have a little boat chartered to go into the Fjords for day hikes and overnight mooring. I've got a little case of the pre-trip jitters but, being the world traveler, not too bad. Stay tuned.
When you see monkeys swinging from branch to branch, have you ever wondered if they ever miss? This wet swamp monkey apparently missed and fell into the pool below. He's paying for missing by spending a damp afternoon drying off in the tree.
By the way, don't you love telephoto lens? They get up close and personal and blur out all the ugly background details. This monkey was snapped with a 500 mm lens on a virgin photo safari run (ie, I was trying out the new lens). Just in case you've never seen a 500 mm lens, they are huge and they are heavy. Quite the spectacle, really. I'd swear all those little digicams had lens envy. As for me, I just had a sore arm from lugging it around. Oh, that and a few nice pictures.
The hummingbirds are here! Well, okay, a lot of them never really leave but there are a fair number that migrate through in the Spring to take advantage of the burst of Spring flowers. This one was contentedly hanging out next to these pendent pink flowers. It was there long enough to snap a few photos anyhow.
Dance, dance, dance... Oh, that was Flamenco, wasn't it? Well, here's a flamingo up close and personal; tete a tete so to speak. You can actually see the little filters on it's beak that it uses to filter out water crustaceans. It reminds me of baleen in a whale's mouth. Parallelism is pretty cool, isn't it?
I hear mohawks are in again. At least I've been seeing little kids with gelled mohawks running around again. Funny how styles come and go and come back again. However, I'd like to point out that human kind was not the inventor of the mohawk, as our little monkey friend here can attest to. In fact, the piercing eyes, the chin goatee and the mohawk definitely give him a certain monkey flair in a fashionista kind of way.
Fashion statement aside, this is a black leaf or Francois Leaf Monkey(Trachypithecus francoisi), one of about 5000 left in the world. It is found in tropical monsoon forest near limestone hills and caves (where they winter). They hail from China (Guangxi and the Southwestern Guizhou province), Central Laos and Northern Vietnam. They are also being bred at the black leaf monkey breeding center in Wuzhou City, China.
I wonder what that bear is thinking as he looks at the bedraggled dead bird he has been playing with and then looks at all the plump people on the other side of the glass? I wonder what that kid is thinking as the bear stops to take a look at him? There's a reason why that glass is so thick! One the the audience said he was there when the bear suddenly lept up and caught the bird out of mid-air. We can see there's not much left of it after an hour of the two bears playing keep away with it.
Saguaro Cactus are native to the Sonoran desert of Southern Arizona and Southern California. They grow about an inch a year making this cactus, at about 10-15 ft. in height, a real oldster (let's see, 12inch/ft x 10ft X 1year/inch is over 120 years of growth!) This one was in bloom and, as opposed to many of it's friends, not particularly spiny. It made for quite the show.
This meerkat momma is busy keeping watch while her youngsters below were playing and digging holes in the loose dirt. Meerkats are just so photogenic that it's hard to resist snapping just a few pictures of them, with their bright eyes, attentive stares and their upright human-like stance.
If nothing else, Lions are good at napping. These two were all cozy and snuggly on top of the abandoned range rover. What more could you ask for? A little shade from the desert heat, a snuggle buddy and a nice cool range rover to lie on. That is the stuff of life!
This is a picture of a Peninsular Metalmark, also called a Behr's or a Mormon Butterfly. I fail to see any resemblance to the Morman's I know but it is certainly beautiful enough that most anyone would be happy to have it named after them. Even if it is just a BUG (grin). I saw this guy on Sunday in a succulent garden up at the Wild Animal Park. We were pretty bummed to drive all the way up there and find out that the butterfly exhibit had closed some two weeks ago (pays to do your homework). However, there were a few natives (all the better) flying around the miscellaneous trails.
News Alert! Fern has been spotted in the vicinity of Kihei, Maui, last seen waving happily from a yellow rubber raft. After a long and fruitful stay in New York, Fern was seen leaving the house seeking something "tropical", with a yellow rubber raft in tow. If you see Fern, tell him that his friends in New York miss him greatly and to please bring back Kona Coffee.
What's a guy to do on a deserted beach in Kihei, Maui but take pictures? This one's on tilt with my head tilting to compensate just a tad. Do you suppose it's global warming or maybe one too many cups of coconut juice? White fluffy sand and nobody around. Gosh...
Cock of the Rock, indeed. This is a Guinean Cock of the Rock or Rupicola rupicola, one of the most sought after South American Birds. This one flew up to say hello and very willingly posed for quite a few pictures. If you like color, this bird has color!
The doves have been taking over my orchid baskets. They inevitably kill the orchids if there was something there still alive but how can you feel bad about these cute little guys? Besides, they're so photogenic.
How's that for Rocky Mountain High? This picture was taken up at altitude from the plane as we passed over the Rocky Mountains on the way to Denver. It was bouncy as ever and the camera was shaking pretty bad but the mountains were far away so it came out decent. It was stunningly beautiful as the sun lit up the white mountain tops.
Here's a picture of San Diego from the airplane window. The large green block in the center is Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. As opposed to LA, you can tell that San Diego is anything BUT flat. In fact, you can see the green tendrils of the finger canyons all over the city which, by the way, was build on a large natural plateau which has eroded into valleys and canyons. I also suspect that the sandy, rocky soil resulted from ocean sediment that has been forced upwards as the Pacific Plate slowly moves up the continental plate.
As promised, here is one of the pictures from the US435 that loops around Kansas City. Everything was incredibly lush and green and the low lying fields were flooded with pools of water. Of course, they had just had over 7 inches of rainfall the prior day so a little water is to be expected. The drive from KCI to Overland park was both relaxing and beautiful. I'm hoping the suburbs, which are already encroaching on the 435, don't overtake it too soon as the drive is truly beautiful.
One last trip to Kansas City and then it is off to the new job. The tornados missed Kansas City, having been a few miles out, so I arrived with no flight delays and with relatively little drama (other than a little bit of turbulance outside of Denver). The weather was cool and very pleasant and the setting sun lit up the skies with bright streaks of clouds in myriad greys and blues. It was glorious and it was all I could do to not pull over on the highway and snap all sorts of pictures. I did snap a few, however, and as soon as I get near a USB cable for my camera, I'll post a few.
There were a few fat Canadian geese waiting for me at the hotel. They were waddling around the thick, lush green grass munching. I couldn't tell if they were eating the grass itself or hunting for bugs or, perhaps, a little of both. There were no goslings, however, and I'm guessing I'm a little early.
We went out to dinner with some of our old time customers/business associates. It was great to see them. We have been through thick and thin with them and it brought back many memories. Hopefully, everything will go fine once I'm gone. I'm figuring everyone is replaceable but it'll take a little while for things to settle down.
It's an orchid judging night. Here's an orchid from tonights judging called Paphiopedilum Screaming Eagle. Quite showy once you get a light on it.
Stopped by Coco's for dinner first and had some grilled salmon and salad. Having behaved so well, it seemed like some boysenberry pie was in order (a la mode). Yummm. I ran into more of our judges at dinner. We've just had a rash of people passing away. It's quite sad really but most of them are well along in years and I guess it is to be expected. As one of the MDs in the program said, the alternative to getting old is none too pleasant either.
I caved in and bought an orchid at the Farmer's Market. It's mainly to decorate the kitchen more than anything else. It has a sweet smell that reminds me of carnations. The best thing about orchids is that they last for weeks.
There was a new guy manning the orchid booth at the market. It turns out it's my good friend Ramona's son. Odd that neither of them ever mentioned that they had a son. Anyhow, I asked him what happened to his dad (who normally mans the booth). He tells me his dad passed away in January. I realize, at this point, that I haven't been to the Farmer's market in a really long time. Wow. I hate having people pass away on me. We both agreed that Tom (his dad) was a real character! ;-) He'll be sorely missed. Guess this blog's for Tom. RIP Tom, hope you have as much fun up there as you did down here.
This little otter was rolling around in his own floatable ice pack and really enjoying himself. It does highlight how well insulated those otter fur coats really are and how they can float around all day in the icy cold kelp beds.
Meanwhile, San Diego had a sunny but cool and breezy day that was perfect for roller blading or a quick jog. The beach was not nearly as packed as I expected, given the pretty decent weather and the cool breeze did not get in the way of a wedding or two and a multitude of parties.
Here's a picture of a passing sea lion that was waiting for handouts. They are amazingly friendly when it comes to fish.
Meanwhile, I'm glad it is finally Friday. It's been a stressful and annoying week. Hope you all have fun plans for the evening. ;-)
Almost Friday! Friday, Friday, Friday! Another hectic day today. It started with a presentation to an auditorium full of people at 7:30am and then technical discussions with customers after that. I am pooped. The beach is sounding better all the time.
For you frustrated would be ball players out there, here is a little example of what not to do when catching a ball. He's clearly running fast enough to catch it. However, you can see that the hands have already clasped and, yes, his eyes are closed and the head is looking AWAY from the ball. Sorry bud, but it's hard to catch a ball with your eyes shut. Near impossible for most of us. For you budding engineers, it's the difference between open loop and closed loop control. Keep your eyes on the ball. Works for tennis balls, works for frisbees... A little scary at first, but it is generally much better to catch the ball then get accidentally nailed on the head by it. Busted in the act! The silly thing about it is, for me at least, I had no idea that I wasn't looking at the ball at the moment of impact (for tennis) until somebody pointed it out. It made a huge difference! Guess that's my flying object tip of the month... Hope you all had a happy hump day.
It was pretty overcast and dreary at the beach on Sunday but it was still warm enough to hang out and relax. I spent some time snapping pictures of the surfing semi-finals. There were some guys out playing whiffle baseball in front of the judging stand, generally oblivious to the whole surf commotion; this one had just hit himself what would have been a home run, at least by whiffle standards (grin).
They had a surfing contest semi-finals (sponsored by Monster) at Mission Beach on Sunday. The waves were actually decent sized, considering it was just Mission Beach. There were some pretty cool maneuvers like this one of a guy going down the wave face backwards. I was certainly impressed.
Sea World (aka Anheiser Busch) has a Sea Lion and Otter Show. In it they have the cutest little otter who, ironically enough, they have trained to carry Pepsi. Where will the product placement people stop? Shamu juggling cans of Bud? I admit, it was cute and probably harmless enough although it did seem a little cheesy of them. Hmmm, I wonder if they'd pay me to put beer ads on my T-shirts? A career limiting move you say? Perhaps.
A little dolphin socializing was going on at Sea World. It was feeding time and the dolphins all came up to the wall for fish. As this young child found out, they seem to also enjoy the occasional rub.
Call me silly but I hate when they glue those fake straw flowers onto cactus. They always glue them right on top of the growing shoot/center, making it very difficult for the cactus to survive. I found this little cactus at Walmart and it had remarkably broken through the glue and had two bright, cheery red-orange flowers. So, I figured I'd rescue it from it's Walmart existance and give a nice, new, glue-free home. I have another refugee cactus that lost all it's spines breaking through the glue and, hence, has an endearing bald spot (spine free) in the middle of the cactus. Anyhow, have a nice weekend and remember, glue-free cacti!
Figured I'd post one of my photo-art experiments with a Japanese theme. I call this "Longing for Home." It shows a Japanese woman looking out the glass, longingly wishing for something better (perhaps a nice Hawaiian beach, lol).
There is nothing like nature to put things in perspective. These two people appeared to be having a bit of a heated conversation. However, in the overall scope of that very large sandstone cliff they are perched on, it all seems rather trite.
Meanwhile, I've been experimenting again. Last night it was banana/carrot/zucchini/raisin bread. A total hit with the secretaries in the office I might add. It was even a bit healthy with raw almonds, raisins, cannola oil and whole wheat flour. Tonight, it was the spicy sweet and sour fish (oh yummm). Hah, you readers are missing out! Nobody goes hungry in this household, not even the dog. ;-)
Found this Fence Lizard on the trail at Torrey Pines sunning himself. I really enjoy the mosaic of colors on these guys including the baby blue spots. They're pretty fearless too, meaning that you can get close enough to take a picture without them running off.
I think this is a Willet but, honestly, between Willets and Godwits and a few other of those shore birds, they've got me guessing. Perhaps if he opened his wings to show a few markings, we could tell. Either way, this Willet was contentedly eating in the sand below Torrey Pines. I've surmised that they eat worms in the sand based on a little digging into the sand where a flock had been recently eating. However, it is hard to be sure. If you know the answer to both of these questions, please share as curious minds want to know. ;-)
The SO's been cooking again. This one was (note, I said "was"...urp) a strawberry tart with almond filling. Yummm. I could get spoiled (and fat). What to do, what to do. I may have to go hiking again to work it off, grin. So, if you were a pastry, what kind would you be? I think I'd want to be warm/fresh hot cross buns or maybe a bear claw (raawrrrr). Chuckle.
Four of us went hiking today at Torrey Pines State Park. While the weather report said it was going to be rainy and the sky, just a few miles inland, was dark and overcast, the weather on the coast was bright and sunny with a light breeze. Going with the Spring theme, I included a picture of the sand verbena that was blooming in patches in the soft sandy soil along the tops of the seaside cliffs.
The weekend walk is always a little more pleasant in the Springtime. The flowers are blooming in full force and, after last night's rain, are covered with dew. I found this Clematis growing along a white picket fence, showing off it's huge lavender flowers.
These cleaner shrimp are so named because they set up cleaning stations on the reef where they remove parasites from passing fish. The fish wait stationary in the water and open their gill flaps and mouths as the shrimp crawl over them, eating tiny parasites and crustaceans. Having watched the BBC "Blue Planet" DVD tonight, I was feeling motivated to pop in some sea life. This picture was snapped at the Maui Ocean Center aquarium in Maalea, Maui.
The picture is of the dark slope of a hill at Mission Gorge with the sun backlighting some red monkey flower so that they glow like fireflies in waning light. I fought with this image in JPEG, losing the flowers at most smaller resolutions but, when I converted to GIF, found that they stayed. Ah what a difference a few KB makes. Again, it's the little things in life...
