The Statue of Liberty on Parade

One of the marchers last weekend was dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. While it may at first seem a little perpendicular to the festive atmosphere, perhaps it speaks more to the purpose that pride parades were created. In fact, given the vicious immigration debates going on today, perhaps more people should remember the charitable words immortalized on the base of the Statue of Liberty, those words written by nineteenth century poet Emma Lazarus in "The New Colossus."

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Marketing to the Gay Community

It appears that the gay community drinks enough to get some attention from Anheuser-Busch. Enough, at least, to send Bud Man to the parade! 10% of the population, mostly with no kids and with lots of income. They go to theme parks too. Heck, it sounds like a no brainer. Bud man here we come.

A Color Dare

I think it was a dare. Around 6 scantily clad, color themed guys all ran across the street, being waved off the road by one of the parade marshalls. Shown here are flaming pink and flourescent orange. They were closely followed by brilliant blue.

Royal Wave

This little guy was practicing his "royal wave" in Saturday's Pride Parade. Now, you could attribute it on his role models or perhaps he is just getting a queenly head start.

Takes Guts

Gay Pride or not, it takes guts to parade around in speedos. On the other hand, if I looked like that, maybe it wouldn't take quite as much guts after all. Besides, they did get some advertising and a little free blog space.

Bourbon St. Beads

The guys from Bourbon Street, a local bar, were pretty pysched up about the beads as you can tell from the big "hand in the cookie jar" grin on the guy on the right. He really lit up a few moments before when one of his buddies came by with an armful of beads. I guess it's the little things in life that make us happy.

San Diego Pride

They had the San Diego Pride Parade today. While once upon a time, Pride Parades were pretty outlandish affairs, these days, they are pretty tame, polite and political affairs. All the politicians were out as were the police, the fire department, the sheriff, the prosecutors, the public safety people, the banks and the car people. Overall, it was still pretty festive. Here is a picture of some political weiner dogs.

Puffer Pride

I found this puffer at a friends house in their aquarium. He was pretty friendly and would follow your finger across the tank. Notably, it is a freshwater puffer as you may notice the Java ferns in the background. I like the cute little perma-smile.

Anna's Hummingbird

I never tire of taking pictures of the Anna's hummingbirds in the back yard. I could sit and watch them for hours. This little female was going back and forth between the Cannas and the Agapanthus.

Defending The Ziplock

The aggressor gull in the picture snatched a ziplock back full of cookies from a neighboring beach blanket while the people were in the water. Immediately, other gulls came in seeking their share of the bounty. As you can see, the thief was not in the mood for sharing.

Red Headed River Turtle

For you turtle lovers, here is a picture of a red headed river turtle, Podocnemis erythrocephala. Erythro refers to red and cephala to head. This one seemed to have a permanent smile. Happy hump day eve.

Spotted Spreadwing

I found this Spotted Spreadwing Damselfly (Lestes congener) in the backyard on Sunday. They're so tiny compared to their dragonfly cousins, you'll miss them if you don't look good. Lucky for me, their wings sheen in the sun and this one caught my attention. Even luckier still, it stayed around long enough for me to run in and grab the camera.

Bend and Snap

One of the zookeepers was feeding the monkeys. At first, I thought those were carrots she was tossing in there but on closer examination, they appear to be yet another type of manufactured biscuit (maybe fruit or meat?). One of the keepers said they have a company that manufactures biscuits of just about any composition to order. It probably makes feeding all those animals just a little bit easier. Besides, she does look rather stylish as she tosses in those biscuits, doesn't she?

Brush Ear Pigs

A Brush Ear Piglet takes a nap with Momma pig. Actually, the whole family of 4 little piglets was enjoying a lazy, nap-filled afternoon.

Ruddy Duckling

Even the Ruddy Ducks had a few ducklings following them around. They don't get the telltale blue bill until they get older (assuming it's a male) but they were sticking close to Mom and Pop. This one came up to get a closer look.

Staring at the Hippo

I love taking pictures at the hippo tank. The people sit and stare or tap on the glass thinking the hippo might do something special for them. This one shows the refections of two ardent hippo admirers.

The Ducklings Are Here

It's that duckling time of year! There where all kinds of baby ducks trying out their new freedom on the ponds. Here are some napping near the flamingo pool.

Hummingbirds

This little hummingbird was fiercely defending his territory from other hummingbirds while alternately feasting on agapanthus and canna lilly nectar. He would occasionally stop to perch on one of the banana trees and made quite a display. We have Anna's Hummingbirds in the area but this one shows no red on top of his head. IDs are, as always, welcome.

Springtime in Flamingo-land

The flamingos have been busy this Winter and springtime bought a whole new generation of chicks. This one was showing his fellow flamingos that he means business.

Eye of the Peacock

Well, heck, if you can have the eye of the tiger, why not the eye of the peacock, eh? Or maybe the Peafowl? You can never have too many pictures of peacocks with their glittery, irridescent blue plumage and magnificent displays! Have you ever noticed that the feathers on the head of a male peacock look like molten cobalt or perhaps melted glass, in a kind of bubbly, opalescent sort of way?

Dolphins Surfing

Saw these dolphins surfing on the beach today. They were slowly making their way down the La Jolla Coast. This picture was taken from the cliffs up above. Based of the lack of white coloration (in any of my pictures), I'm guessing these are bottlenose dolphins rather than common dolphins.

Willow Ptarmigan

A Willow Ptarmigan photo, compliments of our friend, Patricia. This is a male with breeding plumage.

One More for the Herpetologists

Here's one more for the Herpetologists. Yep, a snake this time. This is a Mang Mountain Pit Viper. Looks real scary (and it is likely pretty scary in fact if it were hiding in some shrubs while you were hiking through) but I love the piercing silver-emerald eyes.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!!! Hope you all had fun.

Dragonfly fourth

Happy Fourth of July! I found this dragonfly perched on my peach tree and he wasn't budging so I snapped some pictures. It looks like a Western Meadowhawk but the markings aren't quite the same as the reference picture so, if there are any dragonfly experts out there, your assistance is welcome. Happy Fourth.

A Stunning Redhead

This Red Headed Rock Agama was basking in that hot San Diego sunshine. Their little red heads literally glow in the sunlight making quite a display. If you move too quickly, they run incredibly fast as well.

A CBR for Cleisocentron merillianum

This adorable little blue orchid just received a CBR for me. I'm not sure I didn't get the wrong end of the stick, however,as that means that I need to send it out to be officially identified which costs an even $50 (which is more than the little plant cost me). If you're curious, it is a Cleisocentron merillianum. At least that's what the tag said.

Lizard Lovers Unite

One of my few readers (hahah, with me that makes two), was gracious enough to identify my blue spotted lizard from Torrey Pines as a Sceloporous or Fence Lizard (which I had mistakenly labeled as an aligator lizard, April 25, 2007). I, of course, was pretty doggone happy to have someone interested in my pictures and figured I'd put up another lizard from my extensive photo library for our lizard loving friends. Sorry, nothing rare. Best I can tell, it is a Gecko native to Madagascar, Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis, that has successfully gone native in Hawaii. My friends in Hawaii tell me that they have seen these guys gobbling up the other geckos and anoles in the area and that they are rapidly taking over [a word of caution to those of you who would randomly introduce new species into ecosystems]. This one was photographed at the City of Refuge on the Big Island of Hawaii in one of their huts.

Eye to Eye

How close are you willing to get to snap that lizard picture? If he sneezed, my lens would have gotten wet. Admittedly, once those lizards find a nice rock to sun on, they don't like to give them up! Some have nice little blue spots but this one was pretty typical.

Cascade Falls, Alaska

This is the view from the top of Cascade Falls, Alaska. It was a beautiful, sunny day but there were clouds for just long enough to take this picture.

Dall's Porpoise

Some Dall's Porpoise that were keeping us company in Prince William Sound, Alaska. They stayed for the entire time while we fished for halibut. We didn't catch anything other than a few beers.

Surf Scoter

There are Surf Scoters. Seems like kind of a funky name. These ducks hang out fairly far from shore and this particular flock took to wing when the boat passed by.

Icarus

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.

Kittywake Colony

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.

Alaskan Falls

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.

Moose and Magpie

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.

Happy Days

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.

Bear Tussle

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.

Bear Glacier

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.

Caught in the Act

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.

Post Vacation Stress

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.

Seal on Ice

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.

Back From the Cold North

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.

Proof that Mixed Couples Work?

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.

Heading North

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.

Do Monkeys Miss?

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!

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 the Flamingo

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?

Monkey Mohawk

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.

Penny for Your Thoughts...

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.