Hopefully I’ll get some more shots before we head out on vacation. Even better, maybe they’ll still be here when we get back!

Bowing to the will of the public, we acquired the trap and set it. For the first week we only succeeded in trapping a poor little sparrow which was quickly released. Cynthia was just a little discouraged by the fact that she felt herself being outsmarted by a rodent. She consulted one of the maintenance workers at her office who suggested using a different kind of bait. We had been using cookies, but he suggested nuts and seeds as rodents like to eat food they can hold in their paws.

With this in mind I purchased some more bird seed and baited the trap. At 7:30 Sunday morning Cynthia woke me up exclaiming that we had captured Duffy.

Personally, I could have received this news at a more “humane” hour of the day, say 9:00 or later. But I guess Cynthia’s excitement outweighed all other considerations.

Poor little guy was pretty terrified. Now it was just a matter of finding a place to relocate him. As I mentioned, it was pretty early on a Sunday morning so I figured we’d drive out toward Highway 6 and find a field and let him go. As we were headed down Briar Forest I spotted some commercial construction that backed up to a vacant lot and pulled in. I thought I would drive to the back and release Duffy there.

Imagine my surprise when we spotted a Houston Police cruiser parked back there. I quickly turned around and headed back out. The cop didn’t seem to see us which was a relief. I could imagine explaining to the officer exactly what we were doing.

We found another location next to another vacant lot and released Duffy and headed home.

Cynthia doesn’t think that we actually caught Duffy. She thinks this is another rat altogether. I think it’s Duffy, but the trap is reset and we’ll see if we catch anything else.

*UPDATE*

We need to stop setting the trap during daylight hours

It’s National Psychic Week. You Are Fine, How Are We?

Our semi-annual holiday card celebrates National Psychic Week which is the first week of August.

—

See also:

Pi(e) Day
Pancake Day
Bastille Day
Day Of The Dead
Moon Day

He’s really kind of cute. He comes out from behind the garage and gets some food and then ducks back behind that brick and then darts out and gets some more food. If I go out there he will run away and I won’t see him for days or weeks. But he always comes back. He keeps to himself and doesn’t bother the birds and they sure don’t seem to mind having him around.

I knew Cynthia would not be happy about it so I never mentioned it in hopes that she just wouldn’t see him. But, as luck would have it, she spotted him a several weeks back. Needless to say, she’s not that pleased with the idea that there is a rat brazenly feeding on the back patio. Cynthia is of the mind that rats are horrible, disease ridden trouble makers. That, and they really creep her out.

Cynthia believes the rodent should die. She’s pushing for death by Rat Zapper or death by poison or even death by rat trap. I am less inclined to see him killed by our hand. I’ve even gone so far as to suggest that this may not be a rat, but a very large mouse. Cynthia happens to like mice and was even nicknamed Mouse by her father. Cynthia’s not buying it, though. She’s convinced this is a rat.

In an effort to make our interloper a little less horrifying, Cynthia has named him “Duffy” or, more formally “Duffy The Rat” which allows her to maintain her composure when discussing what is to be done. Of course naming him has personalized him and now Cynthia is softening on the issue. But we still go back and forth with me explaining that letting him live is probably no big deal and her explaining that he’s a filthy disease ridden rat that must perish as soon as possible.

Cynthia has agreed to let you decide Duffy’s fate. Comment here with whether you think Duffy should be allowed to live, or if we should actively seek to eliminate him. Duffy’s fate is in your hands. If the majority of you make a compelling argument to spare him. Duffy lives. If the majority are in favor of elimination him, Duffy goes to the great rat nest in the sky.

What say ye?

We’re very excited about our next trip which is coming up in the fall. We’re flying to Vienna, Austria then traveling by train to Prague in the Czech Republic. We’ve booked an apartment in Prague, complete with kitchenette, fridge and a washer and dryer. That should make like a little easier on us as we can pack light and wash our clothes for reuse and also stock up on groceries and save the cost of eating out for every meal.

I confess, I am just a teeny-weeny bit apprehensive on this one. Cynthia’s Spanish language skills served us well on the two trips to Spain, but neither of us speak any Czech or German. I’m sure there’s enough English being spoken that we’ll manage, but it will be a challenge. This is the furthest east we’ve ventured.

It will also be a challenge since The Czech Republic has not adopted the Euro. They’re still using their own currency, the Czech Crown (CZK). We’ve gone ahead and got our Czech money from the bank in advance.

The exchange rate is about 20 CZK to 1 USD. To do the conversion, divide by 20. That’s approximately $10 on the top, $5 in the middle and $25 on the bottom.

Prague is known as the “Belly Of The World” due to their being the world record holder for drinking beer. Check out this video

Sunday, July 4th and it is time to go home. I had a 3:45 flight back to Houston so it was simply a matter of getting from San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye back to Belize City and then to the airport where I would then only be a few short hours from returning home.

There are two main water taxi companies in Belize. Caye Caulker Water Taxi and San Pedro Belize Express. Each company has their own unique schedule, so which one you choose really depends on what time you want to go. Coming in I used Caye Caulker Water Taxi, but heading back I opted for the San Pedro Belize Express because they had an 11:30am departure back to Belize City and that was best for my time frame.

I got to the departure pier an hour early just to stake out the best seat and was glad I did. Unlike Caye Caulker Water Taxi, the San Pedro Belize Express boats have an open air top deck and by being near the front of the line I got a prime seat with a nice view and it wasn’t very crowded. Since the boat was full they only took passengers that were going to Belize City and used another boat for those headed to Caye Caulker so it was a non-stop ride which was great.

The weather was again fantastic. I had worried that I might have to take the ride during a rain storm and that would have been less than pleasant.

The boat ride was uneventful, but much more pleasant than the ride over. The boat just seemed better than the ones operated by the other company.

We pulled in to Belize City and disembarked. After collecting my luggage I proceeded to the front of the station where the cabs were lined up and arranged my ride to the airport.

All of the cabs were in pretty wretched shape. Faded paint, dirty and in various states of disrepair. As is the norm for any taxi stand, you don’t get to choose your cab, you go in the one that is next in line.

My cab was a thing of absolute beauty (he said sarcastically). An early 90′s Toyota Minivan. The upholstery was shredded and worn and the front windshield was fully smashed on the passenger side and cracked pretty bad on the driver’s side.

My driver was a friendly and talkative fellow. His upbeat yammering was helpful in distracting me from the horrors as they unfolded in what SHOULD have been a mere 20 minute ride to the airport.

As we headed off to our destination I noticed that the cab seemed to be slipping gears. My driver would have to take the cab out of gear, rev the engine and then slip it back into gear which would then result in a forward lurch that was rather unsettling. As we approached the first of what was to be many speed bumps, the driver slowed down and as we went over it, the entire front of the vehicle made the most horrendous sound and the cab rattled and shook so violently I honestly thought the entire front wheel assembly was going to disintegrate into a heap of useless, rusty metal.

We continued on down the road, lurching as the cab found its way in and out of gear. I’m thinking to myself “just a few miles, we can make it” and then the engine died. As we coasted down the bumpy, pothole filled road rattling and shaking the driver dropped us out of gear, turned the key and after a bit of starter grinding noise, the engine struggled back to life. He dropped it back into gear and we lurched forward once again.

Keep in mind that this is not a pleasant place to be driving, but I would imagine it is a million times more unpleasant if you’re broken down on the side of the road. In my luggage is my valuable camera gear and my laptop. I am, at this point, extremely grateful I am insured.

We enter a roundabout which I recognize from the ride in and this comforts me. I know we’re going in the right direction and I know it’s not going to be much longer.

Then we spot the orange cones. The road we want to go down (the one that leads to the airport) is blocked off with a policeman indicating we need to stay in the roundabout and take a detour. We continue around and the engine dies again. The driver indicates that he needs to stop and get some gas. This is when I notice we’re on “E” and that the check engine light is on and the oil level indicator light is blinking. This is when I realize I am going to either die or miss my flight…or both.

We pull into a gas station and, I kid you not, the driver tells the attendant to give him $15 PREMIUM. Not the cheap stuff for this guy.

We get our gas and head off once more.

The detour takes us through an even rougher area of town and I am starting to get just a teeny bit concerned for my safety. The driver continues to yammer on about some inane subject or another. It is oddly comforting, but not enough to put me completely at ease. The roads being even worse than the main road, we’re rattling and shaking and lurching as we slip in and out of gear BUT, thanks to the refueling, the engine is no longer dying.

We come back out on the main road and before we can get more than a few hundred feet there’s a police car in the middle of the road, right before the bridge. The policeman gestures for us to stop and the cab driver tells me to put on my seatbelt as he buckles his own. Mine, of course, was already on.

As we’re sitting there we see a number of vehicles coming across the bridge followed by cyclists. Apparently there is some cross country bike race going on and that is what is blocking traffic everywhere.

After about 10 minutes they pass and the policeman gestures for us to proceed.

We drive a bit further and there is yet ANOTHER policeman and he is pointing for us to turn down an unpaved road leading in to the slums. Here the cab is struggling mightily and we are far, far away from anything even remotely comforting. My driver is explaining how this is a common occurrence in Belize. Detours due to anything from visiting dignitaries to car crashes and, apparently, bike races. I’m just waiting for the cab to completely fail at this point and am psyching myself up in preparation for missing my flight and god knows what else if I end up having to find another ride and a place to stay.

Fortunately we make it through the back way and on to the main road once again and then to the road that takes us to the airport.

I breathe a sigh of utter relief as I slide out of the cab and collect my luggage. I pay the driver and enter the airport.

The rest of the trip home is, thankfully, uneventful.

Luis and Sarai hired a pro to shoot the wedding, as I suggested and for the reasons I stated above. This meant that I had to stay out of the pro’s way. Something the pro made VERY clear when she arrived. But it did not mean I had to stay idle. I took advantage of the time before she arrived to catch some candids and then I was up to the balcony of the villa to shoot long distance and then back down to take advantage of some of the time after the actual ceremony.

These are the results

Next – Defying certain death!

The room cooled down pretty well during the night and I was able to sleep. Unfortunately I woke up around 6:30 am which is 7:30 am back home and pretty much the latest I sleep in these days. I putted around a little and the decided I would go to the villa and see if Luis and Sarai wanted to get some breakfast. They had mentioned a place in town called Estelle’s which was supposed to have good and cheap breakfast and I figured with it being wedding day, they’d be up early getting ready.

I got into my golf cart and made my way to the villa.

It’s worth mentioning that the roads in San Pedro are paved with cobblestone (when they’re paved at all) which makes for a rather jostling, bumpy ride. Add to that the most severe speed bumps you can imagine and you have a pretty rough ride moving around the island. The charm of driving around in one of these things wears off really quickly.

On the way to the villa it started to drizzle and then I spotted the rainbow you see at the top. I stopped on the side of the road and was able to get a reasonable photograph before resuming the journey.

Of course, when I got to the villa not a creature was stirring. I wasn’t prepared to wake anyone up so I headed back to town for breakfast.

Let me say this, if you are ever in San Pedro and looking for a good breakfast, Estelle’s is the place. Cup of coffee, 2 eggs over medium, potatoes, toast and bacon for right at $5 U.S. And so delicious! And the patio is perfect for enjoying your meal while watching watching the sun rise over the sea.

After dawdling over breakfast and coffee for a few hours I decided to head back to the villa once more, certain they’d be awake by now. Plus, I had no Internet in my hotel. They advertised “free Internet” but I am thinking they meant to say “Internet free” as I saw no wireless signal. Luis mentioned that the villa had wireless and packed up the laptop to go get online.

As expected, they were awake now and ready to eat. They headed in to town while I tried to get online. I was able to do a few things, but overall the connection was very slow and the online experience was just too painful.

I headed back to town once more to get my things in order for the wedding this evening. I decided to turn in my rented golf cart and figured I would catch a cab back to the villa when it was time.

Around lunch time I went to Estelle’s to get something to eat and they had the World Cup on. I watched Spain narrowly defeat Paraguay which was a treat.

Around 2:30 I hailed a cab and was back to the villa once more, which was now a hive of activity as everyone was getting ready.

This was the time I was going to use to photograph the wedding preparations. The “real” photographer would be along after awhile and I had agreed to stay out of her way, so if I was to shoot, this would be the best time.

Up next – Belize – Jay The Wedding Photographer

To say that the water taxi ride is a drag would be an understatement. Imagine an hour and a half sitting in large plastic space with the acoustic properties of a very large ice chest with the sound of a very loud engine drone reverberating inside as you go bobbing across the Caribbean ocean and you get the idea. Not romantic, not charming. Just loud and monotonous. But hey! It’s an ADVENTURE!

We pulled into San Pedro and I got off the boat. Boy, the water is BLUE!

I was taking it all in and waiting for my luggage and I was approached by a man who asked me where I was staying. I pointed to the hotel which was right there (you can see it in the top photo).

I was clever enough to choose a hotel right near the landing for the water taxi. He smiled. Realizing he couldn’t hustle me for tips carrying my bags or hailing me a taxi he changed gears and offered me drugs. I politely declined. He let me know, in no uncertain terms, that he could get me just about anything I needed while on the island.

I collected my gear and headed off to the hotel to check in.

From the outside, the hotel was ok. Clean and well cared for and my mood was lifted. The view from the balcony at the front of the hotel was rather nice.

I went to the office and checked in. They gave me my key and I headed upstairs to settle in and get my bearings. The room was hot so I looked for the controls for the air conditioning but found none. Turns out the basic room has no A/C. I went back to the office and upgraded my room for a nominal fee. Turns out it was a nominal upgrade. The new room had one very beleaguered looking window A/C unit with one of those pine tree shaped air-fresheners jammed into it. I turned it on and it roared to life, albeit reluctantly.

The room had a fridge in it which came in handy. I was only in the room a few minutes when someone knocked at the door. A woman handed me a jug of ice cold water and explained that this was safe to drink. I thanked her and put the jug in my fridge after pouring myself a glass.

Once I was settled I headed downstairs in search of a golf cart to rent. Golf carts are the primary mode of transportation on the island. My friend who was getting married was on the far southern side of the island in a house several miles from my hotel. It was also the site where the wedding was to be held. I figured I would head down there and scope it out.

As I started looking for a golf cart rental shop I was approached by the man who met me at the pier and he asked what I needed. I told him and he walked me to a rental place that was still open. He still wanted to sell me drugs, but I continued to decline his offer.

I paid for my rental and as I was getting instructions on how to operate the vehicle I heard someone calling my name. It was my friend Luis and and his wife to be, Sarai. Turns out they were in the area after meeting with the pro photographer. We decided to go get some food and found a little restaurant and ate some much needed dinner.

We had a good time at dinner. The food was very good and the beer was ice cold and the breeze coming in off the water made the early evening very comfortable. I related my travel woes to my friends and they topped my bad experiences with one of their own. They had flown in the night before and checked into their rented villa and then went off to find dinner. After dinner they returned to the villa, only to find that it had been ransacked. Oddly, only the luggage had been rifled and robbed. The flat screen TV’s and the DVD players that belonged to the villa were untouched. It reeked of an inside job.

After dinner I followed them down to the south side of the island to see their place.

THANK GOD that I ran into them. Had I tried to find it on my own I would have only managed to get myself very lost and extremely terrified. It was not the straight drive down an obvoius street as I was lead to believe. It was a bit more twisty and convoluted. To make matters worse, the “downtown” area of San Pedro (such that it is) is all one-way streets. I had no idea. If I had been left to my own devices I would have trundled off going the wrong way on a one way street with no hope of finding the house.

On our way down to the villa Luis wanted to stop at the hotel his father was staying at so did so and picked him and his wife up and proceeded to the villa. Due to the “break in” there was security check point setup on the road leading to the villa.

We made it to the villa and hung out for a bit and then made our way back into town with various friends and family in tow. Everyone was pretty tired so we called it quits around 11:30 pm. Luis and his entourage headed back to the villa and I headed back to the hotel.

Even after blowing full blast for several hours, the air-conditioner was not getting the job done very quickly. I lay down to get some sleep as the room slowly cooled.

On a side note, the beaches come alive at night with hermit crabs

Next Up – Wedding Day!

Several months ago my friend and co-worker got it in his head that he wanted me to come to Belize and photograph his wedding. I explained that I did not consider myself a wedding photographer and made every effort to discourage him from this notion. After some back and forth he opted to hire a “pro” to shoot the wedding, but still wanted me to come and shoot casually with the idea that I would capture things the “pro” would not.

I agreed and arrangements were made to fly me to Belize City where I would then take the water taxi to San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye which is about 30 miles away. We booked the flight and found a hotel and I was all set.

From the get-go I was apprehensive about the whole thing. Cynthia had no interest in going and I was generally uneasy about the trip overall. I didn’t really know what to expect and I worried I would bring no photographic value to my friend’s wedding. I had a few months to stew on the subject before it actually happened and that only made my anxiety worse.

The wedding was set for July 4th so I would fly out on July 2nd. As it turned out, there were storms all over Texas due to Hurricane Alex hitting Mexico so I drove through blinding rain just to get to the airport. Check in went smoothly and while I was waiting to board the plane an alarm went off at IAH. I think it was a fire alarm. Nobody seemed all that concerned and someone did come on the intercom to say they were investigating the cause. The alarm continued for another 20 minutes and was still going as we boarded the plane.

Once the plane was loaded, we pulled back from the gate and proceeded to the runway to take off.

The rain was REALLY coming down at this point and the plane came to a stop. The captain came on the intercom and informed us that departures were halted until the worst of the storm passed. We sat on the tarmac for about 45 minutes before we were cleared for takeoff.

This had me rather stressed. I knew I had limited time to clear customs and catch a cab to the water taxi stand before the last water taxi to San Pedro departed. The thought of missing that last water taxi and having to find accommodations in Belize city had no appeal to me whatsoever.

As it turns out, we made good time and clearing customs was a breeze. And the weather was pretty fantastic. Hot, but with a cool breeze. Very pleasant overall.

I collected my luggage and proceeded to the taxi stand to catch a cab to the water taxi and I thought I was well on my way, but no.

As we were driving along, the cab driver got very excited and pulled out his cell phone and began speaking in Creole to someone on the other end, all the while looking in his rear-view mirror. He drove a bit further and then turned the cab around.

He explained that he had seen a man who he knew had jumped immigration standing on the side of the road. The man had been deported to Belize from the US and his good friend was an immigration officer and he wanted to sit on the side of the road and watch the man while he waited for the authorities to come. He assured me we would make the water taxi and I reluctantly agreed to sit. After a while he pulled out his phone again. I got the gist of the call. Whoever was supposed to be coming was not coming. He explained that there was an off-duty policeman in the store across the street so he drove over there and asked me if I wanted something to drink. I said “sure, I’d like a Coke” to which he indicated I should go in and buy one. He assured me my things would be safe in the car.

Uh, no…I’ll just wait here with my stuff thank you very much.

He got out of the car and went into the store. A few minutes later he came out with two other men who went and appeared to arrest the man we’d be watching.

My cab driver got back in the car and we headed off.

I really don’t know what happened. It could have been on the level, or I could have just narrowly avoided getting completely jacked in Belize City. At any rate, I was glad to be moving…even if it was to an as yet to be determined alternate doom.

Belize City, at least between the airport and the water taxi stand, is a hole. Very depressed with old cars belching smoke and run down buildings everywhere you look. It was not someplace I wanted to be stuck and I was praying hard that I’d make the last boat to San Pedro.

We got to the water taxi stand with 12 minutes to spare, but I was not out of the woods yet. There was a long line to get on the boat and a long line to purchase tickets. I must have looked rather desperate and confused at this point. A woman stopped me and asked me where I was headed and I told her I was going to San Pedro. She called a man over who explained he would get me on the boat but needed to get my luggage on the boat now while I went and purchased a ticket.

I thought for sure my luggage was going to be gone, but the man had me walk over and see him give my suitcase to the men loading the boat. It was oddly reassuring but still felt like it could be scam.

I got in line and purchased my ticket. My first lesson in Belize exchange rates came at this point. The woman said the cost was $30 so I gave her two U.S. 20 dollar bills. She then gave me one of the 20′s back and a $10 Belize bill. Oh yea! 2 to 1 US to Belize exchange rate. $30 Belize is $15 US so change for my U.S. $20 in the form of $10 Belize.

The man assisting me then walked me to the front of the boarding line and then said “Do you have my tip?” and then it all made sense. He was hustling tips, not looking to steal my stuff. I gave him the $10 Belize and climbed aboard.

The boat was nothing special. A fiberglass constuct where about 40 or so of us were crammed into the hold. Plenty of windows, but we were so low in the boat you couldn’t really see out. There was a sign that said no standing while underway and another sign that indicated that life preservers were located behind the seats.

For the record, there were no life preservers.

The boat pulled away from the pier and headed out into the blue waters of the Caribbean toward our destination.

For some reason, I had it my head that it was a 45 minute ride to San Pedro. After about an hour we arrived at a pier, but it was not San Pedro, it was Caye Caulker. We stopped and unloaded quite a bit of luggage, but no passengers. I watched nervously, expecting to see my luggage unloaded but it wasn’t. It seemed odd they were unloading luggage, but no passengers. I concluded that it must be luggage that was seprated from its owners due to mixups in baggage handling or something.

We pulled away once more and 20 minutes later we arrived at our ultimate destination.

Next up – San Pedro

These two images are my best shots of him to date. Click on either image to see the larger size. The detail of this lens is just spectacular!

The above panorama is known as a single row panorama. It is comprised of several photos, each take side by side while moving the camera a short distance between each shot. This next one isa bit more complex. It is a multi-row panorama and is comprised of 45 separate shots in 3 rows. The camera shoots a series across while angled up, a series across while angled down and then again along the horizon.

Click any of the above images to see a larger version.

And for fun, another 360 degree panorama of the reading room shot with the Nodal Ninja and the fisheye lens. Comprised of 6 shots around and one zenith and one nadir shot. Click your mouse inside the picture and hold the left button down and you can then spin the image around and up and down to see a full 360 degrees.

Full screen, ultra-high resolution version (10 meg file) available here. Will take some time to fully load, but is VERY interesting!

Cynthia and I went to the Art Car Parade on Saturday. This time was different from years past because I was invited to be an announcer as the parade was going on with my friend and Technology Bytes co-host Dwight Silverman. It was a lot of fun, but I ended up not getting to take any pictures of the art cars. It took everything we had to keep up with the announcing.

I did, however, get some pictures of some of the numerous baby ducks at Sam Houston Park.

All pics shot using the Sony A850 and the SAL 70-300G lens. Click any image for a larger (and much cuter) version.

I was running a quick errand to the H.E.B. to pick up some postage stamps and lo and behold, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile was parked out front. I don’t know exactly why, but I get kinda silly when I see this thing. Of course I didn’t have my camera with me since it was a quick errand. I went ahead and bought the stamps and then ran back home and asked Cynthia if she’d be interested in taking a whimsy break.

I grabbed my camera and we headed back over to the H.E.B. and had a nice visit with the drivers of the Wienermobile who are known as “Hotdoggers.” It was really quite fun and silly, but we learned quite a bit about the ongoing Oscar Meyer marketing campaign and some facts about the Wienermobile.

They still give away little plastic wiener-whistles!

*Photographer’s Note*
The first two photos were taken using the Lensbaby Composer mounted on the the A850. The Lensbaby Composer creates the selective focus effect you see in those images and is a fully manual lens. The third photo was taken using the 16mm fisheye and the last photo was taken using the 100mm macro lens.

Poor little guy. Looks like the wind blew him out of his nest which is up pretty high in the Bottle Brush Trees so I couldn’t put him back, plus it looked like he might have a hurt wing as a result of the fall.

That and the neighborhood cat combined didn’t give me a good feeling about his chances of making it through the night so we scooped him up and took him to the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition just to be safe. His parents were frantic and dive-bombing me like crazy. I’m sure it was quite the site to see.

I felt bad. But in this scenario, everybody lives.

Cynthia named him Fergus.

While working in the yard yesterday this guy was hanging around the Meyer Lemon Tree which is currently covered in blossoms for the spring. This bee would just hover near Cynthia as she was pulling some weeds. First he would face her, then he would turn to face the tree and then fly away, usually chased off by another, larger carpenter bee.

The bee didn’t seem to me to be mad or anything. Just curious and very adamant about hanging around in this one spot which was being intruded upon by our efforts to get the garden into shape before summer. Cynthia thought he was being rather aggressive and named him Bee-lzebub.

The above shots were captured while shooting handheld with the Sony A850 and the 100mm Macro in manual focus mode.

Click either image to see a larger version.

*Photographer’s Note* I was not able to get close enough to the subject to create a “true” macro. These are 100% crops from the original photo. For comparison, this is a resized, but original version of the photo the first shot was taken from.

A testament to the resolving power of the A850 and the sharpness of the Sony 100mm Macro.

Click images to see larger versions.

The nice thing about getting out and visiting new places is that I find lots to things to take pictures of and write about. But there’s always a lull when I get back to Houston in terms of inspiration. It’s already been several months since the trip to Copenhagen and I must confess, the photographic and blogging inspiration is STILL at an all time low.

The Pi(e) Day Card was a fun project. We’re still pondering what’s next in the esoteric holiday card lineup.

Cynthia and I have been hard at work trying to get the front and back lawns into shape. We lost very little during the recent snow in December and the more recent hard freeze where temps stayed below 32 for awhile, so that’s good.

In the loss column was one of my favorite plants, the giant pink Hibiscus we’ve had since our first apartment in the Heights over 15 years ago. Call me sentimental, but I always looked fondly on the soul survivor of our futile efforts to maintain a patio garden in Houston. It had a place of honor in the front yard just to the side of the front door. Now that it is dead we’ve replaced it with a somewhat neglected Sago Palm we’ve had in a pot in the backyard. It’s a bit of a runt due to living in a pot in the shade in the backyard, but hopefully it will reach it’s full potential now that it has been moved.

We also lost the giant and hateful Bougainvillea that dominated the back garden. It was pretty and really doing well before the freeze, but just didn’t manage to survive so we spent the better part of two weekends cutting it down and chopping it up enough so that the trash collectors would haul it away.

We managed to get most of it gone but not without some parting shots from it’s numerous and sharp thorns.

There’s still a lot of work to be done and hopefully this good weather will hold for a few more weeks so we can finish it up. We’ve really had some gorgeous California style weekends with low temps and low humidity with lots of clear blue skies and sunshine.

Oh, and speaking of the good weather. We’ve been taking the opportunity to walk a few miles each day after work. That, in combination with a revised diet and some Wii Fit excercises I am personally down 20lbs!

See also:

Pancake Day
Bastille Day
Day Of The Dead
Moon Day

I have just learned that Houston artist and good friend Mik Miano passed away.

A prolific artist, his metal sculptures are major part of the interior architecture or Rudyard’s British Pub and he’s the designer of the Houston Press Music Awards trophies in 2008 and 2009.

There’s a Facebook group called I can now post pictures of Mik for posting pics and memories of Mik for those so inclined.

Close

Off Memorial Drive between Kirkwood and Dairy Ashford reside the wild peafowl of West Houston. Peacocks and Peahens roam the yards and streets, putting on a show and making a racket. Their call sounds like a baby crying out or a cat in severe pain. Some residents describe their call as “sounds like somebody being murdered.”

Overall they seem oblivious to the human residents and the occasional gawkers like myself who drive down to see them.

Apparently the population of about 50 birds are offspring from a pair that a landowner gave his wife more than 30 years ago. From what I understand, most of the residents like the birds.

Close

Close

Close

Close

And this one particular Peacock had no problem at all with me taking his picture as he presented himself, in all his glory, to any Peahen who cared to have a romp or a gander.

Close

Close

Close