A Day at the Lake

A few photos of a trip from last Spring.
Spending a lazy day drifting on the lake.

Many boaters took advantage of the summer-like weather to enjoy the outdoors.

You might never have guessed you were in the middle of busy Manhattan unless you looked up and saw skyscrapers.

- Karen

Sheriff & the Outlaws

A shootout at the ranch?
No cause for alarm!
It is just artwork at San Diego's Old Town area.

Do you feel safer now with the sheriff in town?

Have a great weekend!

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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Penelope

I was in San Diego this past weekend and encountered this unique sculpture named "Penelope" on my walk by Seaport Village.
Local artist, Michael Stutz, immortalized "Penelope" from the Greek mythology "The Odyssey" for waiting 20 years for her husband Ulysses to return home from his journeys.

The sculpture is created by the weaving of bronze strips welded together. Stutz spent 3 years in New Orleans building Mardi Gras parade floats which had an influence on his life to create large scale sculptures.

From the back side, you can imagine what Penelope sees day-in and day-out.

- Karen

Seaworld

Everyone guessed the location of my last post correctly. This one is easier. It's Seaworld.

These little fishes are called Silversides and are sold to visitors to feed the stingrays in a shallow tank.

Prior to the main show to begin, this mime entertains the crowd and mimics guests unsuspectingly as they make their way into the theater to find their seats.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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- Karen

Bay Area Summer

I am happy to report that summer has officially made it to the San Francisco Bay Area, but only for a few days in the upper 90's.
We have been experiencing an unusually cooler summer season this year so I am glad it is finally here. Unfortunately, school starts this week so I imagine the kids are not happy with the tardy summer weather.

- Karen

Sun Screens

Just came back from Orlando for vacation.
While there, I spotted these colorful parasols vendors were selling at Walt Disney's Epcot Theme Park. They would come in handy to block out the scorching sun, but not the humidity.
I am happy to return to the cool San Francisco Bay Area weather.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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Note to readers: I will be away on business/vacation in Orlando for the next week and will be too busy to post. Thank you for dropping by. I shall visit your post when I return.

Have a great week!

- Karen

Over the Creek

Not far from the pedestrian bridge I posted last, is this wooden plank bridge surrounded by lush greenery and follows a creek below.
If you are standing still on the bridge and someone walks by, you will experience a tiny bouncing sensation.
Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if lots of people walked by at the same time.

- Karen

Los Gatos Creek Bridge

A highly utilized bridge by walkers and joggers especially on the weekends, but for a moment, it stands alone in silence.

Wordless Wednesday

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Laid Back Afternoon

Another photo from my Photo Walk two weekends ago.
Spotted these Adirondeck chairs in front of someone's front patio. They do not look comfortable to sit on, but these chairs remind me of laid back afternoon just watching the world go by.

According to Wikipedia, here is some background about the Adirondeck chair.
"An Adirondack chair or Muskoka chair is a type of chair favored in rural, outdoor settings. The precursor to today's Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in Westport, New York, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, and needed outdoor chairs for his summer home. He tested the first designs on his family.
The original Adirondack chair was made with eleven pieces of wood, cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set at a slant to sit better on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It also featured wide armrests, which became a hallmark of the Adirondack chair."

- Karen

Window Display

Last weekend was the 3rd Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk. Photographers of all skilled level from all over the world gathered into their local groups to socialize and take photos.
Our group traipsed through the charming downtown & residential area of Los Gatos, CA and I came across this window display.

If you took part in this photo walk in your area, I would be interested in hearing about your experience.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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Bicycle Pattern

When I am out taking photos or just walking about, my eyes and brain automatically look for patterns.

Look around you now.
Do you see a pattern of something? What is it?

- Karen

Creatures in the Woods

Went hiking and encountered these camouflaged creatures along the way. I was not sure of their intentions. Many feverish thoughts crossed my mind.
Were they friendly and coming out to welcome me on my journey? Were they hungry and hunting me for their dinners? Were they just as frightened and protecting their young?
I did not stay long to ponder the possibilities and relieved they did not chase after me.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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A Thousand Cranes

I read that in Japanese culture when someone folds a thousand cranes (Senbazuru in Japanese), they can be granted a wish by a crane. Such a gift is usually given to friends or family to wish them a long life, happiness, luck, or well-being.

Here is a close-up of some of the cranes. They can be folded with solid color paper or those with designs like kimonos patterns.

Skilled origami artists can fold these miniature cranes.

Do you see the difference in size?
Click here to fold your own thousand cranes step-by-step.

- Karen

Old Firehouse

The town of Auburn, California grew during the Gold Rush days of the mid-1800's and this was where the volunteer fire department was housed until 1954. Tall and unique, this 1891 building is now their museum.
It was not open when I visited so this is what it looks like from the front.

This is the view from the back.
Am I the only one who would love to get onto the top floor and ring that bell?

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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And Now There Is One

Sunday morning, I discovered one of the baby hummingbirds have flown away from its nest. It was just a matter of time. The remaining baby, hatched exactly 3 weeks ago today, looks so lonely by himself.
If you look closely, parts of the nest looks chewed away and flattened so both growing birds could fit on it.

To my amazement, I spotted the baby that flew away only a few feet away from its nest. Surprisingly, I thought once it leaves the nest, it would be gone forever, but it actually knew the way back to the nest and made several appearances there, but it flies with such skill now that I am not fast enough with my camera.
With each flyby, I think it was showing off to its one-day younger sibling to see what he could now do.

- Karen

Hummingbird Update

Going on 3 weeks since they hatched; yesterday, one of the babies tested its wings for the first time and flew from the nest. Without much control, it got tired quickly and eventually landed on the ground.
My husband picked it up and put it back on the nest.
Here is the little guy or gal. From what we read, hummingbirds do not have a strong sense of smell, so the momma bird will not know it was touched by a human.

This morning, Friday - July 9th, both hungry babies were craning their neck looking for momma to feed them.

Momma comes on a regular schedule for feedings. Sadly, in a few days, both will fly away and not return to their now familiar nest. They will be on their own hunting for bugs and nectar. Soon, they will be adults and start the cycle all over again.
It was entertaining and educational while it lasted. I hope it was for you also.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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More Baby Birds

It has been about a week since my last update about the baby hummingbirds. With some patience and very sore feet standing very still, I was able to capture the momma bird feeding the two-week old babies.

Today, July 4th, they have grown so big that one of the baby's tiny wings is hanging outside of the nest.

While we were watching the baby hummingbirds yesterday, we discovered another baby bird in our backyard. But, this one is not so lucky, it fell out of its nest somewhere and its mother has abandoned it. We waited and waited, but the momma never came back for it. The poor baby was chirping for its momma and for food.
We bought some baby bird food formula and a syringe to feed it.

It looks so sad. We had to bring it to the local wildlife rescue because we are going out of town and cannot take care of it. The wildlife rescue worker said lots of people bring lost baby finches to them to raise and then to release into the wild once they can fly and take care of themselves.

- Karen

View From the Top

I heard stories of having to wait in line for over an hour to visit the Empire State Building. We arrived early and bypassed that unpleasant scene.
With all those velvet roped lines, you can imagine what it would be like during peak season.

From the 86th floor of the open-air observatory, visitors can look through the openings of the metal grates and see the Empire State Building cast its own shadow over neighboring buildings on a sunny day.

Looking south, one can see Lower Manhattan where Wall Street, government offices, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, ...etc. reside.

Looking northwest, you can see Central Park and the Upper West Side, home to many famous celebrities and museums.

From a few posts back, I wrote about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can see both islands here. They look so small from a distance.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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Rooftop Statues

When the New York City tour guide pointed out several of these statues on the rooftops, I had to admit, it was a little unsettling. If she did not point them out, I might not have noticed them.

The artist, Antony Gormley, created these naked figures, 31 in all, in his own image. Some are ground-level according to this article. The purpose of this art project called "Event Horizon" is to have people become aware of their environment.

If you happen to be in New York City between now and August 15th of this year, look up, and let me know what you think. Here is a map to find all 31.

- Karen