Sunday, August 24, 2008

then...

I scan and digitized this photo which I took during my very first trip to Europe. What caught my attention was the angler. He was well dressed and wearing a tie! I've never seen a fisherman dressed like that in Southern California. Of course, California is a laid back State. People here dress so casually, they even wear cut-off faded jeans with holes and walk barefooted or with flip flops that some restaurants, especially the high end ones refused them service.

On a subsequent trip to UK, I was even more surprised when I saw an English gentleman with an oversized umbrella, fishing along the bank of a river wearing a leisure suite with a matching tie and hat! Isn't travel a real eye opener?


I was aiming my camera to take a photo of the Long Beach skyline when, out of the blue, this bird landed and posed for me LOL.


My wife and I were invited by a friend to have lunch at her apartment. When we got there and I saw the food she prepared, I thought that there were other people coming. But it was just the three of us - the inviter and the two invitees!. I took a picture of the food and if you think that was more than enough for three people, you are wrong LOL. She still had a tray of litsong kawali and a pot of sinigang searching for a spot on the table. Talagang kapag Pinoy ang nang-imbita sa kainan siguradong there is enough food to feed an army LOL. Bakit nga ba?

I asked her, "Did you get carried away cooking or is this invitation good for the next five years?" LOL.


This is the street where a friend and his family live and every time I come over to their house, I can't help but admire their tree lined street. Makalat lang kung nalalagas na ang mga dahon pero cool, shady at magandang tingnan....lalo na kung ang nakatanim ay jaracanda trees.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Yosemite National Park, California August 2008

Last week our family went to Yosemite for a 5 day camping and lodging. Our children stayed at the Housekeeping Camp for a couple of nights and us oldies, stayed at the Yosemite Lodge where the kids joined us for the remainder of our stay inside the park. I love tenting in the great outdoor but my wife hates camping at any level. To entice her to join us, I have to booked us at a lodge where you have the comforts of a hotel and the price that comes with it LOL. Two hundred bucks per night for a room that does not even have air-conditioning! Admittedly the view is great but it is no better than an ordinary roadside motel that costs fifty bucks give or take a few.




Rental units at the Housekeeping Camp which cost $67/day exclusive of taxes

The view infront of our children's Housekeeping campsite

One of the many bridges spanning Merced River

A section of Merced River below the Housekeeping Camp

One of the trees at the Mariposa Grove some of which are several thousand years old.

A view that greeted my eyes in my early morning walk

This chapel is the oldest surviving building in Yosemite

Wooden boardwalk snaking across the meadow to allow visitors to get "close and personal" without damaging the fragile plants.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Monarch butterfly waystation

I revisited a nature center recently and I was surprised to find out that they have added a Monarch butterfly waystation. I lingered at the site a bit and waited to see if an impressive number of butterflies will show up. A few did and I tried to catch them with my point and shoot camera. Maybe the word will get around to the Monarch butterflies that there is a new place for them to hang out and the next time I visit the place there will be a swarm of them around LOL.


This sign attracted my attention

Eyeing a cozy landing spot

The Monarch has landed!

Preparing to take off

A Monarch hanging out

This is not a Monarch but I took a picture of the bug just for the heck of it LOL