You Belong in the San Diego Zoo

My last visit to the San Diego Zoo was a photography field trip, and I've been meaning to post a few of these shots which were taken in early fall. I hope you enjoy a few glimpses of some often and some lesser viewed animals.

Summer is gone!

Where did it go? Well, a lot of time went to developing this blog and another one plus a wiki. Not being handy at technology, I've invested some hundreds (I fear more!) of hours in this endeavor. Nevertheless, it is gratifying to know that it is possible to do it without spending any money or taking classes.

After returning from Canada, there was lots of yardwork to do as our newly hired gardener had failed to come during our absence. Consequently, when S. did come to work on our yard, he came with a helper and proceeded to uproot hundreds of weeds and other plants. We lost perhaps a quarter of our plantscape which was painful to see.

Now a few months later, our yard is looking nice, if sparsely planted. As Mickey says, it's an endless creation. Our yard is enormous, so we have lots of space to plant yet, and lots of waiting for our vegetation to reach mature size.

The Endless Beauty of the Canadian Rockies

One of my favorite hikes was the trail out to Consolation Lake. Mickey is standing just past the trailhead. Behind him is one of the many moraines that we passed or drove by on our travels through the Rockies. Everywhere you can see Mother Nature at work on a grand geological scale.

I tried my hand at black and white photography using Thomas's Kodak Z612. Results with no UV filter and lots of blue sky, blue water, and green forests were more dramatic in black and white than color, and I insert them from time to time for artistic interest.

Consolation Lake was tranquil, and the shots taken here were after some small parties of people had left. The water looked shallow enough to wade across, but I didn't bring my sandals and the lake bottom promised to be very cold and rocky!

The last day in the national parks, we drove out to see sunset on Lake Moraine. A delightfully friendly guy from Quebec shot off a series of photos of Mickey and me, "Fromage!"