Thursday, August 21, 2008

Squirrel Tightrope

When I was driving on a small back road, I spotted this squirrel on a electric wire in the sky!
I made a quick U-turn and followed him, he kept going a good 2 blocks! He goes slow sometimes.....

and he run very fast the next. Never lost the balance....not even once!

He made stops where the wire meets the ACORN TREE!!, that's why he was doing this?!

After a while, he maybe got tired? He looked down at me and said, "Why are you looking at me!"
Now here, he had to choose one way to go, the thick lower wire or the thin upper one......He'd chosen the thin one and walked through well and after that, he disappeared into the tree.




Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Nicky


I didn't go anywhere to take photos the last one month, since I came back from Japan. I was too busy processing the photos from Japan.
Alligator Alley and Trespassing, and these of my cat Nicky, now 9 months old. He is a nice young man now, not really a baby anymore, but he still plays a lot. He talks. Like, "Can you play with me?", "I want to play with this ball", "No, not that string", "Oh boy, what are you doing?", or "I don't feel like playing right now", "I go take a nap now".....etc etc. He decides, and we obey!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Alligator Alley


Yes, no birds but I saw an Alligator. Soon after these photos when I turned away, he jumped and splashed the water, maybe tried to catch something, hey, I wanted to see that!




August 5, 2008

I got up very early and ready for the Bird-shooting (with my new 300mm lens!), heading to Alligator Alley where I had seen tons of birds before. Although I was driving West, oh my, the Everglades are so huge, I still could see the Sun rises on the horizon. I usually go East to the beach to get Sunrise.....sounds funny I can go both way, either East or West to catch the Sunrise!

Then what happened, there's no bird, not even one at the water's edge!! Where are Herons, Ibis, Egrets, Storks, even Spoonbills.....I ended up with taking Foxtail photos, the Sunrise pics were not so good.

No Trespassing


August 12, 2008
I brought my car in to a mechanic in the morning. While I was waiting, I took a walk around and found some empty lots with weeds and grasses and small pond and flowers, dragonflies and butterflies and mosquitos!! The Morning Lights were beautiful on the grasses, I didn't go into the lot, of course, but I couldn't avoid some mosquito bites....

Thursday, August 7, 2008

July 6, Sunday

Narita Airport Ticketing Counters

I had to go home to my daughter. Half exciting but half sad for my Mom. After the heart surgery two years ago, Mom is doing very fine, there's nothing to worry about, but anything could happen to an old age woman, I couldn'g help thinking that this could be the last time I see her.....
Then my different nightmare began already at Narita Airport.
My Delta flight supposed to leave at 3:30 pm, I was there early enough, then it went more than enough because there was a delay on my flight. Extra one and a half hours. Oh, I could spent more time at home with Mom!!!
Then 12 hours flight started without my earphone connection working, I had to watch a few movies without sound and voice, of course no music......lucky I had a book to read and sudoku to solve.
I change flights at Atlanta, the flight from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale leaves at 5:40pm, but when I arrived there it was almost 5:00. And there....long long line at immigration, my baggage didn't come out very quickly, another long long line to go through the custom.........
At last I re-check in my laggage and it was 5:40........my flight had taken off. Why doesn't it wait for passengers from the delayed flights connections????
I had to re-book my flight, but it wasn't only me, our flight from Tokyo wasn't the only flight it delayed, oh my God, I'd never seen this crazy long line at any place and any occasion........we just stay in that line, no Delta personel came to check on us. I left my cell phone to my daughter, so I had to call home not to come to pick me up at Ft. Lauderdale Airport yet, but I couldn't leave the line, but I asked the people around me to keep my spot for the phone call, and run for the payphone. I didn't find them easily, and finally spotted them but only 2 out of 6 were working and of course occupied. And it was Georgia, I need a phone card to make a call to Florida.......my payphone expedition was failed.
All of us waited patiently while only A FEW Delta agent were handling this mess, (why not sending more agents to deal with the problems!?!?!?) like 5 hours, for me, without any drink and food, then finally my turn!! While I was waiting, two flights to FLL took off, and there was only one last flight which leaves at 11:30pm, he gave me a stand-by chance to get that last flight. Then another waiting by the gate......I was the 19th person on the stand by list. I was so desperate...I can't go home today? Do I have to spend the night here and deal with another line and take the flight tomorrow??...........but I got it! That flight delayed, of course, left Atlanta around 12 o'clock midnight, with some more empty seats, that was so ridiculous!!!
I still couldn't call my brother, this time to ask him to come pick me up in the midnight. The person sitting next to me had cell phone, so I asked if his phone was based in Florida, because I didn't want to ask people to let me use their phone to make a long distant call. He said Yes, but his phone was out of power, he was using the last of it's losing buttery, he said. So I called at FLL airport soon after I left the aircraft, and while we were looking for our laggage, since they arrived much earlier than us, my brother came on time without waiting more again. It was after 2 o'clock in the morning when I was finally home, (It supposed to be at 8:00pm...) actually my brother's home, my daughter and my cat were sleeping there.
So my trip to Japan didn't end in my own home that night, but what should I say, All is well anyway that didn't ends well......Thanks to Delta Airlines! I won't take you anymore!
I should take a photo or two of that LONG CRAZY LINE at Atlanta Airport!!!!!

Monday, August 4, 2008

July 5, Saturday

Ueno Station (above) and some Tourists in Asakusa (below).


The Shopping day today! Some gift for my daughter and my niece, both will have their Birthday soon in August. I stopped by at Asakusa to take some photos. And then, the closest cousin of mine gave me a company, so we met at a Cafe at Ueno Station, one of the biggest station in Tokyo. Way too many people!! I've never had so big crowd recently, wow Tokyo is big!
今日はラストの日で、買い物の日。今回はおいてきた娘と、姪のひとりの誕生日が8月なので、プレゼントを探しに・・・・・。ちょっと浅草に寄って写真を撮ってから、親しいいとこが付き合ってくれるというので上野の駅構内のコーヒーショップで会いました。わあ、すごい人込み!なんだか圧倒されて疲れてしまいました。

July 4, Friday


I have only THREE days in Tokyo during this trip, and today is the day to see my friends. One of them came to my house in the afternoon, who has been sick and I was worried, but she looked really well. She will have to have a surgery soon, I hope with all my heart, that she will be fine and we can do shopping and chatting together again.
And at 7 o'clock in the evening, I saw a dozen of my friends from high school. One of them has a cozy place to eat and drink, her husband cooks great foods, so we all had met there. I usually have a photo or two of these gathering, I didn't take any this year....It was so good to see friends from High School and talking a lot to feel like High School Girls again!
今回の日本ではたったの丸3日しか東京での時間がありません。今日は友達に会う日。
体をこわしてちょっと心配してた友達が、調子がいいからと遊びに来てくれました。近々多分手術をしなければいけないとか。体をかばいながら、じゃなくてほんとに元気になって欲しいです。
夜には高校の友達が約1ダース、そのうちの一人のお店、荻窪の「恋物語」の経営者なので、だんな様のおいしいお料理もさることながら、落ち着いておしゃべりできるのでうれしいことです!このところ一年に一度会っていますが、その前には8年のギャップがありました、でも会ってみればまるできのう会ったばっかりのような・・・・・日本に帰ってきて会う友達がいるって(しかもこんなにたくさん!)ほんとうに幸せなことだと思います。皆さん、ありがと!