ABC Wednesday—P is for "pelican"

O, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I'm damned if I see how the helican.
—Dixon Lanier Merritt, The Pelican [1910]

I've seen this clever limerick attributed to Ogden Nash
and also to Edward Lear. But credit where it's due:
Merritt was a newspaperman, poet, and humorist
(and if Bartlett's says he wrote it . . . case closed).

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

Though there's still lots of green, the water 
lilies are now starting to turn with the season.

And the lily pads too.

[To see more Ruby Tuesday, go here.]

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

This is Howard, "my" beautiful brown-and-gold
Galapagos hawk.  These birds are known to be
fearless of humans (Darwin remarked
on it in his journal).  I kept inching closer 
and closer, until I could have reached out and
touched him.  You're not allowed to do that,
of course, but he did seem just as curious about
me as I was about him—and was a much better 
sport about having his picture taken than 
I am (and a lot more photogenic too).

I especially liked this sideways pose!

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Lots of happy shadows were cast by this wedding 
party as they posed in my favorite garden.

And speaking of über-poufy . . .
Just kidding—the bride was truly 
lovely in this dress. (And I like 
the way the groom is helping with
her extra-long veil too.)

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.] 

The Weekend in Black and White

To me, this looks like the folds of some
nubby cloth.  But it's lava!  It dried in 
beautiful patterns like this after an 
1865 volcanic eruption on the Island of
Santiago (aka San Salvador) in the Galapagos.
Darwin never got to see this, since it
happened 30 years after he visited the islands.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Here Comes the Sun

Last Friday, I shared the sunset from this
stark yet beautiful place. I think the sunrise
deserves equal billing, don't you?
 Later, we trekked—like mad dogs and Englishmen—
all the way up to the very top of this hill 
(and the climb was so worth it for the view, 
which you can see in my banner shot).

[To see more Skywatch, go here.
To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"autumn"

There are still plenty of green leaves
clinging to the trees in Brooklyn,
but they're starting to turn. Don't think
we'll be in full "leaf-peeping" season
here until close to Thanksgiving.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—O is for "oblivious"

"Giant rat? What giant rat?"
I really love New Yorkers.  By
the way, we also ignore celebrities 
(no comparison intended, of course).

[To see more ABC Wednesday, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

In our travels in Ecuador, we headed up into the 
highlands of the Andes (only 8,000–9,000 feet, 
but you feel it when you're used to life at 
sea level) to the famous market town of 
Otavalo. So many colorful wares for sale, but 
I really didn't see much I wanted . . .

. . . until we returned to our digs at the wonderful 
Hacienda Cusin, and I found these flowers 
framing the back door of our suite.  
Could someone make me a necklace
that looks like this, please?

[To see more Ruby Tuesday, go here.]

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

Is this a face only a mother (or another
Galapagos land iguana) could love?
Darwin described them as "ugly" and having
"a singularly stupid appearance."  This one
lives at the Darwin Research Station; he's
full-grown at about 5 feet long and 25 pounds,
will live to be 50 or 60 years old—
and I kind of like his extraordinary face.

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

I snapped this pretty little Galapagos
penguin as he was preening himself
in the bright equatorial sun.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I showed you these pretty jewel-toned
hummingbirds this past Tuesday—but I also
shot them in black and white.  For me, it's 
all about the way they move (i.e., constantly).

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

Okay—back to the Galapagos.  We were
anchored off the uninhabited (except by penguins,
blue-footed boobies, pelicans, sharks, herons, sea
turtles, and lava lizards) Isla Bartolomé and riding in a 
panga back to our catamaran.  That's Pinnacle Rock 
on the left and the island of San Salvador beyond.
Seriously, I can hardly express how grateful I am to 
have had this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

[To see more Skywatch Friday, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"familiar"

This post is making me leave Ecuador (for now)
and return to my "familiar" surroundings,
including my daily morning commute
over the always beautiful Brooklyn Bridge.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—N is for "nature"

In the Galapagos, we came upon this baby
seal but didn't see Mom and Dad right away.

They did let us know pretty quickly that
they were nearby—but Mom felt comfortable
enough with us to take a nap. Dad was a bit more
vigilant but never aggressive, despite the fact
that there were 10 of us surrounding
his child. There's not another place
on the planet like this, I'm sure!

[To see more ABC Wednesday, go  here.]

Ruby Tuesday

At the Dragonfly Inn, in Mindo, they
had multiple hummingbird feeders—I just
couldn't get enough of these jewel-toned
—and seriously ADHD— little beauties.

[To see more Ruby Tuesday posts, go here.]

Mellow yellow/Macro Monday

I went to see the marine iguanas and
fur seals on the island of Santa Cruz—
this flowering cactus was just a bonus.

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
And to see more Macro Monday, go here .]

Shadow Shot Sunday

In the Galapagos, I took a walk on a
100-square-mile lava field that was created
when a volcano erupted in 1865—just one
 of many, many firsts on this amazing trip.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.] 

The Weekend in Black and White

In Ecuador last week, I was lucky enough to
spend a night at the wonderful  Hacienda Cusin—whose
gardens are gorgeous in color or black and white.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

I was In Quito last week—and was
treated to a memorable evening sky.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge: "feelings"

I might have told these Galapagos sea lions
to "get a room"—but this is their "room"
and I was just privileged to be a witness
to their (not so) private moment.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—M is for "Mindo"

Recently spent a couple of days in this
little town in the Ecuadorian cloud forest,
a couple of hours from Quito.  It's a wonderful
place to just chill in a hammock on the balcony
of your digs (where I was when I took this
shot of Mindo's main drag) or to experience
a pure adrenaline rush—ziplining, anyone?

[To see more ABC posts, go here.] 

Ruby Tuesday

I'm back today from the Galapagos—where
I got up close and personal with nature at its
most fearless.  This is a Sally Lightfoot crab,
so called because it "sallies forth on light feet."

[To see more Ruby Tuesday posts, go here.]

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

"You can't hide your true colors as you approach the autumn of your life."

{I can't find the author of this quote, but
have to agree with whoever he/she was.}

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.] 

Shadow Shot Sunday

As much as I like to use my camera
to capture just one moment in time,
I so admire those who will spend
hours to perfect an image.

[To see more Shadow Shots, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I'll soon be on my way home from a place very
different from this.  It's great to get away, but I still 
love my daily commute across the Brooklyn Bridge.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

Today I'm in a place that should be good
for Skywatch Friday—a cloud forest!
I'm sure you'll be seeing it soon. Meanwhile,
here's the view I'm missing back home.

[To see more beautiful skies, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"culture"

What a lovely, "cultured" setting—a comfy tufted
white-velvet settee in a wood-paneled library
filled with leather-bound volumes.  All that's
missing is the trusted retainer offering a "spot of tea."
Oh wait . . . this is actually the subway shuttle that runs
between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal,
and this whole train is one big ad for Ask.com.
Well, I guess that says something about our
current Internet culture too. How cool is this, though?

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—L is for "the Ladies'"

Over the years, I've scoped out where the nicest
ladies' rooms are in the cities I love best:
New York, Venice, Florence, Rome, and
Paris—where you'll find these ritzy
facilities at the (where else?) Ritz Hotel.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

I think New Yorkers have always had a special affection
for their firefighters (and since 9/11 ... fuggedaboudit,
as we say in Brooklyn).  This is my local fire station
and I'd just like to say, "Thanks, guys!"

[To see more Ruby Tuesday posts, go here.]
  

Mellow Yellow/Macro Monday

"My advice to the women of America is to
raise more hell and fewer dahlias."
— William Allen White (1868–1944)

{Though, personally, I don't see why they shouldn't do both.}

[To see more Mellow Yellow, go here.
To see more macros, visit Lisa's Chaos.]