La llama es un cuadrúpedo

This picture was taken in September of 2004 (using my old Olympus point and shoot) in Cusco, Peru. These young girls were laying in wait outside the Temple of the Sun (Koricancha) with an impossibly cute baby alpaca in their arms, all in hope of getting a few cents from whatever hapless schmuck took their picture. Needless to say, I fell for their scam. I really regret not having a better camera on the Ecuador/Peru trip. The sights and colors were amazing.

Six Banyan Buddha

The Liurong (Six Banyan) Temple in Guangzhou, China was originally built in 537AD. The main hall is the Daxiong Baodian Hall, and houses three large copper Buddhas depicting the past, present and future. This one is the Apothecary Buddha, who represents the future. We found that historic sites in China have a habit of claiming their structures to be remarkably old, when in fact, the thing has burned down thirty times and was 'rebuilt' just a few years ago (the elevators, plumbing, electricity and air conditioning in the Teng Weng Pavilion were pivotal in our making this discovery). The Six Banyan Temple was last rebuilt in 1900, which makes it 1471 years old. See how that works?

Thar She Blows

We enjoyed 'Lunch with Shamu' at Seaworld in San Diego. Basically, they set up a bunch of tables alongside one of the holding tanks and let you eat foodservice-grade buffet food from an incredible vantage point. A trainer stands there and puts the whale through the usual assortment of tricks. All in all, it is a wonderful way to spend lunch and makes for vastly improved photo opportunities over what is typically available during the Shamu show in the big amphitheater. The original Shamu passed away many years ago and the name 'Shamu' is now just a generic stage name for all the orcas at Seaworld. This particular one is Corky, a 40-year-old female.

Calligraphy Practice

This photo was taken in December of 2006 near the entrance of the Summer Palace in Beijing. Most of the parks in China are teeming with elderly folks doing Tai Chi, ballroom dancing, singing, playing instruments, playing badminton, and practicing their calligraphy. These calligraphers are equipped with elaborate homemade wands that use a hollow tube, an inverted water bottle, and some sort of sculpted sponge or cloth tip. They write poems on the pavement and start all over again when the water evaporates.

Cooperative Nuthatch

While visiting Carol and Dave at Lake of The Ozarks in April of 2008, I sat out on their rear deck armed only with my camera and beer. Carol baited the handrail with seeds as I tried not to spook the dozens of birds that had gathered. This lone nuthatch was my only willing subject. I wound up with six pretty good shots of him, but this one is my favorite.