Burano

On an overcast October day, I took a series of boats out to Burano, a small island in the North Lagoon.  Historically, Burano was an island known for its lace making and fishermen.  While there are fewer lace makers on Burano today, it's still home to fishermen and artists who live in brightly colored houses.

On the way out to Burano, you pass a series of ruins on tiny islands in the lagoon:

and this tower:

There's a pretty little park where the boat docks, with this statue as its focal point:

After passing through the park, you begin to wander along the small canals and through the side streets and alleys.  My trip out to Burano was mid-week and few people (locals or tourists) were there.  The islanders were likely at work or in school while the coming storms and rain scared off many of the tourists who normally flock to the tiny islands.  It many ways it was a great day to visit.  It was a quiet oasis compared to the hubub of crowded Venice and the brightly colored buildings popped against the gray skies.

There were also a couple of fishermen sitting along side one of the main canals fixing their fishing nets.

After wandering for a bit, I decided to have lunch at a little seafood restaurant called Al Gatto Nero.

I ordered an antipasto appetizer which ended up being a seafood platter with scallops, prawns, baby squid, crab dip and an unidentified lagoon crustacean.  The baby squid were just too tentaclely too eat. I did try the unidentified lagoon crustacean (the light pink thing on the left hand side of the plate).  It wasn't bad.  It also came with a bowl of steamed clams and a glass of procesco (a sparkling wine native to the Veneto region).  The plates the food was served on were really pretty--a ring of Burano houses circled the edge of the plate and had a black cat on one edge).

After lunch I went back to wandering and did a little shopping.

As the day drew to a close, I wandered back to the water boat dock.  The park was filled with folks waiting for the boat on benches or wandering around eating gelato.

I got back to Venice just as the first rain drops started to fall, after a short detour at Murano where I picked up the boat to Venice.  It rained all that night and into the next day.  While it made for great sleeping weather, the next day would see me slogging through flooded streets and into glass blowing shops.  But, that is a tale for another time.

A Few Random Shots From Venice

There's no real theme to the shots here, but just a few I liked.

Gondola row:
A canal near my hotel that seems to be a hotspot on the gondola run. One right after another all day long comes through there.

The view from the Rialto Bridge of the Grand Canal:

Sunset Over Venice

Really beautiful sunset over Venice tonight:

A small sunset series of Santa Maria Della Salute:

Acqua Alta

In addition to darkened skies, a new moon (and a full moon) brings Acqua Alta, or to non-Venetians, high tidal waters that under the right conditions can put a large chunk of Venice under water. Fortunately, the flooding today was minor by Acqua Alta standards, with tides topping out around 1.03 meters. Now, this doesn't mean that there was 1.03 meters of water in St. Mark's Square (one of the lowest places in Venice). Only about 3 to 4 inches bubbled up through the drains at its peak. But, it was enough to get the footbridges out so the tourists could still get into St. Mark's Basilica and keep their feet mostly dry as they wandered through the square in front. In other higher places in Venice, the water merely lapped at the top of the canal banks and made it hard to pass under some bridges.

The first picture below shows what St. Mark's Square looks like at low tide, packed full of people.


The next picture below shows what the Square looks like as the tide is starting to come in around 9 am.

The final picture shows the square at the peak of high tide (incidently one of the few times during the day when you can get a clear shot the length of the square). The seagulls were out swimming on the square in places.


Lest you think Aqua Alta is much about nothing, let me point you to a link showing the worst flooding in 22 years on December 1, 2008: Bad Acqua Alta Flooding

Rainforest In The Mountains

When up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, you don't expect to stumble into a climate more commonly found in the rain forests of the Caribbean or Central America. But, as soon as we hit the hiking trails at Bushkill Falls, the pleasant 75 degree August day turned tropical, fed by the moisture from a series of 8 waterfalls. I'd hate to be there when the temps are in the 80s or higher.

The "trails" at Bushkill are a series of wooden walkways that line the sides of the waterfalls and bridges that cross them. The stairs that take you from the upper to lower falls are very steep. But, the close up views of the falls make it worth it. Well, until you have to climb back up them on the other side. Then, it's helpful to be part mountain goat--particularly when you have to climb over slippery exposed roots in the few areas where there are dirt paths.

I hope to go back this fall. I suspect that the falls will be really gorgeous once the leaves start to change. But, I leave you with one more picture of the stream that eventually because the roaring falls above.

One More Watcher

One more Amur tiger kept a close eye on us at the zoo Monday.

The Watcher Becomes The Watched

Monday, my sister Sara and I took a trip to the zoo on one of her last days before leaving for the Peace Corps. Despite being a fairly warm and humid day, the animals didn't disappoint. While some slumbered away in the summer heat, others let their personalities out on display. At times you wondered who was really watching who.

This orangatan stared at me with a bored insouciance as he sat in a shady spot next to the wall.

This Amur Tiger was barely contained violence as he prowled through one of the water holes. I couldn't help but think the tiger was mentally licking its lips while it tried to decide which one of us to eat first.

Then, of course, there were the ones that were just over it all. Even the King of the Jungle needs a nap sometimes.

This gorilla is the zoo's "thinker".


This golden lion tamarind held on tightly as he surveyed the gathering crowd in front of him.

When the giraffes weren't eating leaves, they were strolling around their paddock posing for us.

For the most part, the penguins were trying to get relief from the heat by swimming through the water; but, periodically, they would pop up on the bank.

This penguin liked to sit next to the glass so the little kids could get right up next to him.

Finally, this red panda looked so cute and cuddly, I wanted to take it home.

Butterfly Sancturary

Sara and I went up to the Bear Mountain Sanctuary in the Poconos yesterday.

Echoes of Furies Past

Most of us will never step onto a battlefield. We won't know what it sounds like when artillery whines over head so close you can feel the wake ruffle your hair as it sails by. We'll never know what it's like peer across the confusion of a smoke enshrouded field to hunt for the enemy, only to find him at your back.


But on Independence Day, just outside Gettysburg, you could imagine what it might have been like. Hooves thundered across the field. Canons roared and spewed enough smoke to dim the sunlight on one of the brightest Saturdays in more than a month.

The report of a pistol echoed across a field as a soldier dropped to march no more.

Sabers clanged as Blue and Grey clashed in an echo of a 146 year old fury.

No the South hadn't risen again, but this year's crop of Civil War reenacters had. For an hour they stormed across the field--first on horseback and later on foot as they reenacted one of the key turning points in the Civil War. The 1st Virginia Calvary of Fitz Lee's Brigade under General J.E.B Stuart's command led a charge against Brigadier-General Custards 1st and 7th Michigan units in an attempt to split them.


As the canons boomed, the Generals themselves clashed in whir of swords and a swirl of horses.


As the sounds of the final battle died away, the Union Cavalry defeated the Confederates, seizing the advantage for the first time in the war and never relinquished it again. The Confederates, beaten, but not vanquished, rallied again for another battle later in the afternoon, bringing echoes of the past to life one more time.

Monet's Giverny

I was fortunate enough to have an extra day in Paris before I had to fly home from a work trip last month. So, I took a tour out to Giverny where Monet painted his water lily paintings. It was a holiday weekend in France and the highways leading out of Paris were clogged with Parisians heading out to the Normandy beaches, compounded by the masses heading out to the French Open at Roland Garros. Watching the slow moving mass exodus was not unlike watching the natives flee Philly to the Jersey shore on the weekends and the traffic was just as bad.

After a bit our guide gave up on the highways and we headed off on to the back roads of Normandy which were much more picturesque than the highways. We drove through quaint villages built into limestone cliffs. if you look closely behind the chateau, directly below the castle, you can see the windows peering out from the limestone cliff.

Finally, we arrived in Giverny. To get to the water lily ponds, you have to cross under the main road through a tunnel. The ponds aren't huge; you can probably walk around the entire area in about half an hour. But, they are truly beautiful.



After spending some time wandering around the gardens, it's back through the tunnel to tour Monet's farm house. Before you get to the house you pass through a large garden that is a riot of color. The garden was filled with Iris (one of my favorite flowers). Every where you looked was a splash of color. It was almost overwhelming; your eyes didn't quite know where to look next.


No photos are allowed in the farmhouse, but it is filled with Japanese prints from top to bottom, many of which were originally used to wrap around dishes which Monet bought. There are also reproductions of a number of Monet's most famous works which you can find in museums all over the world.

Summer Lilies

Still working on my London and Paris pictures. But, in the mean time, some really pretty lilies started blooming in my garden today.

Views of Big Ben

Big Ben is one of the iconic institutions identified with London. It can be seen from many locations leading into Parliamentary Square. So, during my time here I tried to find some less common views of Big Ben on a couple of cloudy and hazy days in May.

More MJ Pictures

For those of you looking for more Michael Johns pictures, check back after June 1. I'll be out of the country for the rest of the month.

Graduation Day

My baby sister, Sara, graduated from KU last weekend. Now, she's off to the Uganda with the Peace Corps in early August. And I couldn't be prouder of her.

Michael Johns at the America's Polo Cup

Below are some of the first pictures from the America's Polo Cup concert on Saturday night featuring Michael Johns, one of last season's American Idol contestants. I'd forgotten just how good this guy is. His new single, "Heart On My Sleeve" is now available on iTunes and his new album drops in June. It may take a few days to finish wading through the pictures I have, so check back periodically.

Click for larger versions of the pictures.

Flower Gardens

This past November I moved into a two story townhouse with a patio and backyard. A first for me. So, this afternoon, in the near 90 degree heat, I spent my first afternoon gardening after picking out some flower baskets and some other plants for the backyard. I picked out colorful snapdragons, petunias, lobelia, nemesia and geraniums.


I also planted some some cinnamon and sweet basil. My plan is to add some tomatoes, a zucchini plant and peppers in mid-May once the risk of frosts is finally gone.

Malaria No More

Every 30 seconds in Africa a child dies from Malaria. By simply donating a $10 mosquito net, you can save an entire family.

Make a donation today:

http://www.malarianomore.org/

Views From Underwater

Last weekend I took a trip down I-95 to for lunch with a friend and a trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I hadn't been in ages--not since the Sea Horse exhibition years ago. Despite being over run by ankle biters, it was still a lot of fun. Here are my favorite pictures from the afternoon below:

Inaugural Seating Map

The scramble is on for Obama inauguration tickets. Three of my friends and I are trying to get tickets for the swearing in ceremony on January 20th. We've all made our official requests; but, my friend Elisa out in Washington State is the only one to have someone from her Congressperon's office even respond.

For the 240,000 tickets available, the ticket requests coming through Congressional offices are off the charts. As of Sunday US Senator from Virgina Jim Webb had received 26,000 requests alone. The National Park service says that the last time a one million+ crowd descended on Washington for an inauguration was the 1965 inaugural of Lyndon B Johnson. Obama's inauguration could easily top that, in my opinion. Everyone wants to be there to witness history (and watch Bush finally move out of the White House).

At this point, we think Elisa's the best hope at this point since we figure fewer folks from Washington State will make the cross-country trip. The other three of us who live in Philly, DC, and Chicago respectively think our odds of scoring tickets are slimmer than a Bush third term since we all live in high demand areas. But, we're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll get lucky.

In the meantime, I saw a new seating plan for the 1 million+ folks expected to descend on DC for the inauguration:

Obama Wins!!!!

The Electoral Map Live

Olbermann Skewered Deliciously

Don't try drinking anything while watching the second half of this one.

Falling into the Poconos

I drove back up into the Poconos this past weekend to the picturesque little town of Jim Thorpe for their Fall Festival and some leaf peeping. The little Leigh High Valley town, was originally two towns,Mauch Chunck (Indian for Bear Mountain) and Eastern Mauch Chunk. Both thrived and blossomed with the discovery of anthracite coal.*

Tycoon Asa Packer was instrumental in developing Mauch Chunk into a 19th century center for commerce, canal trade and coal shipping. In the mid-1850s, Packer, worth a reported $54 million in today's currency, was responsible for laying rail road tracks that connected Mauch chunk to Easton, PA and further into the NJ Central Railroad system, providing year round transportation for both coal and steel.

After the death of Native American and 1912 Olympian Jim Thorpe in 1953, the two small, economically struggling towns united and changed their name to Jim Thorpe after an appeal from Thorpe's wife who was looking for support to build a memorial in honor of her husband. Thorpe's native Oklahoma had turned away her request to to assist in developing a memorial.

Packer built two of the largest mansions in towns that sit high a top a hill, overlooking the canal. The mansion below, was built for Packer's son Harry. This mansion would later be the model for the Walt Disney Haunted House.


Below is the Asa Packer mansion which sits next his son Harry's. I had a hard time getting a clear shot of the due to the trees.



*Historical details supplied courtesy of http://www.visitjimthorpe.com/new/history.htm

SNL's Palin Rap

Amy Pohler's Palin Rap from Saturday Night Live. Over the top, but a lot of fun.

No Game Changer

McCain needed a knock out punch during the debate tonight just to get back in the game and he didn't get it. According to a CNN focus group who watched the debate live, while McCain won the first 30 minutes, he lost the last hour as he got testier and testier (his temperament has long been a stumbling block for him). There in lies one of McCain's fundamental problems--he's just not likable. A CNN post-debate telephone poll with viewers who watch the debate rated McCain's likability as only 22%. And this is big trouble for McCain who trails in the polls in a number of key states. Not only isn't he likable, the average voter just isn't connecting with him.

The average voter just can't connect with a man who has 7+ houses (actually doesn't know how many he has) and at least as many cars. McCain hasn't spent a day in his life wondering how to pay his many mortgages; worrying about how he's going to pay a hospital bill if he get's sick (he's been covered by Federal health insurance for most of his adult life--first in the Navy and later as a 20 year veteran of Congress); wondering if he should pay the electric bill, water bill or phone bill this month; or how he's going to pay for his childrens' education.

McCain's biggest problem is he's out of touch and he did nothing tonight to portray himself otherwise. We've got 19 days until the election and a lot can happen in that time. But, for the moment, I'm cautiously optimistic.

America Will Once Again Rise From The Ashes of the Bushes

So said Senator Hillary Clinton this afternoon at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania that I attended. Dramatic perhaps, but hopefully true. Bush Sr. drove us into a recession during his presidency and Jr. has spent the last 8 years driving us into an even bigger mess. We're in dire need for someone to go in and clean up the Shrub's mess and it certainly won't be McCain. McCain will keep us on the same old destructive policies that have led us into a War in Iraq and a global financial crisis. President Clinton got us to a surplus in 8 years time and a booming economy. Let's hope Obama and Biden can do the same for us.

Below are the first pictures from the rally this afternoon. I'll a few more in a day or two when I have time to finish editing.

Remember, friends don't let friends vote Republican! There's way to much at stake this year.


And a clip of a video from this afternoon's rally:




Want to get to know the real John McCain? Check out this RollingStone Article here: Make Believe Maverick

Before And After

Would you follow these two off a cliff?

This Pat Oliphant cartoon pretty much sums up the McCain-Palin candidacy:

Fall Flowers

I drove out to Solebury Orchards today by New Hope, PA to pick up some Honey Crisp apples and fresh cider. As chilly as the weather was yesterday (it was in the 60s all day), it was blazing hot today and hard to believe the first day of fall is tomorrow. Due to the heat, I skipped the "pick your own part" and bought my apples in the market. Instead I spent my time wandering through their flower garden, trying out my new the 50mm lens I got as an early birthday present (which is tomorrow). Click to make the pictures bigger for better detail.

Glass Houses

Hmmm ... The Republicans would never do something so dastardly as play the gender card over the coverage their new VP candidate is getting would they? After all, didn't they mock Hillary for complaining about the media coverage during the primary? I believe Sarah Palin herself even said that Hillary needs to quit whining and just "work harder" to prove she's good enough.




In case the embedded video won't play properly for you, here's the direct link: it's too good too miss: Daily Show Sarah Palin Qualifications

Gosh the GOP would never indulge in hypocrisy would they?

Some more lessons from Republicans now that Palin is their new candidate:

• If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're "reckless." A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a "maverick."

• If you say that for the "first time in my adult lifetime I'm really proud of my country" it makes you "unfit" to be First Lady. If your husband has been an active and registered member of a fringe political group that advocates Alaska seceding from the United States, then he's perfectly qualified to be the "Second Dude" because you can tell he only joined the group because he's really proud of his country.

• If you grow up in Hawaii you're "exotic." Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're the quintessential "American story." (Hey I have moose burgers every Friday night, don't you?)

• Teaching about birth control in schools is wrong because it only encourages teenagers to have sex. Teaching about abstinence will stop teen pregnancy completely because no teenager will ever have sex if we teach that. In fact, we should cut the funds allotted in the Alaskan state budget (and all of the rest of the states while we're at it) to support unwed teenage mothers because they all have wealthy families who will take care of them.

I'm sure the Republicans will have some more important lessons for us in the coming weeks that they will dispense from their beautiful glass houses.

(Special thanks to Heidi for her email this afternoon and Elisa for the video hookup)

By The Light Of The Full Moon

Bee captured!

Bees never can resist the sweet nectar of a flower.

Zootopia

I wrapped up my vacation last week with a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo--the oldest in the country, dating back to 1874. I strolled through the 42-acre Victorian Gardens in an 85 degree heat that assured anyone who had been in doubt, that summer had finally arrived to Philadelphia after a chilly and wet May.

The Zoo is home to 1300 rare animals and I spent my afternoon there capturing some of them with my new Canon Rebel Xsi DSLR. While many of them were doing their best to keep out of the hot sun or cat napping, others like the African elephants, flamingo and giraffe were out soaking it up. I'll have more pictures up this weekend, but here a few to start with. Click on any picture below to view a larger version.

Amur Leopard

Snow Leopard

Giraffe

Cheetah

Penguins

Giraffe

Peacock

Asiatic Black Bear