21 February 2012

The African Blue-flycatcher

 (read in Planet Earth David Attenborough voice) Here we have Elminia longicauda, more commonly known as The African Blue-flycatcher.  This perky little fellow was peacefully minding his own business chirping happily, but then suddenly noticed my presence and flew off into the canopy.  According to my Birds of East Africa book (by Stevenson and Fanshawe), its voice can be described as "long and complex warble of sweet and harsh, and sometimes very metallic chits and tinks and canary-like flourishes.  A metallic chink is also used as a contact and alarm call."  (observed in Kakamega Rain Forest, February 2012)

09 February 2012

We Like To Play in Cars

 The neighbor kids love to play in the car that sits in our backyard.  It provides hours of entertainment for us all, in fact.  Some folks play with cars, and others play in cars!  Sometimes we have photoshoots, and they always love to look at the pictures on the camera screen, giggling and coming up with new poses... one of these days I'll print out a bunch for them to keep.  The day was ending when I took these, so they're a bit dark, but they should give you a little taste of the fun we have out back.  The Tiriki Embassy (our new home) can been seen in the background of the shot below, which is one of my favorite shots.




07 February 2012

Island Graffiti, Part 1

 This begins the first of a small series of graffiti and miscellaneous street paint photos.  Actually, that's probably a constant theme here on Miles Island, but these will specifically be from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where there seems to be a wealth of colors, surfaces, textures, and both intentional and unintentional street art.  (Apologies to the original tagger/artist if I have the photo orientation wrong!)  Enjoy!




05 February 2012

A Street I Used to Live On

 Recently got to take a walk around some favorite places of mine, including the street I used to live on.  Things looked the same.  Sure I'm sentimental.  I had a wicked Peugeot 10-speed, but this ain't bad.
 Jabberwocky
 Punting, or messing about in boats
 Jogging in the deer park
The Rad 

The Wooden Bike

 This fantastic creation basically speaks for itself, but I should add that cow dung keeps everything nicely greased.  Who needs brakes?  On the shores of Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda.