Don't Fence Me In

"A Wise Passiveness"

To read my other posting about this mosque, click here.

Time Goes On

Paris's Musee d'Orsay is one of my favorite museums in the world. Well, at least of the ones that I have actually visited. I enjoy it much more than (gasp!) the Louvre. I love the collection and I also love the building itself.

The museum replaced what was once the Gare d'Orsay, or Orsay train station, which originally opened in 1900 across the Seine from the Jardin de Tuileries and the Louvre. You can tell just by looking at the museum from the outside that it's not an ordinary building and once you are inside, you can still see the remnants of the former train station including this massive clock. And yes, it still works.

Bloody Moon

Watchful Eye

The Joy Of Music

Raging Inferno

Southern California is ablaze and the world is watching. I took this picture with my cell phone while I was driving on the highway. I didn't have my camera with me so I had to use my last resort. The sun was a bright, Crayola crayon red. I have never in my life seen the sun this color. Since the massive wildfires broke out last weekend across Southern California, the sky looks eerie and yet colorful at the same time. Some places you go, there is an orange glow while in other parts it's a blanket of black. It's disturbing and surreal. The image really doesn't do it justice but at least it's something.

Gum For Sale

This little Ecuadorian boy came up to our breakfast table outside a restaurant in Quito as we were eating. He was tiny and had a small, plastic basket hanging around his neck selling equally tiny packets of Trident gum.

Of course we bought some from him, we would have regardless, but there was something that stood out about this little boy. He had a sparkle in his eyes and a lot of personality for a person so small and I wanted to remember him. The funniest part of our interaction was whenever I would take a picture of him (I asked first) with my digital camera, he would lean over to see the instant results. Every time.

A Whole Blue World

Better Than Ice Cream

I shot this picture in Quito's Old Town, or as the locals call it, El Centro. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1978 and rightly so. You can spend quite some time wandering through Old Town's narrow streets looking at one beautifully restored colonial building after another, people watching in one of the magnificent squares or sitting deep in thought inside one of the glorious churches.

The people milling about Old Town are just as diverse as Ecuador itself. An old-fashioned ice cream cart operator will be on the same street as a young Ecuadorian off to school or work or an indigenous woman carrying her child on her back.

Click on the image to see more details.

One fish, Two fish

To follow up yesterday's post... the image I posted was of a Puffer fish! Thanks to all those who guessed either in comments or via email.


The animal is named as such because it puffs up with water or air when it becomes alarmed. This unique looking fish is also known as a blowfish or fugu and is served as a risky delicacy in Japan, China and the U.S. The puffer fish is poisonous and even though in restaurants the poison is removed, there are cases where it still manages to linger and kill people.


There are dozens of varieties of puffer fish worldwide. Oh and yeah, they're sharp! To see the images in more detail, click on them to make them larger.

Figure it Out

Can you guess what this is? You can click on the image to see the details. I'll reveal what this picture is of in my post tomorrow.

Heading Out

"At length did cross an Albatross"

White Teeth

Asleep on the Job

There is a highly-regarded market north of the Ecuadorian capital in the town of Otavalo. It takes about 2 hours to get there by local bus but once you do, you see some gorgeous handmade crafts. The huge, outdoor artesan market is known throughout South America for its variety of goods and every year draws tourists from around the globe. Don't go if you're afraid of haggling.

I went on Friday which is not the day that everyone hypes as the day to go. That is Saturday when they also have the animal market where people come to buy livestock. I opted to not go on the really crowded day which made the experience much more relaxing... and for some working there maybe a little too calming.

Darwin's View

Blue-Footed Beauty

So... I am back from my trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The region is truly inspiring and the Ecuadorian people are wonderfully kind and so hospitable. They are on the US dollar there which made life quite easy and even their electricity is the same voltage as in the States.

The Galapagos is an awe-inducing archipelago located about 600 miles from mainland Ecuador. It's amazing to be in a place you have studied in school and that helped form one of the most groundbreaking scientific theories in history.

The main draw of the Galapagos is its wide variety of plants and animals that are endemic to the island chain. The blue-footed boobie seen in these pictures is not exclusive to the Galapagos but they are omnipresent. These gorgeous creatures are noted for their striking, aquamarine webbed feet.

Click on the images to make them larger.