Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Orb Sculpture

This was inside one of the buildings, a hanging sculpture with the Oil Paint effect added in Photoshop.  Really like this effect, especially how it turned out in this post from Switzerland, which I'd like to print some day.

Original photo below:

 

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Common Mormon Butterfly

Found out this guy is called the common Mormon butterfly.  Fortunately he was settled enough to take some decent pictures.

Same species feeding below:

And this is it as far as the insectarium goes - the butterflies were the only thing worth shooting.  There were other critters but after the previous spider posts decided to leave them out...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Favorite Butterfly Pic

Actually think this is a moth.

Of the 100+ pictures snapped in the butterfly enclosure, this ended up being my favorite.  Would you buy THIS guy for thirty bucks? [see yesterday's post]

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Tree Nymph Butterfly on Flowers

I was researching to find the name of this species, and found a website with a picture just like the above that was on sale for $29.95.  Would you buy this guy for thirty bucks?  Could make a dollar or two if I were more inclined to be a businessman...

Photo below thrown in as a bonus, no extra charge!

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Two Tree Nymph Butterflies

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Focus-Shifted Tree Nymph Butterfly

Focus shifted photo of same below:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Tree Nymph Butterfly (Head On)

...and here's one of the critters head-on.  Lots of butterflies in this corner of the exhibit, this particular species being the most predictable thus the most photographable.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Insectarium Entrance

The entrance to the insectarium.  The Taiwanese take their insects very seriously, especially the caterpillars.  On my first visit here, some 20 years ago, I remember vividly there being a small crowd with cameras focused on something on the ground, snapping away with great interest.  I made my way over there to find out that it was a caterpillar crawling across the pavement...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Bright Bloom

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Flamingo Card

Because these shots were captured hand-held, and because flamingos, like most all birds, are in constant motion, a bit of sharpening was necessary to make this into a keeper.

Rudimentary card below:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Single Flamingo / Poor Robbie

Because there are usually so many of them it's difficult to capture a single flamingo, but managed in this case.  The reds and pinks were saturated in this photo to make him stand out more.

Another very interesting thing to see in flamingo enclosures is time lapse.  Took one with my iPhone back at the Houston Zoo...pretty neat.
_______________

Not long ago I wrote about my first encounter with Robbie, the family dog up in Wilmington, Delaware.  A golden retriever with a nice personality, innocent of malice or bad habits, Robbie was the picture of unconditional love for everyone in the household.  However, unfortunately for her, this demeanor made it irresistible to play the occasional prank, to test her patience if nothing else.  One of my favorites was to throw snowballs for her to fetch.

Another time I went up to Delaware from college to do chores around the house while my father recovered from one of his cancer-related surgeries.  During this visit I was tasked with insulating the basement water pipes.  Not a hard job but a tedious one that required climbing through a crawl space under every part of the house.

And this is how I found myself under the kitchen floor, when I heard something above me.  Recognizing it as the tag on Robbie's collar hitting the floor as she moved around in her favorite spot under the kitchen table, I thought, "Wow, what luck is this!"  I waited until it got quiet, then, when I was sure she wasn't distracted by anything else, I knocked on the underside of the floor right where she was, calling out her name.  It was greatly satisfying to hear my dad, who was sitting at the table, describe how she jumped up, startled and bewildered as she looked down at the floor.  After about a minute of this I had mercy and shut up, continuing the job at hand...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Flamingos Through Vegetation

Focus here is on the flower that is dead center of the lower third of the frame.  Flamingos are such a strange bird, and great for pictures because zoos always have lots of them in picturesque enclosures.  Ever since this post have been trying to get the perfect reflection shot of them, but maybe another day...

Shot below of same subject from different angle with mix that includes ferns:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Poop Playground

And what child can resist frolicking inside a poop playset?  Not many here, but to be fair, this was a school day...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, The Poop Exhibit / Finding Bear Scat

Yes, there was a poop exhibit, in its own area to the left as soon as you hit the door to go inside.  Something about those Asian cultures...where else can you find toilet-themed restaurants, diarrhea-simulating coffee dispensers, and poop exhibits in a zoo.

To be fair, there's a lot to see in poop, and it can say a lot about the health of an animal, as any vet, gastroenterologist or trail guide will tell you.  One time, while on a hike in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies at Horsetooth, my Uncle Bill, serving as our guide, pointed out some bear scat that we'd encountered in the middle of our path.  He poked around in it, telling us what the bear had eaten, that it was fairly fresh, and that it came from a juvenile.  We tucked away our newly acquired knowledge and moved on up the trail.  Well, we hadn't gone fifty paces when it struck my daughter that, Hey wait a minute - if that scat was fresh, that bear is pretty close, and it's a baby bear at that!  Everyone knows that mama bears get real moody when somebody gets close to their babies.

Nine-year-old Allison concluded at that moment that the only safe place was in Daddy's arms, so that's where she stayed for the duration of the hike.  And it was not an easy one, as the path we'd chosen was labeled "intermediate", with some steep inclines and narrow passageways.  We managed, though, and didn't get attacked once all the way back to the car.

Below you see a children's art project, displayed with pride around a hippopotamus ass:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Pangolin Phone Booth

A Taipei Zoo series posted from another trip begins in March of 2016, but it's different every time you go to the zoo.  There might be something new, you'll see something you hadn't noticed before, or the weather's different, which affects the activity level of the animals.  The variation is limitless.

And this time was certainly different from our last visit there.  For one thing - and most amazingly - the weather was fantastic.  We were there on May 28th, which would normally have been unbearably hot, but a rare cool front moved through which kept temperatures in the low 70's all day with a comfortable breeze that kept the mosquitoes away.  Additionally the clouds stuck around, a boon for picture takers like me.  I could not believe our good fortune that day, and took advantage by snapping away as long as chip space allowed - this was our last touristy, photo-taking activity before leaving and they were just about full. (Typically I shoot using the second chip as backup.)

So this photo was captured outside the zoo grounds on the way to the entrance.  Tomorrow's post inaugurates this series with one of the most unusual exhibits I've seen anywhere...

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Valley Panorama

This 3-shot panorama is posted as a conclusion to the series on the little village where Chenjean grew up.  It was taken next to the gazebo right where the winding mountain road levels off and opens up to reveal the town.  The extent to which the betel nut trees have taken over is evident here, but other than that the view is the same as what Chenjean would have seen fifty years ago as a child.  Being a sentimentalist, to me it's amazing that we have been staying in the same house, walking the same streets, and going to the same places that she did back in the day.  But though Chenjean was destined for high education and faraway lands, many of her peers are still around; the few remaining neighbors are the same, and sometimes on the bus going to the market Chenjean would point to someone she knew as a child.

We've been trying to get her father to move away from here and live in either Chiayi, Taipei or even the U.S. to be close to us.  Over the years he has steadfastly refused all of our entreaties - home is home.  However, since he is advanced in years (89 as of this writing) the inevitable day when he has no choice will not be long in coming.  And when that does happen I will miss the enchantment of this little spot on earth, this place on the other side of the world that nurtured the girl that would one day be my wife.

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Walking to School

This was taken on the road going down the mountain (as opposed to up for all of our other hikes), toward Tsu-chi and the elementary school where Chenjean attended.  In fact we were on our way to her elementary school reunion when I stopped to capture this scene.

But it wasn't the pretty flowers that drew my attention...it was the orange and black stripes on the poles, my favorite color combination.  In Taiwan they do a lot in orange and black - signs, vehicles, telephone poles, you name it - which is something else I like about the country.  I took lots of pictures featuring this combination, but am not sure yet that enough are blogworthy to make a series by itself.

As we were walking down this narrow, windy road, it struck me that her parents required their kids to walk the half hour it took to get to school, even when they were as young as six in the first grade.  Not a thought about the rain, either - Chenjean said that she and her twin sister simply plucked a big banana leaf, like the one featured in this post, and held it over their heads, umbrella-style, until either it passed or they got home.

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, String of Cups / Captain High's Last Flight

Thought about something captured on a trip to New Mexico while snapping this photo.  Don't know the significance of these little cup things but makes for some interesting content.
_______________

A few months ago I posted a series of coincidences in five segments.  None of them, however, compares to the one I am about to tell.

My best friend in college was Kevin; one of our college adventures was posted here.  One of the things we had in common was that, prior to our freshman year, we both held jobs of high responsibility - he as assistant manager at one of the largest ice cream shops in Houston and me in both TV and radio broadcasting in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas.  And the following summer, between our freshman and sophomore years, Kevin got a job as fueler of those huge jets for American Airlines at the intercontinental airport, and me as a very important fat washer at a huge slaughterhouse.

Naturally, when we both got back to SFA for our sophomore year in the fall of 1978 there were lots of stories and adventures to tell.  One that Kevin related was that an incoming Texas International flight was the last for a retiring captain.  It was tradition in those days for a retiring captain of any stature to do a low pass over the runway at speed, then circle back for a landing.  So on that day all work on the tarmac was stopped so that the workers could gather on the edge of the apron to watch the spectacle.  Houston cleared all traffic, and this captain, with a plane full of passengers, streaked by at 300 knots, gear up, only a few hundred feet above the ground.  At the end of the runway he pulled up in what amounted to a shallow Chandelle, then circled back to land.  Kevin, who was among those gathered there on the apron, said he'd never seen anything like it, even at an airshow, and likely never would again.

Flashforward to 1987.  My grandmother died that year, and three of us siblings made the drive from East Texas to Kansas City in order to clear some of the stuff from her apartment.  It was a long, arduous drive, as neither of my brothers wanted to stop, preferring to drive straight through the night in both directions.  I cannot sleep in a moving vehicle, so it fell upon me to either drive or keep the other driver awake as the nights dragged on, usually by talking and sharing stories.

It was during one of these shifts, deep into the night, when my oldest brother, Bob, began to relate how he'd been on a flight that was the last in the career of its captain.  The pilot got on the intercom and explained to everyone that this arrival was going to be a little different.  Instantly I shook myself out of my groggy state.  My gosh, could it be so?  Bob then described how the captain descended, leveling off at what seemed to be a very low altitude, then screamed over the runway at speed with wheels up.

Yes, it was so - my brother WAS ON THAT VERY FLIGHT!  He described feeling the incredible sense of speed as the ground raced by, and catching a glimpse of the crowd gathered to watch.  Then feeling the G force as Captain High - yes, his name was Captain High - pulled up when he got to the end of the runway.

And thus it was that I was able to get two first-hand accounts of that historic event - both from outside and inside of the airplane captained by a man named High.

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Screened Dog

After seeing the potential of this one while inside Chenjean's house I hurried downstairs to grab the camera.  What is this blob?  Focus shift reveals below:

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Hangers

If the camera is handy I am never in a spot too long without turning my head and seeing a picture, and the contrast in this scene caught my eye.  These hangers were captured looking across the street from Chenjean's porch.

Glowing Edges applied below:

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Downtown

On all of the trips to Chenjean's little village, this is the sight that would greet us as we returned to town after our hikes, and it hasn't changed a bit in 33 years, save for the fact that many of the houses are now vacant.  This is downtown, if you will, and below is what you see after rounding that bend at the end.  The house that Chenjean grew up in is the last one on the left, just before reaching the temple featured earlier in this post:

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Red Motorscooter / Motorcycles Are Fun

Motorcycles everywhere in Asia, Taiwan included, as shown in this post from a previous trip.  Makes sense, as they take so much less space and are much more maneuverable in overcrowded conditions.

And motorcycles are fun, but oh so dangerous.  Several of my childhood peers lost their lives in accidents.  Nevertheless, my friends and I all wanted one.  I was 13 years old when a close friend got a Honda Trail 70, and we spent every moment on it that we could, racing around a nearby school property and building crude ramps to see who could jump the furthest.

This is when I put the pressure on at home.  My parents were separated by then, so it was all on Mom, and finally she relented, but on two conditions:  1) that she would take me to the police station, where she'd already arranged to show me pictures of fatal accidents; and 2) that I would not be living under her roof as of the moment I bought one.  Needless to say it did not happen, which, risk-taker that I was, very well could have preserved my life.

Still I sought opportunities to drive one (off-road because I never got a license).  Later in life my childhood friend Brent got a mid-size model and we occasionally went trail riding.  One of those times my little brother was on the back of this motorcycle with Brent driving.  They were going down this trail when a rabbit, startled by the noise, darted in front of them and ran down the trail in an attempt to outrun the bike.  Brent happened to have on him a holstered .22 pistol so, while barreling down the trail, he drew that thing and started to shoot at the rabbit between the handlebars.  Brent missed, and it didn't take long for the rabbit to choose another route.

Even now - or maybe especially now - that I'm 61, the idea of owning a big touring bike is an attractive prospect.  Who knows?  Maybe me and my Motorcycle Mama will see you out there some day...

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Fly Catcher

If it wasn't apparent in yesterday's post, those yellow sheets lying on the table are made to catch flies, much like the sheets we used to hang vertically back in the day here in the U.S.  These guys seem to work much better when laid out flat, the evidence of which can be seen in this shot, captured (double meaning intended) on Chenjean's front porch.  I was told that this is only TWO DAYS worth of flies.

But these aren't the kind that bothered us most as we took our hikes up and down the mountainside.  There is a very small species of mosquito or fly that left vicious bites, itching intensely for weeks even after returning to the U.S.  Did not encounter these on previous trips, so must have been just the time of year they were out.

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Shoe Dryer

The ever-practical Chinese ethos is at work here...glowing edges below of the table cover:

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Wood Stack

Wherever there are people there are patterns.  Have no idea what these pieces of wood were for, but knew that this would look interesting in the Glowing Edges and Find Edges effects in Photoshop:

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Gate to Nowhere

Every day on our way back into Chenjean's little village from a hike we would pass this scene.  Don't know what used to be there, but this gate swings open to a sheer fifteen-foot drop.  One day I'd like to uncover what surrounds it to see if there's evidence of long-gone steps, or perhaps a bridge leading across the valley.  We could also ask Chenjean's dad, as he was a doctor and knows this area intimately, hoofing every nook and cranny of these peaks and valleys on his way to house calls.  For now, though, its presence and function remains a mystery...

Oh, speaking of Chenjean's dad, this is her birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sweetheart!

And while on the subject of girlfriends and birthdays, this comes to mind.  When I was but a youth I had a serious girlfriend - actually a fiancé, with ring and everything - who was:  a) the youngest of her siblings in a moderate-to-large family, b) a subordinate twin, and c) with a birthday falling on September 4th.  Chenjean also is guess what:  a) the youngest of her siblings in a moderate-to-large family, b) a subordinate twin, and c) with a birthday falling on September 5th!  I'm very glad it didn't work out with the other girl, and that it did work out with Chenjean, but you gotta wonder about providence...

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Family Plot

A little way off the beaten path we found this small graveyard.  Always loved these kinds of things, they are such an intimate glimpse into the culture of the day.  Though the plot is not very big, the family obviously enjoyed a measure of status and wealth.

Closer shot below of background stones:

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Hanging Blooms / Ed Krempel

Debated about flowers vs blooms, but suppose blooms make more sense, as this was hanging from a tree.  Tried hard to focus on the droplets but after we'd been traipsing around in the jungle for an hour it was hard to hold steady.  Still out to capture the proverbial water drop with a neat image refracted from the background, but will have to wait a little longer I suppose.  Also, buying a nice macro lens and setting up with a tripod will go a long ways toward achieving that goal.

Speaking of lenses, I had a good friend in church named Ed, a very good photographer.  He, another friend from church and I went to Bayou Bend one Sunday to snap a few (pictures from that jaunt posted here), and Ed was equipped with a backpack full of Nikon gear.  We found a hole in a door that would make a good shot, so Ed was debating on which lens to use and, thinking aloud, said, "think I'll use the [xyz] for this one".  I was using a Fujifilm point-and-shoot and immediately thought, "Boy, I'll never buy a DSLR...so many decisions to make and so much trouble changing those lenses!"  Well well, here we are, and Ed is not even around to see it.

In fact, nobody knows where Ed is.

Ed is one of the most unique individuals I've ever know.  Had no family anywhere - no parents, siblings, cousins, wife, kids, aunts, uncles, grandparents.  None of those...totally alone in the world, as far as family goes.  Yet he was one of the most positive people I've ever met, always smiling, laughing and cheerfully sharing his joy - particularly with regard to photography - with everyone around him.  Very fun and comfortable to be with.  Great guy.  And had a good job in accounting which afforded him the opportunity to buy all the Nikon equipment that he wanted; in fact his influence is the reason I'm shooting Nikon now.

One day Ed announced to us, during dinner at our house, that he was going to quit his job and travel the world for a year taking pictures.  He'd just bought a $10,000 600mm lens to put on his D300, and wanted to put it to good use in places like Antarctica and Scandinavia.  And sure enough he did just that, returning to regale us with tales of his many adventures.

Not long after his return the depletion of funds made it necessary for him to get another job, which he found, but in China.  So Ed goes off to China some ten years ago, and nobody's heard of him since.  And it's a little ominous that not too long after departing he stopped maintaining his website.  All us photography geeks from JV (our church, the Church of Christ in Jersey Village) miss his friendship and expertise and wonder whatever happened.  But whatever did happen, we hope to see him again to let him know that his influence has lived far beyond his time with us here in Houston...

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Naked Bonsai

Taiwan - Chenjean's Village, Walking Stick

Don't think this guy would have hung around here if he knew how much he stood out on this trunk.  After taking this shot, I swung around to the side to get a profile.  Very interesting that not only did he see me and follow my progress around the trunk, but instinctively pressed himself flat against the surface to reduce his profile.  Though disappointed in not getting the pic I was after, it was impressive at how nature kicks in to preserve the lives of each species in its own way: