Lake Shikotsu

Lake Shikotsu is near Sapporo and is a very scenic place. There are supposed to be a lot of birds but these swans and some crows were

about all I spotted...

David does the Pacific Music Festival

Here is the bass section playing taking a bow at Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara. The program featured Don Quixote Op. 35 (Strauss) and Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 (Berlioz). It was a nice concert and a very nice venue. David also got to play with the Sapporo Symphony.

Japanese Shinto Wedding

Today we saw a wedding at the Hokkaido Shrine in Sapporo. I was lucky enough to be able to take some pictures and you can see the rest here.

I guess that makes me an international wedding photographer.

Fireworks along the River

The fireworks were spectacular! This isn't my best ever shot (I'll make an excuse - I didn't have a tripod), but it does show the crowd and it was a large and enthusiastic one.

Summer in Japan

It is summer in Japan and this stylish couple is wearing the proper attire to go watch fireworks. There are usually a lot of girls wearing yukata at these events but I thought there were an especially high percentage here in Sapporo.

Otaru Canal

The town of Otaru, North and West of Sapporo, was a large banking center and important port during the development of Hokkaido. It had a lot of Western influences and this scene along the canal almost looks European.

Fashion News from Hokkaido

I saw these high heeled tennis shoes on the train from Sapporo to Otaru. Remember you saw this first here on my blog. By this time next year they'll be everywhere.

Tanuki

This is a giant flying tanuki (I think) in the long arcade in Sapporo. Japan is still the land of cute. Sapporo is much cooler than Tokyo, but it has been raining. Hopefully, we can get out and see some countryside as well as Dave play his concert.

Sensoji Temple

When you get to the top of the temple stairs and look up at the ceiling at Sensoji, this is what you see...

Sensoji Gate

I am back in Japan again, but not lost at the moment. This is Sensoji Temple Gate at Asakusa just past where all the markets are. It looks like it has been recently repainted and looks great. Japan is a bit warm though...

Look Ma, No Hands

One of my readers accused me of "doctoring" my photographs and in the interest of transparency and good journalism, I am publishing the photograph he sent me at left, along with the full contents of his email below.

"

BULL JIVE!!!!

Little do you know Frank that I am friends with almost half of the three man Gulf Breeze Police Department. I had one of my buddies analyze your photo in the GBPD Crime Lab, and this is what it showed before you "doctored" it up. Nice try,

-StuMonkey

"

Gentle Readers, he is make reference to the blog entry I made on June 28th. I prefer not to expose you to this sort of thing, but thought it best to do so as I of course would never hide anything from you, even if it is untrue.

The Woodlands

The Town Center in the The Woodlands is nice enough. You can walk around and get a nice cup of coffee and visit the various shops...

July 4th in Kingwood

Cody and I went down to see the fireworks at King's Crossing Town Center in Kingwood last night. It didn't seem like they were as good as usual. I would have to rate them much lower than Buddha's Birthday in Brisbane, Qatar Day, or the summer fireworks in Japan. They say that River Fire in Brisbane is really good but we missed that. Of course this was just the Kingwood fireworks - the Houston fireworks downtown were probably better.

Here in Montgomery County you can buy and set off your own fireworks. I almost think they had a better display in the neighbor's yard than they did over in Town Center. They are pretty strict in Houston and will arrest you for pyrotechnics. The biggest problem with the display itself around here is that there is nothing scenic to contrast them against. The ones in Kingwood are fired from the golf course and you watch them from the Park & Ride or HEB over the pine trees. Much better to watch them set against the city or over some water...

Commute

In Brisbane, I walked to work across the river and through the Botanical Gardens. Or, if I was lazy, I could take the city ferry from the landing at the bottom of the hill around the bend to Eagle Street, disembark, and walk the remaining 200 meters. For the benefit of those interested, I could stop along the way and get a good espresso if I wanted.

In Houston, there is no way I can walk to work from where we live. I commute. I can drive a couple of miles and take a bus I guess. Or, I can just drive like everyone else. I don't mind commuting that much except I am wasting 30 minutes each day each way. You can see my view... No exercise. No birds. No trees. No possums. Cities in the United States need to solve the transport problem and get denser. The greater the density, the less distance to travel, and the more efficient mass transit becomes. And don't forget the parks and paths for bikes and walking.

Houston

Here is the view of Houston from outside my new office. There is a nice cube farm starting to grow right outside my door. And as I look outside my window, I can see the old Enron Building. Did I ever tell you that I met Ken Lay and had dinner with him one time? It is true...

Up on a Tightrope

I am back in Houston, but I don't have any good images taken here yet. So here is a picture of the tightroper statue in the square on South Bank next to Stanleys - the best big brekky in Brisbane - from last weekend (I can't publish this without mentioning that I faked the cable under him and removed the guy wires holding him up). The unicyclist was put back up in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the World Expo. They were known as the white statues and there were a number of them up during Expo.

In Houston, they don't know how to make hot milk for a cappuccino. At Starbucks, the barista brought me another one this morning after I had started drinking the first. To her credit, she did this because she said the steamer wasn't working right and she couldn't serve a coffee less than her best. I was a bit surprised because I thought the milk on the first one was pretty good for Starbucks - the foam was smooth and silky - like stirred paint as Teresa says, andTeresa has a barista certificate. The second cup the Starbucks barista brought me had huge bubbles in it like they always do at Starbucks. Anyway, she let me keep both of them, but I enjoyed the first one the most.

David says I am a food snob. It's not true. I just like my cappuccino foam smooth and silky like latex paint.

Magpie

The Magpie, Miner Bird, and Rainbow Lorikeet are among my favorite Australian birds. The Magpie is handsome and has a beautiful voice. The Miner Bird is everywhere and is a bit of a clown. Rainbow Lorikeets are raucous and incredibly colorful.

The Story Bridge

The Story Bridge from yet another viewpoint and time of day...

The Noisy Miner Bird

Miner birds are curious, always fooling around together, and constantly stirring things up. At least one will pose for me as I go through the park about anytime I'd like it to.

Wilwinpa

The Wilwinpa is the newest City Cat in Brisbane.

Comalco Place

The blue building at the bottom of the picture is Comalco Place - a place I know pretty well since I have been working there for the past 15 months or so. I will miss my view of the river and the walk through the park every morning...

The Buddha

This door panel with the Buddha in it is located in the temple over on South Bank that was built for World Expo '88. It was built by traditional methods and while from a moderate distance it is very fine and appears almost flawless, close up you can see many imperfections. I like that. There are many details on it and maybe someday I'll photograph them.

Brisbane Arcade

Long before there were malls there were arcades. They are basically streets with a roof, normally with glass. There are quite a few of them in London and you find them here in Australia too. For some reason, they seem to have either real high ends goods, touristy type things, or both. This one is off Queen Street in Brisbane.

Brisbane Seafood

Several types of seafood are popular in Brisbane - oysters, barramundi, and "bugs". First, bugs... Bugs are the critters lying on the ice in the center of the photo. They look like flattened lobsters without claws. Oysters are in the sack at middle top. The fish on the far left just past the flounder is a barramndi.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of bugs and barramundi although both are OK. The bugs taste like lobster, but don't have as good a texture in my opinion. They have lobsters here, so I don't know why the bugs seem to be the first choice. Barramundi is a nice white fish, but again with the texture, and I don't think it is always super fresh. But the oysters are very, very good.

Brisbane CBD

This is the Brisbane CBD along the river as seen from the Story Bridge. The river front is prime property and the apartments are arranged for the view.

White Faced Herons

There were a pair of herons catching breakfast on the rocks by the river below the apartment this morning.

Pacific Black Duck Stretching

Have you ever noticed how much a dog seems to enjoy a good stretch? This duck stretched out one foot and wing (see his webbed toes stretching out below the wing?) and then the other while standing on one foot. Must have felt good....

Remnant Rain Forest

This is a remnant of sub-tropical rain forest just north of Brisbane. That is a waterfall down in the lower right hand corner. At one time, this area was pretty much covered in rain forest. European settlers cut most of it down in a relatively short period and today there are only pockets of it left. Because they are unconnected, it leaves the wildlife very exposed to fire, flood, disease, or other misfortune.

Fortunately, there were people who saved portions for us today like this one. Old growth forest really should be conserved and not just little islands. Guess I've become a tree hugger, but then shouldn't everyone?

XXXX Brewery Pub on a Friday Night

This is the Castlemaine Perkins XXXX Brewery Pub down in Milton on a Friday night. Milton is only about a 30 minute walk from the apartment through South Bank and across the river. We had just taken the brewery tour. I've now visited at least one brewery in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. I have South America and Africa left to go. I'll probably skip Africa, although I did drive by the one in Lagos once.

How Many Toes on an Eastern Water Dragon?

Answer: 5