Burrrrrding in the Burrrrrrkshires....

Help me! I have fallen behind on my blogging and I can't get up...

okay I couldn't resist that.

We have never been to the Burrrrrkshires in the winter. Mainly because it's cold. It's very cold.

But there were birds we wanted to see and we decided to brave the elements, don our winter gear and head north.

We forgot our ice cleats, which would have made the third of a mile walk up, down and up the icy driveway to Sue and Roy's house much easier. What city people we are!

After all, this was exactly the conditions that I bought the damn things for!

D-UH!

How I missed my Stabilicers this weekend.

We were watching our friend's feeder's from the warmth of their living room, when a flock of Common Redpolls-our target bird of the weekend-came to feed. We were so excited! There was one beautiful male with a pink chest. We were so happy!

The next morning it was 18 degrees in Stockbridge MA, in Washington MA, it was 9. We went out birding. I was so cold. I should have brought my flannel lined pants and heavier socks. I just was too lulled by the forecasts of the mid 20's for the area, and forget, they were talking about the highs. Oh well...seeing a flock of Bohemian Waxwings, warmed my heart. (I wished they would have warmed my fingers and toes also)

These Waxwings weren't love birds....

like these two love crazed fools!

We saw another flock of Common Redpolls by a feeder further down the road.

I was so excited to see them again. But so was everyone else in NY and NJ. There was a Common Redpoll eruption this weekend and they were reported, 15 minutes away from the house in Prospect Park, on Long Island and all over New Jersey.

Here is another shot of a waxwing. They are great looking birds.

So seeing that bird eating, reminds me that I haven't been posting my dinner pictures and my weight is reflecting my sloppy attitude toward my diet.

Here are my dinners for Feb 17 and 18th and tomorrow I will start photographing them again.

I tried to make swiss chard pancakes which didn't come out well, and that cheesy mashed cauliflower with meatloaf and tomato sauce.

On, Feb 18, I made more cheesy mashed cauliflower ( I had 2 huge heads to finish up) and grilled chicken with baby bok choy, red peppers and onions.

This weekend, even though I didn't photograph my dinners, I had so many NSV (non scale victories). I took home a huge banana nut muffin, I skipped potatoes 3 times-twice at breakfast, once at dinner), I didn't have lunch at my friends house, when they offered, because I just had breakfast an hour or so earlier. I had fish for an entree, skipped dessert, munched on fruit and had salad for dinner tonight with low fat goat cheese. All these small things hopefully will start to add up to the scale moving south again.

Another in the series of self portraits...

And here are pictures of Stockbridge, MA right after a night of snow falling.

It was a winter wonderland!

We stayed at the Red Lion Inn and had a really great weekend.

Even though, I was really cold, and there was a Redpoll eruption here in Brooklyn, I needed to get away and relax.

Here it is! The blog entry all have been waiting for...our trip to Puerto Rico!

Fun in the Sun!

Our Puerto Rican Vacation

another in the series of self portraits

they are beginning to all look the same

For a change of pace from our usual vacations spent at sewer treatment plants, we spent last week in Puerto Rico.

While NYC had a 14 degree windchill factor, I was in shorts. It was wonderful. I had mofongo or amarillos almost every day. I drank mango sangrias. Had fresh cooked empanadas, with homemade lemonade from a beach front kiosk.

Here is my favorite photo.

The first day we walked around the resort grounds, until we felt at home. The hotel complex was a little over the top and went the extra yard in coming up with ways for you to part with your money. Even though the only way you could get to the hotel was by automobile, they charged for parking. And they charged to rent those big queen sized beds near the pool. I thought that was a bit ridiculous.

Then you had to wear these fluorescent orange wrist bands while you were on the grounds. Security was so tight around one of the buildings that you couldn't walk on the beach in front of it and the guard actually asked us what room were we in. Some "macher" (big shot) must have been staying there, because men in black stood outside the building all night long in the drenching rain.

We went to El Yunque, the only Rain Forest in the US. It rained, naturally. I watched the tourists, who have no idea how to dress outside of a tour bus, buy umbrellas and rain ponchos in the gift shop during one of the rain storms. We went there, a few times, I really liked El Yunque and want to go back and drive to the end of the road.

A tangent-driving in Puerto Rico.

I love driving. When I was a kid, with my pockets full of change, I would sit in front of the simulated driving video games. Driving on the mountain roads in PR felt so familiar to me. I am way beyond thinking that I have a past life experiences. But I really felt I have driven on these roads before. And then I had an epiphany, driving on the mountain roads was just like playing a simulated driving game. Turn the blind corner, avoid the on coming car, hairpin switch backs, trying not to drive off the mountain cliff. What fun! Poor Larry!!!!

Back to the story...

Something I never expected to see was 4 foot long lizards (iguanas?) roaming the grounds of this luxury resort. They didn't need fluorescent orange wrist bands. I made this guy really, really angry. He got into his cobra pose and shook his wattle at me.

Are you terrified at the sight of my wavy wattle wiggling in the wind?

Are you scared yet?

The next morning Larry saw some leaves moving strangely on the tree next to our terrace-and there he was. I pissed him off so much that he followed us back to the room and was perched in the tree right outside my 2nd story bedroom. I'm getting paranoid.

You can't hide from me! I see ALL!

Do you think he saw Larry naked, and thought Larry was wiggling his wattle back at him? (ya gotta think like a lizard here guys). Was this going to be some sort of guy thing between the two of them for the next couple of days?

One of the really cool things about going on vacation is learning about cultural differences and having new experiences. Larry learned about ironing (culture shock) and that he can dry his wet pants by ironing them (a new experience).

Now that Larry knows how to do the laundry at the laundromat, iron and fold clothes, he will only charge $1.10 per pound to wash, dry and fold and $2 to press a shirt.

"This is really boring" says Larry Zirlin.

Sorry this was just too special a moment for only one picture.

Walking around the grounds of the hotel.

there he is again!

I see you!

Hey maybe I can get a digiscope image and find out where that guy was banded?

He was blown way far off course....

We left the rainy NE side of the island, drove right through the central mountains to the dry SW coast of the island. Again, it was beautiful. The hotel in Guanica was so laid back and relaxing, I fell asleep by one of the pools.

romantic sunset

Even though Larry didn't reserve a romantic dinner on the beach for me with rose petals strewn on the table, I forgave him

moon rise

But that damn lizard must had notified his friend, because the biggest toad in the world was waiting for me.

this guy was as big as my hand!

and just as ugly!

NE coast, the view from El Portal at El Yunque

SW coast from Rt. 333 heading toward Guanica

NW coast looking out from Guajataca

We are already planning our next vacation to Puerto Rico.

and I will be waiting for you!

The Road Well Traveled

We don't exactly travel light!

We have a computer, a scope, an electric percolator, diet soda and snacks.

We are ready to roll!

Here I am, after 30 miles of walking in three and a half days, doing the tourist thing in the Nation's Capital and then off to do some serious birding at Bombay Hook, NWR in Dover, DE.
I am ready for the mosquitoes, the ticks and the no-see-ums.

I get the point...

Larry at the Washington Monument.

Larry under the Chinese Gate in Washington.

Larry by the Capitol Building
They didn't let us get close enough to take a picture in front of the White House, so no Larry.


They call it a Reflecting Pool...

We took a road trip to Washington DC. I haven't been there in 32 years. One thing really stands out in our nation's capital. There are no supermarkets. I don't know where the residents get their groceries. The 5 days I was there, I didn't even see a truck delivering food. No wonder why everyone was so thin, they don't have any food. There was a Starbucks on every corner. Everywhere I went I saw people drinking coffee. They say caffeine is an appetite suppressant.

The streets were very clean. The metro system boasted that they didn't have any rats, unlike another system, they refused to mention. They said it was because there was no eating or drinking allowed in the system. Even if you wanted to eat something, there was no where to buy any food.

No food, no litter, no rats...Problem solved.

Are we ready to TUMBLE!!!

My wonderful husband, who saw the page from the catalog with the item circled and who I told this is what I want for Christmas as I taped the page to the wall, got the hint and bought me a jewelry tumbler kit, complete with stainless steel shot and tumbling powder for Christmas. Now as I type my projects are tumbling. Tumbling burnishes jewelry to polish it. The stainless steel shot keeps hitting the jewelry and polishes it in the tumbler. Woo-hoo!!! I was having problems finishing my work at home because I had to wait till I went to class to tumble. Over the summer I couldn't tumble at all, I would go back to class in September and the first thing I would do is grab the tumbler and get a high shine on my metal.

In the just not quite getting it category--the NY Times had an article today about how people, who have converted to Judaism, feel about Christmas. One person had a hard time parting with the Christmas tree, so now she has a Holiday Tree decorated in blue, white and silver. Another visits his family, but doesn't recite the traditional midnight Novena. But there was this one woman, in the process of converting, who wanted to make a traditional Christmas dinner for all her Jewish friends-bourbon glazed ham. I think she hasn't gotten past the intro chapter of her "How to be a Jew" textbook yet. Probably somewhere in first chapter she would have found mentioned the Kashruth if she did.

Seen at the sorely missed Waterview Diner, a Hanukkah menu posting.
Roast Lion of Pork

The Lion of Judah

Christmas Eve 2009

This is a very subdued Christmas. I noticed that not many homes are decorated in the neighborhood. I walk around and there are very few holiday lights. The NY Times ran an article in the paper today about people who are just not celebrating Christmas at all. Seems to me, we have commercialized Christmas to death. Don't worry, between Americans 5 second sound bite attention spans and 10 second Alzheimer's memories-we'll start spending and running up the charge cards again. The third world will work once more and all will be well in the world.

The strangest thing I have seen this Christmas...
On Sanibel Island, Florida, a Drive-Thru Living Nativity.
C'mon! Get out of your gas guzzlers for Christ!
Only in America

Here is my other thought for the day (or really yesterday)
We should have a new punctuation mark in the English language.
It should be an upside "!".

This is why...
I reviewing a "gourmet" market that opened up in the the neighborhood in an email to my husband (see below). I was telling him that it was just like all the other "gourmet" markets in the neighborhood. (None of which I would call gourmet, but then again I have been told that I am a food snob cause any "gourmet" market that sells commercial health food products that I can buy at Pathmark, is not a "gourmet" market in my opinion) Sorry, I digress, I needed an punctuation mark that was the opposite of a "!" to put after the Eh in my description of the market to him to truly express my sentiment.

See, I have created a revenue producing idea! You would have to reprogram all the computers in the English language to have a new character in all the typefaces, all the key boards would have to change. So would all the PDA's, and all the cell phones. Think of it as the Y2K problem and the television broadcast standard change rolled into one. The government would have to issue coupons so people can go to RadioShack and buy, for a couple of dollars, a replacement keyboard! Bet'cha looking for an upside down "!" right about now...


Larry (the above mentioned husband)and Shari, on the beach, Sanibel Florida, week of 12/7


Larry and Shari, at Jamaica Bay, Wildlife Refuge, Christmas Eve 2009

Two weeks ago, I was on the beach and it was 87 degrees, today we were out birding and it was 37. What a difference 50 degrees makes!

Funny thing overheard today

I am sitting in a cafe, having my Vita-muffin with a cup of coffee, trying to read a book. This is the conversation I overheard.
Woman 1: What do you do for a living?
Woman 2: I am a psychiatrist
Woman 1: That must be interesting
Woman 2: It gets to be like any other job, but I love it.
Woman 1: Oh
Woman 2: Have you ever been to a psychiatrist?

Now, I am sitting, thinking (to myself), Lady, you need help, have you ever been to a psychiatrist?

Crocodile at Ding Darling NWR Florida

We spent a week on Sanibel Island, the highlight of the trip was seeing a Painted Bunting. We had 4 target birds, Wood Stork, Limpkin, Sandwich Tern and Snail Kite.
We also got our first really good look at a Pileated Woodpecker. We've heard them, we've seen the bottom half of them, but this time we saw the whole bird. They are largest woodpecker in North American.

We saw an American Crocodile which of course reminded me of this relief that is in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Crocodile don't eat my babies!
actually it's Les Nubiens by Ernest Barrias

When we saw this in the d'Orsay, it was like, what the hell is this about????
There must be bigger problems with the Parisian sewers than we realized...

Urban myth
There are alligators in the NYC Sewer system...
Do You Think???

Don't drink the water!!