Now Showing

I was a little shocked when our neighbor suddenly had her backyard completely cleared of trees and shrubs, but a silver lining to the clear-cutting is an improved view of the sunset from our yard. A little more sky is visible.

Is That A Banana?

We were in Freeport last week looking for a fish dinner; in addition to that, we got to witness a dockside wedding, presided over by a giant inflatable monkey. Some days are special like that.

Monster Shadow

The sun at the pool at four o'clock is just right for this sort of thing.

Imagine A White Parakeet

You need to imagine it because I didn't get a photo op. (It all happened so fast.)
Kenny left the house to go for a run, but just a few minutes later he was back, with an exchange student from the French Alps. (Don't you hate when that happens?) The young man (Gaston, from Grenoble, actually) was clutching a small, pure-white bird in his hand.
It had fallen or hopped to the ground near him just as Kenny ran by, so the two of them decided to rescue it. It looked very young, and couldn't seem to fly. (Turns out its wings were clipped, so it must have gotten away from somebody.) Fortunately, Parrots of the World was still open, and it now has a home with one of their bird-loving employees.
So, if you lost a white parakeet near Mill Road in Valley Stream, on or around Tuesday the 19th, ask about it at Parrots of the World in Rockville Centre. And keep your doors and windows closed next time!

Eight Arms To Hold On

Finally, the videos you've all (not really) been waiting for: the Amazingly Intrepid Spider (With Soundtrack!) and the Same Fearless Spider On A Different Day. This little guy, a common garden variety arachnid much like the one pictured above, was living for several weeks in Ken's car's sideview mirror. Having built a web overnight, he (she?) would come out when the car started moving each morning, battle the wind for possession of the silky strands, and, having gathered or gobbled them all up, would retreat inside the shelter of the mirror's overhang for the rest of the ride to the parking garage in Jamaica, where he (or she) did who-knows-what all day while we were at work. Then, having traveled back home with us, he (or she) would spend the evening building another web. This went on three or four times we could see. Now, there's been no sign of the Tenacious One for many days, but for what it's worth, his (her?) indomitable spirit is captured in these movies.

Baby Lizard Population Explosion!

There's a whole litter of littlies running around today in the hot sun; here's two of them above. To see just how teenytiny we're talkin', use the housefly on the left in the first picture for scale.

Coming soon: the intrepid spider movie!