I am a native in this world And think in it as a native thinks

Monday, May 30, 2011

Welcome to the working week



Not really, at least in the U.S. Or, I should say, not yet.

So here's another fakeout, a street performer in Lisbon. If it's not obvious from the photo, he's floating a foot or so above the street.





The question is, how?

It's obviously the cane, which is mounted in the platform on the ground, and he's hanging from some kind of harness that connects to it. But is his left arm fake, part of the contraption, and that's why he's wearing the gloves? He doesn't look fat enough to be concealing an arm under the coat, and his face suggests that he's not a skinny man padded to look fatter than he is.

And how does he get into and out of the harness there on the street without giving away his secrets? Does he have an assistant who swoops in with a big cape to cover him up while he wriggles free? I couldn't waste my last day in Lisbon waiting for him to end the show, though I was sorely tempted to. And I've been wondering exactly how he did it ever since.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Sunday bird blogging


I planned to go to the Ramble early this morning, but I overslept and didn't get there until almost ten, when the only birds in view were the usual: starlings, grackles, robins. But I'll never qualify as a serious birder, because I like starlings and grackles and robins. I even love house sparrows, the tough little hustlers fighting off pigeons for the scraps from outdoor cafes, and most people consider that they barely count as birds.

Here's a robin, with his beak still dirty from digging for his breakfast.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Saturday reflections




I've been home for several weeks now, so it's more than time for a New York reflection.

Abstracts



Not quite abstracts, maybe, but some fun closeups from the parking lot in Piazzale Roma.







Monday, May 23, 2011

Welcome to the working week



Whatever you've got on your plate this week, it's got to be easier than doing construction in Venice.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Welcome to the working week



Preparing artichokes for sale at an outdoor market in Via Cesare Balbo, Rome.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Saturday reflections


A palazzo on the Grand Canal.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Welcome to the working week



Morning maintenance on the Grand Canal in Venice.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Sunday bird blogging




A peacock at the Huerto del Cura.

Peacocks hardly seem to count as birds at all, since their bodies are so unwieldy and earthbound (maybe that's the reason for their incessant whining.) Viewed up close, like this, you can see how absurd they are: all dressed up and really, nowhere to go and no way to get there.

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