Guarding the guards

There were several police officers with big guns patrolling the crowds before the parade began—although most of the guardsmen were also armed, I suppose they needed to focus on marching rather than identifying threats.

But I loved that there were also several “ceremonial wardens,” standing by. I'm not sure what they do, but I love the job title.

Penguin Feet

I offer this closeup of gentoo feet in Cierva Cove for no other reason than it makes me smile.

Elephant seal yoga

In Fortuna Bay. The onlookers were clearly amazed by this display.

Have a seal break

 

Between class prep, physical therapy, and a dead battery in my car, I haven't had any free time this week. But here are some seals in South Georgia to make you smile. Anyway, they worked for me.

Random things I saw on Copacabana Beach

I didn't really understand the art installation or why it features Elton John, but it made me smile. And I love the platinum hair on those boys—this is apparently a favela style inspired by footballers.

Flashback: Macchu Pichu

Processing and tweaking photos is one of the few tasks I can put my mind to these days, so here are two pictures of a llama at Macchu Pichu that my critical eye for some reason (okay, I see the reasons--imperfect focus, less than ideal composition) deemed not worthy of inclusion on this august blog.

But today they make me smile.

Because we can probably all use a smile today

Fifth Avenue, during my walk home from school yesterday afternoon.

A somewhat smaller church

This Seventh Day Adventist church near Bath Abbey made me smile. I am guessing they have a rather small congregation.

Urban poetry

The crosswalk light on the corner has received some creative editing.

I still have more pictures from the Cotswolds, plus Bath, but I'm too busy with class prep to look at them.

Repurposing

I love this—the traditional red phone boxes are mostly gone now, just like pay phones in the U.S., but many of them have been repurposed into mini-libraries, or, like this one, a defibrillator in case of emergency.

Not a hallucination

I saw these horses as we were driving into Oxford yesterday, and when we turned into the hotel driveway, I was surprised and charmed to see that they were right next door to the hotel.

But by the time I'd checked in, washed up, and grabbed my camera, they were gone. There were a few crows pecking at the grasses in the field, but no horses. And when I came back from my long walk around central Oxford, the field was still empty and I was starting to wonder if I'd imagined them. Horses? In the city?

But they were back this morning. It was overcast and I only had my phone camera, but those are most definitely horses.

The Minotaur cafe

Which is next door to Labyrinth Souvenirs.

Oxymoron of the week

Near Mary's house in Ephesus.

I saw similar signs at other tourist markets in Kuşadasi, maybe the result of some truth-in-advertising crackdown, but it did make me smile every time.

Astronomy Tuesday

I don't usually include images taken from down here on Earth in this series, but I couldn't resist this one: a composite image of the Geminid meteor shower on December 14 of last year.

The meteors appear to be coming from the constellation Gemini (those two stars in the center of the meteor burst); you can also see Orion in the top left corner. But mostly it's the meteors, and this picture makes me smile.

Image Credit and Copyright: Wang Jin

On the beach

I really wanted a beach to be the next stop on my Dipping a Toe Back Into Reality program, so I spent an afternoon in the Rockaways. (Technically I spent an afternoon in the car driving out to Queens and back again, with an hour walking barefoot on the sand and another spent eating lunch.)

It was glorious. And these guys made me smile.

Urban poetry

A mural on Washington Street in Newburgh.

We stopped at a restaurant around the corner for lunch on our way upstate, and liked it so much we went back on the way home. There's a state historic site across the street, where Washington had his headquarters during the final year of the Revolutionary War. Much as I like this rock 'n' roll version of the General, I am especially amused to note that he also appears to be wearing a Fitbit.

Urban poetry

A musician in Central Park last weekend.

Okay, he was playing My Way, but I smiled anyway.

Bonus flashback

Because the week got away from me -- I've been in a crunch of tests and projects and papers while trying to get all my postponed medical appointments done -- here's an extra post. These otherwise ordinary buildings in bright colors made me smile; I hope they'll do the same for you.

Newfoundland, of course, near the harbor in St. Anthony.

Life in the time of coronavirus

 I'm trying to cram in all of my doctor's appointments during this lull of nice weather and not-yet-fully-resurgent virus. And because I don't want to get on a bus or even into an Uber unless I absolutely have to, I had two very long walks yesterday, to the East Side and back.

It was probably the longest I've been outside since the lockdown began in March and it was wonderful to be just walking the streets of New York again. I was amused to see that the ever-enterprising street vendors are now selling masks with designer names along with the cheap sunglasses and knockoff handbags.

Urban poetry

Even in a year of non-stop batshit crazy news, this has been an exhausting week.

So here are a few signs from Manhattan Mini Storage that have amused me through the years.