Tree Tuesday

Over the past few weeks Giliell has been sharing her wonderful holiday photos of Barcelona with us and as part of that series she has sent us an incredible tree to add to our collection. It’s called a Yellow Flamboyant and the name is certainly appropriate. This beautiful Spanish tree is filled with flaming color and style. Its flowers are big and bright and plentiful and Giliell’s photos show them off beautifully against a warm summer sky. The photos are all gorgeous, but I am absolutely in love with the last one, looking up through the tree. Flamboyant indeed.

Thanks Giliell.

Yellow Flamboyant tree, ©Giliell, all rights reserved

Flowers of the Yellow Flamboyant tree, ©Giliell, all rights reserved

Looking up through the Yellow Flamboyant tree, ©Giliell, all rights reserved

Barcelona, the Zoo 2: Gorillas

Since we were talking about apes anyway…

My favourite great apes are gorillas. I could watch them for hours, especially their eyes. The group in Barcelona just gor some snacks when we were there, so some of the images will be them foraging.

Gorilla on green grass

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Young gorilla climbing a rope

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Young gorilla sitting

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Gorilla, eating

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

North Beach, Perce, Quebec, ©voyager, all rights reserved

Jack and I took a stroll along North Beach this morning. This is one of our regular go-to places when we’re here because it’s just across the road from where we stay and it’s seldom busy. It’s also beautiful and full of fossils, sea glass, agates and pretty stones of many types.

Barcelona: the Zoo 1

We’re leaving the Aquarium, but stay with the animals. Zoos are something we love to visit wherever we go. The zoo in Barcelona has the perk of having not one but two species of hippos, and I love hippos. These are the pygmy hippos, which are a solitary species, quite unlike the “normal” hippos who live in groups.

Something to keep in mind the next time somebody tries to tell you about human behaviour because of chimps or something.

Pygmy hippo with open mouth

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Side of pygmy hippo

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Pygmy hippo, full length

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Backside of pygmy hippo going into a pond.

Bye!
©Giliell, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

Perce Rock, ©voyager, all rights reserved

It’s been a long and difficult journey this year, but we’ve finally arrived. We won’t have internet access until tomorrow, but once we do I’ll share more photos and stories. For now, I’m still posting with my phone. This is the classic tourist photo of the Perce Rock, but it doesn’t really give any idea of scale. I know a better spot to take this photo, but there are so many tourists in town today that I just couldn’t get there.

Barcelona: The Aquarium 4: Creatures of the Sea

The last images from the aquarium. Oh, and I won a bet that day. When we walked past the gift shop on our way in I swore we’d leave with one of the penguins on display. Sadly, nobody who knows my kids would have held that bet.

Head of a seahorse


©Giliell, all rights reserved

Green and blue corals


©Giliell, all rights reserved

Jellyfish in a blue light


©Giliell, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

Jack and I are having a grand adventure. We’re in a place called Saint Luce, Quebec with no wifi and only my cell phone to post from. We had a short walk on the beach and are now collapsed. It’s  very pretty here, but it’s also dark and I can’t do night photography. Instead, here’s the only road photo that I have on my phone today. The pretty pictures should start tomorrow.

On the way to Perce