Project: One photo a day (but not necessarily every day)

[rwsaunders]

Safety vest, a nearby care provider … all good?

Wagers were being taken in the office.

[j44ke]

Wagers were being taken in the office.

Glass awning roof will break his fall. And he's leaning on a medical facility.

[j44ke]

What is it about speaking French that makes me so sweaty? "Je uhm recherche un outil er ah pour la cassette ah Campagnolo." "You want it for the lockring? We have it. Sure. Do you already have the tool with the chain?" Merci and mercy often sound a like.

[72gmc]

Just looking at that picture of what might be the proprietor (third from left above the window) ... he already looks frustrated with my feeble attempt to pose a question in French.

[echappist]

What is it about speaking French that makes me so sweaty? "Je uhm recherche un outil er ah pour la cassette ah Campagnolo." "You want it for the lockring? We have it. Sure. Do you already have the tool with the chain?" Merci and mercy often sound a like.

You and me both, though je crois que votre français soit meilleur que mein.

I took my last French lesson about 20 years ago, and French was my third language, one over which I never had even a half-decent grasp. English, technically my second language, has long since supplanted my "mother tongue" as the language with which I am most at ease. I personally didn't want to learn French and dreaded it. Part of my reasoning was somewhat jingoistic, as I already had a more-than-decent command of another major world language, but here I was, being forced into learning a third one.

Alas, when my family went to Montréal, I spoke not a word of it, mainly due to teenage social anxiety but also partly due to reluctance to give French any place in my life. It got bad enough that even though I should have been more than capable of ordering food at a café, I chickened out, resulting in us getting food from Mickey D's. I think my dad might also had ulterior reasons to give me a way out, as Mickey D's represented a much cheaper option (we were not well-off back then).

Late last December, my wife and I visited the Oldmasters Museum in Brussels. I have always been fascinated by the northern renaissance painters, especially Brueghel. So after barely speaking a word of French for 20 years, I went up to one of the museum staff and asked "ou est les painteurs du Brueghel?" Setting aside the fact that the museum staff might be primarily Dutch-speaking, I'm sure the vagueness re: the correct way to pronounce his name (Broo or Brue; hard or soft "g") made my words sound completely unintelligible. After hearing me fumbling yet a second time, the museum staff just asked in English, "what is it that you would like to see?"

Well, at least I tried. And yes, I had to undo my coats a bit after that exchange b/c I was overheating.

[Ras72]

Forget trying to speak French. I see that photo and fondly remember when bike stores used to look like that. Now it's one brand. You pick S, M, L. And that sizing selection doesn't end with frames.
Merci Jorn!

[bironi]

Is that a humanoid dressed as a clown or an alien or Jeff the cyclist?

[open roader]

Sacred Kingfishers - after 2 summers of chasing these guys I finally get some shots off in the 3rd summer.

[open roader]

Ditto

[j44ke]

These are smaller kingfishers, correct? North American kingfishers (belted and ringed) are larger - probably kookaburra size. And while active they are not difficult to see as they hang out on telephone wires over water etc. But some of European and South American kingfishers are smaller, move around like buzz bombs and sit lower near the water or in overhanging vegetation or dead limbs. They are decidedly more difficult to see. And they don't wait around for you to figure out where they are. So if these are more the latter behavior, I can see why it took so long to get a good shot! These two seem like willing subjects.

[SpeedyChix]

The in flight “dart” along with the colors. Awesome. Thanks for not giving up capturing photos of them.

[open roader]

These Sacred Kingfishers are medium sized kingfishers - about half the size of a kookaburra. They are only seasonal here where I live, seen Nov to Feb, then gone off elsewhere.

They are indeed 'buzz bombs' gifted aerialists particularly in making remarkably tight swooping changes of direction without beating wings and completely silent running :- death from above in a turquoise dinner jacket! I find them easy to see as that stunning blue hue darting about the trees into the open and back again is eye catching. However they are usually 50m or further away before I see them on the move. I suspect that because they had an older fledgling out and about with them that they were more likely to hang about where it was convenient to teach/feed the fledgling and thus I had my opportunity to get some shots off.

One more frame........

[Dave Thompson]

Vintage 2024 sleeping, awaiting next years warm sun to become God’s nectar,9

[open roader]

Male Golden Whistler - my very first decent shots of this species. Moves too fast for me most of the time - this morning he was whistle calling so I whistled replied back at him and he hung about long enough for me to reel off a few frames.

[rwsaunders]

[open roader]

[Dave Thompson]

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[rwsaunders]

[claritycycler]

Two days before xmas, Santa Cruz Island across Santa Barbara Channel(+-30miles), just past sunset from top of Santa Ynez Mtns(3500ft elevation) north of Santa Barbara. Made the drive with wife Annie and visiting son Wylie.

[j44ke]

sigh