Does This Blog Make Me Look Fat?

Well...
Sometimes the sun shines on other peoples houses and not mine
Somedays the clouds paint the sky all gray and it takes away my summer time
and somehow the sun keeps shinin' upon you while i struggle to get by
if theres a light in everybody, send out your ray of sunshine

i want to walk the same roads as everybody else
through the trees and past the gates
getting high on heavenly breezes and making new friends along the way
i wont ask much of nobody i'm just here to sing along
and make my mistakes look gracious
and learn some lessons from my wrongs

But sometimes the sun shines on other peoples houses and not mine
Somedays the clouds paint the sky all gray and it takes away my summer time
and somehow the sun keeps shinin' upon you while i struggle to get by
a little light never hurt nobody, send out your ray of sunshine

Ohh if this little light of mine combined with yours today
how many watts could we 'luminate
how many villages could we save
well my umbrella is tired of the weather wearing me down
well look at me now...

you should look as good as your outlook would you mind if i took some time
to soak up your light, your beautiful light, you've got a paradise inside
i get hungry for love and thirsty for life
been much too full on the pain
when i look to the sky to help me and sometimes it looks like rain

As the sun shines on other peoples houses and not mine
And the sky paints those clouds in a way that it takes away the summer time
and somehow the sun keeps shinin' upon you while i kindly stand by
if there's a light in everybody, send out your ray of sunshine

You're undeniably warm, you're cerulean
you're perfect in design, won't you hang around
so the sun it can shine on me
and the clouds, they can roll away
and the sky can become our possibility
if theres a light in everybody
send out your ray of sunshine

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!

Here is a video of the road trip portion of our vacation. As always, the video is best viewed with the sound turned on.

7/16/2009

5:01 AM 77 Degrees, Depart

8:41 AM Mountain Time 82 Degrees Mileage 14956 Albuquerque, NM

11:52 AM Central Time 96 Degrees Mileage 15181 Texas State Line (Don’t Mess with it)

4:54 PM Central Time 102 Degrees Mileage 15369 Oklahoma State Line (Visitor’s Center is the best Rest Area ever)

7:17 Central Time 84 Degrees Mileage 15516 Oklahoma City (Comfort Inn and Suites)

We boogied through the Painted Desert (another planned stop for the trip back).

Got our kicks on Route 66.

Came across some trivia for those of you who are fans of “Saving Grace” about 50 miles east of Oklahoma City.

VIDEO: TWO ARIZONANS DRIVE THROUGH A THUNDERSTORM

See you tomorrow!!!!

7/15/2009
4:30 PM Phoenix, AZ 106 Degrees, Mileage 14478

6:45 PM Flagstaff, AZ 77 Degrees, Mileage 14630

7:58 PM Holbrook, AZ 81 Degrees, Mileage 14722

Pretty uneventful trip so far. Didn't make it to Winslow with enough daylight for pictures so we'll have to hit it on the way back. Dinner at Denny's. On the road again at 5 AM. Destination Oklahoma City.

Here is one more Tiger video from my trip to the zoo yesterday.




"The Most Wonderful Thing About..."

Someone told me
it's all happening at the zoo

I do believe it
I do believe it's true*

These baby white tigers were born May 17, 2009.




"Tiger Wrestling"

*Paul Simon, "At The Zoo"

He was the Fred Astaire of our generation. Say what you want about the man. This is one of the coolest things ever.




Billie Jean's Best Moonwalk

The other night I sat out for almost an hour and watched the hummingbirds. The bully spent the better part of the hour chasing away all the other hummingbirds from the feeders. I condensed it all into the short video below.

In the first part you’ll see him come up to the feeder and eat. Next he perched himself in the lemon tree about 5 feet away. You’ll hear him chirp as he warns one of the other birds when it gets too close to the feeder. Keep watching and you'll see him trying to catch something, visible only to him, flying through the air. I took 30 straight minutes of video of him sitting in that tree guarding his territory. I bet you never knew hummingbirds would sit still for so long. After that he roosted on the chain to the planter where you’ll see him get upset and chase another bird away.

You’ll also have to listen to the air conditioner, unfortunately, and the newly self-crowned hummingbird expert sharing her vast knowledge with Bill. :-)

Notice how the bird’s color changes depending on the angle of his head. I really could sit and watch these things for hours.

UPDATE: I've noticed that he's started spending most of the day in the lemon tree. Maybe because it's shady. When I go out he flies over to the palm tree and barks at me from there.

This is the daily routine which includes Willie's token 1 minute burst of energy. Notice how the new wood floor doesn't dampen his exuberance.

Watch the whole thing (48 seconds).

http://www.wimp.com/galacticcenter/

Just in case there was ever any question about it. It's been documented.