Beach Erosion: What a Town in Central America Did About It
An Alaska Back Country Adventure
Let us embark on an Alaskan adventure! Starting from Anchorage, Alaska at Turnagain Arm, a famous waterway, we head to Anchorage’s Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Then, we take a train from Anchorage and head north to Denali National Park and Preserve. Within that Park is Mount Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, which at 20,310 … Continue reading An Alaska Back Country Adventure
The Birds That Keep Their Distance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peWz48r92gQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12c01YnTzZk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o52nFXcjl8g Chapters This Side of the Hemisphere: Easy Access to Wildlife Saved by a Tin Bag Revenge of the Jungle Ants The Bird from Heaven The “Research” Center TBD What A Cow Would Do That a Sane Person Would Not Do What Stands Around A Lot and Is Ready to Strike? Wild Horses … Continue reading The Birds That Keep Their Distance
Tropical Kingbird: The Bird That Wants to Entertain
With a yellow underbelly and forked tail, this “yellow bird” looks like it wears a black mask--a black stripe that you can even see from behind the bird. Certainly compared to the songbird version of a blackbird, these “yellow birds” are quiet, as the blackbirds drown out the more silent birds. At first, one may … Continue reading Tropical Kingbird: The Bird That Wants to Entertain
This Side of the Hemisphere: Easy Access to Wildlife
In Central America, in a remote and rural place, a land of lakes and volcanoes, wild animals outnumber humans 50 to one. Here, the annual weather averages a low of 73 degrees Fahrenheit to a high of 91. Isolated from the rest of Central America by a large body of water, one huge section of … Continue reading This Side of the Hemisphere: Easy Access to Wildlife
What A Cow Would Do That a Sane Person Would Not Do
As you will see here, the cows’ sense of time and relative physical space is different from humans. Except for the “cow talk” below, if humans did similar things, they would be considered insane. What cows do notice is grass, other cows, humans, open space. But do they notice sunsets? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ocHkIS3s7Y Above. The white cow … Continue reading What A Cow Would Do That a Sane Person Would Not Do
Revenge of the Jungle Ants
In the open-air tropics, we are urged not to eat in our rooms. Because if any morsel of sugar remains, the ants arrive shortly after that. Or if it is too late and you have ants, gently lure them away. If you disobey, the following is what happens. One day, I had an empty bag … Continue reading Revenge of the Jungle Ants
Birds Take Turns to Pick Up Food
Birds Take Turns to Pick Up Food Above. The bird at "rest." This tiny unremarkable-looking bird is unusual for its “dance” it does over water. Swallow, Martin, Vireo, or Flycatcher? The bird described and shown in these videos appears to be none of the above mentioned; however, here is the description of the bird in … Continue reading Birds Take Turns to Pick Up Food
Saved by a Tin Bag
An accommodation near a body of fresh water located in the remote tropics has its advantages, for example, the easy enjoyment of wildlife and water activities. In addition, there are other adventures or “animal surprises,” as you will read here. For over two weeks, I stayed in the same room, which was located seventy … Continue reading Saved by a Tin Bag
Wild Horses that Try to Mind Their Own Business
Most of the waking day, life for the horse seen in “the wild” is rather uneventful, perhaps even boring. Horses graze, stand around, walk, lie down, and if in a more excited or active state, gallop, and neigh. Here, I will not describe the horses that tourists can rent out to ride nor horses that … Continue reading Wild Horses that Try to Mind Their Own Business
What Stands Around A Lot and Is Ready to Strike?
There is not much to say about the Great Egret that is not already said. The egrets I have seen are white, so they are easier to spot than, say a bird of a duller color, a bird smaller in size, or a bird that is always on the move. The egret spends a vast … Continue reading What Stands Around A Lot and Is Ready to Strike?
The “Research” Center
To an outsider, the “research” center, set amid a relatively desolate and remote area, looks like a place for people to launder money; I thought I landed at this secret cave-like high-tech center, which is lodged in a mountain. In the meantime, inside and outside the facility, natives wield machetes and lassos in some form … Continue reading The “Research” Center
The Lone Pigs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOcXA1J5eAI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi1xy9zFGrM Chapters This Side of the Hemisphere: Easy Access to Wildlife Saved by a Tin Bag Revenge of the Jungle Ants The Bird from Heaven The “Research” Center TBD What A Cow Would Do That a Sane Person Would Not Do What Stands Around A Lot and Is Ready to Strike? Wild Horses that … Continue reading The Lone Pigs
The Bird from Heaven
https://youtu.be/pcSILIIovic https://youtu.be/HC7WHoZV4VM Above. It perched on a branch and said “hi” to me. At 38 seconds into the video, the bird sings even louder. In a remote place in Central America, there are individual trees such as palm trees that attract this unique bird. It is midnight blue and white with a blue tail longer … Continue reading The Bird from Heaven
Proposal Around Fort DeRussy Beach Park
Below is a proposal for a riverwalk and gazebo area for the Fort DeRussy Beach Park. Because of the presence of an existing vast expanse of grassy area, as well as it is left empty most of the time, this proposal creates more variety of recreational uses out of the existing underused space. The middle … Continue reading Proposal Around Fort DeRussy Beach Park
“Trump Admin Announces 2.3 Million New Acres Will Be Opened to Hunting and Fishing”
My Plan for the Ala Wai: Cultural, Environmental and Legal Aspects
Originally published July 12, 2016 This blog covers the environmental and cultural aspects of the 2016 Hybrid Re-Design proposal. Along the Ala Wai Canal, there would be lo'i kalo or taro patches and fishponds via an extensive aquaponics system. Also, culturally, there would be significant trees, plants and an arboretum. New structures include lava rock … Continue reading My Plan for the Ala Wai: Cultural, Environmental and Legal Aspects
Miscellaneous Musings 