The koalas at the San Diego Zoo (they're marsupials not bears) sleep ~22 hours a day. We watched them for a while and were so excited to see one of them actually move! He opened one eye, snuggled closer to his branch, sighed and went back to sleep.
The San Diego Zoo has the largest koala population and the most successful koala breeding program outside of Australia and was the first zoo in the United States to welcome a koala joey. They actually send their koalas (first class transportation only) to breed at other zoos - what a life !
Read more about them on the San Diego Zoo website:
www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-koala.html
Tags: 5114 San Diego Zoo CA California Koala marsupial eucalyptus tree leaves sleeping nodding sleepy stationary immobile slumbering slumber they never move they sleep 22 hours a day slow-moving cute cuddly fun to watch anyway gray fur not a bear Cute-o-meter is pegged 100+views 500+VIEWS
The early evening light at Stanford warms the sandstone arches around the quad.
I actually shot 3 each of a 3-image ~180 degree pano, but can't get the colors to match after processing in Photomatix, so I'm back to the drawing board on that effort. I might try stitching the non-tonemapped images.
View On Black
Tags: Stanford University Palo Alto CA Quad Palm Avenue evening 1042 1043 1044 Photomatix HDR tonemapped 100+views
Dora - must be twice as law-abiding as everyone else (since she's making her living illegally....)
Tags: Steinbeck Center John Steinbeck Salinas CA Cannery Row Dora madame 100+views
Though we have a small back yard, it is ideal for growing pole beans as they grow vertically - at the rate of about one foot a day! We had fresh beans for dinner earlier this week. The poles are only about 6 feet tall... I'm actually squatting down behind them to remain somewhat incognito...
Several tomato plants are planted in front of the beans - this planter is going to be really crowded in a few more weeks.
Tags: 2547 Redwood City San Mateo County solstice Jill ME SP bean sprout beanstalk backyard garden 100+views
The altar is being restored, perhaps to bring back the brighter colors of the marble (see the sfaffolding behind the drape on the right side)
No flash and no tripods are permitted, so the image is darker than I would have liked.
What I found most fascinating in this particular scene is the floor; if you can take a minute to view it at one of the larger sizes, you will see the interesting 3D effect of the inlaid marble. I actually found it a bit dizzying in person. It feels like you're walking up a series of steps, when in reality it is quite flat !
The floor is paved with Istrian stone and blue bardiglio marble, and it is said that the optical effect corrects the misalignment of the two church entrances in relation to the altar. That might also be the reason why the pews are not centered on the altar.
"© 2011 Jill Clardy"
Tags: 4449 Venice Italy Venezia Italia Dorsoduro Guidecca Canal St. Maria del Rosario altar aisle Catholic Church Santa Dominicans nave Istrian stone bardiglio marble sanctuary chiesa Gesuati 3D floor tile illusion © 2011 Jill Clardy 100+views
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