Places & Aminals (4)

While I was preparing and putting together this post with the new and improved Blogger editor (which in my opinion sucks for this type of blog) I remembered that the pictures from the last post and this post were actually taken during a very rare lunch date with the wife back in late April. I took a half day off from work and spent that Thursday having lunch and taking a walk through the park with my wife. So, without further ado, the final installment of Places and Aminals.

This was taken right after we finished interrupting the ducks from the previous post. This is the waterfalls as seen from the bridge. Note the fact that there's actually water flowing down the falls, because most of the summer was spent in non-rainy bright sunshiny days. In other words, drought-like conditions that have not only spawned a few water conservation warnings going into autumn, but has caused autumn to appear earlier than normal.

In this shot, the pond is rare form and yes in the background, that is the man-made fountain that helps keep the pond relatively full (although for the past couple of months it has not been used heavily due to the water restrictions, so about 75% of the pond is covered in green algae). In any event, it was a gorgeously sunny late afternoon day, perfect for taking a casual stroll around the pond and the park.

This shot gives you a better view of what the water fountain that keeps the pond full looks like. In the foreground is what the extent of algae content usually looks like in the pond. Fascinating reflection of the trees in the pond, don't you think?

This shot was taken while we were sitting at a table in the infamous kiddie area of the playground. We (the wife and I) decided to take a short breather before going home, so we took a seat at one of the tables. Well the breeze that was blowing through was through the playground was so invigorating that I leaned back and pointed the camera up. The end result is what you see here.

This is the back, or rather the only, parking lot to Mill Pond Park. As you can see, it's nicely landscaped by our local Parks & Rec department. In the far background, you can see the infamous kiddie playscape. To the right is where we parked. Lots of shade and less than a dozen cars made it incredibly easy to find a choice parking space.

My cat Holly. On the move or on the prowl, it was one of the few non-posed photos that I've been able to get of her over the past few years.

Another action shot of Holly, peeking out from around the corner of the stairs and from the messy dining room. Not sure what she was looking at, but it definitely wasn't me. The wooden rail that you see is actually from the back deck. My brother (and mother) have a nasty habit of bringing outdoor things inside for no other reason than to stupidly clutter up the house.