Will (and Lyra) Made a Great Chalk Dragon

I tried posting this earlier and it failed. It may be time to give up on Posterous. Hope those guys made some money, but too bad the concept fizzled out. I am envious how quickly Will can throw down some art.

Pond Cleaning: AKA Monsters of the Deep

One of my least favorite spring activities is cleaning our small ornamental pond. It takes at least half a day, always requires a trip to the hardware store, and usually involves some injury, or at least getting wet. However, there is usually some unexpected entertainment. This year was better than most.

We always try to keep frogs(s) in our pond for their singing, and also to eat mosquito larvae. However we have been having trouble keeping the tadpoles alive, and suspect the culprit is the catfish. (See below.) Last year a friend gave us a tadpole that was a refugee from a science project. It went in the pond, and was never seen again. Low and behold, today when I pulled some of the plant containers out of the pond I saw a frog shaped blob underneath. My first thought was that it was a clay frog that had fallen in the pond, but no, it was an actual frog, and of respectable bullfrog size. Our assumption is that this is Konrad, the long lost tadpole. Of even greater interest was the capture of our catfish. Quite a number of years ago, I bought a small (like four inch long) catfish in the hope that it would eat some algae and help keep the pond clean. The catfish went in the pond, and we did not see it for several years. When we did see the catfish, it had grown considerably and was more like ten inches long. That was a couple of years ago. Now the catfish is a monster (relative to the size of the pond) over a foot long. During the summer when we feed the fish it hoovers up most of the fish food, and we suspect, any small fish we introduce to the pond. At least I know we loose a lot of fish and never see their cadavers. In catching the catfish, I relearned an important catfish anatomy lesson. They have a very sharp spike under their back fin. I was able to catch the fish and put it in bucket, but at the cost of a deep puncture would in the base of my right index finger. I am hoping catfish don't carry tetanus.

Via iPad

An amazing show - Cirque Mandinque, Roundhouse London #circusfest

We saw the most amazing acrobatic performance Friday evening at the Roundhouse in Camden Town. The Roundhouse does a series every year of 'contemporary circus' performances. I like the concept as it seems to me that circus is under appreciated as a form of performance art.

The first artist in the series this year is Cirque Mandinque - please check out the video here http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/productions/cirque-mandingue-fote-fore

The video is great, but it does not do the show justice. One of the members of Cirque Mandingue is a contortionist who does things with his body that Gumby can't do. The power and control of the acrobats makes all of the gymnasts I have seen perform look physically weak in comparison. I truly could not believe my eyes at some of the moves.

As visually stunning as the show was, the music took it from being an athletic display to an artistic display. The drumming created urgency and anticipation, and seemed to urge on the performers.

Perhaps best of all, this was truly an all ages event. Our family aged 6 to 50 loved every minute. Via iPad

Jamon Iberico and Other Treats from Borough Market London

One of my favorite things to do in a big city is visit the local food market. Some cities like Washington, DC have lots of smaller markets. Other cities like Melbourne in Australia have a huge central market. Some markets are temporary locations in a parking lot, others are large permanent halls.

Whatever the size or scope of a market, it usually provides an opportunity to experience the food culture of a city in a way that is not possible just through restaurants or traditional grocery store food.

Borough Market in London (http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/) is near the London Bridge Underground. It has a permanent location spanning several buildings, and is open Thursday - Saturday. While there are many farmers selling their produce, I would call Borough a food market more than a farm market. There is a great mix of artisans who sell food products they have made, specialist resellers of wine and other products, and of course lots of vendors of fresh produce, meat and fish. While Borough is not as big as Victoria Market in Melbourne, that is the market it reminds me of the most.

I visited on Saturday with Will, and did not spend as much time exploring as I would have liked. However, we really enjoyed the artisans, and have a variety of jams we are taking home. We also bought dinner for our last night in London, including caprese salad ingredient, delicious fresh sausage (spicy chorizo and venison with cranberries), and Jamon Iberico. The jamon came from the vendor Brindisa (http://www.brindisa.com/) and it was really special. I love pork, and if I could only eat one meat, it would win out. There are many great ways to eat pork, from pulled pork barbeque to artisan bacon to thick cut porkchops. However, in my opinion cured iberico ham, made from pigs fed on acorns and allowed to forage in the forest, is pork raised to its ultimate form. This is a relative of prosciutto and other cured (hung and air dried) hams, but it is drier than prosciutto and I think has a much richer and nuttier flavor. Brindisa has been importing Spanish food to England since 1988 and they had several varieties of Iberico ham. We bought 100g of a version that was aged for four years. It was lovingly cut by hand, and we happily devoured it at dinner last night. It was pricey at 15GBP for 100g ($108/lb) but that is probably less than it would be in the US. Of course, buying from a merchant so vested in the quality of their product is a great experience in itself.

Via iPad

Hollywood / Highland LA - Light & Action

I'm staying at the Renaissance in Hollywood tonight and stepped out briefly after dinner to try and grab a few photos (to justify carrying my camera with me). These are all taken at the intersection of Hollywood and N Highland.

Via iPad

Lyra Turns Six

Lyra has a very easy birthday to remember - January 1st.  She turned six yesterday, and had been bouncing around the house for several days in anticipation.  

You might think that coming so close on the heels of Christmas that her birthday would be anticlimactic, but that is not the case.  I think because Lyra is always on vacation the week prior to her birthday she has time to savor the anticipation.  She also has time to focus all her energy on preparations - the cake, the meal, presents she wants (that she did not receive for Christmas) etc.  

Lyra had a great time and loved all of her presents.  Will and Eva are in California, but there is lots of cake left over for them when they return to Alexandria tomorrow.

Old Town Wears Christmas Well - Photos by Christmas Light

I love my town. I put camera and tripod over my shoulder and walked around taking photos. Old Town does look great over the holidays.

Via iPad

Gandhi Bazaar Bangalore

After spending so much time in the IT high rises on the outer ring road of Bangalore, it was a wonderful treat to see the Bull Temple and other older sections of the city. As far as I could figure out, Bangalore does not have a central market on a large scale (e.g. like Victoria Market in Melbourne), but is does have Gandhi Bazaar. The Bazaar is in an older neighborhood and includes street vendors and permanent shops. From flowers to betel leaves to tamarind and coconut, the colors were vibrant and evoked the wonderful food I had later in the day at MTR.

Via iPad

Bangalore Night Lights

These are from a short walk near my hotel this past weekend. The white car (last photo) is the best shot.

Via iPad