A Hot Day at the Zoo

September 3, 2013 was a hot day in San Diego. It's been hot and muggy for us for over a week. I know that the best time to go to the zoo is when it is cool. Even rain is better than heat for the zoo animal activity. But I had the day off, it was the first day of school for most of the kids in San Diego and I figured the zoo would be pretty empty. I was right, there weren't many folks at the zoo at all.  I did get one shot of this tiger with airplane ears and a fresh bone. I am sure my friend Frank will know which tiger this is. Check out the comments and maybe he'll let us know there. I was pushed out of the tiger area by a whining screaming child. His parent kept dragging him back to take a photo of them with a cell phone in front of the tiger.I was patient until the fifth time the parent dragged this screaming tot back to the glass. Then I decided I'd had enough. The whole reason I braved the heat is because I figured the zoo would be quiet and peaceful after the long weekend. I wandered around the zoo a bit but the animals were hiding for the most part just as I expected in the heat.

I figured the reptiles would be happy in the heat and humidity. They were active and visible even more than normal. More than one type of Cobra posed for me. I was treated to seeing the Komodo Dragon fed some mice. These were very small for Komodo Dragons and on the inside of the exhibit area, not the very large one well known at the zoo that is all by itself. In any case I was amazed that they swallowed one mouse after another for a total of FIVE mice each! Of course they swallowed them whole. What amazed me is I couldn't see where the mice were after they passed those jaws. If you've seen a snake eat a mouse you know that there is a visible lump of mouse in the snake. Not so with a Komodo Dragon. After eating five large mice they looked the same as before they ate them. I found that strange. You won't see any photos of that action. I was too busy being amazed and enjoying the show.

Komodo Dragon

Komodo Dragon

I have just a few more shots from the day uploaded here if you'd like to see more.

A Walk In Little Italy and Getting to Know the x100s

Little Italy in San Diego is an ethnic business and residential community established in the 1920's. Little Italy today represents Downtown San Diego's oldest continuous neighborhood business district. At one time more than 6,000 Italian families lived in Little Italy and toiled to build San Diego into the center of the world's tuna industry. With the decline in the tuna industry and the construction of Interstate 5, Little Italy saw steady decline for almost 30 years. I didn't know it was in decline. As I was growing up my family regularly shopped at the heart of Little Italy in markets on India St. The best Italian cheeses and meats couldn't be found anywhere in San Diego except Little Italy. In the early 90's shop owners decided to rally and make Little Italy stronger. Family run business joined hands with developers to promote the area. Things have changed over the past 20 years. There is still much new construction all around. The streets are bustling with life especially at night. The long time favorites are going strong and the addition of new places are showing Little Italy to be a modern urban neighborhood. It is always a favorite place for me to visit.

The famous sign. I imagine this sign has had more photos taken of it than any other landmark in San Diego

The deli here is where we used to always buy all of our antipasto for all holidays

Mona Lisa has won me over for deli goods now. Very similar place to Filippi's but someone just a notch above these days.

My friend Frank was nice enough to let me steal his idea for this shot. That is Frank holding his Fuji x100

The Burger Lounge has tasty burgers, fries, shakes, beer, and a pretty cool decor.

When you order you take this flag, put it in a gizmo on the table and when your order is ready they know where to deliver.

While I waited for my friends Frank and Heather to arrive I took a walk down to the Embarcadero. I uploaded a couple and more from the Little Italy walk-about. I'm trying to get a handle on this new Fuji x100s. It is completely different than anything I've used in the past. I love the form of the camera, now I just need to learn how to get the best from it. All the above shots were taken with it. Here is the link to more if you'd like to take a look. I don't pretend to know what I'm doing with this camera yet, but hopefully it'll come. Getting to know the Fuji x100s