Wellington, NZ sky

I enjoyed every bit of out trip to New Zealand but I was particularly enchanted by Wellington.
Here at Frank Kitts Park at the edge of Lambton Harbor one need but look up to see some neat sights.

Kids were having a great time on this version of bungee jumping. I'd never seen anything like this in the US.

Even this little one was a master.

At the Civic Square look up to see some fantastic sculpture.

You don't have to crane you neck too much to see this one. Since our hotel was close by and we had some free time we strolled this area quite a bit enjoying the blue sky, interesting sculpture and just people watching. It is a great place for people watching any you'll see some of that with the shadows.

Find more great skies at Sky Watch Friday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Sylvia.

Bungee Jumping

Since New Zealand is an island nation I have plenty of watery shots that I could share. These I think are kind of fun. We stopped at the Kawarau Bridge to watch the bungee jumpers.
Some dove right off.

The bungees are matched to the weight of the jumper so they just hit the water, at least that's the theory.

They bounce a few times.

Then they climb down a pole into the waiting boat.

Some were more reluctant. We weren't sure this girl was going to do it.

She did though and once launched see seemed to enjoy herself.

It looks like she is smiling.

Although some pixels are blown, I like this shot.

None of our group of senior citizens gave it a try. Actually, I don't think our minders would have allowed us, but it was fun to watch.

See more watery sites at Watery Wednesday hosted for us by 2sweetnsaxy.

Otago Peninsula--My World

We enjoy travel and one of our best trips was the trip to New Zealand in 2007. One of the highlights, and there were many, was a visit to the Royal Albatross Centre near Dunedin.

These magnificent birds can be seen soaring in the skies above the centre.

A guided trip to a blind allows a good view of the nesting area. We watched a researcher as she approached a nest, the parent bird was not sure she/he approved. The parents take turns sitting on the nest while the other is out at sea hunting.

Here she had the chick, parent watches closely.

The chick is weighed and then returned to the nest. I could have spent all day but we had to make way for the next group.

After viewing the Albatross, we went to another area on the peninsula to see the Yellow-eyed Penguins.

New Zealand is a great place for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to visit in our winter. It is especially nice for those of us who prefer hiking to skiing.

Find more great views of the world at That's my World, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Sylvia.

Bird Shadows

Cloudy days give me an excuse to use this shot from my archives. It was taken in 2007 when I knew nothing of blogging or memes.
We went on an Elderhostel (now Exploritas) trip to New Zealand and I was intrigued by the shadows in this exhibit in an Auckland Museum.
I've lots of photos from this trip and I'm sure they will put in future appearances when I have nothing current.
For more interesting shadows visit Tracy at Hey Harriet.

Foggy Morn

Foggy mornings are the norm here this time of year. While in other seasons I can often see to the far side of the Sacramento Valley in the winter sometimes I can't even see to the far side of my yard. On this morning I was fortunate that the fog tapered off just to the west allowing the fog to catch the rays of the rising sun.

Find more interesting skies at Sky Watch Friday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Sylvia.

Malibu

We drove out to Malibu Sunday to see if we could get a few pictures. It was a gray day but there was enough sun shining through the clouds to put a little shine on the ocean and a little color in the sky.

The weather didn't keep this paddle surfer out of the water.

See more watery sites at Watery Wednesday.

Home from the Holidays

We had a nice Holiday at Eric's house but we're glad to be home. As soon as I boot the computer, McAfee wants to do a scan so I won't bother to check out my photos tonight. I did put up a new head. The damp weather has brought the moss to life on the rocks in the oak woodland and the grass is starting to grow. I took this shot a couple of weeks ago. It's almost spring!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Holiday and that the New Year will bring nothing but good stuff. I'll be back in the blog mode in a few days.