Sigrid and I love watching the hummingbirds in the morning as we eat breakfast. We moved the feeders next to a window in our dining room so they are easy to see. It is hard to count how many are at the feeders but we are guessing from 8 to 10 which is the largest number we have ever seen. We have two feeders hanging from a shepherd hook. The hummingbirds can empty both feeders in less than one day.
John and Sigrid's Adventures
Blogging is a great way to keep friends and family up-to-date on our travels and special events. The ability to combine photos and written words to tell our story is fun and even educational. What we blog may also be useful for people searching for information as they plan their own adventures. Comments are always welcome.
Friday, September 6, 2024
Our 2024 Hummingbirds
Friday, April 19, 2024
Backyard Birds - 4/14/2024
We finally got some warm weather and had the chance to enjoy our patio for the first time in 2024. Spring is always a nice time to bird watch since migration can bring some interesting species through our area. The trees have just a hint of leaves that make it easy to see the birds perched on the branches. I did see a few interesting birds so I ran to get my camera. By the time I returned, all the rare birds had moved on and the more common species had taken over the feeder. At least I had a chance to resharpen my photo skills for the next opportunities as we spend more time outdoors.
This is the male Brown Headed Cowbird. It is one of the most regular visitors to our bird feeder and a bit of a bully at times.
Friday, January 5, 2024
Panama Canal Cruise - Puerto Quetzal and Antigua Guatemala - December 25, 2015
Our visit to Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala on our 18 day Panama Canal Cruise, fell on Christmas Day. Our cruise partners were friends from Germany, Georg and Gisela Schmid. We were concerned that many places would be closed due to the holiday but that was not the case. When a cruise ship is in port, everything is open as usual.
Of the many options we had for shore excursions, we chose to visit Antigua because we love historical places and different cultures. It was a two hour bus ride from the ship to Antigua. We enjoyed the opportunity to see the Guatemalan countryside and many small villages along the way.
Antigua was founded on March 10, 1543 by Spanish Conquistadors. The population was about 46,000 at the time of our visit. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is adjacent to active volcanos and also suffers from damaging earth quakes. Volcan de Fuego is the most active with frequent small eruptions. The last major eruption took place in 2018.
Below, are photos taken during our visit. Some were taken from a moving bus which is just part of touring on a shore excursion. Most of the photos would fall into the "Street Photography" category in that they are not posed or setup in any way. They simply represent what we saw as we walked through the city of Antigua.
Volcan de Fuego was showing off for us. No lava, just smoke a a few cinders.