Reflection: New Year Eve..............

Unusually cold and soggy weather on New Year Eve....

I derive pleasure being buried under the comforter, browsing through the photographic memories garnered..listening to heart-warming Christmas songs...

cosy sepia light emitted by the scented candle creates a suitable ambiance to ruminate over the year raring to slip away...

Observation: Fireworks@Qualcomm stadium.....

The advantage of living in the vicinity of the Qualcomm football stadium....stunning fireworks every few months...

Observation: National parks in summer and winter.....

Its amazing how  a place undergoes metamorphosis with the change of seasons....
I took this shot of Yosemite valley in late summer....

and that of the very famous Ahwahnee hotel...

And retrieved these pictures of the same locales (from National park service site) in the peak of winter...

Here, I am in front of the iconic 'Liberty cap' in mammoth terrace, Yellowstone national Park...

It was early July and was a rainy day....

I retrieved this picture from the National Park Service website.....

What a stark difference in landscape!!!!

Blanketed in thick coat of snow, it appears  surreal...not a soul in view...

While I was there in the  summer, flocks of tourists, many kill deer, magpie and butterflies swarmed the place...

Is not the transformation splendid??

Joy: Pleasant morning........

Season is changing....and so is the looks of flora and fauna...when I embark on a morning walk....and see...
The Southern magnolia fruit pods studded with ruby-like seeds...

Song sparrows singing loudly...

An unusual-shaped pomegranate...

A long summer-bleached bougainvillea twig...

Myriad blooms of cape honeysuckle....

fresh booming aloe...

dew-draped honeysuckles...

singing sparrow on yucca...

striated clouds obliterating the sky...

morning precipitation on the lawn...

and come back home to sip the steaming coffee....

I call it a good start......

Place: San Diego zoo residents on Christmas Eve....

San Diego zoo, with its amazing fauna and flora, never ceases to charm us...yesterday, we visited it yet again...to view the holiday lights of 'Jungle bell' theme...

Sky was overcast, weather was chilly and closing time was extended up to 8 PM...All these factors led to an altogether facet of the captives there...most of they were awake and in playful mood...we got to see some of the most elusive creatures...

Otter guy showed its unique swimming talents...

This Andean bear was extraordinarily vivacious today, jumping into the pool, running around, standing erect with the trees as prop, ...never ever seen bears so agile!

The Francois langur baby was honing acrobatic skills...

Lion-tailed macaque was in the spirit to pose for shutterbugs...

Super-mom Bai Yun settles down to chew on the bamboos...

 The crouching Malayan tiger watches the antics of the raucous people..

The ever-sleeping Malayan tapir was taking a stroll, even standing upright...

Babirusa playing with the hay...

 Klipspringer in Africal kopje...

Two-month old Serval kitten....

 Sleeping jaguar was creating a picture of bliss..

Malay great argus pheasant displaying its stunning plumage...

A pair of amorous imperial-green pigeon....

Inquisitive Andean-cock-of-the-rock.....

A scary-looking, bulky tarantula......

Hope, you loved the wildlife pictures...

Plant: Date palms in South California......

Except the meager rain and lackluster autumn, I love most of the things about California....

The diversity of landscapes, abundance of birds, specially hummingbirds and profusion of exotic tropical fruits are the top attractions for me....

I had not tasted that much variety of fruits in my 28 years of life, as much I relished in the last 4 years of California living...kumquat, strawberry guava, lemon guava, arbutus, loquat, jocote, prickly pear, silverberry, cherimoya, blueberry, strawberry, Surinam cherry, carissa, feijoa, longan, fig, lang jujube, avocado, peach, nectarine, dragon fruit, persimmon fuyu, American persimmon, rose hip, lily pilly, nectarine, apricot, Buddha's hand, raspberry.......... yes, that's a long list..and it keeps growing.. 

Date palm was not new to me, in fact, these palms grew luxuriantly in the village I grew up in India...but getting to see them in the vicinity of house in South California and being able to pluck them by self on way back to home from campus was an exciting experience...

Also, there are few varieties of date palms in our University garden...