Day 86: Hero or goat?

Hero or goat?, Kualoa Ranch, Oahu, Hawaii, March 2011,

Nikon D5000, 35mm focal length equiv. 57mm, exposure 1/160 sec @ f6.3, ISO 200, no flash

 © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Well, it seems my New Year's Resolution of a post every day came to a rather abrupt stop.  Apologies to those who came looking and found the stagnant blog.  But you know what they say ... consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds ;-)

So, I guess in the hero/goat comparison, that makes me the goat.  But at least this one is certainly adorable.  And you can formulate your own opinion of what's the meaning of the tongue.

And there is another great thing about resolutions.  Once you get over the perspective that they have to be a once-and-for-all change, you can just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and continue where you left off.  At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it ;-)

So now we are on home leave.  Carol and I flew out to Hawaii to visit our daughter Allison who lives on Oahu now.  And then our son Gregory came out to join us for a family vacation.  The first time we are all together in almost 3 years, given our current geographic separation.  And it is awesome to get to spend that time in Hawaii.  

This photo comes from our visit to the Kualoa Ranch on Oahu, where scenes from a number of famous TV shows (e.g., Lost) and movies (e.g., Jurassic Park) are filmed.  At Alli's suggestion, we decided to rent ATVs for a 2-hour guided tour to celebrate Greg's birthday.  It was a blast.  Now we are onto Maui for a few days, and then on to Kauai for some more sight seeing.

Here's one picture of the family from the ATV tour.  Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but we all have some dust on our faces from the ride.  If you are ever in Hawaii, I'd put it on the list.

• Donations:  To 88Bikes.org to help provide transportation to under-developed countries
• Exercise: Walk along beach in Maui with Greg (75 mins); family walk along Lahaina strip (90 mins)

Day 1: Happy New Year 2011

Sunset in the Holy Land, St. Peter's Church, Jaffa, Israel, February 2009,

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, Focal length 7.56mm, Exposure 1/8 sec @ f3.5, ISO 200, no flash,

© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Happy New Year everyone.  Did you celebrate?  Get to kiss someone?  Make any resolutions?

Here are my answers:  Not so much.  Yes, my lovely wife, Carol.  You betcha!

We stayed home, which for us is over here in Böblingen, Germany.  New Year's Eve in Germany (as in many places around the world) is celebrated with fireworks at midnight.  And our dog Frito is not a big fan of fireworks.  He shakes like a leaf when they go off.  

So we watched some TV, to drown out the sounds.  And covered him with blankets and kept him in between us on the sofa.  He did fine.

So what about my resolutions?  Well, here they are:

1.  Post a picture of beauty every day (right here, on this blog).

2.  Give something away every day (e.g., a donation, or to someone in need, or an unused item).

3.  Do some physical exercise every day (at least 15 minutes long).

And for the first item, at least, you can help keep me honest.  Or at least, check back and see what kind of pictures get posted.  In many cases, it just might be a picture without all this writing to slow you down ;-)

Well, let's see how it goes.  Here's wishing you the best in 2011.

• Donation:  to Vegan Outreach
• Exercise:  Running 11.11 miles (120 mins) (see next post for details)