Parrots, Crows and a Hawk in the Urban Jungle

Hubby and I were heading back to our car in a Safeway parking lot yesterday when I noticed a flock of crows harassing a hawk right above us.

Around and around they flew. The crows never actually attacked or touched the hawk, but at the same time they never ceased surrounding and mobbing it. It was the strangest thing. I've seen it happen a time or two before with just a bird or two but with a flock of nine crows it was really quite a spectacle.

I'm no ornithologist but I'd read in the past that crows do this because they are territorial and also because they often want to drive hawks away from their nests and young. Eventually the hawk flew higher which caused some of the crows to lose interest but a few tried to stick with it.

I wish I had my new and better Lumix GF2 camera with me!

Two Mitred Conures haning out in Cupertino

I should have known better because just the other day I had another avian photo op in a Cupertino parking lot when a large flock of, probably around two dozen, Mitred Conures came to feed in some trees. Indigenous to South America the conures are able to survive our mild winters due to an abundance of fruit and berry trees.

There is an established flock of conures that usually live in Sunnyvale, just on the other side of Highway 280 but this year they seem to be expanding their range into Cupertino. They made such a din with their squawking but when they all took to wing at the same time they were really beautiful!

I also took this image with my old Lumix DMC LX3 point and shoot. All of these photos would have been so much better had I had my micro four thirds Lumix GF2 with the zoom lens with me! These two back to back incidences are definitely reminders that I should be carrying both cameras with me at all times!

Michelle Maykin's Memorial

I took this picture on Saturday as I was driving home from Michelle Maykin's memorial service in San Jose.

I find myself looking up towards the sky more frequently when people I knew have passed away. So while I was stopped at a red light I pointed my camera out of my car window and quickly snapped this picture. I didn't even have time to look at it until I got home. I think it captured the way I see Michelle perfectly... A bright and beautiful light that will shine brightly forever.

I have to admit it felt a little odd to go to the memorial of someone I didn't actually meet in person but I, as did many others, got to know Michelle by following her blog during her battle with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. And I was overwhelmed when after messaging with her husband Van following Tami's diagnosis, Michelle offered to speak to Tami if she had any questions about the transplant process, particularly at The Hutch, as that is where she had received her double cord transplant last fall. The fact that she was reaching out to help Tami even as her own transplant failed and she had relapsed just a week before... Well to me that said it all about what kind of giving person Michelle was.

I know the sadness of everyone who had the privilege of knowing Michelle is profound. At her memorial I learned she was a prefect daughter, grand daughter, sister, wife, auntie and friend. She had a wonderful sense of humor as evidenced by the "rap" her sisters wrote and performed to honor her at her memorial. She was a go getter who didn't wait for life to happen, she was out there making it happen.

And where I know she and I could have bonded had we ever had the opportunity to meet and become friends? She was also a devoted doggie mom spending hours doting on her pup Marshawn who she would often say was "The Cutest Dog." Well, I think I'd have to agree that Marshawn ties Kitai for the title so we will be making him an honorary Cutest Dog on Kitai's friends' page in honor of Michelle.

To Michelle's family and friends you have my deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathies.

Did you know that only 30% of patients in need will find a match within their own family while the remaining 70% will turn to the National Regsitry to seek help from a stranger?

70% of the 6000 people in need here in the U.S. will not find a marrow match in time :(

While Caucasians have an 80% chance of finding a match less then 30% of minorities will.

Part of the reason Michelle was unable to find a marrow donor was because she is of mixed ethnicities. I don't think most people realize how poor the odds of finding a match are for people of 2 or more ethnicities. It's not impossible but much more diffiuclt. In today's day and age it feels un-politically correct to say that ethnicity or the color of your skin matter when everything we've learned about combatting racism is the exact opposite. While that may be true in racism it isn't true about marrow donation. The National Registry URGENTLY needs more people of minority ethnicities and more people of Caucasian ethnic groups to join as well.

To learn more about why and how to join the National Marrow Donor Program please visit www.BeTheMatch.org.

Or visit the website I built for my cousin Tami at www.HelpingTami.org.

San Francisco Ferry Building

I was parked at a red light up in the city and snapped this shot. I'd just picked up dinner to take home from Delica and Out the Door.

Victory Cab?

I don't know why this cab has arms... But I thought it was pretty funny. I grabbed this shot last week just as the light turned green.

San Francisco City Hall

I love taking pictures while I'm parked at red lights. This is what City Hall looks like from the outside at night... It's really gorgeous.

And this is what it looks like on the inside.

I've posted this video trailer by Savadelis Films once before but wanted to post it again because it went with my snapshot so well. To view more photos from the same wedding the video was filmed at you can visit Jubilee Lau Events' website by CLICKING HERE.

For more standout videos visit Savadelis Films on The Flirty Guide.

Or visit their Website.

Dinner at Blue Sky Chinese Restaurant

The weather was odd tonight even sprinkling a bit as I walked my dog. The combination of sunset and clouds looked a bit eerie. My sweetie and I went out to dinner and tonight he said it was my choice. So I chose Blue Sky Chinese restaurant on Winchester Blvd. in San Jose. My favorite dish is the Chinese Chicken Salad. It's my fav. Here is a really striking shot from the car as we arrived at the restaurant and a couple of brightly lit sunset photos taken on our drive there. I just thought they were kind of pretty.




Blue Sky Chinese Restaurant
2028 Winchester Boulevard
Campbell, CA
(408) 378-0424

A Nice Shot of AT&T Park

I had just left the Ferry Building in San Francisco after grabbing a couple of vegetarian buns at Out the Door, the to-go counter for the renowned Slanted Door restaurant. One of the most memorable meals I've ever had was at the Slanted Door. If you love Asian fusion you'll love this restaurant. If you really want to go be sure to make a reservation as this place gets crazy busy.

On my way back to the freeway I found myself at a red light right across the street from AT&T park. That's where the SF Giants play. Baseball. If you aren't a sports fan you might not know the Giants are a baseball team. Anyways I quickly opened my window and took this shot before the light turned green. I realized that I've been taking a lot of photos from my car these days as my camera is almost always tucked in my purse.

The world may have once been my oyster... But since becoming allergic to shellfish and mollusks a few years ago... Now? It's just a photo op for my blog. LOL