Lots of bones in the Natural History Museum in Paris.

Love this guy.

Views from the second story balcony.

Pteranodon

I believe this is a brontosaurus, but it could be a brachiosaurus.

"Who who whoo goes there?"

"Hey New Owl it's me!"     "Whoo are you? I don't believe I know you."

"Oh New Owl. Don't you remember me?"        "Hmmph! I can't say I've seen you before!"

"Oh come on! You know. The pesky paparazzo."        "Did you say paparazzo? The pesky guy with the long white beak who clicks a lot?"

"That's Meee!"     "Oh! Pesky Paparazzo. Is that really you? Where have you been?"

"I've been to Paris to visit the Louvre..."       "It's about time you came back. It's been pretty boring around the bosque."

The first time in almost a week that we were able to go out for a walk at sunset without thunderstorms threatening to drench us with heavy rain and pommel us with hail, we got to see a very different sunset.

A night heron streaked by at light speed.

The write up on The Holy Chapel in the brochure about the Vincennes Castle reads "Founded by Charles V in 1379, the chapel is modeled on the Sainte-Chapelle* of the Palais de la Cité in Paris, though it has only one floor, with oratories reserved for the queen on the right and the king on the left, and to the north east a building containing a sacristy and treasure room.

The work initiated during the reign of Charles V was continued under Charles VI and completed long afterwards under Henry II (1547-1559)."

*"Sainte-Chapelle: royal chapel built by Saint Louis to house the the relics of Christ's Passion (the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the Holy Cross, the sponge and the spear)." 

You can see my photos of Sainte-Chapelle from when we were in Paris in 2013 at: https://photoofthedayetc.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/france-day-24-marie-antoinette/

Tomb of Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon Condé, Duke of Enghien.

Paris, July 2018

When I started my walk yesterday afternoon, before I ran into the Mr. pT on the ditch bank, there were thunderheads over the Sandias. Before I went back to the house after following Mr pT around for an hour or so, I stopped by Beaver Point and the large thunderheads had dissipated into a series of smaller thunder heads under a thin layer of clouds. About 7:50 pm, when we would normally go out to the river to watch the sunset, billowing cotton ball clouds were rolling in, followed by dark clouds, followed by lightning and thunder, followed by heavy rain. The thunderstorm became very intense about 8:45 pm, and after a series of lighting strikes all arounds us our lights flickered off and on and finally went out. We used flashlights to finish our nightly routines, read a little bit, and then got ready for bed. Power was restored an hour and a half later at 10:20 pm.

I went for a walk in the bosque around 4:30 pm to avoid the evening thunderstorms that have been dumping heavy rain and hail on us every evening this week. I walked north about 3/4 mile through the bosque and then up over the levee to see what was happening in the clearwater ditch, and came face to beak with the pterodactyl. 

Mr. pT few off making all kinds of interesting shapes with his wings.

He landed about a 1/4 mile north in the ditch, so I continued north following him, and got within about 300 yards of him standing in the water.

Then he flew again in my direction.

He flew right by where I was standing.

Over the tops of the cottonwoods, heading for the river.

I knew exactly where he was headed, so I backtracked and followed a trail that goes out to the river a few hundred yards north of where Mr. pT and I first ran into each other.

As I suspected, when I slipped out of the brush, down the bank onto a slip of a mudflat along the river, there was Mr. pT looking surprised to see me. He stood still staring at me like "What The Feather is it with this crazy paparazzo who keeps following me around? Doesn't he ever give up?" I stood in place, slowly sinking in the mud watching and photographing Mr. pT. After about 15 minutes of staring at each other, Mr. pT decided I was not much of a threat after all and he started posing and fishing for minnows in the shallows.

When he got tired of fishing around, he flew across the river and landed on the mud flats on the opposite bank.

I headed back south and before going back home, I went out to Beaver Point to see if there was any action in the Rio.

While I was standing the bank, looking at the river, bosque and mountains, Mr pT. flew by heading south.

Who's following who, Mr. pT?

Apparitions once thoughts
Whipped by winds
Cling to rain drops
Caught by web
One by one
Millions of dreams 
Held captive

gull

These are most of the various birds I photographed in Paris.

Carrion Crow

Pigeons

Black Headed Gull

Common Starlings

Eurasian Jay

Eurasian Magpie

Eurasian Kestrel

Ducks

Mallard

Mallard Hens

Ducklings

Mama duck watching her ducklings. I was not able to identify what type of duck she is.