29 Sunday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Snow Geese fly south in the Fall, and a week ago some passed by the refuge. There were only a few hundred of them, not as many as during Spring migration.
Snow Geese flying south.
Snow Geese, a closer look.
There was a group of about ten Snow Geese flying in apparent perfect formation.
Snow Geese flying in perfect formation.
But, somehow something happened.
Note one head pointing downward. “Oops, I dropped my lunch.”
25 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
I took the following pictures a while ago but did not post them. Today I just saw the following post from Cathy and decided this would be a good time to do so: https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/a-week-of-flowers-day-four-25th-november-2020/
End of summer Cosmos.
End of summer Cosmos.
Two bees and goldenrod.
Summer scene with hibiscus, purple perilla, flowering plantain, and dried allium.
23 Monday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Overheard a pair of Northern Shovelers foraging for food:
Female Northern Shoveler in foreground: “Uh-oh dear, we forgot to wear our Covid masks!”
22 Sunday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
All this time I have shown you the birds and animals at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Yesterday, I shot the following photos so you can see what the refuge actually looks like at least in the fall when the green has given way to brown and sepia. The same juvenile Bald Eagle from last week was also there, ruling over the fall landscape.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Dabbling ducks in the distance.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
18 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
This is a close-up of a Star Magnolia in our backyard. I took the photo in March of this year. As the Covid-19 pandemic was starting and lockdowns were imposed, I just could not feel like posting the image then.
This is my response to Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge at:
https://ceenphotography.com/20
Star Magnolia.
16 Monday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Two monochrome views of a Lesser Yellow Legs at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on November 7, 2020.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
14 Saturday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
american avocet, common grackle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, great blue heron, mute swan, photography, postaday
Some different interpretations of “The Eyes Have It”:
American Avocet.
Common Grackle.
Great Blue Heron.
European Starling.
Mute Swan.
08 Sunday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
07 Saturday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
At the end of my drive through the refuge today, I saw a Painted Turtle ahead, in the middle of the road! I got out and took these two photos.
Painted Turtle.
Painted Turtle.
After that I moved the turtle gently to the side of the road. Still, it withdrew inside its shell as soon as I touched it.
Painted Turtles are small creatures and have been around for 15 million years. Today was very warm, 76 °F or 24 °C, which may explain why this turtle came out and tried to cross the road. When it gets colder, they will go into deep hibernation.
04 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shoveler.
03 Tuesday Nov 2020
Posted in Books, The Siege of An Loc
Following are three new reviews of my book, “The Siege of An Lộc”. The first review was posted on Amazon after the reviewer purchased an additional item to bring his total to $50 as required by Amazon. The second one was posted on Amazon without any problem. The third one was emailed to me yesterday and it is published here only.
Qnbui, from New Jersey, October 22, 2020.
“The defense of An Loc beginning in April 1972 against successive waves of communist attacks was valiantly carried out by the South Vietnamese soldiers with the US assistance from the air. The people of South Vietnam are always grateful to the soldiers for their heroic sacrifices and will never forget this epic victory. “The Siege of An Loc” will help us remember.
Battles around An Loc, in neighboring towns and airports, along Highway 13, and details of military planning and deployment of troops – based on historical facts – are well described in “The Siege of An Loc”. The novel vividly recounts the atrocities of war, the vast destructions of the town, the huge sacrifices of soldiers, the great sufferings of ordinary people, the relentless efforts of communist troops to take over An Loc, and the active participation of the people in the collective defense of their hometown. A teenage girl, the noodle street vendor of Chinese descent, volunteered to assume the task of intelligence gathering for the regional forces.
Against this painful background of death, destruction, and sorrow bloomed a beautiful love story between a young talented lieutenant of the regional forces and a Saigon University student coming home to her family rubber plantation near An Loc for the spring break.
Also there is a stunning story of defections of 2 communist soldiers to South Vietnam through the Open Arms program, and a moving reunion of 2 brothers, a young officer in the South and a teenage soldier coming from North Vietnam. A lot of families were separated after the 1954 Geneva Agreement, part of the family going South and part remaining in the North.
Different events are recounted in different chapters, but there is always a smooth transition between them. There is a happy note at the end of the book, after so much sorrow and pain, for the young couple, the tailor family, the street vendor family, and others, all settling down in Xuan Loc, a neighboring town. Three years later, war erupted again all over in Xuan Loc and this attested to the futility of the war with millions of people dead on both sides and a waste of precious time and resources. The final result of the war during all these years was the firm imposition of the Marxist doctrine on the society, a philosophy so foreign to the Vietnamese tradition and culture.”
___________________________________________________________________
rustytreasure, from New Jersey, October 28, 2020
The struggles of a people trying to get by when their country, culture and economy are under relentless attack by outside forces as well as from within. This novel accurately reflects the history and cruelty of this war as well as the hope of a hard working people at the time. A love story, a history, a lesson in family values. I could barely put it down.
___________________________________________________________________
Perilla, from New Jersey, November 2, 2020.
“I have just finished this new book last night. I really like it.
The author knows his materials, from the rubber business to different types of weapons to the relevant geographies, sequence of events, the Stieng minority people….. and a lot more which I forgot to jot down as I was reading. Interesting tidbits on Van Cao (my favorite composer), “Hundred Flowers Campaign”, and Shostakovich (!).
The main challenge is to weave a love story with the documented war events; this is done seamlessly. The chance meeting of two people sheltering from the rain seems natural enough, could be drawn from the author’s personal experience (?). There are tender moments in the midst of the destruction, and there is no lack of subtle humor.
One could imagine the antagonists — ideological and romantic — are destined for a well-choreographed, mano-a-mano climactic fight, but the sudden resolution is a pleasant surprise — one needs not bother any longer with such a character.
Through it all I can sense the author enjoying the act of writing — power to him and he should definitely continue to write.”
02 Monday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Yesterday was cloudy and cool, ending up with heavy rain. Only a few people showed up at the refuge while the birds were even more scarce. I got some lucky shots of a juvenile Bald Eagle before it flew away from its perch. It is probably between two and three years old.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Two other cars stopped by and it finally had enough of the photography sessions.
Juvenile Bald Eagle. Atlantic City in the background.
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