Indian or American?

While down at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, we happened to be there during an Indian cultural festival.  The women's clothing was very colorful and we enjoyed watching the different dancing performers and henna artisans.  However, we were not brave enough to try some of the ethnic dishes.

Instead, we stopped at Legal Seafood on the way home.  I had never eaten there before but Bob has many times on his business travels.

We started with the soup course.  Bob had the clam chowder and I had this - the Maryland crab cream soup.  Yum, yum, yum.

For his entree, Bob ordered the scrod.

I had shrimp stuffed with crab meat.  Boy, was I stuffed.  I had to take two of these home and have them for lunch the next day.

(We just ate at a place called Bonefish Grille in Exton.  I felt that their crabs cakes were far superior to the crabcake stuffing of the shrimp shown above. ) 

Olde City Philadelphia

Bob and I went down to Olde City Philadelphia to walk around and shoot some pics.  Here are a few from my set:

Liked the angles on this one.

This is looking up at a chandelier in one of the old churches.

This door knocker can be found in Elfreths Alley.

Interesting sidewalk appeal to lure in customers. . .
This was the most colorful of the buskers we saw on that day.

Ugly bug . . .

This ugly creature is a cicada.  That's what you hear all night long on those hot summer nights.  They are ugly and big.  Bob thought this one was dead but when he went to pick it up to pose it better for me to take a picture, it freaked him out because it was still alive and flew away.

This, on the other hand, is a cicada killer.  A type of wasp that kills cicadas and fills a cavity with 3 cicadas for every egg it lays.  Not sure who or what preyed upon this one.  Maybe it has just fulfilled it's reason for being here.

  

Hail, yeah!

A few weeks ago we had a great storm.   Lots of wind, lightning, several inches of rain fell along with some hail.  We even lost power to the house for an hour or so.  Since then, we haven't had any rain.  We could surely use some but in moderation.

I spy . . .

I spy with my little eye - something green . . .

This is actual a type of bush katydid - possibly a female northeastern broad-winged bush katydid.
This is some kind of spiny spider.

Not certain but this could be what is known as a European Cabbage Butterfly.   If it is, then it is considered a pest because of the damage the caterpillars due to crops.

It's been some time since I got out the bug books and tried to identify what I find.  I'm a bit rusty in that department. 

Beeware

Ok, I promise, this will be my last posting of bees this year.

Perkiomen Bike Trail

Bob and I headed out for a bike ride the other day.  It was a beautiful day - blue sky and big puffy white clouds.

Brass balls

I saw this on a truck in front of me the other day.  I showed the photo to Bob and he agreed with me that it looks like testicles.  But, whose?  And, why?

A new visitor . . .

This little guy was by the garage near the big bumpy toad the other night.  Not sure where he came from and I haven't seen him since.  He is definitely a frog but we don't live near any water to speak of.

Hmmm . . . dinner time

This is one meal that the toad won't get.  I need to learn how to shoot video with my new G9.  This spider moved very quickly to seize and wrap up it's catch.

Held hostage

Here is one nastursium strangling another.  I set it free after this shot was taken . . . 

 . . . as this little guy looked on.

Creepy Crawlies

Is this how millipedes have sex???

This fat guy finished boring through all of my irises and was off looking for more food.
When I picked him up and set him on the deck railing, he rolled over and played dead.
But, then went on his merry way.  Not wanting him to do more damage, I dumped him into the composting bin.

Buy Fresh, Buy Local

Pics from the local farmer's market