Happy Halloween!

Inspired by the pumpkin festival at Schloss Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart, Germany, I went with animal themed pumpkins this year. I only wish that I could have entered the creations into my friend Eric's annual pumpkin carving contest. As it is in LA, I didn't think that the monkey, fish and mouse would fare well on the trip.

Me and my monkey.

The German made monkey that was my inspiration.

Our three animal pumpkins: mouse, fish and monkey.

The mouse and fish from Ludwigsburg. I just realized yesterday that the mouse was not a cat. Maybe it could go both ways.

Me and M* arranging my creations.

Since I thought this was originally a cat, I thought the girls wouldn't mind its presence. From their reaction, I should have realized that it was a mouse pumpkin.

Cedar Island, Virginia

We took two trips to Cedar Island, a barrier island bordering the Atlantic Ocean, when we were in Wachapreague last weekend. Carolyn and Adam took us out on Saturday in their 19 foot Carolina Skiff, and then we made a stop during our Captain Rick ecology tour on Sunday.

Carolyn showing off her very large welk shell.

A mature sea turtle finds its final resting spot.

M* had fun chasing ghost crabs back into their holes.

Hermit crabs can be found in the waters on the bay side of the island.

Unfortunately, we found many balloons on the beach. They can be fatal to certain sea creatures.

Skipper Adam, me in full iritis gear (blue blocker shades and cap) and Carolyn.

M* got a lovely Flock of Seagulls hairdo while riding on the bow.

Birds of Wachapreague

Here are some of my brother-in-law's photos from our nature boat tour around Wachapreague Inlet and Cedar Island—his zoom was far superior to mine in capturing the birds that Captain Rick, our guide, pointed out. I saw a few of these species last year when my sister and I explored a different area of the Virginia Shore with Captain Rick, but it's going to take a bit of training before I can identify a bird that doesn't have unique plumage and isn't sitting close enough for me to carry out a thorough inspection.

Double breasted cormorant sunning itself by the Wachapreague Marina.

The red-billed royal and caspian terns.

The marbled godwit walks amongst the oyster shells.

The peregrine falcon perched by its nest—the plastic abode was provided by a local authority.

A group of unidentified shore birds.

The whimbrel has a bill curved at 58°—the perfect angle to raid fiddler crab holes.

And finally, the oyster catcher—the favorite amongst our group.

The Other Cambridge

A lot more fast food and traffic lights and far fewer cows in this Cambridge.

Driving to my sister's shore place in Wachapreague, Virginia (population 235), we passed Cambridge, Maryland. After our time in England and our travels around Europe, we realized how many towns and cities in the U.S. were named after places settlers had emigrated from. Out a sense of nostalgia or our need to use the bathroom or a mixture of the two, we stopped at the McDonald's in Maryland's Cambridge. M* went all native and got the Egg McMuffin Breakfast Meal.

M* enjoying his Egg McMuffin.

AC/DC Without A Hint of Hipster Irony

You know you're back in Maryland when...

you are at the bank, and the mobile phone of a tank-top and shorts wearing fella indicates a call with AC/DC's Back in Black. I just can't imagine such a thing happening in the UK (even though the band is Australian), and in L.A. it would be more of a hipster statement of retro, average joe coolness (like drinking Pabst beer, listening to Journey and sporting trucker hats—thank God that trend has past except for the few who still embrace that tired brand of Von Dutch) than a declaration of a longtime fan.

Kitties!

Luckily Titchou and Brea have forgiven us for abandoning them for the year at "Grandma's."

Titchou is mesmerized by the camera.

Brea is such a glamour girl.

Goodbye 29 Owlstone Road!

Copenhagen—President and Protest

We were walking through Copenhagen's City Center, when we saw a queue of people. Following it to its start, we learned that people were waiting to meet Bill Clinton and have him sign his new book. Since he was set to arrive in a few minutes, we waited around to see him and his Secret Service agents alight from their vehicles. I decided to do join the locals thrusting their hands forward for a shake (the rest of my family has met him, so I figured it was my turn), and M* got a video of Bill (unfortunately, I did not make it into the clip).

Copenhagen—Red Life District and Graffiti

The reviews of our hotel did not mention that the hotel is located right on the edge of the red light district. M* found this out during his interview, when a potential future boss asked him where we were staying. I also had picked up clues such as the Bunny Club strip joint on the same street as the hotel.

Shop right around the corner from our hotel.

The area is actually in the process of gentrifying, and we didn't see much more than a few sex shops and strip clubs. We were also told that Copenhagen is an extremely safe city. With hotel prices around $300/ night in this area, I expected a slightly different neighborhood ambiance. Still, with the train station four blocks away, the hotel was very convenient.

American graffiti in Copenhagen.

The other surprise of our trip was the graffiti—the presence of it in most neighborhoods and the amount of it that was in English. As we were told that the Danes are some of the happiest people (according to some study), I was a bit surprised by the large quantity and the anger displayed by it. Perhaps I've just lost my edge after spending a year in the pastoral setting of Cambridge.

New take on 'Make love, not war'?

At first I thought this meant a call to rise up against gay people, but I checked, and it refers to the struggle by gay Muslims for acceptance.

Copenhagen--First Impression

Not the New Yorker that I'm used to.

While waiting for M* to return from his interview, I walked from our hotel to the Strøget, which is a series of streets known for good shopping. Well, I should have expected globalization to have left its mark on Copenhagen, and I, unfortunately, saw mainly stores that one can find in most large cities: Zara, Urban Outfitters, Ecco, H&M.

The Strøget begins with a 7-11 on one corner and a Burger King on the other.

I had read or heard that Copenhagen was a lot like Amsterdam, and I can see it a bit in the architecture of the older buildings. However, it's Amsterdam with fewer canals, more advertisements and neon signs, and a 7-11 or American fast food establishment (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC) in every block. I'm expecting that once we explore more of the city, we'll discover a more authentic Copenhagen.

Ads like these that cover soulless office buildings in Los Angeles--that I can handle. It's such a shame that these lovely, historic buildings are used to hock mobile phones, airlines and financial services.

On another note, our hotel (AXEL Hotel Guldsmeden) is conveniently located by the central train station and Tivoli Gardens. However, the famous gardens are closed until 12 October when they reopen completely decorated for Halloween.

Tivoli Gardens decorated for Halloween. Getting past the gate will have to wait for another visit.