Next Amazing Race

From Bordeaux to Nice (August 28 ~ September 12)

Northern Flicker

After putting up a bird feed, there were no customers for first hour or so. Suddenly a woodpecker showed up at around 1100 and the winner is northern flicker, Colaptes auratus. My first mate has reported similar sighting last weekend, but no confirmation. The white rump is the only hint at that point. Finally, the way it stood on the oak tree gave away for a woodpecker. The red 'Y' mark on the head, black crescent and spots on the belly were the measure for the Northern flicker. Possibly a female according to my first mate.

Beavers

Strolling with my first mate this evening, two beavers showed up at Lake Artemisia and were enjoying this beautiful spring day.

For the following evening, we spotted three beavers; possible 2 adults and one youngster.

First Pit Stop of Amazing Race 14

When "The Amazing Race" on CBS showed the first pit stop of Season 14, we looked at each other and knew where that place exactly was even though only the side wall of the building was revealed. Ouch! The production company is so cheap! And we were expecting something like four-five star hotels for those teams. We stayed three nights at Hotel Alpenhof in Stechelberg during our own Amazing Race 2008 (Switzerland-Italy-France) last fall. The Alpenhof is a hostel style lodge with shared bathrooms and restrooms, and is run by a nice couple, Mark from Briton and Diana from Australia, along with their cute little baby. It also provides a kitchen for guests to cook and the surrounding is very peaceful with streams like my birthplace in Far East. Stelchelberg is about 20 minutes from Interlaken in the very end of the valley. We enjoyed James Bond breakfast at Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn where the 007 film was staged. During our hike through the snow covered glacier on Jungfrau (top of Europe), it was really breath taking (we almost didn't make it with only basic clothing). There are still a lot of places to explore and we shall return!

François Bayrou at Café Roussillon

Three members of the Gang of Four gathered at Café Roussillon almost daily for breakfast during our stay in Paris (Jan 10-19, 2009). We met François Bayrou, one of French presidential candidates (2007), at Café Roussillon. He stopped by our table and our French colleague introduced us, then went on to chat about what we were working. He expressed his welcome and even made a little conversation with me (in English of course!) Quite a nice guy. Wish him the best for his next endeavor.

Paris January 2009

While I join our gang of four to discuss physics, my crew will tour around Paris for the largest exhibition of Picasso.

Amazing Race 2008

Our trip to Europe this year is within 3 weeks with schedule and detail settling down. Burgundy, Lake Geneva, Swiss Interlaken, French Alps, Cinque Terra of Italy and of course, the Cote d'Azure.