john and hiroe: May 2006

Memorial Day at the Philadelphia Zoo 5/29/05

Memorial Day in Philadelphia. What a great day to go to the zoo. But we were hardly the only ones with this idea.

So many different animals. Right in the middle of the city. They had the right idea. Build the zoo. Then fill the city in around it.

Probably my favorite shot of the day.

Not sure if he was yawning or yelling for his friends to slow down.

An interactive day.

Thanks for the great weekend, Rachel and Corvus!

Sunday in Philadelphia 5/28/06

Sunday morning Hiroe found herself delving deeper into the craft...

Later that same day...

...we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

We did go in. Really. However, I only have photos of the outside. It's a beautiful location to visit. And it's obvious that the city residents are proud of the place. A picturesque setting for a wedding...

...or to cool off.

Hiroe and Rachel outside of the Museum.

A big spider. Stalking it's unknowing prey...

...then posing for a photo with Rachel.

Philadelphia is filled with amazing murals. My understanding is it's a way of focusing energy that might otherwise go to graffitti. The murals are everywhere, each both spectacular and tasteful.

After the museum we visited Logan Park. It was still hot.

So cute!

It was hat day.

Then, on to Love Park.

Playing over a subway ventilation grate.

Another great day.

Saturday in Philadelphia 5/27/06

In an effort to get the heck away from life as we know it... working, studying, cleaning, cooking, and all of that, we decided to visit our friends Rachel and Corvus in Philadelphia for the weekend. Being that it was Memorial day weekend I got an extra day (Monday) off from work. Taking 1/2 day of vacation on Friday gave us most of Friday in Philadelphia too. Still not enough time, but it's a start.

We did some sightseeing and had fantastic Indian food on Friday night.

And on Saturday, we slept in.

Later that morning, or maybe afternoon (we didn't pay much attention to the time), we learned some of the craft that Rachel and Corvus enjoy. Both enjoy knitting and everything about knitting. Starting with a choice of many fibers, Rachel spins her own yarn.

Hiroe had a chance to give it a try.

Rachel, Hiroe, and Corvus on a street near their place. He's in the picture, really. We were on our way to take the train downtown.

Makes one wonder how you'd order a glass of wine at this place. Gravity must be involved.

Out for a stroll.

During our trip downtown, we stopped at the Magic Garden on South Street. It's the creation of an artist named Isaiah Zagar. The residents are currently trying to raise $200k to save the garden from going condo. It was more amazing with every step deeper into the place. One starts at the front gate and ends up deep in the basement...