Prowling my world, camera in hand

During the first week of August, we started our big summer vacation, most of which we are spending visiting our son in Lansdale, near Philadelphia.

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But first a few pictures from Alicante. A sunset as seen from the roof terrace of our house:

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We have a big TV in our informal meeting area for use as a projector. But it also works well to showcase my photos:

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Another pornographic tree in the park where I walk my dog:

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It is this time of year again–the annual medical checkup at the office, which happens every August in my case (because my initial pre-employment check took place in August 2007):

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On Wednesday my sister and brother-in-law arrived from Poland. They will stay in our house with the pets while we are in the US. On Thursday I took them for lunch at Hostal Maruja. The fresh seafood there is always a feast for the palate, but there are also usually photo opportunities to be had. Here, a corpulent couple listen to the sales pitch from one of the many itinerant sellers of beach clothes, sunglasses and various other trinkets:

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The sale is almost closed:

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The landscape near Hostal Maruja is quite barren:

On Friday morning we flew from Alicante to Madrid, then from Madrid to Boston, and finally from Boston to Philadelphia, where our son was waiting for us at the airport.

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On the way from the airport to Lansdale we stopped at a drug store to buy something. This is my first image of this year’s USA trip:

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Moses modeling his eye cover for use during his many flights, a present from his girlfriend:

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Moses lives in an apartment complex in Lansdale, and nearby is a small cluster of restaurants and bars. Among them is a very nice sports bar/restaurant called the Smokehouse. This is where we went on Friday night:

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My children toasting their reunion:

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We spent Saturday in Philadelphia, a city steeped in history:

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We found ourselves in a hip and progressive neighbourhood in South Philly, where we were going to have lunch at a vegan pizzeria. Many doors had stickers like this one:

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Ordering at the Blackbird pizzeria:

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Monica with a selection of vegan pizza slices, all of which were delicious:

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Our next stop was a bookshop called the Book Corner. Like most other indie bookshops, this one had a couple of feline residents:

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Monica can spend hours in a bookshop like Book Corner:

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Meanwhile, Moses and I went for a walk. At the Franklin Institute there was an exhibition of Lego art which I had seen in Brussels in 2014:

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Another father and son:

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Another view of the Franklin Institute:

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Saturday night, we had the unique pleasure of meeting up for dinner with Jim Shulman, my long-standing friend from the Leica Users Group, and his husband John. We drove to their house in Philadelphia, and waiting for us was their magnificent 1957 Dodge:

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Moses was awarded the honour of travelling in the front, alongside John:

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We ate at a Brazilian restaurant in NE Philadelphia, one of Jim and John’s favourites:

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It is an all-you-can-eat place. The waiter comes to the table with various delicious cuts of meat, and carves slices off as needed:

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As always when getting together with Jim and John, stories are a big part of the pleasure. Here is Jim, telling one that involves a woman with big breasts:

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The dinner is coming to an end, and Moses and Monica are studying the dessert offerings, which turned out to be delicious as well: