Welcome to this week’s edition of Monday Musings. After that recent smile with the talking dog seemed to delight many of you, we thought let’s find another one top start out the week. I think you’ll agree these contestants from the 2015 season of Britain’s Got Talent might just fill the bill. Sorry, I was unable to remove those pesky ads in the middle of it, but I still think you just might be charmed, I know I sure was. And anything that can make sourpuss Simon smile…can’t be bad, right? When you combine a charming humble upright with a too “a-dog-able” Wendy and Marc…a winning combination in my books. Let’s hear it for 4 big fat yeses!
Welcome to the last Friday of Hades, erm I mean July. While Monday is the last day of the month from hell, we’re more than happy to bid July farewell early. And good riddance, I say. Elsa here to share something a little bit different for this week’s Nature Friday blog hop hosted by our pals, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to check out what others have shared at the link.
It’s too doggone hot to be outside lingering over flowers or critters. Mom said the Dogs Days of Summer have their grip on at least 180 million in the US and countless others across the world. This is about all I can do during the day after my morning walk at dawn when it’s relatively comfortable to be outside.
So let’s get to it before it gets any hotter, okay?
Thankfully Mom let me stay home while she ‘took one for the team’ attended this year’s Dragon Boat Festival and races held at her favorite nearby park, Sloan’s Lake over the weekend. She’s attended this neighborhood event for years but thought this was the biggest yet. While it was super sunny and hot for Mom, her good friend, (my ‘Auntie Cheryl’ and husband) and recently married granddaughter, Hailey and hubs for this year’s event. Opening day starts out the festival and Mom managed to capture the opening parade by Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu with its 75-foot long, colorful, traditional Chinese Dragon winding through the festival to begin the event. The festival celebrates the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) with its diverse culture and this year was an exceptional visual feast and the largest one Mom has attended yet. It’s the largest in the Rocky Mountain region with more than 170,000 attendees last year. The Dragon’s presence symbolizes the chasing away “negative energies” by sending good luck, good fortune and a safe day of racing to all of the race teams, vendors and attendees.
Bringing up the rear
Although Mom didn’t bring her big camera due to the heat, she did pull some close-ups from the festival’s Facebook page.
Courtesy Colorado Dragon Boat Festival FB Page – We have a winner!Courtesy of Colorado Dragon Boat Facebook Page – Paddling in unisonParticipants lining up waiting for their race to begin
The festival was well attended again this year though Mom didn’t find final numbers for visitors this year, which included a couple of feathered friends watching the races from the shoreline. This year’s feathered crowd seemed less than enthusiastic. I think they must have been trying to keep cool.
Go away and stop bothering us
This year, the festival organizers managed to acquire a few new boats for the first time. So shiny and fierce. I think I might start practicing that kind of dragon intimidating look. It appeals to my inner Ninja. Don’t you think I’d look good trimmed out in gold?
The festival stage featured numerous groups entertaining the crowds throughout the weekend.
Organizers seemed to have had more vendors this year with loads of food vendors and Asian crafts. They even provided a water station where Mom and her guests could enjoy “fresh squeezed filtered H20.”
It wasn’t especially icy cold, but it was refreshing enough and kept everyone hydrated in the sunny conditions.
Need a quick lift?
So that about wraps it up for this year’s festival. We’re going to ride off into the weekend counting the days until the official arrival of Autumn arrives. Fifty-six for anyone keeping track.
Sayonara, peeps. Have a good weekend. Here’s to being well hydrated and try to stay as cool as you can but we hope you are still able to enjoy some elements of Mother Nature.
There are several of these talking dog videos on YouTube that just crack me up. Hope this one provides you with a smile and well…maybe even a kitten to start out your week on a happy note. It started out fairly clever but then left me wanting more on the ending. Guess I’ll be going further down the ‘rabbit hole’ this morning to get more satisfaction. Happy Monday.
Howdy sports fan, Elsa here with another edition of Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click the link to see what others shared. Since today is the opening of the new Barbie movie, I thought I’d go back to the pink accessories. Mom is scratching her head about all the hype to the release of this movie. I guess she never chewed played with a Barbie doll as a kid. I, on the other hand would have loved to have gotten my jaws, erm, I mean my paws, on one of those toys. I’ll bet they would be quite tasty to my poodle taste buds. But enough of the cultural balderdash, we’re here for nature.
Elsa: Moooom, oh mooom…bark, bark, bark!!
The Mom: Yes, Ninja?
Elsa: Oh there you are, let’s get this post started. This week I thought we’d go on ‘Sniff-ari’ and check out some of the flowers we encountered on some of our crack of dawn walks. Waddu say?
The Mom: Sure…what would you like to share first?
Elsa: Well about those Sunflowers against yesterday’s cloudy sky? With all the rain received over this Spring, it looks like there’s a bumper crop of those cheerful blooms.
Elsa: {continuing} Hmm, seems like you managed to capture some sort of flying insect here with these flowers. Did you plan that?
The Mom: I had tried to capture him with his wings opened but he always seemed to be on the down beat when the shutter went off so I couldn’t capture him in winged flight. Rather sad but, it is what it is.
Elsa: Harumph…you just need to anticipate better. But let’s move on to something you did manage to capture better.
The Mom: {blushing with embarrassment} Ahem…well how about this colorful batch of Ice Plant?
Elsa: Mmmm,…I took a sniff at those things. Nada, nothing. Where’s the fragrance? I thought we were on a “Sniff-ari.” How can I go on “Sniff-ari” if there’s no scent?
The Mom: Umm, it’s not “Sniff-ari.” It’s safari, which means “a travel or journey.” Scent can be an element of that journey but it isn’t an absolute given.
Elsa: Boy, you can say that again. I wanted to sniff things-you know that’s how us dogs process our world. We’re not just about ‘seeing’ things. We want to smell them. It tells us who was here before, if they left us a message and all sorts of data about their gender, their general overall health…
The Mom: {interrupting} I understand, I was just explaining what a safari is…
Elsa:{pouting} Whatever…let’s move along, ok?
The Mom: Fine. How about you share the first Gladiolas we’ve seen this Summer? I think this one is is known as ‘Atomic’ – sometimes called a Sword Lily. This species is apparently fairly hardy and originally from Africa.
Elsa: I suppose since it’s originally from Africa, it’s part of the ‘safari’ and not my ‘Sniff-ari.’ I noticed this one didn’t have any fragrance either. I’m getting the feeling we’re not going to be experiencing a whole lotta scents on this walk, Mom.
The Mom: Erm, sorry Elsa. I apologize for not being more sensitive to your nose.
Elsa: {clearly miffed} Well, you should be. Nothing we saw was very fragrant. I feel gypped. Big time. I mean you went to the Lavender Festival last week and there was plenty of fragrance there. How come not here?
The Mom: I’ll try to do better next time. At least we can share some of the pretty blooms, even if they aren’t fragrant.
Elsa:{grumbling} I guess when you don’t have thumbs, you just have to go along with the thumb carrying person holding the leash on this here Nature walk. Got anything else? Fragrant or otherwise?
The Mom: Clearly I’ve misjudged this week’s focus. There are still a lot of things to enjoy. While this next flower doesn’t have and discernable scent, I recall you didn’t object to sniffing around its base on the ground. I’m guessing there were some messages that other dogs had left.
Elsa: Yeah, this batch of Hollyhocks and Sunflowers did have a LOT of messages…I’d have lingered longer but got bored. Some dogs just blab on and on. Jeez.
The Mom:{ignoring Elsa’s commentary} Just look at this Rudbeckia, commonly referred to as Black-eyed Susans. Did you know they are also part of the Sunflower family?
Elsa: Nope, didn’t know, don’t care either. All I know is they also didn’t have any fragrance.
The Mom: Ugh…still complaining about the no fragrance? Can’t you just enjoy the visual aspect of pretty flowers?
Elsa: Well I thought we were going on a “Sniff-ari” not some shallow beauty pageant strut. Sheesh, Mom…come on.
The Mom: I give up. Will you just allow your mind to be open and appreciate how lovely these flowers are? I mean…look at the first Dahlia we came across yesterday morning. Come on, tell me this isn’t pretty. I dare you.
Elsa: Well if Dahlias are the end all be all of flowers, how come you haven’t planted any? Huh, huh?
The Mom: {stammering} Uh, well, I…er…the garden just doesn’t have sufficient light for them to thrive, yeah, that’s the ticket.
Elsa: Uh-huh. Yeah, I know you like planting flowers that smell nice. You’re not fooling me one bit.
The Mom:{realizing the folly of arguing with the Ninja} Ok, you got me. I do like fragrant flowers but in my defense, I also don’t want to have to dig Dahlias up and store them over the winter either. You happy now?
Elsa: I’d be happier if there was something that smelled nice.
The Mom: Oh for the love of all that’s holy. Let’s just share one more pretty flower, ok?
Elsa: Hey you’re the one driving this post with these non scented flowers, not me. What else doesn’t smell that you’re just dying to share? Well come on. Share it!
The Mom: Fine, I’ll just share one more non-fragrant flower from our walk yesterday. I thought these daylilies were quite lovely. It’s true, many Hemerocallis, aka lilies, do not have a fragrant scent but their looks rather make up for it, don’t you think? They come in so many different colors, you gotta admit they’re worth sharing.
Elsa: Meh…I don’t have to admit anything when I thought I was going on a “Sniff-ari.” Which reminds me, I think I’ll just go on a face rub wander so I can actually smell stuff since everything you shared is decidedly NOT fragrant. This grass smelled great and I managed to capture all the stinks smells all over my face.
The Mom: Sorry you feel that way-perhaps a bath will improve your mood. Maybe you’d feel better if you realized that fragrant plants can affect people’s allergies-in a bad way. Think of this as providing a public service for everyone who is negatively impacted by scented flowers.
Elsa: Not. a. chance. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if we should have actually gone on a “Sniff-ari” like I wanted to or some lame safari like you ended up taking us on. By the way, the grass smelled sweet and was just fine by me.
Elsa:{continuing} Anyway, what’s up on your weekend? Doing anything exciting or will you just try to get through this dog-awful heat dome that’s impacted over 100 million people for the past 39+ days? Whatever you do, we hope you can stay cool, dry and safe. Stay hydrated and enjoy…especially something with great scents. Remember…there’s ‘just’ 63 days until autumn officially arrives. I’m hoping things will smell better then.
Is that where that document went?! Hmmm, maybe I should check with the neighborhood kid. Here’s hoping that only the things you want deleted, end up actually going away.
Have a great week and try to stay cool if you can. For those keeping track, there are ‘only‘ 67 days until the official start of autumn. Or in other words, 9.57 weeks, 1608.0 hours, and 2.39 months until then. Happy Monday.
Welcome to Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Elsa here bringing this week’s edition to your inboxes. Imma here to also tell you it’s {in the words of my brother} bloody hot. Good grief…who turned up the thermostat? I almost feel badly for Mom since she’s been walking me just after sunrise which means neither of us are getting our beauty sleep. Trust me, she needs it more than I do but still…I wouldn’t be adverse to sleeping in until 6:30 or so. C’est la vie…such is the life of a black dog.
So this week I thought we’d check out pollinators from around the 303. Mostly Monarch Butterflies that is, though Mom got to see other kinds of butterflies at the Chatfield location of the Denver Botanical Gardens for their annual Lavender Festival. This iconic butterfly has an amazing journey, migrating between 1,200 and 2,800 miles from the northeast US and southeast Canadian mountain forests. Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, which means “sleepy transformation” in Greek because of the species’ ability to hibernate and metamorphize. Adult monarchs have two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings, with black veining and white spots along the edges. Male butterflies are slightly bigger than the females. Did you realize these amazing pollinators only live about four to five weeks! Guess they have a lot to do in their short lives. Here are some of the butterflies Mom saw at the butterfly house at Chatfield.
Butterfly educational board
As you probably already know, milkweed is the only plant on which monarchs will lay their eggs and their favorite source of food for emerging caterpillars. Sadly far too much of the Monarch’s natural food source is being eradicated from urban and agricultural landscapes.
Every wonder what the life cycle of a butterfly looks like? This sign depicts it far better than I can explain it.
Mom saw some new emerging Chrysalis, but they were so miniscule, she couldn’t get a photo without them looking too blurry on her phone. How many times do I need to tell you to bring a decent camera with you, Mom?? Ugh, when will she ever learn or pay attention to me? Anyway, she did manage to capture a caterpillar munching on a stalk of milkweed. Kinda cool for a bug. They have voracious appetites and that 18 inch tall stalk will likely be gone in less than a couple of days.
In the butterfly house, they flit among colorful plants, feeders and visitors. I think this guy was giving my Mom the stink eye.
Hey, what are you looking at, lady?
Here’s one resting on a bright green leaf. He seemed a bit tired, but I think he was probably just suffering from heat exhaustion like the rest of us.
Mom watched the guys below at a feeder. The big one seemed to hog the nectar away from the others and the two other couldn’t seem to convince the hog to move over. Who knew butterflies don’t share much?
Yo Frank, Joe is hogging the nectar again-why don’t you dive bomb him so we can enjoy Happy Hour as well.
There were a bunch of those Red Admirals that followed Mom around in the butterfly house. This one seemed particularly interested in her despite the fact she wasn’t wearing a colorful shirt. If she had, it might have landed on her. Though the Door Attendant would have frisked her when she left so no butterflies escaped. Seems the butterflies are always trying to hitchhike their way outside the butterfly house. Sheesh, conjugal visits apparently aren’t enough for those guys-they’re looking for freedom as well.
They may be small but they sure are pretty. As Mom was leaving the exhibit, look what other cutie she found! Oooh, hello, little bunny. Why can’t I ever find a cute bunny to play with on our walks? Oh wait, they’re afraid of a menacing hunter like me. Oops.
Well that’s it for me this week. We hope whatever you do this weekend, you are able to enjoy some of the more gentle aspects of what Nature is dishing out. For you folks in New England, we’re praying the predicted rains aren’t as severe as they have been and for our friends in West, we hope Mother Nature turns down the pizza oven temps. Looks like El Niño is back with a vengeance according to NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration). Please stay cool, dry and hydrate yourselves.
Greetings fellow Monday warriors. Here’s hoping your weekend was full of tasty things and sans the racket from ongoing Fourth of July revelers. Sheesh, with all the complaining about the economy, you’d think fireworks wouldn’t have been so prevalent this year. If you can explain it, I’d be interested to know since I certainly don’t get it.
Anyway, here’s a smile to start out your day. Hopefully the four-legged sect were beneficiaries of bungled flips over the weekend. Sure beats cowering in the back of a closet, doesn’t it?
Happy Monday. We’re hoping you have a ‘wagnificent’ week.
Hiya everyone, it’s me, Elsa welcoming you to another Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang.Before I share this week’s pics, Mom and I want to thank everyone for all their kind messages, cards and mementos that have come from all over the world. To say we’re touched is an understatement. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We so grateful for your kind support.
Elsa: Well, let me start. Oh Mom, Moom, MOOOMMMM!!!
The Mom: What Ninja, I’m right here.
Elsa: Whew, I was afraid I was all alone. I’m not used to flying solo yet so I get nervous when I can’t see you right next to me. Will this feeling ever go away?
The Mom: Oh sweetie, yes, it will get better, trust me. It just takes time. I know you miss your brother, I do too, but together we’ll find our compass and the days will be easily on our souls.
Elsa: I hope so, I have no one to pick on although I gave Norman’s moose a good chew three times this week. Guess that’s progress, isn’t it? And I even pulled out a different toy. I barked at him real good. Funny thing though, he just laid there with a dumb look on his face. Are all chickens that dumb?
The Mom: Now, now, chickens aren’t dumb, they just have different expressions…especially if they’re being barked at. Maybe next time, just a game of toss and chew might be better.
Elsa: Harumph…not sure what the point is then. Anywho…let’s start. I heard a lot of people enjoyed the photos from Hawaii but know you weren’t planning to post anymore, but come on, Mom…I mean, aren’t you supposed to give the people what they want? Isn’t that what Marketing 101 is all about?
The Mom: Well since you’re driving this train, I guess a few more pics won’t be the worst thing we’ve ever shared.
Elsa: You got that right! I was going through some of your early stuff the other day…wow, there were some real stinkers from the past. Angel Sam was a complete Knucklehead, wasn’t he?
The Mom: Sweetie, remember how we talked about this. You need to learn to filter your thoughts better. And remember our motto is “always be kind.”
Elsa: Oh yeah, I forgot. I’ll try to do better, Mom, really I will.
The Mom: I know you will, sweetie. You’ve been through a lot in your life and without the proper upbringing, you didn’t have a great puppyhood. So while you’re internalizing our motto, what shall we share this week?
Sea Wall-Kahalu’u Beach
Elsa: Ooh, ooh, you’re right. Let’s get to the picture show! And I promise Mom, I’ll do better about living our motto. I’m already different and don’t lose my mind as much when we’re walking when we come across a dog and before, I’d go all ninja on them and give them the ole ‘what for! Ok then, here’s the first pic. The sunsets must have been pretty spectacular in Hawaii since you took a jillion of them.
The Mom: Yes, the sunsets are pretty spectacular. I really liked this one because of the starburst beams of the light through the clouds.
Elsa: You sure those aren’t laser beams? I think they’re laser beams, Mom.
The Mom: Trust me, I’m sure, Ninja. It’s just the way the light came through the clouds. Pretty cool, huh?
Elsa: I dunno, Mom. I still think those may be laser beams. Anyway, I know you saw more than just sunsets. You walked on one of the earliest highways built in Hawaii on one of your morning walks, even before it became a state. It’s right in the middle of a lava field. That ledge along the sides was pretty ingenious keeping wagons, horses and sleepy workers from falling off onto the razor sharp lava field. I still can’t get over how grass and other plants just sprout in of the middle of lava fields {head shaking}.
The Mom: That was very clever. I guess when you live on an island that is constantly expanding the landscape through volcanic eruptions, you get pretty creative with what you have to make it work for you. I was constantly in awe of all the lava walls and walkways. Everything fits together like a bizarre puzzle. Now that’s some craftsmanship.
Elsa: Whoa…not sure I’d like a wall/fence like that. I mean, how could I chase the dog next door along the fence if I couldn’t even see that rascal.
The Mom: That’s the point. I know I’d welcome it. Nobody likes to hear dogs fence biting and snarling. You can barely see that dog between the slates and yet you two sound like Godzilla and Mothra fighting.
Elsa: Well, she starts it! I just kind of forget our motto and get pulled into the fray.
The Mom: {eyes rolling} You’ve got to do better, Elsa. You don’t have to follow. Be a leader like Norman was. He may have run along the fence but he never barked.
Elsa: Good point, Mom. I’ll definitely take that into consideration. He was a good role model and I’d be doing you a solid imitating him.
The Mom: I’m sure everyone would be happier if there wasn’t that racket along the wood fence. Come to think of it, it’s too bad I can’t install a lava wall.
Elsa: {gasp} No need to go overboard with the crazy, Mom. Speaking of crazy, what are these weird trees?
The Mom: Oh those are called Tahitian Screwpine. Aren’t they interesting?
Elsa: Oh man, Norman would have had a field day peeing on those things!
The Mom: {ahem, moving along}. Wouldn’t you rather focus on info on some of the various volcanoes? While I didn’t have enough time to actually climb up them in person on this trip, this exhibit did a great job of describing them with excellent background info and excellent display models. Much better than any photos I could have taken.
Mauna Kea
KohalaHualālai
Mauna Loa
Elsa: Wow, who knew these volcanoes were so old?! I know you saw a lot even in the short time you were there. And some fascinating critters that we don’t normally see in Colorado. Say, didn’t you post a pic of a manta ray to Instagram that you saw one night?
The Mom: You’re right, Elsa. Lots of very fascinating and wonderfully interesting critters on the Big Island. And some we are familiar with, like Queen, a loveable bulldog who was as sweet as sugar. She belongs to Christian’s Mom (the groom) and goes to work with her at the venue where the wedding was held. That was some house with gorgeous grounds.
Elsa: Why does she always look angry if she’s such a sweetheart?
The Mom: That’s a classic bulldog face, little one. Trust me, she was one of the nicest dogs I’ve ever met and she loved all the wedding visitors.
Elsa: So what’s the deal with these Nēnē birds? They look a lot like the Canadian geese we have here in Denver.
The Mom: The Nēnē is Hawaii’s state bird and are nearly extinct. They are similar to the Canadian geese yet not nearly as plentiful. A lot of the feral animals of Hawaii have decimated the population and loss of habitat has also contributed to loss of flocks. There’s an ongoing project by the Parks Department to reintroduce them on several of the islands. They are pretty shy and avoided any kind of close contact whenever I encountered them. They can boogie like crazy away from us humans.
Image courtesy of National Park Service
Elsa: Hmm, seems like they stay ‘within the parking lines’ for the most part. Maybe that’s their problem. At least they aren’t aggressive like our Canadian geese. So weird, Canadians are the nicely people around but their geese…definitely NOT.
The Mom: El-sa!
Elsa: I know…sorry. {changing the subject} Now where’s that manta pic?
The Mom: Oh yeah, I forgot. We met up with some former colleagues of my son, Kevin at one of their fancy hotel properties that has a cove where the mantas come out after sunset. They are so amazing to watch as they effortlessly float around, splash and flip over in the water. I was mesmerized with their agile flexibility in the water as well as their size. This guy was about 4 ft. across.
Elsa: {head cocking} Holy cow, I’d probably run along the rocks trying to catch their attention. But next time you might wanna use a better camera than the cell phone. Just saying.
The Mom: I know, but on such a short trip, I just didn’t feel like schlepping a camera bag, besides seeing these manta rays was totally unscripted. I did capture some Zebra doves when we went out for lunch on the last full day in Hawaii. They seemed to not be very afraid, or maybe they knew I’d be a sucker and feed them bread crumbs. Birds tend to be more brave when food is involved.
Elsa: You’ve got a soft heart, Mom. No wonder I love you so much. Well, looks like we’re about finished with the shareable Hawaiian pics. Got anything else that tickles your fancy?
The Mom: Well, I must admit I was truly blown away by orchids that attach themselves to trees. This one in particular was mind blowing. That ‘rope’ of flowers must have been over 4 feet long. I couldn’t capture the whole thing in a single frame, it was so long.
Elsa: Wow, that is something. Bet you tried to jump rope, didn’t you?
The Mom: Certainly not. (a) I’m too old for jump roping and (b) I’d have probably killed myself getting tangled up in it if I’d tried, ruining that amazing orchid.
Elsa: Yeah, but I’ll still bet you thought about it. It’s okay, Mom, it’s good to live on the edge. So what’s the game plan for the weekend? Any exciting plans?
The Mom: Well as you know, I’m not all that exciting, but I will spend tomorrow assisting a good friend by helping her pack up her art studio.
Elsa: Well that’s nice of you. I’d like to come and meet her sheepdogs but know this is not the right time but hope we can do a meet and greet soon. I need a sheepdog fix.
The Mom: Me too, little one, me too. We hope everyone has a good weekend and gets outside to enjoy some of Nature’s beauty wherever they’re at and hopeful there will be no more firecrackers and no more heavy thunderstorms, gully-washer rain and hail.
Elsa: That makes two of us, Mom. Thanks again for sticking with us on this long post but especially for all your messages of comfort. It has been very consoling to our souls. Now that Norman’s come home, we’ve been reading him all your notes and messages. No doubt he’s wiggling his bum silly in heaven knowing how much you all care about him.
Many thanks from the bottom of my heart for all the kindness and tender thoughts of comfort you’ve sent to us over the past two and half weeks. I’m touched beyond words and Elsa and I both greatly appreciated your care and concern. We’re doing our best to be less sad but some days are harder than others and we need to keep our favorite comfort stuffy close by to great through those rough moments. Yesterday was the first day Elsa had picked up Norman’s moose and played with it briefly. I like to believe Angel Norman was watching over her saying it’s okay, little Ninja.
It’s too doggone hot to be outside lingering over flowers or critters. Mom said the Dogs Days of Summer have their grip on at least 180 million in the US and countless others across the world. This is about all I can do during the day after my morning walk at dawn when it’s relatively comfortable to be outside.
The festival stage featured numerous groups entertaining the crowds throughout the weekend.
Howdy sports fan, Elsa here with another edition of Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from 
In the butterfly house, they flit among colorful plants, feeders and visitors. I think this guy was giving my Mom the stink eye.
