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The highlights of a quick trip to the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas. 138 total species seen, identified, and photographed - including 65 lifers such as the Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Black-crested Titmouse, Green Jay, and Aplomado Falcon which are only found in south Texas (within the United States).

A list of every species of bird I've seen (654 so far), with photographic evidence. Current as of late January 2025.

Fourth time going to the festival, but the first time being there for the very first procession at Naka Shrine.

After a scaled down 2023 due to the writer's and actor's strikes, 2024 seemed to be back to full capacity with all of the hype focused on Deadpool & Wolverine which was released the weekend of the convention. Also saw a big surge in Fallout cosplayers thanks to the Amazon show.

A March 2024 cruise on the Norwegian Spirit that departed from Sydney, Australia with stops in New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, American Samoa, and French Polynesia before ending in Tahiti. The highlight, and the main reason for the trip, was the National Park of American Samoa - the last remaining U.S. National Park that I had not visited. I'm now part of the 63-of-63 National Parks club.

The first post-COVID WonderCon that seemed to be back to normal. Featuring a pretty cool G.I. Joe cosplay group shoot, a sexy Gandalf, and the rookie year for Everything Everywhere All at Once cosplays.

2023 was an odd year for SDCC due to both the writers' and actors' strikes. Actors were not allowed to promote their projects, so a ton of appearances were cancelled. Definitely put a damper on the whole thing. Almost all the photos here are from Friday/Sunday, as I wasn't able to grab a Saturday badge and didn't attend much of Thursday.

A quick 48 hours in Big Bend National Park in January with my mom and dad. One day spent on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive that ends up at Santa Elena Canyon, and another half-day spent in the Rio Grande Village & Boquillas Canyon area. Wildlife sightings were good - saw a pyrrhuloxia for the first time, a few greater roadrunners, Mexican jays, as well as bobcat and coyote encounters.

It was a bit of an upset this year, as Falla Exposicion - Micer Masco, which took 7th place in the 2022 Special Section, came out of nowhere to win first place. Falla Convento Jerusalen, having won it the past two years, ended up taking third place with a American West theme. And the crowds seemed larger than usual - this year the final two days fell on a weekend and the weather was pretty nice the whole time, so it got pretty nuts. Also, check out the Plaza del Ayuntamieno falla - they got fancy at night with a light & sound show every half hour of a beating heart.

My first time back to Carnevale since 2020, when I was standing in Piazza San Marco and they suddenly announced Carnevale was canceled early due to the northern Italy COVID outbreak. There were a few really foggy days this year, but crowds seemed to have returned back to pre-COVID levels.

Photos from a 10 day road trip through the Maritimes that started in Nova Scotia, went through New Brunswick, and then ended in Prince Edward Island. Lots of lighthouses, Kejimkujik National Park, and Fundy National Park.

Random photos from quick morning trips out for birdwatching.

Latest Update: January 2024 photos from Big Bend National Park in Texas.

SWCE 2023 was a 4-day convention that took place April 7-10, 2023 at the ExCeL London convention center. A lot of focus on The Mandalorian and Andor, and at the opening ceremonies they announced they will try to rescue the franchise from the realm of TV-only and finally start making movies again. Next up - Tokyo, Japan in 2025.