Better Than The Turd

It's fair to say locals have mixed feelings about the
Quetzalcóatl (plumed serpent) sculpture that graces(?) the southern corner of Plaza de César Chávez in downtown San Jose. It is often referred to as "The Turd" and it's easy to see why.

The giant poop has recently acquired some artistic (but sadly only temporary) competition. For the next month or so visitors will be able to enjoy Alebrijes en San José, a collection of 20+ foot tall mythical creatures created by artists from Oaxaca Mexico. 

TSG realizes that beauty/art is in the eye of the beholder. Having said that, we think it's safe to say these imaginative, vibrantly-colored jumbo-sized folk art pieces are definitely better than "The Turd". 

The Old Blue Oak, It Ain't What It Used To Be

TSG recently visited an old friend and discovered the tree has gone through some changes since it last appeared in a post back in 2017. 

We suppose it's a good thing the powers that be at West Valley College decided to use the fallen trunk as a canvas or sorts rather than hauling it off to the woodpile (so to speak).

Camera Obscuras Of The North Island (One More Obscure Than The Other)

 Whenever a Camera Obscura shows up on a "things to do" map search, you can be sure TSG will be heading in that direction.

 Whangārei's Timatatanga Hou ("new beginning") Camera Obscura is a recent example. Other versions we've visited had the "eye" on top of the building with a control that rotated the lens for a 360 degree view.This one had it's "eye" on the side wall with a control that only seemed to close the lens. 

In the "more obscure" category, we encountered this derelict/defunct example on the road to Wairere Boulders Nature Reserve. According to a local gentleman who happened by, it was supposed to be an attraction for an adventure park project that never got off the ground.