Corrida de Toros, Las Ventas, Madrid. After pondering for a long time whether to go see a bullfight, my curiosity won. I will spare you the gruesome details -in pictures and words, but after an evening of pomp, circumstance, and blood I have come to the conclusion that the camera loves the expressions of the matador, the beautiful fabrics and garments involved, yet behind the camera it is difficult not to get increasingly upset. But this is not about whether bullfights should be allowed or not, or my opinion on the matter. To post the many great, horrific pictures I have from that evening you might accuse me of condoning bullfights, although I suspect if anything, they could be used as an accusation. Bullfighting in Spain, Mexico, Portugal, France, and South America greatly differs in style and outcome. In Spain, the bull dies, and it is a slow, ritualistic death. The royal family in Spain is also divided, with Queen Sophia openly expressing her dislike. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting
The Catalan parliament recently passed a landmark law to ban bullfighting, one of the many issues that divide the regions' capitals  Madrid and Barcelona.
As follows, a few pictures that document the Corrida of June 20th, 2010, but without the many extremely upsetting elements.

(got verdigris?)

Segovia's fauna. In this case, the mini piggy is on the roof as one of the town's symbols, but make no mistake, after 11 days it lands in the oven as 'Cochinillo Asado', one of Segovia's enduring culinary delights. Actually not far from my Bavarian peeps' version 'Schweinsbraten'. In some countries, instead of roasting, it can be cooked in milk, it pretty much doesn't get any more unkosher....

Just one rooftop over, a rooster is houling at the moon, but wait, I think I'm mixing things up...

To me, the real symbol of Segovia should be the stork, I have never seen so many in one place in my life! On this top of a tower alone I counted about 15 permanent residents, and you see them all over Segovia, below is another pic of 'Stork Central'.

There is the occasional feline predator, but she is definitely outnumbered by the winged buddies roaming the skies. In some pictures taken at dusk I had to retouch out the many thousands of swallows, as they appeared like bugs against the light sky.

They particularly love zooming in formation through the arches of the aqueduct, as they probably have for the past 2000 years in Segovia.

Outside Segovia, Spain.

Spiderman Glee, Johnny Wanna Be.

El Chaparrito

Santa María la Real de La Almudena with Pope John Paul II, Madrid.

Self, Madrid.

Fountain at the Jardín del Retiro, Madrid.

A detail of Giovanna Tornabuoni by Domenico Ghirlandaio at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. It is the feature painting of an exhibition that explores some masterpieces by Ghirlandaio and other greats of the Renaissance in Florence.
Always on view in Madrid are thousands of other great paintings, monuments, gardens....

Federico García Lorca

El Oso y el Madroño (The Bear and the Strawberry tree), the symbol of Madrid.

Plaza Mayor, Madrid.

The Shell Man, Florida Keys.

Orange beaks in Key West.

Fulang-Chang and I by Frida Kahlo at MOMA.

Shotgun target, California desert.

Florida Keys.

My daughter Anna Birkmaier, Rome, Italy.

Ellen Carey, photographer, Hartford, Connecticut.

Monica Scott, Houston, Texas.

Dallas skyline at dusk across the street from the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center.

At first you could have mistaken the squirrel in the tree at the Nasher Sculpture Center for an installation piece, as it did not move for a long time.

Lone Star, mufflers, and heat in Weatherford, Texas.

To beat the heat, have a Lone Star.

Modern Art Museum Fort Worth.

The lasso is about to be released, the excess rope is held between the teeth.

Meet....THE BULL.