July 1 - john and joyce have been in Alaska for the last two weeks. They caught the Princess Sapphire out of Vancouver which stopped at Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord, and Whitter. After the cruise they rented a van and traveled from Anchorage to Denali for four days. They lost a day while flying from Anchorage to Chicago and to Kansas City. The plane left Anchorage on June 27th at 8 PM. It flew for 6 hours and lost 3 hours due to time zones. When john and joyce reached Chicago it was June 28th at 5 AM.

July 7 - Today, john was planting a new blue Plumbago in the "Frogs Garden" (West Garden) when a duck gave quite a distress call at the side of the pond. john thought that something was pulling the duck out of the pond and into the hole under the deck. He rushed over to see what was going on, and found two mother ducks directing four brand-new ducklings into zenpond. The babies were having difficulty because john had placed a Sago Palm on the top of the "duckling steps" designed just for this purpose. john removed the palm and the ducklings walked up the steps and into zenpond. john had to come inside because the mothers were quite agitated. The Pulmbago had gotten planted, but was unwatered, so john had to turn that zone on from inside.

This is at least the third family of ducks so far this season. One family has flown already. Another family keeps appearing and disappearing. Now a brand-new family has made zenpond home. john has delibrately decided not to play "daddy duck" with these babies. Let Nature Happen!

July 8 - john cannot count the number of ducks at zenpond this morning. A couple of days ago, he did count 24 ducks coming for breakfast. What john did notice this morning is that there are TWO female Wood Ducks at zenpond. Currently, john only sees two ducklings with mom this morning. It is obvious that mom cannot count. She is perfectly happy with however many ducklings she has. john hopes the other two are nearby. Yesterday, when john thought there were only two ducklings, the other two magically appeared. john hopes that will be the case today.

john and joyce had 251 photos of Alaska printed. john had taken about that many more. After john and joyce went to St. Louis this weekend and saw the other two couples they had traveled with, john had 117 more photos of theirs developed. joyce assembles a photo album of all these photos. Putting 368 photos in an album may take her awhile! Needless to say, Alaska is beautiful!

July 8 (5 PM) - All four ducklings are back.

July 8 (8 PM) - There are more ducks here for dinner than john and joyce can count. Now there are FIVE ducklings and THREE female Wood Ducks! It is a frenzy here at zenpond this evening. joyce noticed that all the ducks are female. Even the youngsters who flew away a week ago are back. One Wood Duck prefers to stand on the fish sculpture on the far side of the pond. john and joyce wish the ducks would settle down so they could. This gives Saturday Night Live a whole new meaning. "And so to bed."

July 10 - After only meeting three Wood Ducks in his life, john is willing to make an observation about Wood Ducks: they like to perch on objects such as sculptures and Japanese Lanterns. When not eating, they are almost always on these objects!

It has been raining a steady rain for the last two days. john is glad that he got everything planted before the rains came.

July 10 (11:30 AM) - john went over to Strugis Materials to get a replacement basket for skimmer in the small pond. While there he thought he might look at some flag stones. Was he ever surprised! ALL rock has jumped in price due to the cost of gasoline. Rock is now selling for $550 per ton! john realized that he probably could not have afforded to build zenpond now. He has 200 tons of rock in zenpond. That used to cost around $150 per ton and john watched it go to $250 per ton. Now it is $550 per ton. john and joyce will have to upgrade what they say it would cost to replace zenpond. Just the rock is now worth $110,000! Wow! john is quessing that the Fed's will have to keep raising interest rates to offset inflation.

July 10 (2:30 PM) - joyce counted 18 ducks just hanging around zenpond. There are always more at breakfast and dinner times.

July 11 - There are four Wood Ducks, a mother duck with one duckling, and too many Mallards to count at zenpond this morning. According to the National Geographic Field Guide, Wood Ducks have sharp claws for perching in trees. They do breed in this area.

It is starting to rain again this morning. That makes three days of rain and the area is still behind on annual waterfall.

john and joyce went to see "An Inconvenient Truth" last night. It is a film everyone should see.

john met a young man at Costco last week while getting the Alaskan photos printed. His name is Jacoma, and he is part of a program by the US Congress for saving young men from Sudan. See: www.lostboysofsudan.com.

July 12 - Here is an email john and joyce received this morning from Basso in Benin, West Africa:

"Hello Joyce, John, and Tucky
I got reception of your e:maïl last week-end. I read it thoroughly and I am in the eager
need to watching your pictures from Alaska. My admiration toward your beings is high, in
reason of your way to go through the world. I think you have gone to all the areas of the
world. That is great. Transport in Africa is very though, especially in Benin where we don't
even have bus trafic in the cities. We did have it in the past, but our hungry leaders worked for
its death. Inside the cities and from a city to an other only taxies can run. Or you can go where
you want by your own car. What is not relly cheaper. For what has concern with my person,
even my car run away, and I can travel only in front of my TV set through the pictures I can
get from it. It is not so bad.
About the elections we were talking about in the month of March, two candidates
went to the second round as usually: a former President of the National Assembly, who were
running for the fourth time, and the recent President of the West Africa Development Bank.
The last candidate was running for he first time for the presidential elections. He won with
75% of the electoral college. He is about 53 years old. Now, about 03 months after his victory
he is still travelling throught the world trying to interest the international community to the
cause of the country. Last sunday he was back from a travel to Japan and Singapore. Before
those countries he was in France where he got an increase of 03 times of French helps to
Benin. The populations of the country are hopping he will succeed in raising Benin economy
and development.

I have watched on a French TV station showing in Benin, the pictures of the ceremony
during which Bill Gates Foundation was giving founds for health in Africa. All low living
African is aware of those efforts. But the major problem is the disappearence of those efforts
in the high spheres of influence in Africa, Benin and other subdivisions of countries. If the
Africa leaders do really expend other continents helps in their individual countries, Africa
would not stand at the level it is right now. I think the world does find out another way for
helping Africa.

About the Bird Flu, Benin has been very lucky in Africa. The disease reached Nigeria
and Cameroon Eastward of Benin; Niger and Burkina Northwards; Ivory Coast a bit far on the
west, of Ghana and Togo. Until now, apart from measures for preventing the disease Benin
does not go other measures. We expect it will be so until the end.
Before telling you '' Good Bye '', I propose we send to each other at least one e:maïl
per month. It will be in order to not be worrying about the other one.
Bye Bye to everybody.

Basso"

July 21 - john finally put film in the old Nikon with a 200 mm telephoto lense and got this picture of a Wood Duck perching on the sculpture. Note the white around her eyes: