A Vincent Mounier Photography Blog
Christmas Cat, Happy
Our cat happens to like wearing things. He mellows out and seems perfectly content. But I can't figure out if he's thinking: "Merry Christmas, peace on earth, good will to all creatures great and small," or just "Pellets. Day-in, day-out."
Don Estorbo de la Bodega, Christmas Elf
Don Estorbo de la Bodega, Christmas Elf Crowned
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Rough Seas in Kalk Bay
December 22, 2012
Harbour House, a favorite waterfront restaurant of ours in Kalk Bay near Cape Town, recently lost windows to a rogue wave.
Waves crashing over the Kalk Bay harbour pier
A few weeks ago, when having lunch at bottom neighbor Live Bait with Selina, the waves were strong enough to give patrons a few sweats, as the water crashed loudly against the tall glass bays and managed to spray nearby tables with a salty twist.
The restaurant's ocean facing lower wall is the actual...
Flying Over Africa - Part 2
December 18, 2012
As promised, here is the second batch of pictures captured while flying south from Amsterdam to Cape Town. These were taken roughly in the last third of the flight, somewhere between Angola and Namibia, around sunset.
I particularly like the one of the jet on a parallel course. It's one thing to see another aircraft in the busy airspace above New York, it's another altogether to have company in the numbing immensity of African skies...
Notice the jet on a...
Flying Over Africa - Part 1
December 15, 2012
On the second leg of our journey to Cape Town, we took off from Amsterdam Schiphol, flew southeast towards Paris, then due south until the mountain wave over the Pyrenees was unmistakably felt, a strong chop keeping us seated with the seat belt sign on until we were well over the Mediterranean. The plane's route then took us over Northern Africa, Algeria at first, then Niger.
35,000 feet above the Sahara - Click here for same location on Google Maps satellite view
I ha...
Sahara
December 11, 2012
Our KLM flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town took us over the immense Sahara Desert in daylight, a spectacular overflight I will post more about soon.
There will also be many South African flowers, fynbos, a chameleon update, much larger animals and some beautiful scenes from the Table Mountain area. Stay tuned.
Sahara Desert seen from 35,000 feet, somewhere over Algeria or Mali
Bound for South Africa via Amsterdam
December 1, 2012
As longitudes and latitudes are crossed and mixed once more, this blog is going to dive into a short hibernation. There might be a brief update or two from the road, wi-fi permitting, but otherwise I will see you all on the other side, not even 10 days from now.
This is not a photo trip and I don't expect too many landscape opportunities, but Cape Town is incredibly photogenic and even on a social outing, one eventually finds scenes to aim a camera at. And then of cours...
Boreum Hill, Brooklyn
November 29, 2012
This was late fall, we were walking back from Prospect Park. Not all of Brooklyn has gentrified. Some neighborhoods remain sketchy. As always, a single block is enough for a full transition from stuck up, I eat organic and go to art shows civilization to I eat when and what I can, and go to fights on the street, minimalist survival zone.
Who would want to rent anyway?
A shooting took place not far, the next morning
Yes, I do get visions of concentration camps - Bu...
An Early Winter Walk to Brooklyn's Pier 6
November 26, 2012
In slow recovery from what seemed like a nasty bronchitis, I ventured out on a cold late afternoon, chasing a light that did not truly happen. A low cloud layer had blinded the sun like a hood placed on a falcon's head, temporarily crippling it.
I walked down to Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 just in case, snapped a few shots and hurried back home as the wind whined, reminding me I should be sheltered and warm.
Cruises are back in action, so is the Staten Island Ferry...
Thanksgiving, a Parade
November 22, 2012
I did not see it this year. The crowds don't appeal much, and I was working from home. Still. There's something outrageously grandiose about Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
Below, one of Macy's 2013 Christmas windows, portraying the parade. Hard to tell of course, but they are about 6 foot tall and 20 long. See my previous post for a street view.
Happy it, you all.
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in a 34th Street window
As Life Goes on in New York City
November 17, 2012
Three weeks ago, hurricane Sandy hit the city like a ton of bricks. A week later, it was a nasty nor'easter and the first snow fall of the year. Already weak in the crotch, pear trees gave up.
Strike one
Strike two
But life goes on and I launched on yet another night run around Lower Manhattan to measure progress and take the neighborhood's pulse.
North Cove Marina and brightly lit Jersey City across the Hudson River
World Financial Center Winter Garden
Ful...
Sandy's Aftermath: Chaos in the Rockaways
November 13, 2012
Exactly two weeks after long inhibited category 1 hurricane Sandy unleashed her post-tropical moods on the Eastern Seaboard, much remains to be done in New York towards a complete recovery.
So many still lack power and heat that the drama is wearing off and both media and public awareness are slowly drifting away from the crisis, their senses blunted by fifteen days of sensationalist news bombing.
So on Sunday when I escaped downtown Brooklyn for a quick getaway to D...
And Manhattan Falls Asleep
November 10, 2012
With power coming back to her Don Quichottesque giants in increments, Lower Manhattan goes to sleep on yet an another partially dark night, Monday November 5, 2012. Shot in HDR well after sunset from the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Patches of light emerging in Lower Manhattan
Brooklyn (foremost) and Manhattan Bridges
Classic Brooklyn Bridge Park view of Manhattan