Pumie Scouring Stick

It's time for some Fall Cleaning, and I have to say that I'm super impressed with how well the Pumie Scouring Stick (http://www.uspumice.com/pages/kitchenbath.html) works to take care of disgusting looking rings in the toilet.  You do need to work the muscles a bit to work the crusty deposits, but it definitely works.

OK, back to more cleaning.

Madagascar in 100 Photos

Here are the long awaited photos from my trip to Madagascar late last year.  Enjoy!

People and Culture

Air Madagascar - we took many domestic flights on this type of plane.

Dried Fish at the local market

Dried shrimp at the local market

Antananarivo - the capital city of Madagascar

A farmer and his zebu

A local butcher

Malagasy woman with her child

Malagasy style zebu tripe with greens

Local market

A small village we passed by

It's laundry day in Southern Madagascar

Romazava - Madagascar's national dish

Children taking a swim in the river

Vendors in the streets of Antananarivo

Textiles for sale at a local market

Children of a village waving good-bye

Birds

Collared Nightjar (Gactornis enarratus)

Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius)

Crested Coua (Coua cristata)

Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata)

Cinnamon Roller (Eurystomus glaucurus)

Crested Drongo (Dicrurus forficatus)

Giant Goua (Coua gigas)

Greater Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis vasa)

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)

Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)

Hook-billed Vanga (Vanga curvirostris) with food in mouth

Lesser Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis nigra)

Red Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)

Red-fronted Coua (Coua reynaudii)

Madagascar Coucal (Centropus toulou)

Madagascar Drongo (Dicrurus forficatus) Nest with babies

Madagascar Magpie Robin (Copsychus albospecularis)

Malagasy Kestrel (Falco newtoni)

Sakalava Weaver (Ploceus sakalava)

Madagascar Love Bird (Agapornis cana)

Sakalava Weaver (Ploceus sakalava)

Animals

Diademed Sifaka (Propithecus diadema diadema)

Indri (Indri indri)

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) - Close-up of long skinny middle finger

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) - The most elusive of the lemurs (very rare to see one)

Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi)

Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)

Carpet Chameleon (Furcifer lateralis)

Female chameleon

Chameleon spotted during a night hike

Common Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus)

Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)

Diademed Sifaka (Propithecus diadema diadema)

Goodman's Mouse Lemur (Microcebus lehilahytsara)

Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) - Dancing

Some nocturnal lemur we saw during a night hike

Climbing Mantella (Mantella laevigata)

Female White Fronted Brown Lemur (Eulemur albifrons)

Male White Fronted Brown Lemur (Eulemur albifrons)

Pictus Gecko (Paroedura pictus)

Indri (Indri indri)

Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia) - World's smallest chameleon

Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus)

Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata)

Madagascan Flying Fox (Pteropus rufus)

Madagascar Leaf-Nosed Snake (Langaha madagascariensis)

Madagascar Tree Boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis)

Madagascar Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongilii)

Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)

Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Skeleton Frog (Boophis)

Madagascar Iguana (Oplurus quadrimaculatus)

Spider Tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides)

Sportive Lemur (Lepilemuridae)

Tenrec

Scorpion seen in the spiny forest

Slug seen during a night walk in Maraontsetra

Bugs

Female Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa)

Male Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa)

Large green spider

Neat looking butterfly

Giant Green Pill Bug (Sphaerotheriida) - when rolled up it was almost the size of a golf ball

Golden Orb Spider (Nephila inaurata madagascariensis)

Red Millipede

Madagascar Flatid Leaf Bug (Phromnia rosea)

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa)

Intricately patterned grasshopper

Thorn Spider (Gasteracantha versicolor formosa)

Colorful beetle

Dung Beetle

Assassin Bug

Robber Fly (Asilidae)

Snout Weevil (Curculionidae)

Snout Weevil (Curculionidae)

Spider in the rainforest

Walking Stick Insect seen in Andasibe

Strange terrestrial flatworm

Camouflaged weevil

Another weevil

Velvet Mite (Trombidium)

Plants

Bananas

In front of a Baobab Tree (National Tree of Madagascar)

Madagascar Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes madagascariensis)

Spiny Desert Plants