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I’ve been hearing about these “toys” for a few months.
In January I was attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. One evening I wandered over to the Fashion Show Mall to pick up a few items.
While walking though the mall I came across this Pop Mart. I had heard about the global business success of this retail chain owing to their blind box offerings and most recently their “monster toys” known as labubu collectibles.
As with many other products you can probably find look-alike knock-offs. But my understanding is that at times these authentic furry toys were hard to find. Curious, I stopped at this Pop Mart to see if they had labubus in stock.
This Pop Mart was well stocked with several selections of Monsters. This was my first encounter with them. They are dressed in different colors. Each has an individual name. And each has a unique facial expression. As a few people have mentioned they have a cute but mischievous appearance.
If you can’t be without your monster, you attach one to your backpack.
I was recently gifted the above brown labubu. I’m not sure, but I think it’s name it Toffee.
I just returned from a quick trip out West to visit the Tetons and Yellowstone. It’s always a treat for me to be able to photograph some of nature’s wonders.
In the far northeast corner of Yellowstone is a part of the Absaroka Range known as Baronette Peak. This part of the national park is home to a large population of mountain goats.
This is part of the Baronette Peak area. I am standing alongside the park road which is about 300 yards from the base of the mountains. From here with the naked eye you may be able to pick out small white dots sparsely scattered among the rocks. To determine if one of these dots is a mountain goat you’ll need a spotting scope or a a pair of binoculars. With my binoculars I was able to pick out one or two mountain goats grazing on one of the hundreds of ledges.Armed with a 600mm telephoto lens, I was able to see this mountain goat grazing. Compared to the above photograph, it’s amazing that my camera can “see” the mountain goat.Please keep in mind that even with a 600mm lens, the entire photograph has to be “blown up” – this is my technical term for cropping the image in order to enlarge the section that shows the mountain goat. Here’s an enlarged photograph. This mountain goat is larger, but not as sharp.
That’s my story from my September visit to Yellowstone.
We wanted to help with some home improvements at our son’s home in Reno so we loaded up the car and hit the highway during the heat of the summer.
Here’s a small collection of some of the sights along the way from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
As we travel along Interstate 80 and leave our familiar surroundings, we get a glimpse of some of the different types of commerce and industry that the keep the USA running on all cylinders.
Interstate 80 is major highway linking East & West coasts
Thousands of semis use Interstate 80
This stop in eastern Iowa serves hundreds of semis daily
Delivering tractors to midwest farmers
Morris serves a large faming community
Ritchie Bros is major auctioneer for farm equipment
Irrigators watering the corn in western Iowa
Large grain storage operation in Omaha
Visitors attraction in Kearney, Nebraska
A large cattle feedyard in Ogalalla, Nebraska
Former headquarter of Cabelas in Sidney, NE
Another large grain storage in Chappell, Nebraska
Unique rock formationsand climbing in Veddauvoo, Wyoming
A large wind turbine farm in central Wyoming
Hilly part of I-80 in Wyoming
A major oil refinery in Sinclair, Wyoming
Picturesque scenery along the interstate near Green River
Downtown skyline in Salt Lake City, Utah
The Morton salt evaporation plant in Grantsville, Utah
Visitors exploring the surface at the Bonneville salt flats
Advertising outdoor adventures in Battle Mtn, Nevada
The Tesla battery factory west of Reno
Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno
A view of the Sierra mountains at Lake Tahoe
Our 2200 mile journey to Reno was enjoyable despite the 90+ degree temperatures for most of the trip. It’s always a thrill when we can experience parts of the country that are so different from Michigan.