New York, Sept. '12  How is it September of 2012 already? How did that happen? It's cool outside. I miss summer.

 Havana, December '11  This Cuban dog is simultaneously up for "best tailored shirt worn by a canine" and "dog with shirt most in need of a dry cleaning" awards.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil  Sept. '12   I got to Rio and went out for a walk. I walked maybe five blocks and saw a couple of people pointing and looking up. I asked what was up there, they said "macaco!" which, as it turns out, means "monkey!" I spent the next 45 minutes amidst a growing crowd of delighted Brazilians, pacing up and down the street, following this little monkey that had presumably escaped from it's owner's house. Several people tried to entice the monkey to come down with various bananas...

...which totally didn't work. Make a note of it: you can not get a frightened monkey to come down from a tree simply by holding a banana in the air. Eventually, the monkey skittered down a hallway and into a shop, where we think it must have lived- a happy ending and a really sweet first couple of hours in Rio.