红酒·绿茶 / Red Wine & Green Tea / Vin Rouge et Thé Vert

I went to Obrycki's , a very nice seafood restraurant in downtown Baltimore, for crabs last night and realized that I had never written about our famous Maryland blue crabs . I guess people just tend to neglect good things around them. In fact I've enjoyed eating crabs since I got here. And thanks to a friend, I learned to dismantle crabs like a pro. Besides Obrycki's, I also liked Jimmy's Famous Seafood , which you can call to reserve jumbo size crabs. Last year the City of Baltimore started the Crabtown Project , where statues of crabs were decorated by sponsors and placed all over the town. One of the best designs was the Hopkins Blue Jays Lacrosse Team's LAX Crab , who proudly wears a No. 2 jersey of the amazing goalie Jesse Schwartzman's.

Maria Sharapova Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . If you happen to be a Maria Sharapova fan, like me, you would have known that she recently lauched her stupid, buggy, all-flash official website . Let me say it again in case you didn't get it in the first time: It is a stupid, buggy, all-flash website! What's worse was that they shut down the best fan site, http://www.mariaworld.net, for it. You can still find it when you do a google search for "Maria Sharapova". What I liked about mariaworld.net was exactly the opposite of what I hated about the official website: A simple but fast all-html design with concise news and great pictures. If ever those stupid website designers had tried to access this website as a fan had, they would have killed themselves. I just don't get it: Why do you have to shut down the best fan site for an offical one? If it was for some legal issues, how come you didn't shut down those in Russian or French or, even worse, th...

Dixie Chicks: Taking The Long Way Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . My favorite country group, Dixie Chicks , didn't let me down: Their fabulous show at Verizon Center , DC tonight proved once again that they were a musically talented country trio who didn't need tabloid or political "accidents" to keep their fans' support. With only one Bush joke, Natalie Maines letted her music do the talking and she was shining when performing live. While younger crowds were more familiar with the Chicks' new album, older fans like me enjoyed singing along with their timeless masterpieces like "Landslide" or "Cowboy Take Me Away". The stadium was packed in almost every section so I gave up the idea of sneaking to a better seat as I usually did. No wasting time talking or changing fancy outfits, the Chicks were singing and playing nonstop for almost two hours. When the crowd wasn't ready to leave after the show, applauding, they encored a ...

Lobster Trap Lamp Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . We ended our trip with another lobster feast in the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound , where I found the creative use of a lobster trap and buoy. (This time I was sane enough to order a two-pounder. Whew!) Bicyclist Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Finally a picture of me on a bike again after four years. Still good. PS, we got our bikes from Acadia Bike and enjoyed the Island Explorer free shuttle service for going on and off the Carriage Roads . PPS, did I mention the weather was pleasingly cool and Baltimore was hot as hell when we were in Bar Harbor?

Eagle Lake Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Our last day in Acadia was getting physical: biking for the day and kayaking for the evening. Turned out biking was very pleasant but kayaking was so-so. Only on bikes could you get close to and fully enjoy the breathtaking views of the lakes in Acadia. I'll let my pictures do the talking. Jordan Pond Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Jordan Pond House was conveniently located at the south end of the Jordan Pond. Enjoying some freshly baked popovers and a clam chowder in the outside while watching the water was like a dream comes true. Bubble Pond Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Can you feel the cool water flowing onto your feet? Lupines Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Not so many colors other than green could be found in summer but the purple lupines were there in the water. Blueberries were another symbol of Maine. You could find all kinds of food or drink made from blueberries like i...

In the Sunset Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . We went to the Cadillac Mountain again in the afternoon for the sunset and joined by the same-minded people. Photography was so easy that even I looked great in the golden light. Sunset on Cadillac Mountain Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . I recorded a four-minute video of the sunset. However, don't expect too much because of the limited video-recording ability of my camera. And sorry, no English subtitles available.

Whale! Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . One of the most exciting programs in our trip was whale-watching. We took a roller-coaster ride on a lovely and fast boat called "Friendship V" with the Bar Harbor Whale Watching Co. and spotted at least seven whales including humpbacks, finbacks and minkes. A couple of them were frequent visitors of the Maine Gulf and people gave them interesting names like they did with their pets. You could identify them by the patterns of the tails. Bald Porcupine Island Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . The weather was crystal clear so even a simple picture of the island between the sky and the sea looked unforgettably beautiful.