House on the hill

Chicago Teachers Strike

Pizza

A fine Chicago pizza joint - original corn meal crust with sauce on top!

hmmm.

not sure, but this could be ruby beach, wa

primitive loop arches national park

At the end of the road in Arches, there is a trail that you can take that has a primitive portion that breaks off to the side.  You end up climbing quite a bit of rock, but the hike was easily one of the top three that I have ever been on .

Esha Ness, Shetland

This is where we sat and had lunch.  While looking out into the ocean, we discovered a seal watching us.  He would pop under water for a little while and then pop back up somewhere else.  It took us a little while to realize that there were actually two seals.  They watched us the whole time. 

We also thought we saw a raft of otters - and we were really excited about our luck - but it turned out that it was just seaweed.  Brown seaweed that turns white when it is out of water and exposed to the sun.

Colorful Utah

Watching You Watch Me

This is the primitive trail at the end of the road in Arches National Park.  It was a difficult trail for out of shape me... but absolutely stunning... If you go, go early in the spring.  Not too hot and no scorpions.

A Park in Ponce

NYC

NYC

Mass influx

Sandhill Cranes coming in to roost for the night.

Starting in mid March, about 500,000 Sandhill cranes arrive at the Platt River from Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.  They then spend the next month fattening up on waste corn (from the fields) and invertebrates (earthworms, snails and insect larvae) before the continue on to their nesting grounds.  It is truly an impressive sight to see so many birds acting as a single entity.  There can be as many as 12,000 in any half mile stretch of the river. They filter in during the evening to roost in the shallow areas of the river and then, if you are patient, you can watch the whole mass of them take off in the morning to head out to the fields.  Interestingly, 90% of their diet during this time comes from the waste corn in the fields.  Before there was the corn, the cranes ate starchy tubers from the surrounding wetlands, most of which no longer exist.  We must be careful how we change this environment in the future.

Sleeping Beauty

dos pequenos y dos grandes

Sunday is familyday

Man of wood and fire

Eric, man of wood and fire.

apology for posting a premature winter photo

3.80/lb

fresh fish!

Fish and mushrooms and other things that I can't even identify!  These are all to be found in New York's Chinatown.  I would like to go back and take closer shots of this seafood. What wonderful texture!

Just a great fall day

Just a great fall day

a little red ball

Every year or two I take a trip to NYC.  I never tire of this city!  So much to do and see and photograph.  We usually just wander around the city until something catches our interest and we never get bored.  I would have never know known there was bike rugby if I hadn't happened upon this friendly game.   If I remember right, this is Sara Roosevelt Park and I really enjoyed walking along the whole length of it.

Thinking about the end of summer.

twisted arms

The lawns have all turned brown and the thermometer is at 90 degrees, but tomorrow it is going to be 70 and the day after that... 58.  Fall is here and I am thinking about all the things that I wanted to do over the summer.  There is never enough camping getting done; the deck needs staining; and a new path needs to be put in in the back yard...  If I itemize it though, I've done quite a bit.  This photo was taken in Ponce, PR on an early summer trip with a good friend of mine. The weather was much like it is today.  The park has a lovely gazebo, behind the tree in the photo, that has a marble inlaid floor for dancing on.  Walking around this area, you can just imagine an evening dance or a Sunday gathering.