A Dark Road We Travel Often in the USA

As I traveled across the country this summer, I made a point to seek out this concentration camp built for our American citizens in 1942.  The Citizens of Japanese descent were offered a safe place to “relocate” to protect them.  They gave up everything and complied.  When they got to the camp, they found out that they were prisoners.  The guard towers weren’t there to protect them from others; it was built to protect their country from them.  Such sadness.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under American History, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Capturing my last 12 months

After taking thousands of photos and traveling throughout the United States, these twenty-five photos resonated with me the most from 2018-2019. Some capture beauty, while others remind me of stories from my journey.  For example, I stumbled on to the little town of Ferndale in California. After enjoying a peach scone and a coffee at the local cafe, I found a map to the black sand beaches of California’s “lost coast”.  The long slow drive over the coastal mountains brought me to a wide open view of the ocean – and cows. They surprised me.  I surprised them.  The photo captures our mutual interest.  The beaches of black rock were stunning.  At the conclusion of the drive, I ended up in a Redwood Forest of Humboldt State Park.  I took hundreds of pictures – but I ended up cutting the best of the tree photos.  Ironic I think.

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

The Dry Tortugas National Park

As I work my way to all the U.S. National Parks, I get to explore different worlds.  The Tortugas offer miles of underwater barrier reefs filled with anemones, sea urchins, fish, coral, and mollusks. The ruins of Fort Jefferson provides an eery backdrop to the picturesque blues of the Gulf of Mexico.  Fort Jefferson mainly served as a notorious prison during and after the Civil War.

IMG_6570

Sunset in Marathon of the Florida Keys

IMG_6734

Two hour ferry ride to this National Park

IMG_6750

The gorgeous moat

IMG_6728

A crocodile lives in there somewhere

IMG_6681

The ruins of the fort that never saw battle

IMG_6686

arches of limestone – stalactites were forming

IMG_6732

The powder room

IMG_6726

Prisoner cell

IMG_6688

Snorkeling was the best I’ve experienced

IMG_6763

The dive bombing pelicans

IMG_6591

looking up into the trees

IMG_6684

The other side of the fort

2 Comments

Filed under Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Quest: Six new national parks

On my quest to visit all the National Parks in the United States, this summer I was able to explore six in Alaska and California.  I will post one photo from each park. Out of 60 parks, I have now visited 40.

 

Denali National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias, Glacier Bay, Redwoods N.P., Kenai Fjords Exit Glacier, and Lassen National Park.

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

A few stops along the Russian River – Wine Country California

Leave a comment

August 1, 2018 · 11:59 am

The Final Frontier – Alaska

I managed to make it to Alaska to visit my 50th state in the U.S. during my 50th year.  The near 24 hours of daylight and the perfect weather hovering around 75 degrees provided the perfect escape from the intense heat and humidity of the Midwest.  I am told that I am lucky to have spent a full day basking in the majesty of Denali’s peak.  The drive up hwy 3 from Anchorage to Denali is sublime.  The crushed rock of hwy 8 (the Denali hwy) provides even greater beauty, and the drive through Wrangell-St. Elias to McCarthy wraps up the perfect trifecta. As of right now, I have been to 41 out of the 60 U.S. National Parks.  I think Glacier Bay ranks in the top 3.  The Bay, woods, ponds, wildlife, lodge, cabins, trails, sunsets, and exhibits create a world you won’t want to leave.

IMG_0104

Mt Denali on a clear day

IMG_0176

Solitude on the Denali Hwy

IMG_0167

Rushing rivers into the plain

IMG_0200

two beavers swimming

IMG_0193

perfect summer weather

IMG_0288

Wrangell-St. Elias NP

IMG_0207

Mountains, Glacier, River – Alaska

IMG_0159

Beaver dam

IMG_0270

The sentry

IMG_0362

America’s Best Idea

IMG_0477

Tlinglit culture in Glacier Bay

IMG_0632

Margerie Glacier

IMG_0405

Solitude part II

IMG_0719

Looking for a moose, but found this

IMG_0738

summers provide unending beauty

IMG_0525

cormorants all lined up

IMG_0577

A grizzly patroling the shore

IMG_0690

A black bear looking for dinner

IMG_0640

the blue glacier

IMG_0482

a pseudo sunset

IMG_E0404

solitude pt III

IMG_E0441

The moose-less pond

IMG_0433

Where to now?

IMG_0804 (1)

Porcupines love Cottonwoods

IMG_0746

Exit Glacier

IMG_0769

in Seward

IMG_0776

King Crab in Seward

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Photos from all Seasons

Every year I sort through thousands of photos and choose my favorite twenty or so to turn in to a little art show in my classroom at school.  Then I turn them into cards and mail them home to students.  These are my selections from June 2017 – May 2018.

IMG_1131

First Ice

IMG_3620

West Side Market – Cleveland

IMG_4321

Battlefield Warriors

IMG_4399

Mysterious Path

IMG_4890

Boone Plantation

IMG_5143

Sullivan’s Island

IMG_5335

Charleston

IMG_5473

Botany Bay

IMG_5536

Edisto Island Sunset

IMG_5792

Remnants of Hunters in MO

IMG_6753

Fall Sunset

IMG_7143

Ice Daggers

IMG_7302

On the Missouri River

IMG_7710

The Master at Work

IMG_7840

Solitude before the camera

IMG_8046

Birthday Cranes

IMG_E4582

Smoky Mountain Peace

IMG_E6513

Last Gasp

IMG_E6552

Fall in Illinois

IMG_E5014

Soul Survivor Fort Sumter

IMG_E7017

Power and Beauty

IMG_E7153

Ice Stalagmites

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Botany Bay – Edisto Island, S.C.

Last summer I stumbled on to the stunning Botany Bay Beach on the barrier island – Edisto Island.  This part of the island is constantly being eroded and the sand is deposited on the south end of the island.  Change of over time.

IMG_5471

IMG_5482 (1)

IMG_5484

IMG_5456

IMG_5458

IMG_5483

IMG_5474

IMG_5482

IMG_5436

 

IMG_5476

IMG_E5437

Leave a comment

Filed under Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Desserts with Friends 

Blueberry Cheesecake Rich’s Birthday

Nancy Treats at Peel. Strawberry Shortcake

Celebrating the End of Summer School

Butler MO – Exploring with Parker and Paige

Breakfast Dessert?

Scott!

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto Hippopatamaitai

Pure Joy at Cyrano’s

Puppy-sized Skinny Mocha Latte

Daisy and Me. Cutting It Up.

Leave a comment

Filed under Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

My 50th State Park

I have been slowly visiting all the State Parks and Historic Sites in Missouri.  There are a total of 52 State Parks and 35 Historic Sites. In one weekend I managed to visit 11. During this trip, my favorite locations were the Battle of Island Mound and Watkins Glen Historic Site.

IMG_4385

Squaw Creek Wetlands

IMG_4391

Bottle Brush

IMG_4399

Around the lake at Wallace State Park

IMG_4336

Watkins Mill House

IMG_4346

The homestead

IMG_4355

At the factory

IMG_4364

Weston Bend looking into Kansas

IMG_4412

Along the trail at Crowder S.P.

IMG_4283

Small town america

IMG_4289

The town is named after the librarian

IMG_4317

Western Missouri Prairies

IMG_4321

at the Battle of Island Mound

IMG_4367

Robert Ford killed Jesse James here

IMG_4248

The Confederate soldiers prayed here

IMG_4249

from the church

IMG_4268

Battle of Lexington

IMG_4270

Lexington

Leave a comment

Filed under Photography, Travel, Uncategorized