Alaska - why it's still important.

These are just some random photos from our recent trip to Alaska, and which I believe show just what it is about Alaska that is so important for us to realize. There is more to this state that can be experienced in one excursion, no matter how wonderful!

Continuing on...

I've decided this time to  create something of a theme - namely wildlife. So, here are some example of wildlife, both flora and fauna, which we encountered on our trip to Alaska.

Now this first photo is of whales - humpback whales, who happened to be "bubble net feeding." This is an elaborate ritual with humpbacks, during which the whales form a circular arrangement well below the surface of the water, and as they rise, they each blow a stream of bubbles, which has the effect of trapping the (usually) herring within their net of bubbles, and then, before they reach the water's surface they vocalize suddenly, which paralyzes the fish, and makes an easy meal of them, both for the whales and the waiting seagulls at the water's surface. Fascinating behavior!

This next picture is actually a repeat of a photo taken during our first trip to Alaska, and which has been turned into one of my paintings, which is in our bedroom. The wildlife here you can't actually see, but you know they're there. Namely the salmon, which come up the river every other year at this time to spawn. Now you'll have to take my word for it - they're there, even if you can't see them.

With this next photo, I'm cheating a bit. First of all, it is not actually in Alaska, but in Victoria, BC, where we stopped. You know about Butchert Gardens, but this picture is actually taken in one of their city parks, open year-round and available to everyone. And the other reason I'm cheating is that the flowers and shrubs are not strictly indigenous, but still...

And this last photo - anyone's guess as to what it is, and why I've included it in this set of pictures?

Alaska voyage, the Start

We started off for our Alaska cruise/vacation/seminar with a real sense of relief. I had been working 12-hour shifts until the day before our flight. And my wife, Sara, was ready for the getaway, as she had also been at work, taking care of grandkids, the house, our demanding pets. So, we were both very ready...

We left from

Seattle on a picture perfect day, and headed North with great anticipation.

After our evening get-together with the others in my conference, it was time for a sit back and enjoy the view and enjoy the food time. 

More, later, as we stopped along the way in Juneau, and did some whale watching, and got to enjoy a salmon bake, second to none.

Alaska, Part One

We just got back yesterday morning, taking the "red eye" from Seattle. Now that I've gotten some sleep, and before I start back to work tomorrow, I thought that I'd post a few "teasers."

These are some representative photos from the trip to Alaska. There will be more in the weeks to come. Enjoy!

On the way out, some memories.

Now, just as my wife and I are about to embark on another of our journeys, I thought that I would bring you some photographic memories of our prior excursions. What I have done is chosen just ONE from each of our little adventures, and each one is special, maybe not from a photographic sense, but in the sense that it alone can bring back a flood of fond memories.

This photo, from our first ever Alaska cruise is probably nice enough, though not nearly as crisp as I would have liked. But this particular photo became the basis for a painting, which still hangs in our bedroom. It is the reminder of what it felt like to be there.

This next picture is from our 2009 trip to Costa Rica. There as so many more scenic, more spectacular photos I could have used, but there is little question in my mind that this quiet shot of a Caiman sunning itself on the riverbank, really says it all for Costa Rica - you had to have been there.

Next is our 2010 trip to India, and of all the spectacular pictures possible (of the Taj Mahal, etc.), none speaks India to me like this photo of the one legged man, going about his business, caring for  his two kids in the back of his home-made rickshaw. The look in his eyes, and those of his kids' speaks without having to know the language.

This one was really hard, because our next trip to Alaska (also 2010) was such an incredible explosion of photographic wonders. Picking just ONE picture seemed an impossible task. And why this one? Well, you've got to look at it awhile, to see the angelic form breaking off the glacier, to fall down into the ice cold water. There was just something rather poignant about the whole scene.

And this next photo is from 2011, and our trip to the Canadian Rockies. As we were winding up our great adventure (including an episode called the nosebleed from hell), this particular vista, with the ravishing sunlight, the immense mountains, and the changing colors of upcoming autumn all cascaded into my camera for a great farewell.

For 2012, our most spectacular excursion was a lot closer to home, and particularly close to what has become home for us. We spent a long weekend at Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas with family and had a really special adventure. Now, that's me at this end of the ski line, not that one out there!

2013 was our year of change, and especially our change of address. But first there was this little trip to northern California which we had to get out of the way, and, regardless of what you might think of California, no thinking is required in Muir Woods, just looking and absorbing.

Then finally, our trip out west, because we really needed it by this time. It was a great and grand photographic excursion, yet it seems the quiet of Bryce Canyon was there in our memories. It has been there for centuries, quiet, majestic and a bit tucked-away.

In any event, I hope that you can take a bit of our enjoyment for yourselves, as we are off again (July 25th) for another, and beware, there will be photos!

Just one, this time.

This time, I've chosen just one photo. It's one which I have shared before (just a few posts before), but even as a rerun, this one kind of caught me off guard. It's so obviously one from the Grand Canyon, and it's one which was there for the taking - nothing fancy. But nevertheless, it expresses something so special, almost ethereal.

Back from the "Dust Bin"

In anticipation of our summer trip this year, as well as the arrival of summer weather here, I was going through some photos (some previously posted, others not), and I just thought that I would share some with you. These were all from prior summer excursions, either very local, or very far away.

Enjoy this fanciful collage! 

Just a few more - this time from Monument Valley

I was going through some of my photos from our recent trip out west, and thought you might enjoy a few more of these shots from Monument Valley. It is "The Location" for so many iconic Westerns, including a bunch of John Wayne films, Gunsmoke, and so many more. It is hallowed ground for the Navajo people, and having visited there I can see why.

Anyway, my wife and I will be going to Alaska again this summer, and I hope to take some more fabulous photos while there - but if you don't think they're any good, I'm sure you'll tell me :)

A second look

1

2

3

4

5

6

Now that I've had the chance to look over my photo collection again, I thought that I'd share some of these with you. In my way of thinking, some of the photos that I took, were taken from a peculiar perspective (e.g. numbers 1 & 6). While others were just memories of what it felt like - to be there at sunset, with the incredible silence (photos 2 - 4). And what about number 5? Well, it just seemed to me to speak of great distances...