Category Archives: Travel

Amazing travel photography told one picture at a time.

YuYuan Garden Building

Posted on August 17th, 2015 by

Rest

I have sat in this spot twice now. The first time, I was watching a cat. We had a wonderful chat, though we didn’t seem to speak the same language. The second time my furry friend was sadly absent, but I again sat, this time waiting for Pamela, who was I think a bit awed by her first visit to Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai. There is a tendency to rush when on vacation, but I think all this travel has started to teach me to find a good spot…there are SO many around. Sit, feel your surroundings, watch, smell, listen. Have a chat with the locals, even if it is a cat. You never know what you might learn.

YuYuan Garden Building
YuYuan Garden Building

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Joan Miro Exhibit

Posted on August 13th, 2015 by

Empty Halls

A quick post today, complete with no tourists! I was both ecstatic and sad to see the National Gallery in Washington D.C. so empty. It was deathly quiet…I almost literally had the place to myself. The Miro exhibit was fantastic as was the permanent collection. One might expect this from the National Gallery. Though I might lament too few people seeing master works that day, I totally appreciated the unobstructed view!

Joan Miro Exhibit
Joan Miro Exhibit

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Washington D.C Pyramid

Posted on August 10th, 2015 by

Older Works

I don’t constrain myself with only processing photos from my latest trip. I like to process what catches me at the time when I sit down on a Sunday afternoon to prepare photos for the blog. This photo was from my first solo trip. It grabbed me for some reason and I think it reminds me of another photo that I processed years ago of the Glass Pyramid gracing the front of the Louvre. It is a bit unfair to compare them, but both were designed by I.M. Pei. I personally think the photo at the Louvre is better. Perhaps that is an equally unfair comparison, but both were taken by me.

Washington D.C Pyramid
Washington D.C Pyramid

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Pea Ridge Cannon

Posted on August 6th, 2015 by

History Lessons

We almost didn’t stop, but the sign on the Pea Ridge National Military Park said it was National Park’s weekend and admission was free. I turned around three times before we finally firmly decided to stop. We would have been better off with more time and a more dedicated understanding of the history of the battle fought here, but despite our military ignorance, we found a number of really cool places at the park. The Elkhorn Tavern and the Civil War era cannons scattered around the park were wonderful. It goes to show, even if you don’t have the proper time to dedicate to a place, a quick stop will tell you if you should come back for a more through tour!

Pea Ridge Cannon
Pea Ridge Cannon

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Sunrise at My Favorite Spot

Posted on August 3rd, 2015 by

Favorite Places

Do you have a favorite place?

I usually have a hard time picking a “favorite” anything. Favorite country, favorite animal, I even find my favorite color problematic! There though is an easy answer to my favorite morning…Lanikai. I exist in a world of movement. I am constantly going places, most of which I will never return to, but I keep going back to Hawaii and specifically back to Lanikai Beach. If I have the morning in Oahu, I will always do the same thing. I hike up the Pillbox Trail, then go and swim at Lanikai Beach. One day, I hope Pamela and I will live out my remaining days on Oahu, watching the most perfect sunrise, knowing, there is no place on this Earth we would rather be.

Sunrise at My Favorite Spot
Sunrise at My Favorite Spot

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In the Depths of Union Station

Posted on July 30th, 2015 by

Metro Walls

I love the tube, the metro, the subway, the L…public transit is the way I like to get places. With the exception of Hawaii, I generally hate to drive in unknown places. Public transit lets me see people going about their daily lives, how they get places in a way no other transportation can. I am also fascinated by the honeycomb-like walls of the D.C. Metro system. I often wonder if this was an aesthetic choice, of one that provides stability to the tunnels. Anyone know?

In the Depths of Union Station
In the Depths of Union Station

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Landing in the City of Angels

Posted on July 27th, 2015 by

Flying Photos

As much as I fly, you would think I would take tons of aerial photos from planes. NOT SO! With a few exceptions, I usually don’t. I am, what you might call a getter-upper. I drink a ton of water (and wine) when I fly and I tend to use the lav as much as the rest of the cabin combined. As such I am an isle seat preference on my account (you have that set, RIGHT). On this flight, the sky was crazy colored with the sunset and the smog hanging over L.A. that I just leaned over the guy sitting next to me. He too was taking photos so that helped break the ice!

Landing in the City of Angels
Landing in the City of Angels

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On the Waters of Lake Como, Italy

Posted on July 23rd, 2015 by

The Most Beautiful

I read a story recently about a man who’s wife was dying. She asked to be taken on one last trip before she passed, she wanted to be surrounded by beauty and love. He thought of all the places he had been (he was also a traveler like me)…he took his wife to Lake Como.

I can’t say I have a favorite place in the world. There is simply too much wonder and beauty…too much flavor. The one thing I can say about the man, he made a perfect choice.

On the Waters of Lake Como, Italy
On the Waters of Lake Como, Italy

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Man in a Hat, Venice Before the Tourists

Posted on July 20th, 2015 by

Up Early

I took the earliest train I could find into Venice that morning. As I stepped off the train station steps, I felt the undulation of Venice. The city wasn’t awake yet, the sun with just coming up and Italians get a later start to the day. Crossing my first bridge, I luckily had my camera up because the man with the red bag came walking down by himself, destined for work no doubt. I caught this singular frame of his day, but one was all I needed to recall my first moments in Venice.

Man in a Hat, Venice Before the Tourists
Man in a Hat, Venice Before the Tourists

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Door Accent in the Forbidden City Beijing China

Posted on July 16th, 2015 by

Blessings of Wind

Each time I visit China, I am reminded of the blessings of the elements. Wind is most usually the element that occupies my thoughts. The air in China is something out another time. I have always had trouble deciding if it is America’s own industrial past or some dystopian version of the future. As we recovered our lung health, so too must the Chinese. The culture is wonderful and mesmerizing to be so hampered by environmental degradation. I am also thankful, despite the choking pollen, to come home to a part of the country that has moderately clean natural resources. Oh how previous these are and we have to fight to keep them clean and available for all people to use freely!

Door Accent in the Forbidden City Beijing China
Door Accent in the Forbidden City Beijing China

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