Tag Archives: United States

Meet Ms Scarlett My 2016 Mini Cooper S

Posted on October 26th, 2015 by

It was her employer MS SCARLETT!

It’s a day I thought would never come…I finally purchased a NEW car! I am a frugal sort of person. All of my automobiles have been given to me in some way. A used car someone didn’t want any longer. My old 1992 Ford Ranger XLT had been through most of the members of my family when it came to live with me. Oscar is its name, but from looks, to convenience, to a dead air conditioning system on a super hot summer…I finally decided, after 40 years, it was time to actually BUY a car.

Ms Scarlett came to live with us yesterday. When I met her I literally squealed and jumped for joy. She was custom built, just how I wanted her by the awesome Mini team in Oxford, England. Already I can tell she likes to drive more than I am accustomed to. The interesting thing is she is SO FUN to drive, I am completely agreeable to this new arrangement between myself and das auto. The Mini people refer to it as “motoring” and I can tell Ms Scarlett and I have a long number of years of fun ahead of us together!

Meet Ms Scarlett My 2016 Mini Cooper S
Meet Ms Scarlett My 2016 Mini Cooper S

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Makapu’u Tidepools

Posted on October 22nd, 2015 by

Second Favorite Easy Hike on Oahu

Without a doubt, my favorite “easy” hike on Oahu is the Lanikai Pillbox Hike. Almost every time I visit Oahu I make an early morning trek across the island from Waikiki to Lanikai and hike up the hill to the old Pillboxes. It’s a hot hike, but Lanikai Beach (one of my favorite in the world) is waiting below to wash your hard work away. The problem on my last trip…RAIN!

Never fear, the Makapu’u Lighthouse trail is almost entirely paved! I started up, but realized I had never taken the not entirely sanctioned (or safe) Tidalpool side trail. It’s a wonderful view down on the rocky beach. The blowhole was in good form and there were almost no people around! You can’t tell, but this tidalpool is about two stories down from the cliff I shot it from and could easily hold 100 or more people! You can JUST see the Makapu’u Lighthouse in the background.

Makapu’u Tidepools
Makapu’u Tidepools

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A Dead Tree by the Ocean

Posted on October 19th, 2015 by

For the Love of Hawaii

People have stated to notice the frequency of my visits to Hawaii. I go maybe two or three times a year. It’s an easy trip that I often get upgraded on, but there is something more than the 8000 or so miles I earn. Hawaii pulls me back. The Hawaiian islands are paradise, but not for the reason’s people are sold. I was talking with an old friend this weekend and I think we felt similarly. Its not the sun, or the beaches, or the joy of temporary vacation. It is the ease at which everything operates in Hawaii. There is a calm there that is infectious and calm is perhaps the thing we need the most these days.

Speaking to Trees

This is one of my favorite trees in the world. It, for now, sits alone on a beach in Kauai. It can’t speak any longer. It is dead. But it still stands as a monument to itself. A beacon on a cliff that will likely fall into the ocean soon as well. This tree seems to me to encapsulate the spirit of this place. All around is life and death, air, earth, fire and water all in their rawest forms, constantly battling for supremacy. Somehow even in death, this tree speaks to me. I need to go back to hear more of its message, before it vanishes, returning to the sea.

A Dead Tree by the Ocean
A Dead Tree by the Ocean

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Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse September 2015

Posted on September 28th, 2015 by

Blood Moon

This total lunar eclipse on September 27th, 2015 took me a bit by surprise. I didn’t realize it was happening and sort of lucked out seeing post on Facebook. I quickly checked outside and I happened to get my camera setup just about midpoint of the eclipse. I am not an astral photographer (obviously), but it just goes to show you, you never know what awesome things will be happening in your own back yard!

Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse September 2015
Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse September 2015

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/5.6
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 27 September, 2015
  • Focal length: 300mm
  • ISO: 1600
  • Shutter speed: 1.3s

Street Art in Chinatown, NYC

Posted on August 24th, 2015 by

Finding A New York State of Mind

I took a trip to New York City last week. It was a busy week and I didn’t have much time to photograph (despite lugging my camera everywhere I went). Business took me though Chinatown many times during my four day visit and one the last day I was struck by this scene. I probably walked by five or six times, but only after 4 days did I actually SEE this great street art. Why do we let the busyness of life keep us from seeing the beauty of life?

Street Art in Chinatown, NYC
Street Art in Chinatown, NYC

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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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