A Colorful Wish

Ten years after the bombing of Hiroshima, a young girl named Sadako Sasaki died of leukemia as a result of radiation from the nuclear bomb that was dropped on her city. But before she died, she folded nearly 1000 origami paper cranes. Legend had it that if you folded 1000 paper cranes, you would be granted a wish. Her wish, of course, was to be healthy again so she could run and play with the other children.Sadly, she died. But her story became famous and today the origami crane is a symbol of international peace. This photo was taken at Hiroshima. But not too long ago I walked into a geography classroom in my school in Watertown, SD, and hanging from the ceiling was a multitude of colorful paper cranes.The Hirsoshima Peace Memorial wasn't on my list of things to see when we visited Japan a few years ago but our son Brian insisted that we go. I'm glad we did. Interestingly, I am moved more now when I look at the photos I took than I was when I was taking them. But at that time, I didn't know the story of Sadako Sasaki.Here's a view of of the monument that houses the eternal flame, with the famous Genbaku Dome in the background. Click here for a bird's eye view.

Caressed

When I was thinking of the name for this post, I considered something literal like "Apples" or "Apples In Florence" (or wherever I found them). But I picked caressed because of the way the light sculpts and wraps around the apples.

Shadow & Light

This was a decoration on the base of a public fountain in Arles, France. As I was getting this photo ready for posting, it occurred to me that I rarely go looking for "sun and shadow" photos because I am usually looking for soft light in shade. It is part of my style. Or rut.Arles is the city in which Van Gogh, one of my favorite artists, lived and worked for a while. Other artists besides Van Gogh worked in the south of France because of the light. The weather isn't bad, either.Canon 20D 1/100s f/7.1 ISO200 68mm
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Sailing the Alps

Of course you can't "sail the Alps" but you can certainly sail with the Alps in full view, as here on beautiful Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.The last student group I took to Europe spent two nights in this beautiful place. After London and Paris, it was a perfect place to recharge our batteries. It was also a good place to window shop for expensive Swiss watches. Oh, and I bought a Swiss Army Knife while I was there. It looks pretty much like one you could buy at Scheels.Canon 5D 1/80s f/4.0 ISO400 95mm
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Kruzof Woods

I've been lazy in my search for new subjects to photograph and so I am dusting off the archives. This photo isn't that old - I took it this past summer on our visit to Jon in Sitka, Alaska.Kruzof Island is a rugged, unhabited island best traversed by rugged 4 wheeled machines. Walking would work but, unless you encounter and angry bear, it doesn't cause the same adrenaline rush the green noisy Yamahas cause.Canon 5DII 1/40s f/4.5 ISO500 24mm

Our Place In Corsica

This was only our "place" for three nights. But it came with a nice beach and great food (as pictured yesterday). One of the things I try to do when I plan our foreign travel is to get to places that aren't overwhelmed by American tourists. Being an American, I don't mind other Americans. But if I want to go to some place exotic just to be swarmed by other Americans, the Mall of America is closer and cheaper.Corsica is certainly off the beaten path - especially in early June, when Deb and I were there. The hotel's name is the Hotel Abbartello, and it is on the West coast of Corsica. I think we paid about $80 per night for a nice room, a nice beach and food that was locally renowned.

A Walk On the Moon?

This is clearly not the moon. It is the kind of terrain you will find at South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you have never been to Hawaii, I hope you get to the Big Island because there are such amazing contrasts. It has lush, tropical rain forests, and nearly barren, wind-swept areas like the one pictured here. And it has everything in between, including rolling cattle ranches.This photo was taken very near the famous Green Sand Beach, which our son Jon took us to several years ago. Getting there was difficult but well worth it. I doubt I would have gone if it hadn't been for Jon. It is also close to the spot where you can jump off the most southern point in the US.

Swan Dive

Some peered cautiously over the edge (me). Some jumped in feet first (Brian). And one did a swan dive (nicknamed "Grom.")This was taken at a place called South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. I don't know Grom's real name but I do know that he was very athletic and half crazy, from what my son Jon told me.

Fuzzy Logic

If you hadn't already figured it out, this is a cactus. Nature's design? Or an experiment in genetic engineering? Either way, what were they thinking!? Compare this cactus with "Thorny Problem."The botanical name for this plant is the Mammillaria vaupelli "Cristata." Sometimes it's called "brain cactus."

Electric

This is another photo from our recent trip to California. After I got done taking a few broad shots from the top of Mulholland Drive, I turned my camera towards some long grass that was illuminated by the strong morning sun.

03-28-10 Stranger In A Strange Land

This title is not at all descriptive of the subject of this photo. The title suggests how I felt when we visited California. The fact that I had never seen a plant like this (in the Norton Simon art park in Pasdena, California) suggests that I was a bit of an alien. Sorry, but I don't know what it is called.

As I was looking at my California photos to find something to post today, I decided that I think that everybody ought to visit the Los Angeles area. It seems so American to me: the sprawling megapolis, the wealth, the exotic cars, the Walk of Fame, the beautiful endless coast and the mixing of cultures, to name a few.

For a South Dakotan like me, California is like Japan: exotic and inviting. For what it's worth, incidentally, I also think that everybody ought to visit South Dakota - especially Californians.

03-26-10 Cool Cat

This is my third post in six days from the Norton Simon Museum of Art in Pasadena. The museum was great but the sculpture garden was beautiful - espcially on a spring day in California. The bronze cat is a sculpture but the white trees also are a strong sculptural element in the garden.

Canon 5DII 1/100s f/4.5 ISO200 65mm