Sunset, July 4, 2010

Yes, this is just another sunset photo and there is nothing that would necessarily distinguish this shot from a billion other sunset photos. So why post it?Well, in part because it was Independence Day in the US and that night, since we had no fireworks in our supplies on my sailboat, the beautiful, blazing sunset would have to suffice. Also, this photo - a snapshot really - marks a moment in my summer worth remembering. Scott P and I had had a successful day of sailing and fishing. After 15 hours of nearly constant motion, we had pulled in to our anchorage in Mission Creek on Lake Oahe and we had the whole place to ourselves.The wind had died and the only sounds we could hear were the gentle creaking of the rigging of "Wandering Star," the muted sound of birdsong and crickets coming from the shore and the distant call of coyotes flowing down the western hills from miles away. All of that and, to borrow a phrase from Emily Dickinson, the "yellow noise" of the sun. I was in one of my favorite places in the world with one of my favorite people.This captured moment may have little meaning to you. But it will give me sustenance for months to come.

The Happy Fisherman

Most people fish Lake Oahe for its walleye. But my friend Peterson thought finding northerns would be just fine and on day two of our fishing/sailing expedition, this is what he found. I don't have a scale on my sailboat so we had to go looking for a fisherman who did. Total weight: 20.2 lbs. Scott has been fishing in Canada for 30 years but this is the largest northern he has ever caught. And I helped.If you want to see the exact location where we caught this fish, check out the Panoramio link. There may be more.

Rural Scene

I have mentioned that one of the virtues of my home town of 25,000 people is that I can get in my car and drive north and be a place as rural as any one could look for. This photo is evidence. I found this scene looking for sunrise shots. The color has not been manipulated or enhanced - this is what my camera saw. I guess the golden light and fog are "real."

The Little Girl and the Pigeon

A Friendly Fisherman

The FLW Outdoors walleye fishing circuit came to Lake Oahe and brought pro fishermen looking for The Big One(s). I was watching the pros get ready on one of the mornings of the tourney and captured this photo. I was trying to get a candid shot but instead I got a friendly wave. The winner won close to $38,000 for his efforts. If you are a walleye fisherman, you may be interested in the tournament story. Try going here.

We Can See Ourselves!

We were packing our rental car and getting ready to leave our little cottage in Aldeia da Mata Pequena, Portugal, when the two resident peacocks walked up and started to look at themselves in the dark reflection. I thought they were admiring themselves, but when they started to peck at our car, I concluded that they thought they were looking at two other peacocks that somehow posed a threat. They moved on amiably when I opened the passenger car door.

Fish and Chips

I had heard of the famous English delicacy "fish and chips" long before I had been to London the first time. And so, when I had the opportunity, I ordered the combo from a street vendor. It was served in a cone of paper that was soon drenched with the oil from the deep fat fryer it was cooked in. For a person with a cholesterol problem, this is not the best cuisine.On our recent trip to London, it was Deb's turn to order fish and chips. I sampled it and it seemed better than what I had had. Better fish? Better potatoes? Maybe better presentation? Who knows.

Portuguese Countryside

I have posted another photo from this same area - of a little stone wall. I wanted to post this because it shows (with a little imagination) the small village 40 miles north of Lisbon where our stone cottage was. In the near distance is a walled cemetery. Moving up from that you see a fairly large town. And then above that and a little to the right is the small village we called home

Stolen Treasures?

The Elgin Marbles are the beautiful carvings that decorated the famous Parthenon on the acropolis of Athens. But to see these carvings, don't go to Athens. Instead you'll need to visit the British Museum, as we did on our recent trip to England.They are wonderfully displayed. But if you are a native Greek, you probably want them back. In fact every time I've been to the Acropolis there is someone passing out pamplets arguing for their return. The British, though, aren't giving them back any time soon. They maintain that they were never stolen but instead purchased fair and square. And they also say they are taking good care of them.

The Prime Meridian

The line that I'm stradling is 0 degrees longitude, aka the "prime medidian." It is the point from which our clocks are indexed and also all the lines of longitude. How Greenwich got to be the 0 point and how building the perfect clock became THE engineering goal of the era is an interesting story. But I'm not going to tell it here. This is a photo blog. But if you are interested, "Longitude" by Dava Sobel tells it all.

Location, Location, Location

I don't mean to make fun of the mendicant who sat right next to the entrance to the Cathedral in Evora, Portugal. Nor would I want to make light of the circumstances that lead to poverty. We gave money to the man as we walked in but I really didn't know if he was poor and disabled or if he was a college professor earning his summer income.One of the things that strikes me about the beggar is that there is no doubt a centuries old tradition of mendicants positioning themselves on these very steps and asking the wealthy for money and they walked by.

More Purple

This may look a bit like the lavender is growing in a rustic walled garden. But it is actually growing in plots that were established over 500 years ago on the island of Hvar, which is part of Croatia. The lavender continues to grow but the people who harvest it are long gone.This photo is from several I took of the lavender fields on Hvar a few summers ago. Inspired by my daughter-in-law Katie (who loves purple) I went looking for purple pictures.