Late Start

We are used to snow in South Dakota, of course. But snow still has the potential to interrupt our routines. The last two days have seen 2-hour late starts in our schools. Thus, because I didn't have to be to work until 10 today, I found myself driving around looking for photo opportunities.Here, students are changing buses in front of the Middle School and I was struck by all the color, including the bright yellow of the school buses. Of course, it did occur to me as I was taking this photo it might seem strange that a man in a pick-up truck was taking pictures of kids getting out of school buses. But I don't think it's a crime, is it?

The Snowy Dog

People are crazy about their pets and I was certainly guilty of being crazy about our Springer Spaniel, Polly. She seemed to love life and everyone she met. Polly is long-gone now but I come across photos of her every once and a while - I had forgotten I had this one.

Flesh and Blood

My oldest son, Brian, is pictured in this blog more often than Jon is. And, because Jon sent me a flattering email about my blog photos earlier today, I thought I would reward him by posting a photo I took of him 10 years ago somewhere in Italy. He has a better sense of style than I do and he gets his looks from his mother, fortunately. He's a pretty good photographer, though. Maybe he got that from me?

Variations On A Beach

As long a things like blizzards and Alberta clippers keep whipping through South Dakota, I keep posting tropical scenes. This photo was taken a little after the "Sunrise" photo I posted a few days ago. I'd like to be sitting on this huge driftwood log watching the waves roll in.

Pool Bar - Rui Riviera Maya Palace

Of course I spent very little time at the pool bar at our resort, but many others did. This photo was taken shortly before they opened at 10:00.

Reflections

You may have noticed that there is little night photography posted to this blog. That's largely due to the fact that I am a "morning person." But every once and a while, I'm out and about after the sun goes down and this photo proves that.It was taken in Mexico at a resort called the Riu Palace Riviera Maya. Here's my contribution to the "light dappled water" genre of photography. . .

Wind Swept

On a recent trip to Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, I sitting in a beach chair near this tree and noticed that the strong breeze was blowing the palm fronds back as if the tree were a tall, thin human with a full head of hair.But this human has green coconuts!!?? Is there any way of knowing when one might fall? A South Dakotan has very little natural experience with things like this.

Turquoise

It was windy, mostly cloudy but warm the day I took this photo on a spot along the Mayan Riviera south of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Family Ties

Green Abstraction

I was walking along a trail that ran parallel to an unoccupied stretch of beach south of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, when I saw some kind of tropical shrub that was loaded with green pods. Like many things that strike me in nature, I like the symmetry in these seed pods. I wish I knew what kind of plant this is . . . .

01-01-11 Sunrise

This photo is a result of being in the right place at the right time - with the right lens, which was a 17-40 mm wide angle lens. The beach is along the so-called Maya Riviera south of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Seing the sunrise along this stretch of beach is a bit rare since there always seem to be clouds along the horizon. But on this day, the sun showed its face for about 5 minutes and so I get the great play of light along the sand.