The Lakeside Path

If you get to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia early in the day, you can have a wonderful wooden path all to yourself. But is an hour or two, people are sometimes three wide, which makes the paths a little less wonderful. Crowded paths are complicated by Asian tourists who walk on the left side and westerners like me (except for the British) who walk on the right side.Regardless of all of this, the Plitvice Lakes are amazing, as photos I've posted in the blog might prove.

The Cuddly Brown Bear

Frankly, I don't think you'd want to cuddle a brown bear. With front claws that are 4" long and with an ability to run at speeds approaching 40mph, the Alaska brown bear is best kept at a distance, as this bear was in a habitat near Sitka that had been created for bear cubs that had been separated from their mothers. As the story goes, if you and a friend are caught in the wild being chased by a bear, you don't need to outrun the bear. You just need to outrun your friend.

More of My Favorite People

I have pictured others in my "inner circle" on this blog and suggested they were favorite people of mine. How can I not show these three and not say the same? My MIL, my youngest son and my wife on a visit to see Jon in Alaska a couple years ago. As I've said before, I'm a lucky guy.

Pondering the Imponderable

This is a candid shot taken by an American photographer of a Japanese man studying a diorama of the destruction done by the atomic bomb to Hiroshima during WWII.Did I ever feel out of place while visiting Hiroshima? No. Did I feel any enmity from the Japanese I sometimes stood next to when I was at the Hiroshima Museum that day? No.I can't say how the Japanese man pictured here felt about United States' role in the destruction portrayed. But I do know that the Hiroshima Museum stands in part as a warning and as a lesson. The Museum and the Peace Center seem to say, "Here's what one relatively small bomb did. How can we prevent it from happening again?"I was uncertain about visiting Hiroshima. But I'm glad we did. . .

Alien Life Form?

This flower is no alien but it looks a bit strange, in part due to the angle and in part because the petals were not quite ready for prime time.

Four Amigos

Here's my stream of consciousness: foot prints in frost (yesterday's post) makes me think of foot prints in the sand. Foot prints in the sand make me think of Mexico. Mexico makes me think of family trips. Family trips reminds me of photo I took of the Four Cousins in Mexico a few years ago: Matt, Brian, Jon and Derek. So where do I go from here in the stream? Check back tomorrow.

Foot Steps

Foot steps left on a sandy beach are commonplace. Go ahead: do a Google search for "footsteps in the sand" and you'll see what I mean. But footsteps in frost? Those photos are hard to come by. So I am offering this picture of my footprints (high arches and all) for the world to enjoy.

Brian & Katie In Mexico

Here are two of my favorite people in one of my favorite places. I'm a lucky guy to have the opportunities I have!

Deux Amis

We were free men in Paris, unfettered and alive, posing somewhat awkwardly in front of a structure that is anything but awkward - the Nortre Dame de Paris. I handed my camera to a passing tourist. So I guess that this isn't really my photo is it?When I give my camera to a stranger so I can pose, I try to pick someone who appears to be slower than I am so that if they decide to run with my valuable equipment, I can catch them. I wouldn't tackle them, though, since that might harm my camera. . . .

Pods

This is another shot from that trail that borders the empty stretch of beach just down from the resort zone south of Playa del Carmen Mexico.

The Weld

This photo was inspired by a few welding shots my LATI students submitted for a project last semester. I knew that somewhere in my vast collection of photos, I had one welding shot and here it is.I must say that welding is inherently photogenic due to the great light the welder creates.

Red Chaos

I've read that some scientists say there is no such thing as chaos - that Nature, in it's apparently random state, is really ordered and predictable. Smarter people than I will have to find order in today's jumble of berries and branches. And quite honestly, I don't mind a little chaos. . .