Summer flowers at Brookgreen Gardens in SC. Lots of sculptures and flowers here, well worth the 1/2 day and if you can arrange it on a day the restaurant is open, very nice place with well prepared food.
Two! /
Celebrating two years of marriage today. Blessed beyond words.
Snake River /
This phot is from the Grand Teton National Park just a few miles south of Yellowstone National Park. This river, not this actual view, was where Ansel Adams made one of his more celebrated photos, The Tetons and Snake River, is a masterful black and white photo. This shot is about 1/2 mile west along the river, clearly not in B&W nor is it a celebrated photo. But I enjoy looking at it and recalling the lovely hike along the river for about 2 miles.
Sunday Post: photo is from central Alaska, cannot remember the exact spot. /
Fisherbear /
Watching the grizzlies grab salmon was very interesting. This bear was at Lake Clark National Park. The southern edge of the park is a massive, 6 or more miles across, shallow bay. It is ringed with mountains. And filled with hungry bear. We saw 16 in about 2 hours from an airboat that we reached by seaplane from Homer. Several caught fish but this one was very close and we were able to see all the details of the dinner.
Boy do I have a tale for you today... /
…sorry, I mean tail. This whale was spotted while heading to the Kenai Fjords on the National Park boat.
Dear Mom... /
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, is remote and on a bit of rock as we approached the landing site on the sea plane was a nesting site for these gulls. After we disembarked the plane I walked up the beach 100 yards and I shot mom and her chick high on the rock.
Red Chairs /
Somewhere near Banff, Canada.
Tussel /
The seal won the majority of the meal, as he should for he caught the salmon. However the persistent and annoying gulls were able to snare a few bites as well. Near Valdez Alaska.
Alert /
Watching for bear in Alaska while hiking is important and having bear spray is, I presume, also something you ought to have. You cannot enter Canada with the spray, so it must be purchased in Alaska. It was not something needed or even allowed when we walked among the bears at Katmai National Park but walking trails you just did not want to startle a bear or end up between a cub and her mom. The closest we came on our trip to any issue was with this grizzly. He was feeding in a field about 75 yards from the edge of a gravel road. I stopped and got out of the truck, beside the truck I should say, and started to photograph. He was moving slightly closer, at about 50 yards I opened my door and moved where I could easily get back inside. He stopped shortly after, maybe 30 yards away, and stared at us for a couple of minutes but then went back to feeding. He then moved across the field and into some woods. I did have the bear spray out and accessible but, with the truck did not really need it.
Sunday Post: Photo taken in West Virginia at the Bluestone National Scenic River /
feels like an M. C. Escher work /
The main trail leading down into Bryce Canyon is a series of switchbacks over and over again.
Dad Duty /
Along the coast of Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula I spotted this Bald Eagle watching the nest from a few yards away while his offspring would fly to the shore and back to the nest. They are about 15 feet apart but the mature eagle never stopped watching.
Tight Quarters /
This one room 17 by 15 foot cabin was built by John Wolfe. His older son, his daughter and her husband along with 2 children lived here. There was a small dam to hold water on occasion, a root cellar and a trip to town every three months to pick up supplies and orders from Sears. They ran 1000 head of cattle on the range. You can visit the cabin near the Delicate Arch trail in Arches National Park, Utah.
Harvest /
Jill and I had some excellent fresh corn this past week. We hope to hit the farmer’s market for more. This photograph was made in Lancaster, PA.
Singer - Songwriters Bluebird Cafe Take Two /
Here are two more of the singers. They were all pretty good and it was an enjoyable evening listening to them and to hear their stories and why they wrote a specific song.
Singer Songwriters, Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN /
About 10 years ago I visited Nashville and got tickets to the Bluebird Cafe. It is hard to do often. You can line up at the door as there are a few seats available that way, but the capacity of the venue is tiny and they sell the reserved seating quickly. It was singer - songwriter night and there were five musicians. My seat was close enough that I could have turned the music for the blonde singer. It was quite fun and the food was okay as well. Here are two of the performers.
Sunday Post: Photo was taken at Arches National Park, Utah, USA /
Triptych Week 6 /
This eagle picked up a piece of salmon and took off with his prize flying low near the fisherman as if to say, I do it better than you!
Triptych Week .5 /
At speed. These shots are turn three at the Virginia International Raceway near Danville, Virginia. This is one of the prettiest tracks around. It hosts several events each year from motorcycles to vintage racers (like these) to big bore CANAM type cars with lots of club days and automobile testing almost any day of the week that the track is open. Reasonable prices, nice layout(s) you can configure the track several different ways and great views. They also have a go-kart track that is NOT like the one you drove at the beach amusement park. Fast and fun. This is a Porsche 911 trying to keep up with a modified MGBGT with a V-8 engine shoehorned into the engine bay. Spoiler alert, he did not. The Porsche would close up on the corners but the two long straights gave the lighter MG an edge.
