February 2012 Balloons

Hard to believe there was so little snow on the ground two years ago, when I took these hot air balloon pics. I always love the creativity that goes into creating a hot air balloon.

Travelogue: Hawaii #3

+Janet Swanson and I are recalling our Hawaii trip, and one of our memorable moments was going to see the double waterfall at Wailua on the island of Kauai. The waterfall itself is amazing (it was part of the opening scenery in the old Fantasy Island tv series), but we got just as much of a kick talking to a mainland transplant that we affectionately refer to as "Coconut Dude". He was camped out by the overlook of the falls. He was not selling coconuts - for that would have been a clear violation of the No Soliciting sign that was posted there - but he had a stack of fresh-picked coconuts that he was giving away for a "free will donation". He left the mainland to pursue his love interest on Kauai (not sure how that was working out...), and he was biding his time climbing trees and *not* selling coconuts. To this day, we get a good laugh out of his free spirit. A good reminder for us all to let go of the seriousness of the world sometimes.

Today you get a three-fer... three shots from Wailua Falls and "Coconut Dude".

Travelogue: Norway #4

One of the things I loved about traveling in Norway was the spectacular scenery as we drove from one city to the next. Here, +Janet Swanson and I were making our way to Balestrand. We had just come through some hilly inland terrain, and had crossed a mountain crest on our way down to the next fjord. Here is our view of the little town of Vik, through which we passed on our way to Balestrand. I like the moodiness of the sky against the pastoral green valley.

Travelogue: Caribbean #2

Under that palm tree in the center of the frame is where I asked Jan to marry me ;0)

True Confessions

So the story goes like this:

In college I used to hike the woods around campus, looking for wildlife. You could usually catch site of a deer or two, sometimes a mink or a fox. One afternoon in January, I was going a little stir crazy, so I decided to take the camera out on a hike, determined to get a nice photo of a deer.

I took one of my usual routes where I had seen deer before (sans camera, of course), and kept my camera at the ready. Needless to say, the deer did not get the memo, and no deer were to be seen. On the tail leg of my hike, dejected by my failure to see even one deer, sure enough off in the woods I spy a nice buck. The woods were thick enough that I only had an obstructed view. I then made my tragic error: I left the trail.

The deer went deeper in to the woods, as you would expect, and I followed, thinking (thinking?) I could a) keep up, and b) get a better view. I was confident I knew where I was headed, and where I had come from, and that I could find my way back.

Fast forward: I never saw that deer again that day, and I got totally discombobulated as to my whereabouts. As light faded, and winter chill set in, I now faced the realization that I was lost in the woods in the middle of January. I imagined the headline: "College sophomore freezes to death in woods... deer eludes capture."

Trudging on, I emerged out of the woods into a cornfield. I headed toward the road, and made my way back to campus. I never got the picture of the deer, and instead all I got was this picture of the lousy cornfield.