Redwood is Red Wood

A Forest of Redwoods

Angie and I spent the past weekend in Big Basin State Parl: one of California's finest Redwood Sanctuaries.
If you don't know about Redwoods, they are the tallest tree on earth... possibly the oldest... and, beyond all that, they are where the ewoks live.

Maybe the Dingo ate your baby...

or maybe he just stood in the sunset...

Welcome to 'bad taste theater', or Seinfeld rerun theater - one or the other.

We were visiting Ayers Rock, in Australia, when I was surprised to see a dingo come wandering into the parking lot one night. Despite their reputation, you have to admit that they are a beautiful animal (or at least this one is...)

Then again, I'm a dog person...

Lunagraphy I

Lungshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan

If photography is 'light writing', then lunagraphy is 'moon writing'.

This is the first in a series of photos that I took by moonlight.

The image is of Lungshan Temple in Taipei. Lungshan Temple is a truly living temple - a place where religion, commerce, and politics thrive in close quarters. You'll see prayers, preachers, massages, and protests taking place here.

Places like Lungshan Temple are why I travel...

Cherry Blossom Time

Maruyama Koen, Kyoto, Japan

Last week, I was attending Presentation Reboot and sat at a table with Ai Reynolds. Ai is the wife of Garr Reynolds (author of Presentation Zen). About 10 minutes into our conversation I said, "It's Cherry Blossom time in Japan, isn't it?".

"Yes. It's about that time", she replied.

March and April can only mean Cherry Blossoms, for anyone who has spent significant time in Japan. And there is no time better in Japan (or on this planet, I would argue) than cherry blossom time - or hanami (flower viewing) time.

This photo is one I took in Kyoto, of the weeping cherry tree at Maruyama Koen. Angie and I spent an evening there, drinking sake and listening to Jpaanese sing karaoke. The smell of yakitori, the taste of sake, the sight of sakura - it was one of the best nights of my life.

Jesse Caches In

Kayaking Cache Creek

This is my good friend, Jesse Braden, conquering Cache Creek in an inflatable kayak.

Cache Creek is a couple hours north of San Francisco, making it a popular location for rafting and kayaking.

River Grass

Along the Tamagawa River

The Tamagawa is a major river in Central Japan.

Angie and I used to live a few blocks away from the river, in Tachikawa, a city west of Tokyo.

We played volleyball there, rode bikes, and even swam a couple times. Mostly, we - like most of the folks there - just relaxed, enjoying the fresh air and views of Mount Fuji.

These are wild grasses that grow along the riverside. They rustle in the summer breeze, somehow making the humidity feel just a little less oppressive.

Autumn Light

At a fair in Ohio

I don't know any of the kids in this photo, but this boy has probably graduated from college by now.

It was an autumn day at a small fair in Circleville, Ohio, and I liked the light.

A Marmot in Yosemite

A marmot's rock is his castle

Driving above Yosemite Falls in Yosmite National Park, we found a lot of these friendly, furry guys. They'll eat out of your hands, if you give them a chance.

Of course, they'll also chew through the belts and hoses in your car if you give them a chance. They're not picky...
No matter, I just liked hanging out with them and enjoying the sun.

Buddhas Brass Knuckles

Well, they're bronze, actually...

These are the hands of the great Buddha of Kamakura - the Daibutusu.

Kamakura is a former capitol of Japan, located about one hour south of Tokyo.

This Buddha is about 40 feet tall. He was cast in 1252 and survived a tsunami in the 15th century. The building was washed away, so the Daibutsu now stands outdoors.

I often wondered what it would be like to sleep in one of the hands...

Building Blocks

Along the Black River, Watertown, NY

Along the Black River, there are caves that I used to explore with friends. I was exploring one of the caves when I took this picture.

All the buildings were built to face away from Black River.

Though Watertown was built around the river, the river was never a visual focal point.

I don't know why that was...

Partners in silence, these were the foundation of the city - factories and the river that powered them.

Nature Always Wins

Tell me I can't and I'll prove you wrong...

There's very little that I can add to this picture without sounding like a crappy teenage poet, so I'll just say these three things:

1. I shot this plant growing out of a stone wall on Alcatraz island, in San Francisco Bay.
2. Don't kid yourself - nature always (always) wins.
3. I could only smile when I saw this. It's why I travel. It's why I take pictures.

Sunset Survivor

A Vermont Sunset (1992)

As we've traveled around the world, Angie and I constantly hear that "this place has the best sunsets in the world".

We've heard it for Hawaii (green flash, anyone?), Bali, Thailand, Baja Mexico, and many other places.

Don't get me wrong, they've all been great.

Not only are the sunsets great, but the sunset culture is great.

What do I mean?

I'm talking about places where people stop everything to watch the sun sink. I'm talking about places where silence falls with the light. I'm talking about places where people actually applaud the dance of color on clouds.

That's what I'm talking about.

Still, I'm going to put in a pitch for Vermont.

Yeah, that Vermont...

We lived in South Hero, on Grand Isle, for a year. It's a small island in Lake Champlain. We could watch the sun rise over the Green Mountains and then set over the Adirondacks.

You could say we were lucky.

The above photo was taken at the ferry terminal, on the west side of South Hero Island. In the year we lived there, about 30% of the nights looked like this. I have, literally, dozens of photos just like this one.

I appreciate all sunsets, but if there was a "Survivor" of sunsets, I'd lay my dollars on Vermont.

You could try to change my mind, though...

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

A Universe on my Finger

I have never seen a smaller starfish in my life.
Not before... not since...
It gives a whole new meaning to "Twinkle, twinkle little star", doesn't it?

I found this starfish in a tide pool on California's Pacific Coast.
It left both Angie and me a little speechless.
Never before had I considered the fact that starfish might start small.

Think about how little we know about starfish...
Not scientists, I mean us... people who go to beaches and collect shells and build sandcastles and swim.
I don't know about you, but I've seen a couple thousand starfish in my life. Certainly I've seen more starfish than I've seen bears or lobsters or even Ferrari's.

But when I held this starfish, I realized how little I knew about them...
I still don't know much about starfish, but I like the fact that this photo reminds me of how little I know, every time I see it.

Praying for Abalone

Sea Otter, Monterey, California

If Jim Henson and God collaborated on a creature - it would look something like a sea otter, I'm pretty sure.
There cannot be a creature more suited to be a hand puppet.

I shot this sea otter in Monterey Bay, behind the Aquarium.
It is the best aquarium in America, by the way... so get your butt there as soon as you can.

Pounding Rain

Japanese Drummers get Elemental (1993)

Is anything more elemental than drums?

The pounding mimics our heartbeats.

In fact, the pounding beat seems to control our hearts.

I knew I would love Japan when I saw (and heard and felt) the big drums called Taiko. They are present at every major festival.

This festival was a rice harvest festival held in the city of Hachioji.

When the rain started, we thought the festival would stop.

We were wrong...

Face of a Friend: Dave Giles

Dave Giles in Columbus, Ohio (1984)

I know I took photos before this one. I attended a college class in photography when I was 13 and I had a home darkroom for awhile.
But, as near as I can tell, this is earliest existing photo that came from my own eye and camera.
Maybe I'll find others. Maybe not.

If not, it's appropriate that this is the one. Dave Giles was a great friend and this is my favorite photo of him. A group of us (Dave, John, Jeff, and myself) had moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend the DeVry Institute of Technology in 1984.
This house on East Dreshler street was where some of us lived and all of us congregated.

Dave was an avid reader, so this was not an atypical scene for him.
I've always liked the warmth of the light in this shot.

It's almost a decade since Dave died in a fluke car accident. All of us who knew him wish he were still around.
It's a testiment to the power of photos that they can bring a period of time, and the senses associated with that time, back in a heartbeat.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Swimming in a state of suspended sleepiness...

I took this photo on a backstreet in Pondicheri, India in 2007.
This dog found himself a little comfort by getting off of the hot road and sleeping on a rickshaw.

This image pretty much matches how I feel today.
It's a grey day in California. Dragging myself out of bed was a chore.
I've got homework to do (statistics), but I'm having trouble getting focused.