Bristlecone Pine

Recently I visited the White Mountain in eastern California to view the Bristlecone pine trees. I had tried to reach this location once before back a number of years ago but the upper elevation road was snowed in. Fortunately on this trip the road was open and I was able to hike a few trails leading to the Bristlecone pine forest. These are magnificent trees that date back thousands of years in age. As the trees age they develop a weathered twisty wood structure that can be very colorful. It is truly a unique tree and after spending a day there I have a strong desire to return and spend more time there.

Cathedral Gorge

We recently returned from a two week camping trip in Nevada and enjoyed the vast and empty landscape of that area. Most of Nevada is owned be the BLM - Bureau of Land Management and we were free to camp most anyplace we desired. In the eastern part of the state we visited Cathedral Gorge State Park. It has numerous slot canyons with a moonscape look. Nevada is a great place to travel and explore with its open range and wilderness areas.

Cypress Root

I made this image while out in the swamps here in Florida. I love the cypress tree and it's intriguing root system. I often find myself resting under the shade of the trees during the mid day heat. The song of the Mockingbird over my head and the cry of the osprey circling high above is the music in nature.

Quiet Afternoon

I enjoy the days I can get out in my small boat on a lake nearby. Often times I am the only one on the water, and the quiet time is a nice break from the negative noise most of us have to endure with during these times. The winter months in Florida can have some great skies with the occational cold front that moves down from the North.

Havana Cuba

The sights and sounds of Havana Cuba offers a photographer plenty of opportunities to make a few good images. Havana is full of bustle with the daily activity of people coming and going trying to make a living in a very sparse economy. The country as a whole lives at a poverty level that many of us have never experienced. Everywhere you see the harden faces the people worn down by years of struggling to aquire their basic needs. Despite their poverty the people are very freindly and helpful with strangers, but with some people it is an attempt to ask for money. Cuba was once the richest Island in the Caribbean. When you walk the streets of Havana and see the disrepair and crumbling of what was once grand buildings of Spanish architecture, it is evident the communist government is a failure and the people suffer because of it. It is the desire and yearning of every human to live free and pursue happyness .

Bald Cypress on the Santa Fe River

I had the chance to get out on the Santa Fe River in my kayak this fall to make some photographs. I like to start out early just as the first light is coming on in the morning. The kayak let me get into shadow water and access some areas that a larger boat couldn’t get in. When I find an interesting location, I park the kayak and wade around in the swampy areas looking for a nice grouping of cypress trees. The early morning stillness and the cypress trees create a special moment and being there is always a satisfying experience.