August 20, 2022
Casa de Campo is Madrid’s largest park… covering 1535,52 hectares (almost 6 miles). We planned on having a day to explore its many features, but the temperature was just so hot. And the park was not as lush as I had in my mind. In fact the ground had a Read more…
August 9, 2022
What can I say about sunflowers I haven’t said before? A field of them is one of my special happy places. Their hearty smiles, en masse, feed me. This field in Pittsford, New York, just outside Rochester, required a bit of perseverance to locate. But when we did, I was Read more…
July 31, 2022
Mono Lake Tufa State National Reserve marks the western border of the Great Basin, a region of contiguous endorheic watersheds, meaning those with no outlets to a river or ocean. The Eastern border is Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Because these waters are at a standstill, a whole range of different natural Read more…
Ancient Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living organisms in the world. Yes, in the world! Located in the Inyo National Forest near California’s Eastern Sierras, catching a glimpse of them was a definite must for me as I passed through the amazing U.S. 395. To have the chance to walk Read more…
July 30, 2022
I was overwhelmed with the beauty of Alabama Hills. The images below capture some of it, but not the feel of the air, the scent, the feel that enveloped me. Unexpectedly, I was taken aback by this destination. I hope to return sooner than later. My rental car looking snazzy. Read more…
July 24, 2022
One of the differences between growing up in a rural vs. suburban area is an ingrained sense of boundaries. In the suburbs, where I grew up, nature exists between managed borders, named by an official sign. It’s on the way, in between, with a superficial depth indicative of the priority Read more…
July 10, 2022
Fairy Trails are one of the newest things I hunt for when I travel. They capture a whimsicalness that I find to be reaffirming and balancing. Within the efforts related to their creation, upkeep and popularity, a nurturing of a childish belief in magic, goodwill, and simple wonder. It is Read more…
July 6, 2022
S’mores on a summer night outside… it’s a love I get to experience far and few between. So the magic stays, never dissipates. But I am not the biggest fan of graham cracker. So more marshmallow, please! But a marshmallow vessel to hold the toasted marshmallow. Rice crispy treats would Read more…
June 28, 2022
It has been a while since I saw the Milky Way. So I was delighted to see it immediately as we trekked to the dark secluded sky of Cutchogue’s Nassau Point, on Long Island’s North Shore. Though it sat ontop of one of the very lavish homes in the area, Read more…
What says summer more than a field of bright shining suns smiling your way?! For a teacher, the summer is a means to undo the damage of a dysfunctional school year. And this year was the absolute worst of all I have experienced. So I would seize summer with hearty Read more…
June 14, 2022
June’s full supermoon, the Strawberry Moon, means summer is a-coming. I want to tell you interesting things about this moon, but I haven’t been able to find anything more than the usual–it’s name is tied to the availability of seasonal fruit. So I am going to make up something about Read more…
June 12, 2022
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet Shakespeare, of course Roses got me thinking things. Their yonic layers evoke all kinds of rumination. Like why are younger generations so desperate to allow a word to embody them?… to enthusiastically Read more…
May 30, 2022
Summer is excursions… …with views along the way. The sailors in town for Fleet Week. Road food (Dunkin Donuts LOL) The road before me… Bearing cookie gifts. The irises. Water in any form. In this case, fresh. Chimney Bluffs State Park from Lake Ontario Sand castles. View from the deck. Read more…
May 5, 2022
Though the nearby interstate borders it, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is wild. Wild as in the life within does its own thing, despite your want to observe it. And since this visit was a first, an blind exploration, my next would be with binoculars. For my efforts, a rainbow beaming Read more…
April 30, 2022
A Great Lake is a powerful thing. Powerful enough to play about with the land at its will, as if it were some toy in its toy chest. The result, beautiful spires made by partial collapse, persistent peaks that battle honorably before tumbling to shore, tree trunk splayed like pick Read more…
April 26, 2022
Every year I look forward to the cherry blossoms in Green-wood Cemetery. It is a mark of Spring and, in turn, a sign of Summer on its way. Though I was only able to visit early in the cherry blossom bloom, the trees were plush with plenty of pink.
April 18, 2022
I don’t mind climbing to the top of a mountain… in a car. And that is where Sandia National Scenic Byway takes you… the Sandia Crest at an altitude of over 10,000. Just a short drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, the drive offers a view of the entire area. Fun Read more…
April 17, 2022
Momentary pause in the exploration of ruins off historic Route 66, this stop–Santa Rosa’s Blue Hole–has offered roadtrippers a retreat from the desert heat for decades. Santa Rosa’s blue hole is exactly how it sounds… it’s blue; it’s a swimming hole. A really deep hole of over 80 feet whose Read more…
April 16, 2022
Known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the country. Such a short drive from Amarillo, I had to visit to emphasize just how far from the urban sprawl I am. Spending the afternoon on some its shorter trails, I was in Read more…
February 24, 2022
Having acclimated to driving about Fairbanks with some confidence, the perceived barrier of distance dissipated. I would travel south to enter the mouth of the Castner Glacier. And the 2 hour and 45 minute drive was gorgeous, with glimpses of Denali, the tallest mountain in the Northern hemisphere, and the Read more…
February 23, 2022
As you may very well imagine, the tourist draw of a hot spring within the near-arctic is pretty high. But don’t think you will need to stay at the Chena Hotsprings Resort to enjoy them. You can come just for the springs, paying $15 at the pool house that leads Read more…
February 3, 2022
Rochester Harbor Lighthouse is on the end of a long pier. In the whipping negative temperature windchills, we ventured to it as if on another more brutal planet, one that would help prepare me for the deep freeze of Fairbanks. There it is waiting… Along the way, the mouth of Read more…
November 16, 2021
Sky from plane. Welcome cauliflower tacos from Cholo Soy Cantina in West Palm Beach. 😎 😎 Delicious salad from Green Zebra in Sarasota, Florida. Their famous Raw Pancake… dehydrated banana pancake made from hemp seeds, chia seeds, cashew, and flax served with cashew cream, strawberry chia coulis, and fresh banana Read more…
November 13, 2021
Finding beauty in Florida is very easy. As I settle back into a real November in New York, some pictures from the Sunshine State. The first beach stop is always the most powerful: A quick spontaneous stop at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge–the FIRST National Wildlife Refuge in the country, Read more…
October 21, 2021
Turning Point Park Durand Eastman Park & Beach
October 16, 2021
Right around my birthday you can sometimes find a farm with a pumpkin patch that is still got blooming sunflowers. These are the center of a Venn diagram of my love of summer and my love of fall. They are a festive find that I associate with my birthday… and Read more…