Being Watched


Some time ago we had rented a small boat near Little Hickory Island, south of Fort Myers, Florida. These two Pelicans remained perched, even though we were slowly approaching, giving me an opportunity for this image. I particularly like the sharpness of the nearer bird’s head, as he peacefully scrutinized our passing.

Thanks for viewing and as usual, comments are always welcome M 🙂

 

Yosemite Falls, California, USA – On A Windy Day

A mid-August view of the very top of Yosemite Falls and spray on a windy day! 

As photographed awhile back, …the late-season lower volume of water would freefall for 1,400 feet (427 m) (shown above being sunlit and windblown at the very top) and then cascade down another near 1400 feet before reaching the bottom of the iconic Yosemite Valley, part of Yosemite National Park in western-central  California.

Thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

 

 

The Smith Tower – Seattle, Washington

At forty-two stories, 462′ (141 m,) the Smith Tower was the tallest building in Seattle for fifty-five years, 1914 to 1969. On a vacation some years ago, we enjoyed the history of that building and climbing to the observation level near the top.

From the NW corner,  eleven-year old Steve stands before the Seattle Space Needle seen here to the north.

                      Eastern Elliot Bay forms the waterfront of Seattle.

And the view south is the old King Dome, which we thoroughly toured earlier, with the King Street Train Station (with tower) and I-5 in the distance to the left, here looking south

         Thanks for viewing, zoom in for a closer look and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

Grand Canyon to Tetons

A slightly different take on two great national parks.

Above: Kaibab Trail, South Rim Grand Canyon – 8/7/95

Thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. Zoooom in for a closer look. M 🙂

Above: Early morning fog (referring to the photographer, me!) and Jackson Hole – 8/11/90

A Place and Time Away – 4/24/06

         Taking a mental break from face masks, self-quarantining and some worry about family (all coping well,)  …here are some images from “York River Park,” near Williamsburg, Virginia – April 24, 2006, with my then amazing 10x optical zoom, stabilized, 2.1 Megapixel camera. 

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        Thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcomed.  M:-)

In Quest of Punxsutawney Phil

         February 2nd is Groundhog Day here in the United States (and Canada.) Although the tradition begs for a relatively large imagination, lore has it that this particular rodent, Phil, who lives just outside town, can forecast the weather. As it was my wife’s birthday, we added this somewhat iconic town, Punxsutawney,  to our weekend road trip through parts of Pennsylvania. So, despite some issues with snow, we did join the throngs of Phil worshippers, and made it back home by nightfall.  Oh, and he did NOT see his shadow, indicating an early spring!

Thanks for viewing. Zoom in for a closer look. Comments are always welcome. M :-)

 

 

Swiss Army Knife meets Mt. St. Helens

         Lately, I seem to be hung up on Swiss Army Knives. See here.  Originally, in that post, I wanted to compare the enormous display with my real knife. Unfortunately,  I couldn’t find the knife. But …here it is. I had used it as contrast to the ash from the Mt. St. Helens explosion, nine years earlier.  The two pictures below, from our vacation in August, 1989, were taken on the banks of the Toutle River some 30 miles downstream from the catastrophic event which literally blew the top off the mountain.

ABOVE: A few miles east of the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center in Washington State, Rt. 504 crosses the Toutle River, (located near “Toutle” on the satellite image below.)  BELOW: Topless Mt. St. Helens is visible from Interstate 5, about 35 miles away.


                    The Visitor Center is between “Castle Rock,” and “Toutle.

                     Thanks for viewing, and zoom in for a closer look. M 🙂

 

 

Fun in Downtown L.A. Then and Now

Family Vacation, 32 years ago. American Airlines 747 from NYC’s Kennedy Airport to LAX. After the image below, is the story of  “Early A.M. in L.A.  on 11/10/87”   

 Images: Above: Giant Swiss Army Knive at Museum of Contempoary Art, Downtown L.A. – and L.A. as seen from Griffith Observatory, 11/11/87 with  City Hall to left – 5.6 miles (9 km) distant.
Above, the iconic L.A. City Hall, known at the time as “The Dragnet Building.”

Twelve hours after landing, I would be exploring Los Angeles by foot before the morning’s rush hour, while the family slept off jet-lag in the Holiday Inn about a mile away. An awesome two hour adventure into an “architectually diverse” downtown, with parks and plazas, and… WHAT??? – a Giant Swiss Army Knife???   Yes indeed!  

 

And, not far away, …Swinging Cars!hi

Years later, and of course living 3000 miles away, I wondered exactly where these two photos were taken. I searched maps, and photos where I could, without success – until now. Thanks to the remarkable 3D satellite image and orientation tools available on most any smart phone and/or computer, I “flew” between the buildings and first found the cars: W. Fourth street, and S. Grand Ave.  See it below?

The Swiss Army knife was a lot harder. In fact, it’s not there anymore. BUT, by looking at the photo I took in 1987, and specifically for the glass pyramid in its background,  I zoomed way in on the “Tom Tom” 3D map, and searched until noticing the glass pyramid structure. Below is from today’s mapping app, zoomed in showing that same glass pyramid. A “new” contempoary display is in the exact place where the knife was 32 years ago. 

Above: The Plaza at The Museum of Contemporary Art, on S. Grand Street, L.A. (From Tom Tom Maps,  Apple I-Pad)

Below, another photo of downtown Los Angeles on that beautiful morning.

Thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome, and zoom in for a closer look. M 🙂