Sunset and sunrise are special times at The Grand Canyon National Park. Light coming into the Canyon from the east in the morning and the west in the evening yields a glorious array of colors on the Canyon's walls. A cloudy sky only enhances this light and its subsequent shadows to some of the most spectacular visions ever seen.
The Grand Canyon in the winter is a special place. The crowds are sparse and while the weather can be bitterly cold, the unimpeded views of the Grand Canyon makes the freezing to sub-freezing temperatures and snow worth the trip.
Please click on the main photograph to see additional photographs of the Grand Canyon at sunrise and sunset.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, September 28, 2009
White Sands NM
At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain-ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders--the glistening white sands of New Mexico.
Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert here and created the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The dunes, brilliant and white, are ever changing. They grow, crest, then slump but always advance.
Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by the moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved white colorations to camouflage them in the gypsum sand.
White Sands National Monument preserves a major part of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have adapted successfully to this constantly changing environment.
Click on the photograph to see a gallery of photos from White Sands National Monument.
--story from the NPS White Sands National Monument brochure
Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert here and created the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The dunes, brilliant and white, are ever changing. They grow, crest, then slump but always advance.
Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by the moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved white colorations to camouflage them in the gypsum sand.
White Sands National Monument preserves a major part of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have adapted successfully to this constantly changing environment.
Click on the photograph to see a gallery of photos from White Sands National Monument.
--story from the NPS White Sands National Monument brochure
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Taking in both sides of the health care debate.
The sometimes raucous debate that is the reality of the national health care discussion came to Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, August 17th. President Barack Obama came to Phoenix to deliver a speech at the VFW convention and his appearance assured that the pro national health care folks, as well as the anti national healthcare people, would be in attendance making their views known.
As is the norm in Phoenix in August, the temperature was close to 100 degrees, and that was at the 7am announced starting time. The high temperatures and the beginning of the work week probably conspired to hold down attendance for both sides, though there appeared to be far more pro healthcare advocates than anti ones.
Taking the new Phoenix light rail line to the rally not only saved on parking expenses but it also spared my having to drive in the brutal traffic in downtown Phoenix. Taking the train also meant I had to walk past the anti health care people’s meeting place, which was a restaurant with an outdoor pavilion. Conservative talk radio station KFYI was broadcasting from the site and as the antis sipped their coffee and munched on their breakfast bagels, they did not say anything to passersby but their signs were very visible and spoke volumes.
Carrying a professional camera, and wearing nothing that enabled either side of the healthcare debate to discern where my sympathies lay, I moved freely between both sides taking photographs and asking questions. I now know that someone who wants to know why either side has staked out the position they have, can learn a lot from talking to people at these rallies.
The competing signs make a silent shout for, or against, single payer national healthcare. People who are opposed to a government sponsored national healthcare plan refer to the government’s inability to efficiently run anything. They talk about the huge government deficit and how a national healthcare program will create greater deficits, thus leaving our children and grandchildren to shoulder a debt they will be unable to pay.
Some of the arguments on both sides of the issue are specious. The pro government healthcare plan people want healthcare and does not care what it costs, does not buy into the “government cannot run anything” argument, and is not willing to accept anything less.
The anti national healthcare people ask how can the plan be paid for. When it is pointed out that the Iraq debacle could pay for the entire plan the antis quickly point out that “Muslims are trying to kill us” and we must have that war. I countered with Muslims are no more trying to kill us than Christians were when Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. That simple statement of fact brought no response.
The anti healthcare people say the government cannot run healthcare. After identifying veterans in the group I asked how was healthcare in the military? They generally agreed it was not bad. I pointed out that this was government run healthcare. Again, no response. They did point out that medicare and medicaid were both poorly run and yielding to my ignorance regarding either program, I had no response. At age 62 though I better start learning about both programs.
Pro healthcare people frequently say they do not mind an increase in their taxes to pay for healthcare because they will no longer be buying medical services. When asked how much of a pay cut they would be willing to take to cover national healthcare there is never any answer.
The misinformation put forward by the anti group gets to be a monotonous drone on the sensibilities. The talk of death panels, coverage for illegal immigrants, and other inaccurate information put forward by conservative talk show hosts and the Republican party can lead a person to believe these people are owned by insurance companies, who may have the most to lose if price competition from the government is brought to the health care field.
All in all, the health care rally was a very worthwhile and educational way to spend a morning shooting photographs and educating myself on this crucial issue. Click on the photograph to see more pictures from the Phoenix health care rally.
As is the norm in Phoenix in August, the temperature was close to 100 degrees, and that was at the 7am announced starting time. The high temperatures and the beginning of the work week probably conspired to hold down attendance for both sides, though there appeared to be far more pro healthcare advocates than anti ones.
Taking the new Phoenix light rail line to the rally not only saved on parking expenses but it also spared my having to drive in the brutal traffic in downtown Phoenix. Taking the train also meant I had to walk past the anti health care people’s meeting place, which was a restaurant with an outdoor pavilion. Conservative talk radio station KFYI was broadcasting from the site and as the antis sipped their coffee and munched on their breakfast bagels, they did not say anything to passersby but their signs were very visible and spoke volumes.
Carrying a professional camera, and wearing nothing that enabled either side of the healthcare debate to discern where my sympathies lay, I moved freely between both sides taking photographs and asking questions. I now know that someone who wants to know why either side has staked out the position they have, can learn a lot from talking to people at these rallies.
The competing signs make a silent shout for, or against, single payer national healthcare. People who are opposed to a government sponsored national healthcare plan refer to the government’s inability to efficiently run anything. They talk about the huge government deficit and how a national healthcare program will create greater deficits, thus leaving our children and grandchildren to shoulder a debt they will be unable to pay.
Some of the arguments on both sides of the issue are specious. The pro government healthcare plan people want healthcare and does not care what it costs, does not buy into the “government cannot run anything” argument, and is not willing to accept anything less.
The anti national healthcare people ask how can the plan be paid for. When it is pointed out that the Iraq debacle could pay for the entire plan the antis quickly point out that “Muslims are trying to kill us” and we must have that war. I countered with Muslims are no more trying to kill us than Christians were when Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. That simple statement of fact brought no response.
The anti healthcare people say the government cannot run healthcare. After identifying veterans in the group I asked how was healthcare in the military? They generally agreed it was not bad. I pointed out that this was government run healthcare. Again, no response. They did point out that medicare and medicaid were both poorly run and yielding to my ignorance regarding either program, I had no response. At age 62 though I better start learning about both programs.
Pro healthcare people frequently say they do not mind an increase in their taxes to pay for healthcare because they will no longer be buying medical services. When asked how much of a pay cut they would be willing to take to cover national healthcare there is never any answer.
The misinformation put forward by the anti group gets to be a monotonous drone on the sensibilities. The talk of death panels, coverage for illegal immigrants, and other inaccurate information put forward by conservative talk show hosts and the Republican party can lead a person to believe these people are owned by insurance companies, who may have the most to lose if price competition from the government is brought to the health care field.
All in all, the health care rally was a very worthwhile and educational way to spend a morning shooting photographs and educating myself on this crucial issue. Click on the photograph to see more pictures from the Phoenix health care rally.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Les rues de Calais
Calais has a casino, a lot of bars, and.......
In World War II the Germans bulked up their forces in and around Calais, France in anticipation of the allied invasion of Europe. As we all know the invasion took place much further down the French coast at Normandy. Calais was eventually isolated and taken by the Canadiens after the invasion, which had completely surprised the Germans with its location.
I have watched countless Hollywood versions of the invasion of Europe, known as D-Day and I noticed how the Germans and American always talked about Calais. From The Longest Day to D-Day the 6th of June, to Band of Brothers, Calais is consistently mentioned numerous times by both sides.
Now that I have visited Calais I can a rhetorical central question of the characters who talk about Calais. That question is, why would anyone want to go to Calais? While it is the closest place to England on the European continent, it has little else to attract anyone. There is a casino, restaurants, and countless bars.
When I was growing up in Philadelphia my parents used to make reference to the bars at the end of each block and the one in the middle of the block. In addition there would be a church between the bars. The bars and the churches both wanted your money, and neither cared much how they got it.
In Calais there are bars on the corners. There are taverns in the middle of each block and also in between the middle and the end of the block. There is also a casino and a port with a ferry that travels between Calais and England, which is just across the English Channel.
Calais has its small residential area but in my mind it will only be noted for its taverns. It has a couple of churches, but there are those pesky taverns again. I saw a small park near the town’s center but the hotel clerk warned me to be careful at night and to use the hotel bell to gain entrance because it was not safe at night. There are she said somewhat embarrassed, “A lot of bars here”.
Now that I have seen Calais, I can move on to Lille and never have to wonder what is in Calais again. Click on the photograph to see more of Calais.
In World War II the Germans bulked up their forces in and around Calais, France in anticipation of the allied invasion of Europe. As we all know the invasion took place much further down the French coast at Normandy. Calais was eventually isolated and taken by the Canadiens after the invasion, which had completely surprised the Germans with its location.
I have watched countless Hollywood versions of the invasion of Europe, known as D-Day and I noticed how the Germans and American always talked about Calais. From The Longest Day to D-Day the 6th of June, to Band of Brothers, Calais is consistently mentioned numerous times by both sides.
Now that I have visited Calais I can a rhetorical central question of the characters who talk about Calais. That question is, why would anyone want to go to Calais? While it is the closest place to England on the European continent, it has little else to attract anyone. There is a casino, restaurants, and countless bars.
When I was growing up in Philadelphia my parents used to make reference to the bars at the end of each block and the one in the middle of the block. In addition there would be a church between the bars. The bars and the churches both wanted your money, and neither cared much how they got it.
In Calais there are bars on the corners. There are taverns in the middle of each block and also in between the middle and the end of the block. There is also a casino and a port with a ferry that travels between Calais and England, which is just across the English Channel.
Calais has its small residential area but in my mind it will only be noted for its taverns. It has a couple of churches, but there are those pesky taverns again. I saw a small park near the town’s center but the hotel clerk warned me to be careful at night and to use the hotel bell to gain entrance because it was not safe at night. There are she said somewhat embarrassed, “A lot of bars here”.
Now that I have seen Calais, I can move on to Lille and never have to wonder what is in Calais again. Click on the photograph to see more of Calais.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
London, March 2009
My London visit has come to a conclusion. I made two mistakes with this visit. First, I did not schedule enough time to see more of the city. London is a huge city with 1000+ years of history and I did not even see half of it. Second I did not allow for time spent at the places I did visit.
I spent a couple of hours at the National Gallery and a couple of hours at the Tower of London. I walked to both places so I could see more of the city and I did not allow for the time needed to move my 62 year old bones across the city. The next time I visit London I will know better.
London proved to be a friendly city. Buckingham Palace, pictured on the left, is constantly packed with tourists. Many of them were teenagers, which prompted me to wonder why they were not in school.
When you think of the history of this place and the people who lived here, names such as King George III and his African ancestored wife Charlotte, Henry VIII, who had Ann Boelyn beheaded, Queen Elizabeth, all of them, and Queen Victoria, you realize that much of the history of the western world was dictated by people who lived in Buckingham Palace.
Trafalgar Square was undergoing maintenance and construction but was still a lovely visit. I walked the Buckingham Palace mall to get to Trafalgar and it was a lovely walk indeed. With verdant St. James Park on one side, the wide boulevard was lined with the flags of Great Britain and Mexico, whose President was visiting the Queen the day I was there.
Britain has a lot of statues and memorials to its famous generals. These men made possible the saying that "the sun never sets on the British empire". There were statues to men who had succeeded in India, China, Burma, South Africa, and France in the Napoleonic wars. There were no statues erected for Generals Clinton, Howe, and Cornwallis, who presided militarily over the loss of the American colonies. This is only further proof there are no honors or awards for second place, especially in war.
The Tower of London, a United Nations world heritage site, is a forbidding place and I can only imagine the horror for people who were sent there centuries ago. The crown jewels are stored here and it is still used as a fortress, as it has been for since it was built. The Romans first used this site and the British have improved upon the work of the Romans. Once used as a prison and execution site for enemies of the crown, it is now a monumental tourist trap.
I walked across the Tower of London bridge and crossed the Thames river, one of the world's great rivers. I also walked back to the hotel, or at least as close to the hotel as I could get before my feet, legs, and back gave out and I was forced to hail a cab.
The only bad spot in London was when I went to a restaurant named Olivo for dinner. The owner met me at the maitre'd's stand and informed me that he was full. I could plainly see that 3/4ths of the restaurant was empty and when he noticed me looking at the empty chairs, he told me he could seat who he wanted to seat. I told him I could plainly see how full he was, what with most of his customer disguised as empty chairs. I don't know if he had a racial problem or an appearance problem. I was dressed in a black baseball cap, black jacket, and blue jeans. Of course he could have just said my attire was improper but he did not.
All in all London is a great place. A diverse city with many different ethnic groups living and working together, it was also a clean city with a friendly populace. I had numerous conversations with people I did not know about America, Bush, Obama, and futbol. I cannot wait to visit the city again.
Click on the photograph to see a complete set of pictures from London. Now it is off to Calais, Lille, and Paris on the channel train.
I spent a couple of hours at the National Gallery and a couple of hours at the Tower of London. I walked to both places so I could see more of the city and I did not allow for the time needed to move my 62 year old bones across the city. The next time I visit London I will know better.
London proved to be a friendly city. Buckingham Palace, pictured on the left, is constantly packed with tourists. Many of them were teenagers, which prompted me to wonder why they were not in school.
When you think of the history of this place and the people who lived here, names such as King George III and his African ancestored wife Charlotte, Henry VIII, who had Ann Boelyn beheaded, Queen Elizabeth, all of them, and Queen Victoria, you realize that much of the history of the western world was dictated by people who lived in Buckingham Palace.
Trafalgar Square was undergoing maintenance and construction but was still a lovely visit. I walked the Buckingham Palace mall to get to Trafalgar and it was a lovely walk indeed. With verdant St. James Park on one side, the wide boulevard was lined with the flags of Great Britain and Mexico, whose President was visiting the Queen the day I was there.
Britain has a lot of statues and memorials to its famous generals. These men made possible the saying that "the sun never sets on the British empire". There were statues to men who had succeeded in India, China, Burma, South Africa, and France in the Napoleonic wars. There were no statues erected for Generals Clinton, Howe, and Cornwallis, who presided militarily over the loss of the American colonies. This is only further proof there are no honors or awards for second place, especially in war.
The Tower of London, a United Nations world heritage site, is a forbidding place and I can only imagine the horror for people who were sent there centuries ago. The crown jewels are stored here and it is still used as a fortress, as it has been for since it was built. The Romans first used this site and the British have improved upon the work of the Romans. Once used as a prison and execution site for enemies of the crown, it is now a monumental tourist trap.
I walked across the Tower of London bridge and crossed the Thames river, one of the world's great rivers. I also walked back to the hotel, or at least as close to the hotel as I could get before my feet, legs, and back gave out and I was forced to hail a cab.
The only bad spot in London was when I went to a restaurant named Olivo for dinner. The owner met me at the maitre'd's stand and informed me that he was full. I could plainly see that 3/4ths of the restaurant was empty and when he noticed me looking at the empty chairs, he told me he could seat who he wanted to seat. I told him I could plainly see how full he was, what with most of his customer disguised as empty chairs. I don't know if he had a racial problem or an appearance problem. I was dressed in a black baseball cap, black jacket, and blue jeans. Of course he could have just said my attire was improper but he did not.
All in all London is a great place. A diverse city with many different ethnic groups living and working together, it was also a clean city with a friendly populace. I had numerous conversations with people I did not know about America, Bush, Obama, and futbol. I cannot wait to visit the city again.
Click on the photograph to see a complete set of pictures from London. Now it is off to Calais, Lille, and Paris on the channel train.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Tumacacori
As Jesuit Eusebio Francisco Kino and his party approached the Pima settlement of Tumacacori in January 1691, they rode the wave of a century of expansion northward along New Spain's west coast corridor.
In 1767 King Charles III of Spain, for political reasons, abruptly banished the Jesuits from all his realms. The Franciscan, who took over the missionary effort inherited the woes that had frustrated the Jesuits: restless neophytes, Apache hostility, disease, encroaching settlers, and lack of government support. The Tubac garrison was transferred to Tucson in 1776, and by 1786 only a hundred Indians remained at Tumacacori.
Click on the photograph to view more pictures of Tumacacori National Historical Park.
In 1767 King Charles III of Spain, for political reasons, abruptly banished the Jesuits from all his realms. The Franciscan, who took over the missionary effort inherited the woes that had frustrated the Jesuits: restless neophytes, Apache hostility, disease, encroaching settlers, and lack of government support. The Tubac garrison was transferred to Tucson in 1776, and by 1786 only a hundred Indians remained at Tumacacori.
Click on the photograph to view more pictures of Tumacacori National Historical Park.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Venice - Day Four
Today we left Venice for a tour of Torcello and the island of Burano, both near Venezia. We rode up the Grand Canal and took a leisurely one hour boat ride to Torcello. The centuries old church there is rich in history and one of the shrines of the Catholic church. Photography was not permitted in the church but we did receive a history of the church at Torcello and were allowed to tour the grounds, where photography was permitted.After Torcello we took a ten minute boat ride to Burano. This very colorful island village is a must stop for anyone visiting Venice. The richly colored village is a photographer's dream. I walked practically the entire island and just had a grand old time clicking away with the camera.
On day five we visit the Jewish ghetto, which does not mean the same thing ghetto means in the US.
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