Last week, we were in Hillsdale, Michigan, in the south central part of the state. It is a relatively poor region, with no big cities, mostly small to medium-sized towns. Allen, along US12, is a center of antiques, with many dealers along the highway. I never tired of the drive from Hillsdale to Coldwater, where …
I learned that "shapes" are what are found in Nature; "designs" are what humans make, often mimicking that Nature. "I think that I shall never see a Poem as lovely as a Tree" is a little snippet of poetry that I'll bet every school child learns (author is Joyce Kilmer, who was male-yeah, I never …
Continue reading Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #383: Looking back to #174-Shapes and Designs
We have never been on campus in the winter before. This time, the daytime temperatures hovered around 23F, and at night got close to zero. The campus is in the middle of a huge construction boom, with multiple areas closed off and full of construction equipment. Snow was everywhere. One of the new buildings going …
We are in south central Michigan this week for a Hillsdale College conference. The high temperature so far has been 23F. Until today, I hadn’t seen many birds at all, but when I looked out the window at breakfast this morning, I saw my first Northern Cardinal. Cardinal on branch I think I am lucky …
I am on an airplane, going from Seattle to Detroit. Here is some of what I saw from my window seat. Shortly after takeoff: The Dakotas. See the farms Big lake A Great Lake I think we’re almost there. More later.
I think I took some very good photos last year, and I am quite happy to post them again. I'll start with my very favorites, the best ones I took last year. I think they would make good postcards. They are boats at the Everett Marina, which I took after dark in November. There was …
Continue reading Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #379: Favorite photos of 2025
It's time to display the photos I took in 2025, of which I am the proudest. These photos were taken around home, and far away. We took two big trips in 2025, to Arizona and to the Carolinas, and both trips were great for photography, as we visited places where we had not been before. …
I love Transportation, in all its forms. It started with my summer job when I was in college, working in the Traffic Department (in charge of shipping and receiving) at the Ford Motor Company Seattle Parts Depot in south Seattle. I worked there three years in a row, and I loved learning about the modes …
Continue reading Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #374: On the Move!
Well, Tina has chosen the perfect season for this topic, things that don't last! Changing skies and fall colors definitely are ephemeral! In my back yard, I have three Japanese Maple trees. Starting in mid-October, their foliage goes through two transitions, sometimes almost overnight. They start out green, and gradually turn from maroon to bright …
Continue reading Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #372: Ephemeral
We just returned from our trip to the Carolinas. On our last day, our friend took us for a pleasant walk through downtown Aiken, SC. The day was sunny and warm, and it was pretty quiet on the main drag, with its angle-parking (free!), and little shops and restaurants. Wall paintings, downtown Aiken It seems …
