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Cruise Ship Westerdam in Sitka Alaska-Love cruising! You unpack once and you’re done for the week. Somebody else takes the wheel, and you do whatever it is you want to do. Recently we spent a week cruising out of Seattle to Glacier Bay and back. Imagine leaving 112 degrees in Phoenix to an area that is 40-50′s. We spent most of the time with jackets and gloves on and loved every minute of it. I think one of these months I’m going to do a whole month of cruising photos from the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe. That will take some putting together, but I think I’m up to it. If you want to know about some of our favorite cruising spots let me know.
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Cruise Ship Westerdam in Sitka Alaska-Love cruising! You unpack once and you’re done for the week. Somebody else takes the wheel, and you do whatever it is you want to do. Recently we spent a week cruising out of Seattle to Glacier Bay and back. Imagine leaving 112 degrees in Phoenix to an area that is 40-50′s. We spent most of the time with jackets and gloves on and loved every minute of it. I think one of these months I’m going to do a whole month of cruising photos from the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe. That will take some putting together, but I think I’m up to it. If you want to know about some of our favorite cruising spots let me know.

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  • The Carson Mansion-Ingomar Club, Eureka, California-One of the greatest examples of late 1800′s Victorian-style architecture, the Carson Mansion has been renovated back to it’s original character and is owned by the Ingomar Club. A gentlemen’s club of high local society. Another words-no woman allowed! Now I don’t pretend to know what goes on in a gentleman’s club, but I remember the scene from the “Titanic”, where the men got together for drinks and cigars, discussing how to take over the world. A lot of money has been spent to keep this glorious estate looking as fabulous as it is.<br />
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The Victorian era must have been an amazing time to be alive. Back then people thought they were at the pinnacle of invention. I once read that the government back then talked of closing the patent office, because everything that was ever to be invented had already been invented. Boy were they wrong!
  • Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy-The picturesque cliff-towns along the Ligurian Sea make up an area called Cinque Terre. Five towns along the Italian riviera welcome visitors to a unique world of discovery that dates back a 1000 years. More Americans are showing up here to spend a week hiking the trails that hug the coastline for some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Breathtaking views at every turn and with the train going between each of the towns every 10 minutes, when you get tired of hiking, grab a train and you’re back to your hotel in a flash.<br />
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During the days in Cinque Terre, we would scope out vistas to photograph at sunset, and then return to grab the shot. Afterwords we would sit out at one of the local restaurants and enjoy a meal under the stars. The weather for us was perfect and the fall is a great time to visit. Crowds are less and rooms are much cheaper. You need a week to really do this place right. And my suggestion is stay in a little beach town close by called Levanto.
  • Lobster Shack in Bar Harbor, Maine-Where better to get lobster then in Maine. Everywhere you look you see promotions by local restaurants with Lobster on the menu. Some even promote two for one deals. Maine is a favorite destination in early June before the tourist season begins. B&B’s have room and the weather is usually good. Bar Harbor has a great walking trail along the bay that is fun to stroll after dinner. As you walk along the trail, you can check out the backyards of huge homes and see how the other half live. Pricey area and beautiful views. Who wouldn’t want to have a 2nd 0r 3rd home in this area.
  • Cruise Ship Westerdam in Sitka Alaska-Love cruising! You unpack once and you’re done for the week. Somebody else takes the wheel, and you do whatever it is you want to do. Recently we spent a week cruising out of Seattle to Glacier Bay and back. Imagine leaving 112 degrees in Phoenix to an area that is 40-50′s. We spent most of the time with jackets and gloves on and loved every minute of it. I think one of these months I’m going to do a whole month of cruising photos from the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe. That will take some putting together, but I think I’m up to it. If you want to know about some of our favorite cruising spots let me know.
  • Colorful Burano, Italy-A short water taxi ride from Venice is an Island called Burano. For day trippers who want to get out of the hustle and bustle of Venice, Burano serves up a treat of pastel-hued homes all painted a different color, canals and bridges to stroll on and over, restaurants and gift shops, all the normal touristy things. As for photographers, you won't be disappointed. Your camera won't stop clicking.
  • Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park-ust south of Big Sur, California on Hwy 1 is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The famous McWay Falls sits north a short walk from this location. I spent quite a bit of time just hanging out and hiking through this scenic area, waiting for the sun to go down so I could photograph the orange hues off the pacific ocean.  This is one of the most scenic areas along California’s Coastal highway and I’m sure I read somewere one of the top scenic drives anywhere in the world. I’ve taken this route many times and it never grows old.
  • Icicle Plants on Shell Beach, California-There was an art show going on at the park in Shell Beach and I broke away and went over to the cliffs to check out the view. Didn’t have to wander far to find a great shot on the edge of the cliffs. Shell Beach is located just north of Pismo Beach on the way to San Luis Obispo, California. Spent 4 days there this past June. Weather was fabulous. Party animals were gearing up for 4th of July a few days after we left. I headed to Pittsburgh for the 4th to visit family. They do fireworks up right. Sit in my brothers front yard and fireworks explode overhead. Can’t beat that.
  • Sunrise in Kapa’a, Hawaii-Hawaii is always a great place to get out of the summer heat of Phoenix. Each morning I would set the alarm for 5:45, throw on a pair of shorts and sandals and stumble out the door 50Ft to the beach to get the sunrise. Most mornings the clouds were in the way, but this morning it opened up long enough to get a shot or two. Then it started raining and off I’d run back to the condo and back to bed to wake up a decent hour. After all in Hawaii, what’s the hurry for just about anything.
  • Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay, Alaska-<br />
You feel like you’re about as far away from civilization as you can get when you’re here. The cruiseship gets about as close to the glacier as is safe and your eyes are completely focused on catching the sluffing off of ice called calving. We saw this huge arch-shaped piece of ice, more like something you would see at Arches National Park in Utah. We waited and then it came crashing down. I caught it all on video. Pretty exciting.<br />
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This photo caught my attention because of the dramatic clouds that crawled up the side of the mountain heading towards the blue-hued glacier. The mammoth size of this flowing ice is quite awesome to see.
  • Northwest Railway Museum, Snoqualmie, Washington<br />
Near Snoqualmie Falls is this Railroad Depot, just 25 miles east of Seattle, Washington. Old trains are scattered everywhere and makes for  great HDR photos. I decided to try an HDR photo of me hugging an antique locomotive. I felt pretty small standing next to this giant. Some weeks ago this was a pit stop before embarking on an Alaskan Cruise. Whole trip was full of these heavy bellowing clouds which I love for HDR photography. I’ll be sharing more in the weeks to come. Next trip planned is for San Francisco. Got any great ideas of photo opportunities there let me know.
  • Dave posing in front of a locomotive at the Northwest Railway Station in Snoqualmie, Washington.
  • Touch of a Master’s Hand- Street Musician in Venice<br />
Venice like most cities has it’s share of street musicians. This violinist seemed pretty humble, so we ask if we could take his picture. He of course said yes and he played to the camera. We gave him a tip and thanked him for his time. As we walked away, it kind of hit me that this guy reminded me of my dad. I remember as a child listening to my dad play old time songs on his harmonica and us kids thought it was lame. It wasn’t our style of music at the time. Later years we found out he had a secret life playing his harmonica on the radio at night on KDKA in Pittsburgh. He was known as the “Telephone Booth Harmonica Player”. He would sneak off to a telephone booth, call the radio station and they would put him on the air to play a song or two. Apparently at the time KDKA broadcast of over the United States so he had a big audience. People would call in and request songs for him to play. It was his own little private life no one knew about for years.<br />
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I spent 25 years singing and playing guitar all over the U.S. I’ve since retired and moved on to other endeavors. These days I kind of like singing those old classics from the Frank Sinatra era. My dad has been gone for 14 years and what I’d give today to hear those old harmonica songs he use to play as we fell asleep at night. Once we were asleep,  he’d be gone to his telephone booth, plunk a dime into the slot..totally incognito..to entertain the world.
  • Virgin River and The Watchman, Zion National Park, Utah<br />
Very famous photo spot in Zion National Park. To get the shot you have to play chicken with the tour busses coming across a bridge you’re standing on, that has no room for you and the bus. I always use a tripod, so as soon as you get your shot framed up and a bus is approaching, you have to hurry up and fold in your tripod and squeeze in at the edge of the bridge and just hope for the best. Obvious they don’t want you there, but wer’e photographers, we’re persisitent and sometimes, always, a bit foolish!
  • Lower Cotton Canyon-Fall Foliage, Utah<br />
There was a blanket of snow that had fallen overnight in this canyon. I took off up the canyon hoping to get some snow in the photos. It was melting fast, but fortunately I was able to get some in the photos I took. The colors of fall were vivid in Utah this paricular year and I had a blast traveling up and down each canyon looking for the shots. Usually you think of back east when it comes to fall colors, but Utah gives them a run for their money.
  • Snake River Idaho<br />
I wander if airplane pilots can actually see those balls hanging from the sky on wires. This vantage point was quite impressive looking down on the Snake River. Can anyone tell me, what is directly to my right of the photo? If you know, drop a comment. I’ll share this weekend what it is, if no one figures it out. It’s even more impressive than the snake river photo!
  • Pua Mana Beach Front-Lahaina, Maui<br />
This area of Lahaina was perfect for beach shots. The palm trees swung out toward the ocean, so it was easy to frame a good picture. I learned of the world renowned Australian photographer Peter Lik while visiting Lahaina. He has a Photo Gallery in downtown Lahaina and it’s quite impressive. I was inspired by his landscape photography some years ago and still try to figure out some of his techniques. He’s worth the visit.  <a href="http://www.lik.com">http://www.lik.com</a>
  • Wolf River Cascades in Autumn, West Virginia<br />
This was an interesting and fun photo to take. I was traveling on a dirt road, trying to find my way out from under the Royal Gorge in West Virgina where a had spent most of the day. It was pretty much dark and I decided to pulled over because I  heard the sound of rapids, an indication water was flowing over some rocks somewhere. Over the edge of a cliff I could barely see the rapids, so I thought what the heck, last photo of the day, I’ll do an extremely long exposure and see what happens. The night was very still, which was a plus. The details in the shadows came out better than I expected, so I left satisfied that even in darkness, there still is a little light shining through.
  • Muir Beach Overlook, California<br />
On a photo tour of San Francisco this past week, we managed to luck out with a few days of clear blue weather. We took a trip up through Muir Woods and along the coast and stumbled upon Muir Beach Overlook. My wife was standing at the overlook admiring the incredible view, so I thought I would photograph the incredible view..my wife.. that is!! Actually I ask her to pose for this silhouette  shot. It was amazing that we caught the sun reflecting directing toward the steps and that made the model (my wife) a truly amazing shot!
  • Full Moon Over The Golden Gate Bridge<br />
San Francisco is usually very foggy in August, but we lucked out with a couple of clear days. I spent a few hours at sunset on the cliffs overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Being from Arizona, I didn’t plan on it being so flippin’ cold in the evening. I ended back at the car with freezing cold hands and the heat on to thaw out. I guess I shouldn’t complain to much.  Got to experience an incredibly beautiful moonlit night at one the most photographed bridges in all the world.
  • Moonlight Over The Dock, Gilbert, Arizona<br />
The last couple of nights after getting back from San Francisco, I was still in the photographing mood, so I wandered over to our park to capture some pretty awesome moon glows. The night before local fisher people took over the dock, but last night it was, quiet, calm and stellar. Spent a couple hours catching shots as the colors and hues kept changing. This one was one of my favorites.<br />
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I had another camera going clickity-click every 10 seconds as the moon was rising. I plan on putting them together into a video form. Some time I’ll show them!!
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