Siwash Rock (Vancouver, B.C.)
Anyone who travels along the Seawall Walk around Stanley Park can’t help but notice Siwash Rock. It stands out as a rugged, basaltic outcropping slightly offshore in stark contrast to the smooth...
View ArticleThe Wonders of Granville Public Market (Vancouver, B.C.)
One of my favorite public markets is located only three-hours drive north in Vancouver, B.C., which also happens to be one of my favorite nearby cities to visit. Granville Market is part of a much...
View ArticlePonderosa Pine, Sun Mountain Lodge (Winthrop, WA)
With their reddish and crackled bark, ponderosa pines are easy to identify in Eastern Washington. There are many along the hiking trails around Sun Mountain Lodge, up in the mountains above Winthrop....
View ArticleThe Hiking Trails and Wildflowers Around Sun Mountain Lodge
The first time my wife and I stayed at Sun Mountain Lodge over a decade ago, there were abundant wildflowers on the trails nearby. In spots, they were so profuse that the ground was covered with them....
View ArticleLiberty Bell Mountain, North Cascades Highway
The North Cascades Highway has many jaw-dropping spectacles, but none more dramatic than the glacier-carved Liberty Bell pinnacle that anchors the hairpin turn on Washington SR 20. This photo was taken...
View ArticleDouglas Fir Burl (Mount Rainier National Park)
Along the Grove of the Patriarchs in Mount Rainier National Park, there is a fallen old growth Douglas Fir that is easily hundreds of years old. To me, its most remarkable characteristic is a fantastic...
View ArticleSpruce Goose
Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose has found a home in the most unlikely of places in McMinnville, Oregon, housed in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, having made its way from southern California....
View ArticleLooking Out to Sea, Cape Kiwanda, Oregon
The day was perfect for exploring at Cape Kiwanda. From the rocky shore, it’s natural to look out to sea.
View ArticleChiles Growing in Seattle?
While no one would ever mistake the Seattle area for Mexico or the Southwest, or eastern Washington even, King County Master Gardeners are intent on proving that chiles can grow quite successfully in...
View ArticlePlease, Have a Seat
In the shady part of the Bellevue Demonstration Garden is the frame of a chair that adds a little unexpected whimsy. And, right around the corner is the children’s garden featuring a small plot fit for...
View ArticleOrchids of the Atlanta Botanical Garden
I thought I’d seen almost all the interesting orchids there were to see. I’d been to several world-class botanical gardens, each with very fine orchid specimens. When I walked into the Fuqua Orchid...
View ArticleBehemoths of the Georgia Aquarium
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw them. Giants. The world’s most colossal fish is a shark. The only whale sharks in U. S. captivity live in the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Despite their membership...
View ArticleLong Beach Beauties
I love staring at jellyfish at aquariums. So do a lot of other people. They are among the most beautiful and hypnotic of creatures. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, has a terrific...
View ArticleRibbiting Sight
It’s rare to see frogs anymore, so I was surprised to stumble upon this Southern cricket frog on the grounds of the Chattanooga Choo Choo last October.
View ArticleWeedy Scorpionfish, Georgia Aquarium
Is this a face that only a mother could love? Don’t tell that directly to the weedy scorpionfish who has a bit of a venomous bite. Kidding aside, Rhinopias frondosa is spellbinding, even beautiful to...
View ArticleBanzai Pipeline (Pupukea, HI)
There’s nothing more mesmerizing than watching the huge, crashing surf at Ehukai Beach on Oahu’s North Shore, more commonly known as the Banzai Pipeline. Our traveling party sat on the warm sands,...
View ArticleBlack Swans of Byodo-In Temple (Kahaluu, HI)
The hundreds of koi in the ponds surrounding Byodo-In temple have always been an incredible sight, but in my mind, the impression left by black swans floating above the fish is more extraordinary.
View ArticleHow Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways—Kauai’s Taro
Kauai has lots of taro fields. Not that the Garden Isle has exclusive claim to them, but the North Shore is considered the best place on the Islands to grow taro. Over half of all poi in Hawaii is made...
View ArticleLei of the Land
I saw these beautiful leis at the Hanalei Farmers’ Market. These were not the full leis that one normally sees in Hawaii, but elegant strings of plumeria, bougainvillea and crown flowers, the first two...
View ArticleWildflowers on the Little Si Trail
In the next few months, my wife and I will be conditioning ourselves for a trip to Peru and Bolivia later in the year. High-altitude hiking in the Andes will be punishing enough without even taking...
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