two scenes shot from up high in a hot air balloon over Phoenix:
About Me...
- I'm a freelance writer and, along with several notebooks, a thousand pens, a laptop, and some other writing gear, I always have a camera with me when I head out on the road for stories (or when I'm just wandering around). Some of my favorite photos are to the right. For more of my shots, click any of the photo albums in the far right column. And please visit often--I'll be posting new photos all the time. Questions or comments? Drop me a note.
postcard sunset
Yes, Hawaii is really that beautiful. This is sunset on a beach in Napili, Maui. Ready for more? Here are photo albums of Moloka'i; Hana, Maui; and the west coast of Maui.
bunched
Parts of Ecuador's Cotopaxi National Park are a desolate moonscape, nothing but rock. Others are coated with tiny flowers that, for protection from the harsh elements, stay low to the ground. These purple flowers, called cholos, dotted sections of the park. The guide, Fernando, said they're delicious when cooked.
running portage
Portage Glacier (12 miles out of Girdwood and about 50 miles out of Anchorage) was covered with snow--but this dog didn't mind. And the guys sailing massive kites--and paraskiing--couldn't have cared less either. And, well, neither did I.
20 before the wind
Another spot way out in an outerborough. This time it's Brooklyn and the Salt Marsh Nature Center. While birds were hardly twittering away in the cold as all get out air, they were huddled in the water, just sort of waiting for it all to pass--but, like me, not unhappy to be away from busy busy for a few minutes.
one cow
Take the E and then the Q46 and then, there it is, a surprise of a farm. The Queens County Farm Museum is the oldest surviving farm in the state. It's surrounded by suburban homes. And in the middle of colorful chickens and geese making all kinds of noise and a huge hog that sounded like an old man who spends too much time by himself, there's a cow. A beautiful brown-eyed gentle cow.
ravine
As we passed over a ravine, the balloon pilot took us real low. The shadow of the balloon bent over the ravine. We were coming toward the end of the ride. A short while later we set down on the sight of a future home. Along with there just not being enough water to support all these new houses (and other problems), the growth is really cutting into the areas where the balloon pilots can set down.
wicker ways
I had tried to go for a hot air balloon ride several times before but bad weather always intervened. But this past August in Albuquerque, NM, my perfect day finally arrived. I had a few odd moments--pretty much when I started thinking about the fact that the only thing keeping me plunging to earth (from our top altitude of 3000 feet) was fabric, air, fire, and a whole lot of wicker. Once I let the fear go, it was an astonishing experience. As we floated over the sprawling suburbs of the city, the high-pitched sound from the balloons' fire works set local dogs howling. We floated over a ravine and saw jackrabbits sprinting below.
quiet
This horse was not crazy about being a photo subject. When I first got down to his fenced area, he trotted away. But I waited a little bit and he came back around. It was well worth the wait.
look down
The highway that stretches through Cordova, Alaska and straight through a small piece of Chugach Forest and out to Childs Glacier and the Million Dollar Bridge is loaded with small turnoffs where you can hike into the forest. At one of the turnoffs, I happened upon a small pond surrounded by stones. I just focused down and took the shot.
