Intro to St. Thomas
While not our typical mode of travel, every once in a while it feels great to escape on a more traditional vacation. Since we’re still planning (hoping?) to earn some income this year, we decided on a short hop, and exchanged a timeshare week for a stay at Bluebeard’s Beach Club in St. Thomas, one […]
Destination USA: Kiawah Island
Visiting Kiawah Island Off-Season February may not seem like the most logical time to visit one of South Carolina’s barrier islands, but it turned out to be perfect timing. Located about 15 miles south of Charleston, Kiawah Island is a bustling beach and golf resort area most of the year, but off-season it’s a perfect getaway. […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward
March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path. –Khalil Gibran The sand dunes outside the town of Swapokmund, Namibia feel infinite. Grains of sand, for as far as the eye can see, stretch out forward into […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique
Spirobranchus giganteus, AKA Christmas Tree Worms, are an intriguing specimen among Earth’s creatures. These little guys are not uncommon in tropical waters, but they certainly are unique! The tube-dwelling worms are found living in and on coral, eating plankton and tiny microorganisms as they pass by carried on the currents. The twin, spiral appendages are actually a […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Love
Trying to make the most of our weekend between working in Salt Lake City, UT and Grand Junction, Colorado we came peeling into Moab near dark on a Friday afternoon. Dead Horse Point State Park was on our way into town so we stopped to catch a glimpse before the sun set. As we pulled […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise
During our visit to Daintree National Park (in far north Queensland, Australia), we stayed at a great little B&B called Epiphyte. Having learned from our host that the best time to walk the nearby Jindalba Boardwalk was at night, we set off at around 9:30 pm. The boardwalk meanders through the rainforest along its path built into […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal
This unfurling New Zealand fern, or koru, is a perfect representation of “Renewal.” The koru, Maori for “spiral” or “loop,” symbolizes growth, strength and peace, as well as new life. It’s often used in Māori art as a symbol of creation. The shape conveys a feeling of perpetual motion, while the inner coil curving […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Big
We’ve seen California Redwoods and Giant Sequoias (including General Sherman); towering ancient junipers in China, Strangler Figs at Ta Prohm, Angkor in Cambodia, and twin Ginkgo trees in Seoul. Tāne Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) and Te Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest), Kauri trees in New Zealand’s Waipoua Forest were truly majestic, and we […]
Camel Safari
Twenty miles or so out of Bikaner, in a small, dusty village on the edge of the Thar Desert, we met our two camels. A third was hitched up to a cart pulling some provisions for our journey. Each camel had his master/owner, who knows him best and responds to his commands (more or less). […]
Here Be Dragons
Icon of Indonesia, their home a World Heritage Site, Komodo Dragons are the world’s largest lizard. They are only found on Komodo and Rinca islands in Komodo National Park, and in the north of Flores Island, just outside the boundaries. Dragons can grow up to about 9 feet (3 meters) and weigh over 300 lbs. […]