Solar Eclipse 2017

A composite image of the solar eclipse, created from a selection of my 

personal photos. Golconda, Illinois - path of totality.

August 21, 2017.

Nikon D750 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS

(Shot in DX mode) 

Moon Lift - Lake Mead

Even the moon needs a lift now and then.

Near Meadview, Arizona. February 2016.

Nikon D750 | Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD

Mountain Bluebird - Rhyolite, NV

Sialia currucoides

A beautiful Mountain Bluebird (male) at Rhyolite Ghost Town, Nevada.

February 2016.

Nikon D7100 | Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD

Orangutan - Cincinnati Zoo

Orangutan Cincinnati Zoo, July 2014.

Nikon D300 | Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro Lens

Looking Back: Prince Edward Island

I'm not really sure what these birds are. I suspect Plovers or Sandpipers, but I could not find this one in my bird books. If anybody out there knows, please leave in comments. Thanks. One of the many things I love about PEI, besides the lighthouses and wildlife, is the beautiful red sand. North Cape Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island 2012.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Remembering Prince Edward Island

Photographed these shells that had washed ashore at the 

North Cape Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island, 2012.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Sunset - Langley Resort Fort Royal

Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014.

Sunset view looking north on the boardwalk in front of our beach bungalow.

Macaws - Jardin Botanique

Blue and Gold Macaws at the Jardin Botanique. 

 Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Le Rayon Vert - Deshaies Guadeloupe

 Le Rayon Vert, Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014. 

My favorite place for a relaxing swim,  fabulous sunset views overlooking the Caribbean and great food. We  loved stopping at Le Rayon Vert for dinner and a cool dip at the end of a long day. Our hotel served a buffet that had a better selection of alcohol than food, so we opted to dine at this local hotel/restaurant instead. The name Le Rayon Vert ,which translates to 'The Green Ray', stems from the lighting effect of the setting sun on the ocean/sea horizon. The views from the infinity edge pool at Le Rayon Vert are spectacular.

Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), known more for his writings on Japan and New Orleans than the Caribbean, mentions the green ray in his book, Two Years in the French West Indies. He describes the phenomena beautifully (1) "Across our way appears a long band of green light, reaching over the sea like a thin protraction of color from the extended spur of verdure in which the western end of the island terminates." (2) "The sunset offers a splendid spectacle of pure color; there is only an immense yellow glow in the west, - a lemon-colored blaze; but when it melts into the blue there is an exquisite green light..." 

While I too prefer a beautiful photo-shopped version of the Caribbean sunset famously depicted on postcards all over the island with lovely purples, magentas and blues.... this natural sunset reminded me of the lemon-colored blaze I had read about in Hearn's book. 

Le Rayon Vert is located in Deshaies, Guadeloupe near the shoulder of a steep hill on the N2. You will likely pass it going up the hill and again coming back down the hill, but you will catch it on the second trip up and trust me it is worth turning around for. The duck breast with the creole pepper sauce is incredible.

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.

Chutes Carbet - Guadeloupe

Chutes Carbet from a distance (about an hour away).

This is just the second fall of the three level waterfall. The first fall is way up there in the clouds, out of view. The third fall was another two hour hike away, so needless to say I do not have any photos of the other two falls. After an hour long hike through the wet and drizzling rain forest to this one and an hour hike back out, it was too late for any more exploring. I'm gonna make a point to return someday to do all three falls. May 2014.

Chutes Carbet from about a hundred feet away.

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.

Les Saintes - Guadeloupe

Les Saintes or Iles des Saintes (Islands of the Saints) is a small archipelago and part of the larger archipelago of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas territory of France located in the French West Indies. Guadeloupe consists of Les Saintes, Marie-Galant, and La Desirade. Les Saintes is comprised of nine islands: two larger inhabited islands: Terre-de-Haut Island and  Terre-de-Basse Island and seven smaller uninhabited islands: Îslet à Cabrit, le Pâté , le Redonde,   la Coche , Grand-Îlet , les Augustins and les Roches Percées This photo was shot overlooking Baie des Saintes from the top of Fort Napolean on Terre-de-Haut. Les Saintes has been ranked by several travel sites as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. I have to agree, it is pretty spectacular. 

Fort Napolean.

A canon at Fort Napolean.

A view from the Plage de Figuire.  That is Grand-Îlet in the background.

Shot this photo swimming in Baie de Pompierre looking at les Roches Percées.

Plage de Pompierre as seen from swimming in the Baie de Pompierre.

Baie du Marigot.

A Yellow-Crowned Night Heron at Plage de Grande-Anse.

A view of Rue Benoit Cassin. We had lunch here at the Smooth'Sea Bar a Jus.

Our rental scooter, we affectionately named L'Escargot - for it's sluggishness. 

Another view overlooking Baie des Saintes. For comparison, the very first photo of this post was taken from Fort Napolean, which is all the way at the top of the mountain to the far left of this photo.  

 Terre-de-Haut, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe. May 2014. 

Pointe du Piton - Guadeloupe

The Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful Pointe du Piton. Northeast coast of Guadeloupe. While the view from here is breathtaking, just out of frame at my feet was a mound of garbage, because for whatever reason many islanders in the Caribbean think the ocean is their own personal landfill. May 2014.

Olympus TG-2 iHS  

Lionfish - Guadeloupe

I photographed this beautiful Lionfish (Pterois volitans) while snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea just north of Deshaies, Guadeloupe. While it is an incredibly interesting fish, it is also an invasive species in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea where it is wreaking havoc on the native fish populations. The Lionfish is native to the southern Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is also venomous, and will sting you if threatened. The sting is extremely painful and may cause headaches, paralysis, sweating and respiratory distress. It is not considered deadly to humans but just the same, I backed off when it proved interested in me. The thought of a venomous fish swimming inches beneath me as the ocean current pushed and shoved me just feet from the rocky island edge made me a little more than nervous. May 2014. 

Olympus TG-2 iHS

Sunset - Deshaies, Guadeloupe

Sunset view from our beach bungalow at the Langley Resort Fort Royal.

Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014.

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.

Windfarm Sunset

Shot this sunset, at about 60 mph from the train, returning from Chicago one summer evening. Benton County, Indiana. July 2011.

 

Nikon D300|Nikon AF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6G DX VR

Bryce Canyon - Lightning II

Bryce Canyon, Utah. August 2013.

I ended up with two lightning shots from Bryce Canyon last year. This is the second one, the first one was posted October 18, 2013. You can use the search box in the right hand column and enter "Bryce Canyon" or you can scroll down the right hand column, through the Blog Archive, to 2013 (select it), scroll down to October (select it) and then scroll down to 'Bryce Canyon - Lightning' and select it for those who want to go back and look at the previous lightning post. If you use the search box to the right,  all blog posts relating to your keyword search will appear at the top of the page above the current post (and you can select from that list). The first lightning shot is definitely the better of the two. Enjoy!

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.

Sunrise - Digby, Nova Scotia

I wanted to say something poignant and poetic about the sun rising on a new chapter of your life for this special day, but the words truly escape me. What can I say that I haven't told you over the years? I have always admired your courage, your strength and your determination. You really are an inspiration! Now it is time to slow down and enjoy your retirement. I am so looking forward to spending more time with you and sharing so many more adventures yet to come. I wish you the very best retired life has to offer!

Congratulations Mom! 

Sunrise at Digby, Nova Scotia, September 2012.

Sunrise in the Mirror

Sunrise in the Mirror.

This photo was taken on I70 westbound, somewhere near St. Louis, Missouri. August 2013.

Photographed with Iphone5

Mule Deer - Garden of the Gods

Caught this doe and her fawn at the Garden of the Gods.

Now those are some serious mule ears!

Colorado Springs, Colorado. August 2013.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Mule Deer - North Rim Grand Canyon

Male Mule Deer
North Rim, Arizona. August 2013.

Though similar in appearance to the White-tailed Deer, you can tell this is a Mule Deer by noting several characteristic features. This male has a white rump and white tail that terminates with dark dipped appearance. The White-tail Deer, on the other hand, has a mostly brown top-side of tail terminating in white which wraps around to the under-side of the tail. When raised in alarm the white underside serves as a nice, bright flag to warn other deer of nearby threats. You see this most frequently when they are running from danger, which ironically makes them much easier to spot in the woods. The face on this Mule Deer is a fairly consistent brownish-gray shade around the nose and eyes. White-tail Deer have characteristic white markings around their eyes and nose. The male Mule Deer has bifurcated antlers, which means they fork rather than branch off from a single trunk as they do on the White-tailed. The bifurcated antlers on this buck are clear in the photo. The Mule Deer was so named for its large mule-like ears. In North America the Mule Deer predominate in the western states and the Rocky Mountain region. White-tail are most common east of the Rockies.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED