Well, Merry belated Christmas, that is. Yesterday, we headed to Crystal Cove State Park to see some of the vintage-inspired holiday decor and enjoy a “traditional” white (sand) Christmas. I think it’s going to take years to get used to trading in the snow and evergreens of the Midwest for the beaches and palms of Southern California, […]
Miracle on 34th Street. Elf. Home Alone II. New York City has been the setting of numerous memorable (well, maybe not the last one) Christmas films and television specials, and for good reason: the city comes alive during the holiday season. New York City always has a frenetic energy, but the falling temperatures and snow […]
Shinjuku is an interesting ward within Tokyo, Japan. By day, it’s a business district, where salarymen carrying suitcases, wearing trimly-cut suits scurry from meeting to meeting. It’s not all concrete and towering buildings, as people enjoy the natural world in Shinjuku Gyoen, one of the largest parks in Tokyo. As day turns to night, it’s […]
Christmas is beautiful in Paris. Everything you can imagine: romantic, lavishly decorated, and a bit on the cold side. On our first visit to France, Christmas celebrating was in full swing when we were in Paris in mid-November (since there’s no Thanksgiving, I don’t think anyone gets miffed by Christmas starting in November), and it […]
If you’re looking for a serene spot to enjoy or photograph the sunset at Lake Tahoe, there are few better locations than Bonsai Rock. It’s one of the hidden gems of Lake Tahoe, and a really unique photo location. This is because the distinctive feature of this location is a large rock with some plant […]
Every tree calls for special admiration…Were they mere mechanical sculptures, what noble objects they would still be! How much more throbbing, thrilling, overflowing, full of life in every fibre and cell, grand glowing silverrods—the very gods of the plant kingdom, living their sublime century lives in sight of Heaven, watched and loved and admired from […]
In the previous post, we had just finishing photographing a gorgeous sunset at Crater Lake National Park. The next morning, we were up bright and early (which actually is a misnomer: it was early, but most definitely dark) for sunrise. This time, the plan was to hike out for a better view, either to Watchman […]
Crater Lake National Park is a beautiful place, and it’s even more beautiful in the winter with a fresh blanket of snow. I added it to my photography bucket list a while ago, when I started seeing a number of brilliant shots of it. Like most photographers, I prefer my mountains covered in snow, and […]
Even if you aren’t a Harry Potter or theme park fan, you’ve probably heard of Butterbeer. It is the iconic drink of the book series, and has become a pop culture hit as the delicious drink is sold exclusively in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands at Universal Studios Florida (Diagon Alley) & Islands […]
Fairmont Banff Springs is a hotel in a castle. That’s right: a castle. I don’t know what more I need to write in this review. If you have a pulse, at some point in your life, you have wanted to live in a castle. Well, here’s your chance…at least for a night or two. Okay, […]