Wyoming Update on the way...

Played with some sepia toning of a few images at my friend Gary's ranch. I'll do more updating soon.

On the Road Again......

Guess where I am!

I'll give you a hint.

Starts with "Wy".
Ends with "oming".

Even better: company paid travel! I have a meeting/presentation tomorrow.

Because of my complete inability to plan my personal life, I'm flying on lack of sleep, but that's OK. Because, after all, I'm in Wyoming. And, I'm taking a couple of days afterward to visit some friends who live around the area (lucky me) to maybe learn some fly fishing, horseback riding, picnicking, etc - if i can stand the heat. of course it showered today, thank god.

I've only ever been here in May and September - before and after the mad tourist season, so I'm not sure I could take tourists AND triple-digit heat. It feels hot here to me when it's 75. And normally, I get cold when the temp drops below 70. Must be an altitude thing (mile high). Dunno, don't care....in my element.

I was hoping to do some camping but I didn't pack last night, and overslept my alarm by 90 minutes, so literally threw some t-shirts and a pair of shorts and hopefully both pieces of a bikini into a backpack before speeding off for the 110 miles or so to Detroit to catch the first of my flights for the day, which of course, was late (thanks, Northworst and Un-United!!!).

I may still camp, but in a wholly new, unconventional, spontaneous way (car-camping, or: drive forest roads till you can't see anymore and crash for the night, figuratively). I'd be happy here sleeping on a rock.

Impressions after a summer rain (during a picnic dinner at Dead Indian Point):

sagebrush and juniper scented
skin-temperature breeze with ankle-high pockets of isolated, cool air
vertical horizon interruptions
eye candy
altitude
wide open spaces
big sky country
touch-the-clouds close to heaven
no unnatural noises
geology exposed
tectonics at play
p e a c e

first snapshot after too long an absence (over a whole year!)

End of the Road...beginning of a good place to start walking for a picnic

Mmmmmm............crusty!!!!!

Napoleon, OH courthouse

Hey!! Check out that hay....

More Outdoor Fun in July

So, earlier this week, we had a great series of sunsets.







Later, I tinkered a bit more with the camera and broadcast some Neil Young from the .mp3 player. (Live from Massey Hall, 1971....)


I paid a photographic homage to wheat last week, this week, I thought I'd play with corn. Since it was surrounding me on three sides, and all...

Capped off the evening staring at the stars underneath a moonless and practically cloudless sky. Falling star count: 2. Black cat count: 1. Shoes on table count: 1. Friday the 13th superstitiousness: negated.

Weekend Getaway - or, Up a Creek without a Paddle

So, not having an idea of time range or even destination for a real vacation trip on the horizon, I opted to take a Friday off and head south to the Hocking Hills region in Ohio to see what that was like in summertime. I opted for a cabin in the woods, complete with hot tub on the outdoor deck and a fully stocked kitchen, along with a bbq grill and fire pits down along the valley floor. The spot, Campbell's Hollow (Brookside Cottage), was great - right next to the Buckeye Trail, so offered a little stretch of hiking at the end of each day as well.

I arrived on Friday, July 6th, and took a bit of a look-around in Logan, the nearby town. Even though many of the cabin rentals were booked because of vacationers around the 4th of July weekend, it was hard to tell by looking at Logan proper - the town was immaculate and eerily empty. I spotted the canoe/kayak livery that I was going to be hitting the next morning for some fun on Saturday, and hit the local Kroger for a few cooking items that I'd neglected to bring along.



I wrapped up the day with a snack in Logan and the historic walking tour through town. Upon finding a fantastic Bistro around 4:30 pm -nothing like eating upon white linen tablecloths, smelling of grime and sunscreen, wearing flip-flops, and being treated like a consummate customers in late afternoon with no crowds! - I devoured a smattering of appetizer dishes and cocktails before starting off on the walking tour, ironically, only a block away.

Logan is wonderfully sighted in beautifully rolling hill country, and after the appetizer extravaganza, I was getting the best light of the day. Additionally, the weather was perfect - temps in the 80's, super low humidity - and what I'd call Utah Blue skies.

There are lots of churches in Logan...

There was a particularly picturesque cemetery along the walking tour. I was more taken with its entrance.

Is this a jingoistic Jesus? Note the blue eyes, the Eagle at his shoulder.....
Better yet: to the tune of Purple People Eater:
It was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, eagle-wearing Jesus figure...

A place for happy cows.

After the walking tour, I made it back to the cabin in time to light up the grill and season some salmon filets. While waiting for the wood to burn, (yes - wood in the grill - the best way to go), I had to take advantage of the hot tub on the deck and watch the wildlife for a bit as dusk drew down the light of day. It was all just seemingly perfectly timed. Dinner was by candlelight, and by that time, any little aches and pains from kayaking by the unfit were melted away, and every inch of food was devoured. Any other timing would have found me taking the walking tour in overhead light too harsh for good photos, or not having enough space between appetizers after kayaking and the Great Salmon Feast, or missing the open-water opportunities on the river between the groups of other kayakers and canoeists. I was able to absolutely fill the day at a perfectly pleasant, relaxed pace and cram it full with almost everything I wanted to do, without feeling rushed at any particular time. Completely by accident! It was the highlight of the trip.

On Sunday, I took the scenic drive back, which took waaaay toooo long compared to the 'scenes' offered....nice to see once, but probably not warranting a second drive. I stopped for a gourmet type picnic lunch at Buckeye Lake State Park and enjoyed some spicy tuna salad, some baby greens and spinach salad with blueberries and walnut/raspberry dressing and olives, and some blue corn chips. It was just the right touch of cold foods on a hot day.

A building shot taken while stopped at a red light en route back home - just for the sake of its funky outside staircase.....

At any rate, a nice weekend getaway and recharge for the week to come.

Only 12 hours left to vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World!

Voting ends tonight in the global campaign to identify the "New 7 Wonders of the World." Of course, I've got to throw in my own bragging rights here, so places that I've been fortunate to visit are coded in blue...

Right now, with 90 million votes cast, organizers say the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome and Machu Picchu in Peru are leading the pack. The final results will be announced tomorrow in Lisbon, Portugal. So, get to crackin' and VOTE!!!

Here's the list of Seven Ancient Wonders that was created 2,300 years ago:

• Lighthouse of Alexandria
• Temple of Artemis
• Statue of Zeus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
• Pyramids of Egypt

What would be on your list of wonders at the dawn of the 21st century? Vote here.

AP's list of the 20 finalists:

ACROPOLIS, GREECE
HAGIA SOPHIA, TURKEY
KREMLIN AND ST. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL, RUSSIA
COLOSSEUM, ITALY
NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, GERMANY
EIFFEL TOWER, FRANCE
STONEHENGE, BRITAIN
ALHAMBRA, SPAIN
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
KIYOMIZU TEMPLE, JAPAN
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, AUSTRALIA
ANGKOR, CAMBODIA
TAJ MAHAL, INDIA
TIMBUKTU, MALI
PETRA, JORDAN
STATUE OF CHRIST REDEEMER, BRAZIL
EASTER ISLAND, CHILE
MACHU PICCHU, PERU
PYRAMID AT CHICHEN ITZA, MEXICO
STATUE OF LIBERTY, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

And finally, an Ancient world wonder in addition to the new 7 wonders:
PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, EGYPT -It will retain its status as a wonder of the world in addition to the seven new wonders.

Posted by Mike Carney, USA Today, July 06, 2007

July in Ohio....

Couple of random July shots.

Mmmmm......preemie cereal!!!!!


Capped off by a fantastic moonrise, interrupted by a lone driver.....