Parade Ready
2018 Key West Fantasy Fest
Race Week
The Offshore Powerboat racers are in Key West and getting ready for 3 days of racing beginning on Wednesday. There is a tropical storm heading this way which will bring strong winds and very rough water. I asked one of the boat crews if they will race in such extreme conditions and was told they will race as long as the rescue helicopters are able to fly.
Fun hobby
Action, color and balance...quickly take the shot and decide later if I like it. At first I didn't, then I did, so now you can decide.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving
In Key West the Turkey Flamingo is a rare sight.
More Faces
Popped into a Fantasy Fest painting shop and found a couple getting ready for a Key West Duval stroll. They were more than happy to let me take their picture.
Ivins Utah
Ivins is a city in southwestern Utah near the Nevada and Arizona borders. It is situated in a beautiful area bordered by the Beaver Dam mountains wilderness area, Red Mountain wilderness area and the Shivwits Paiute Reservation.
Colorado River
Over my right shoulder around a bend is the Glen Canyon dam holding back Lake Powell. This is downstream from the dam with the river about 750 feet below me. You may be able to make out a boat about 1/2 way into the photo to give you an idea of scale.
Sunset Key Sunset
A festive week
The city is filled with smiling people fully expressing themselves. Tonight and tomorrow night are the big parades then come Sunday everything slows back down to a "normal" Key West.
Chinese Aster
Decorating begins
Palm trees are being wrapped with lights. DPW crews are hoisting lights and banners up on streetlights. The holiday feel is beginning to take shape.
Cedar Breaks
This national monument in Utah is known for its brilliant colored sandstone. I used my black and white camera to remove color but the bright white sandstone and clouds contrast with the dark cedar trees leaving plenty of mid-tones. Black & white landscape photography is more difficult when you ignore color.
Every morning
The activity is the same but every morning there is a new background.
More Parade Paint
Ready for the Fantasy Fest parade.....
Nicole Rules
The 1st race was scheduled for today on 11/9 but due to Tropical Storm Nicole it has been postponed. I asked someone if they race in bad weather and was told they will race if the rescue helicopters can fly. When a boat flips a hovering helicopter will drop rescue divers so if the winds make this difficult they can't race. They are scheduled to also race Friday and Sunday so hopefully the Nicole will be in a better mood.
Old World Wisconsin
Original late 1800s homestead house. It was moved, furnished and repaired by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Another Day
Another beautiful sunset sail in Key West FL
Nelson Nevada
Nelson Nevada is not a town, rather it's an old gold mine in the middle of nowhere that has a great collection of junk.
Extreme face art
Went streetwalking yesterday looking for more creative Fantasy Fest face painting and came upon this guy. It is a combination of paint, hair, contacts and skin prosthetics all combined in a great mix of colors.
Lunchtime
Florida Keys
Words were hard to come by
I started typing a caption a few times but deleted them because any attempt at explanation just doesn't come out right. Let me just say on a normal day, Key West is difficult to explain but Fantasy Fest week makes words impossible.
Sunrise Spectacular
The cloud haze was enough to filter out most of the light. Depending on your device you may be able to make out a couple sunspots.
Cana Island Lighthouse
Built in 1869 for $12,792.55, Cana Island Lighthouse’s tower, made of cream city brick, was the tallest building in Door County WI. Verified by telescope during the first year of operation, 4,862 ships passed the station during daylight hours. Keepers filled the oil and kept the beacon shining until the lighthouse was automated in 1944. It remains a functioning navigational light of the Great Lakes. Door County Historical Society.
Virgin River
Standing on a bridge in Zion National Park I was able to take this photo of the Virgin River which carved the canyons through the park.
Newspaper Rock
Within the 527 square miles of Utahs Canyonlands National Park you'll find this petroglyph panel etched in sandstone that records approximately 2,000 years of early human activity etched on the rock from B.C. time to A.D. 1300. Scholars are undecided as to the figures meanings. In Navajo, the rock is called Rock that tells a story. This panel is about 8x12 feet with many other panels located throughout the park.
Fall Aspens
Up around 10,000 feet near Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Big Red
Middle of nowhere Nevada in an area called Nelson there is a collection of old vehicles. Not worth much except for taking pictures.
Sunset Key
Sunset Key is a small 27 acre island with a hotel and individual homes. It is reachable by a short ferry ride from Key West. It was originally developed by the US Navy to hold fuel tanks but later sold to a developer.
Teen Owl
A photographer friend called saying there was a Great Horned Owl just sitting on a wall. Expecting the owl to be at a far distance I grabbed an unnecessary powerful zoom lens and headed out. Well this owl was simply sitting 6' off the ground, in daylight and not at all frightened. I learned it was a young owl (clueless teenager) who didn't quite know how to act owlish. Anyway, we took a few eye level photos from 10' away with giant lenses and left.
Chicago
A must do in Chicago is the architecture tour by boat where you hear the stories about 50 buildings along the Chicago River. Hear how Chicago grew from a small settlement into one of the world's largest cities in less than 100 years.
Launch Time
Two cranes work fast to launch a dozen powerboats for water testing prior to the following days race. Once set into the water they quickly start and check the engines then helmsman and throttle man climb in and push off. The will head out to open water for high speed testing before returning to be pulled back up on to their trailers. In a 4 hour testing period they will launch and retrieve 59 race boats.
Proportional Fun
Not something you see everyday.
Determination
Walking through the Botanical Gardens in Salt Lake City on a day the air was thick with smog this one brilliant flower said "photograph me". In my home I print, frame and hang photos. I change them all out 1x a year as a form of redecorating. I happen to have this photo hanging on my wall and it's always an eye catcher when I walk by.
Just what I was looking for
L1020004
Walking Las Vegas
Early morning walking down alleys and streets in an area between the Strip and Downtown Fremont street one will find all kinds of photo opportunities.
A different angle
On the beach with my camera and saw this giant cruise ship departing Key West and thought it looked interesting through the coconut palms.
Hang On Tight!
Wisconsin State Fair amusement ride, at night with a long exposure. There was also a pretty sunset sky as background.
Alien Weed
I've been driving by this truck for years in Wisconsin watching the alien weed slowly digesting it. But this year it has really rooted in and it won't be long before it starts looking for an old tractor or something else to eat.
Key West Fireworks
Sometimes I wish these sunsets would last for hours.
Simple Sunset
Key West sunsets are wonderful and even the simple ones are nice if you throw in a couple palm trees.
Keane Wonder Mine
You can find this mine at the end of a very dusty twisted road on the outskirts of Death Valley National Park CA. It produced gold from 1907 to 1942 when it played out. If you hike up 1.5 miles to the top of the visible ridge, you will see a mile long tram that moved buckets of ore.
Mojave Desert
Gold Butte National Monument covers nearly 300,000 acres of remote and rugged desert landscape in southeastern Nevada, where dramatically chiseled red sandstone, twisting canyons, and tree-clad mountains punctuate desolate stretches of the Mojave Desert. The brightly hued sandstone provides a stunning canvas for the area’s famously beautiful rock art. BLM
This remote area is a favorite of due to the colors and feeling of remoteness. By Park Service design there are no services and access requires a capable vehicle. There are these beautiful Joshua trees, numerous abandoned mines, ancient rock art and endless new discoveries.
Southernmost House
The Southernmost House, built in 1897, is a historical hotel located at the Southernmost end of the famous Duval Street in Key West. "The Mansion", as locals refer to the House, has hosted over 20 presidents and dignitaries, has served as a private residence, casino, speakeasy, social club, museum and hotel during it's long and impressive history. Per hotel website
Snowblower Train
The fleet of maintenance machinery that keeps our nation’s railways and roadways clear comprises some of the coolest machines out there today. The Union Pacific Railroad’s three rotary snowplows are no exception. Built in the 1920s, the rotary snow plows originally ran on steam, but were converted to diesel in the 1950s. UP Museum - Salt Lake City UT
Quiet Color
It requires clouds for a memorable sunrise or sunset but some sunrises need very little to emphasize the changing color bands as it makes its way closer to the horizon.
Up-close sunset
Standing on the beach last week photographing a Key West sunset the sky looked wild as the sun moved below the horizon. I had a strong lens on the camera so I just zoomed in close and this is what the camera saw.
Nicely aged
I think repainting this wall would make it less attractive but that's the opinion of a guy with a camera that looks for images like this.
Welcome
This entryway does gradually change its decorating style. Always makes me wonder what the inside looks like.
Alley Art
Walking in an old neighborhood in Milwaukee I came upon this alley behind a restaurant which looked bright and colorful. On both sides were a dozen nice murals. One even had a small flower garden planted in front of it.
Street Walking
Early morning is a great time for street walking with my camera. I stopped to take this one in Key West when the guy gave me a nice wave. I walked over and it turned out he's also a camera geek so we had a nice conversation about photography before I moved on to look for the next photo.
Sails & Sky
Went on a Key West sunset sail aboard the America 2.0 the other evening and the skies were nice as a background for the boats hardware.
Fragrant water-lily
Took this at a botanical garden in Milwaukee. It was an overcast day making the water look almost black which is a nice background for the lily to show off its color. Its found in permanent slow moving waters throughout North America where it ranges from Central America to northern Canada as well as Brazil.
Miss Key West
Built in the 70s this shrimp boat just returned to Key West after being gone for over 50 years. High winds the last few days brought all shrimpers back in to anchor till the seas calmed down. This was parked close by so I took this photo then had to research what I was looking at. Turns out the owners found it in N Carolina and spent the last 3 tears making it seaworthy. Now the crew takes the vessel out for 10-12 days at a time. On average, they’ll catch shrimp for about 20 days out of the month. Over time, Key West lost the infrastructure needed to support shrimping so they manage the process from start to finish. He catches the shrimp then distributes it up and down the Keys with a freezer truck.
The Blues
In April 2016 the Blue Angels performed in Key West at the Boca Chica Naval Air Station for Armed Forces Day. They are one of the best things to photograph because they fly with such precision, so fast and so very close to the ground.
Reddish Egret
Who's lookin at who?
Wisconsin 1870
Old World Wisconsin historical buildings are wonderful to photograph with wildflowers and partial cloudy skies.
New Day
This is looking 10 miles to the east shore of Pewaukee Lake WI. Another 50 miles farther is the shore of Lake Michigan. Sometimes the clouds over Lake Michigan are responsible for the wonderful sunrises.
I had to stop for this
The interior was just as interesting. We came across it on a backroad trip near Capital Reef National Park.
Retired
One of many old vehicles scattered around in Nelson Nevada.
It Has Begun
Tonight, here in Key West, it all begins.....it is arguably the silliest city in North America. If you live here this photo makes perfect sense. If you don't.....well it is very difficult to explain. Fantasy Fest is officially upon us!
Sunday Fireworks
Just caught my eye
It is maybe 10 feet wide and just jumped out at me.
Nevada Northern No.40
Built in July 1910 for the Northern Nevada Railway in Ely Nevada. Here in Ely it is undergoing a boiler inspection and overhaul and completely rebuilding its running gear and tender.
North Rim
Grand Canyon National Park Utah
Milwaukee
The City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in Wisconsin. It is the second largest city on Lake Michigan's shore behind Chicago. The Art Museum is centermost in the photo.
Snow Melt
This stream is at about 9,000-10,000 feet near Duck Creek UT which is between Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
The Green Parrot
The Green Parrot is the best dive bar in Key West. Opened in 1890 as a grocery store where local musicians would gather. When WWII began it changed to the Brown Derby Bar then in the 1970s it was renamed The Green Parrot. Today, come for the atmosphere and stay for the music. No food, just free popcorn. And don’t worry what live band is playing… they are all good.
Reflections
With its great architecture Las Vegas is great city to go walking with my black and white camera. Since purchasing it a couple years ago I enjoy experimenting with what looks good (to my eye anyway) without color and architecture is one that sometimes works.
Bahia Honda
The Bahia Honda Rail Bridge is a derelict railroad bridge in the lower Florida Keys connecting Bahia Honda Key with Spanish Harbor Key. It was originally part of the Overseas Railway, but the state of Florida purchased it from the Florida East Coast Railway after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and converted it for automobile use as part of the Overseas Highway in 1938. After a replacement Bahia Honda Bridge was opened in 1972, two spans of the old bridge were removed for the safety of boaters. Wikipedia
Zion Virgin
Collins Blvd
Miami lights always makes me walk for miles.
Just a porch
Sometimes I go for camera walks. Here in Key West the houses are usually small and close together but all have porches. I think are outside rooms that give us a secret glimpse of what is maybe inside.
Getting Ready
Each year at the end of October Key West welcomes Fantasy Fest. Trying to stay with the annual theme, painters decorate people as part of the festivities.
Gunlock Reservoir
Gunlock Reservoir UT holds snowmelt water for future use downstream. In 2017 the water level got high enough that it overflowed like this for months. There is a large rock dam which is designed to hold back the water whereas this is the natural rock off to one side that acts as the overflow route.
Light Fixture
This hanging fixture and complimentary wall just simply caught my eye one day while in Miami.
Canna Indian Shot
Taken at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee. Leica 24-90 76mm f5.6 1/25
Sundance
In 1969, Robert Redford bought the land now known as Sundance and envisioned the careful growth of a community committed to the balance of art, nature and community. Today, Sundance offers an atmosphere steeped in cultural heritage. It's located near Provo Utah.
White Hibiscus – WI
Took this photo in my mother's garden in Wisconsin
Death Valley
One of my favorite National Parks.
Keys Morning
Sunrise from (almost) the southernmost point in the US.
Bel Air
1956 Chevrolet. It was parked in the shade and I liked the color, chrome and shadow of the tree leaves.
Original 1917
1917 Herschell-Spillman Carousel at Circus World Museum Baraboo, WI
24 jumping horses, 2 chariots, all wood composition and original 105 year old paint. In perfect working order and cost $1.00 a ride.
During a break the operator was nice enough to let me walk around taking photos of the horses.
Salt Lake Utah
The Great Salt Lake is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth largest in the world. The 15,000 square miles of various water environments, remote islands and shorelines, with 400,000 acres of wetlands, provide habitat for plants, brine shrimp, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, shorebirds and waterfowl. Birds rely on the lake, a critical link in the Pacific Flyway between North and South America. Every year 10 million birds from 338 different species come to rest, eat and breed during migrations of a thousand miles or more. With the decline of other lakes, GSL is increasingly important to these species.
1800s Outhouse
Wikipedia: Outhouses are commonly humble and utilitarian, made of lumber or plywood. This is especially so they can easily be moved when the earthen pit fills up. Depending on the size of the pit and the amount of use, this can be fairly frequent, sometimes yearly. I found this in South Dakota on a homestead from the 1880s.
P-51
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. Wikipedia
I took this photo at the EAA show in Oshkosh.
New Day Comes
Back on Pewaukee Lake
Kiss Me
At a hot air balloon launch in WI the winds picked up while they were filling causing these two to lean sideways.
Snow Canyon Utah
Snow Canyon State Park is a state park in Utah, located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The park features a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone of the Red Mountains, as well as the extinct Santa Clara Volcano, lava tubes, lava flows, and sand dunes. Snow Canyon is located near the cities of Ivins and St. George in Washington County.Wikipedia
I took this photo after a very rare snowfall. This part of Utah may never see snow all winter but this morning saw a 10" depth in the park which was completely gone by noon that day.
Water Lily
Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee. This lily is a Nymphaea.
Heading Out
Ship is leaving Key West full of tourists and t-shirts. Sailboat is full of tourists hoping for a nice sunset.
Low Flow
Took a long hike to find a waterfall shooting horizontal out of a crevasse. It was more of a drizzle due to rainfall but the scenery was pretty.
The Scrambler
The Scrambler is an amusement ride in which suspended riders spinning in cars experience centrifugal force, while spinning along two separate axes. Riders are seated in small carriages clustered together and connected by beams at the top to a central point. The clustered vehicles are spun in one direction, while the ride as a whole spins in the opposite direction. Wikipedia
I took this at the Wisconsin State Fair by leaving the shutter open for a few seconds.
Alley Walking
Between the Las Vegas Strip and the downtown area (Fremont Street) there's an area that is....neither of those. Graffiti artists have taken over the alleys so it is fun to walk around with a camera.
Breezy Sunset
Key West FL
Pine Valley
Pine Valley, at the head of the Santa Clara River in the Pine Valley Mountains Utah.
Rhyolite
Founded in 1904 and dead by 1916, Rhyolite was one of several short lived boom-towns from the late Gold Rush era. People were drawn to the desert on the edge of Death Valley by the promise of gold found amongst quartz in local mines, and by 1906 the town had all the promising indicators of permanence with largest population in the area.
According to the US National Park Service: “The town immediately boomed with buildings springing up everywhere. One building was 3 stories tall and cost $90,000 to build. A stock exchange and Board of Trade were formed. The red light district drew women from as far away as San Francisco. There were hotels, stores, a school for 250 children, an ice plant, two electric plants, foundries and machine shops and even a miner’s union hospital.” Per Atlas Obscura
Bang Whoosh
Fireworks on a windy night
True Patriot
Nothing unusual for Key West's Duval Street.
Mid 1800s Farm
This Utah farm was established in 1859-1863.
Clownin around
Innards of an old steam powered popcorn wagon. When the engine is working the clown is turning the capsule full of popcorn.