
Sandy Sunrise
Arrived at Coral Pink Sand Dunes (Utah State Park) before sunrise. Hiked out into the dunes hoping for a bright sky to light up the pink sand but overcast skies made me try black & white instead.

Inside the balloon
At a hot air balloon launch I was trying to take a photo while this was inflating. The owner told me I could go inside for a better photo so I told him and his wife to join me.

Ivins Utah
In Ivins Utah there is a development called Kayenta where color and height rules make the houses blend in with the surroundings. This red mountain is the areas backdrop while the deep wash cut the development in half.

Colors of age
I was in a time capsule of a house dating back to the 1950s and this just caught my eye.

Fireworks Friday

Light it up

Fabulous Firework Friday
Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh WI puts on an outstanding display after each of their night airshows.

California Coast
On the distant island is the Point Sur Lighthouse i24.6 miles south of Monterey, California.

Double Color
It didn't look like much at first but when I saw the clouds slide off to the right exposing some sunlit pinks and reds I grabbed my stuff and headed out to the shore to wait. So often the moving clouds combine with a rising sun and the dawn colors quickly get brighter. To capture this I left the camera shutter open for about 15 seconds as it was still quite dark out. This allows the light to accumulate on the camera sensor not only making the photo brighter and the colors deeper but it also makes the water look smoother which like a mirror doubles the effect.

A new day begins
Sunrise Wisconsin

Sunday Fireworks

Neon Boneyard – Las Vegas
A non-profit dedicated to rescuing and preserving electric signs from around Las Vegas. Once a month they flip the switch on the working signs and invite people in to take beautiful photographs.

Winging It
In Brodhead WI there is the wonderful Kelch Aviation Museum focusing on antique aircraft. With blue sky, white clouds and endless green grass these beautiful planes quite easily become photographic art.

Artsy Ferrari
Taken through a rear window it picked up various reflections.

Good Morning Sunshine
A giant hybrid sunflower grown in a botanical garden. Hard for you to appreciate the size but it is massive and the height of the plant had to be 10 feet.

Unfortunate
I can always find him along the waterfront on my walks into town. It is one thing to quickly glance but to take a photo then really look makes me appreciate what I have..

Fade to Black
Sunny clear skies and walking down the Las Vegas Strip with my Black and white camera. Looking straight up I saw this bright white to black with many shades of grey. I find it interesting what catches one's eye.

Two extremes
Key West has a very active port offering endless photo opportunities.

Natures Artistry

Last day of September but I’ll be back
Trying to be funny with fotos

Whoo are you?
Mom and 2 Great Horned owlets in Ivins Utah.

Interesting color
A hazy day seemed to remove all color but created a nice background to emphasize the lines and color of this nice sailboat arriving in Key West.

Just Colors
Walking through Key West this sunlit wall just caught my eye.

Vacant Art
Storefront in Las Vegas

Sunday morning
I saw these people walking down a lane in Key West. On their way to church on a bright Sunday morning I asked them to pose for me in front of this green wall.

Las Vegas Lines
Las Vegas is, if anything, is colorful. But I think the architectural detail really comes through nicely in black and white.

Twin Beech
The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech") is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969, over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Wikipedia
I took this photo at The Kelch Aviation Museum is an located at Brodhead Airport in Brodhead, Wisconsin focused on the Golden Age of Aviation.

Night Airshow
At the night airshow a plane enters my field of view from the left, performs a loop while occasionally launching fireworks from its wingtips then exits my view to the right. All this while flying over fireworks being launched from the ground.

Twas the night before
Key West knows how to decorate.

The Morning Show
Living on a large lake facing East is certainly an early rising photographers dream. Even though the physical characteristics remain unchanged the morning light presents a new show every morning.

Foggy Sunrise

Fort Zachary Taylor 1845
The Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, also known simply as Fort Taylor, is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida. Wikipedia

100 Years Old
Walking through the backlot of an old railroad yard in New Freedom WI I found many very old rail cars and engines. I found out these wood boxcars were made over 100 years ago.

US Navy EA-18G Growler
Boeing EA-18G Growler is a US Navy carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. Wikipedia

Long Retired

Welcome 2024
Bye Bye 2023....Welcome 2024 Madison WI

Ivins Utah
Ivins is a city in southwestern Washington County, Utah. It is a part of the St. George Metropolitan Area as a suburb. The population was 8,978 at the 2020 census. The elevation is 3100 feet. On the other side of these very red Navajo sandstone mountains lies Snow Canyon State Park.

Getting ready
State Fair about an hour before the gates open.
Celebrating 174 consecutive years, the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair greeted 1,043,350 guests during its 10 days.

Fly Fishing
Osprey are pretty easy to photograph because they are curious birds. If I'm near water and one is in the vicinity I can usually count on it coming to investigate me. So as it soars above my head it becomes much easier for me to get a couple pictures as its close and slow.

Arizona Slot Canyon
The Navajo Sandstone is lit by the overhead sunlight which brings out the red, pink, orange and even purple colors. Page AZ is famous for its 26 mile Antelope Canyon.

Spring Firework
Took this, amongst others, in my mothers Wisconsin garden.

Free Flowers
Came upon this while driving on the causeway towards Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake of Utah

Lake Powell AZ
Lake Powell, Page Arizona with sun setting behind me.

EAA Oshkosh
Experimental Aircraft Association airshow happens every year in Oshkosh WI. For over a week it's the busiest airport in the world and one of my favorite places to take a camera.

Curry Mansion
Always decorated for all holiday, it was built as a private home in 1869 and now a beautiful bed and breakfast in Key West.

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.

Car trouble on a lonely road
Driving the backroads in South Dakota we came upon this 1940s vintage Ford which looked like it had been there a very long time. What a great story it could tell, from the proud owner picking it up brand new to its resting place here on this very lonely road.

Sky art
EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) show in Oshkosh WI.

Bryce Canyon Utah
One of the "Big Five" as they are called, National Parks in Utah.

Almost ready to fly!
3...2...1....Hop in!

Fly Fishing
Ospreys search for fish by flying on steady wingbeats and bowed wings or circling high in the sky over relatively shallow water. They often hover briefly before diving, feet first, to grab a fish. You can often clearly see an Osprey's catch in its talons as the bird carries it back to a nest or perch. I took this at an old quarry now filled with fresh water on Big Pine Key FL.

B-1
The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It is commonly called the "Bone". It is one of three strategic bombers in the U.S. Air Force fleet as of 2021, the other two being the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress.

1950s Chrome
Chevrolet in a car show on a sunny day in Nevada.

Lines, shadows and contrast
Walking down the street with my black & white camera I'm always looking for lines, shadows, contrast and maybe a story of some sort. With no color you need something else but when you see you see it in color so if you like that aspect of photography it makes it kind of fun. So a guy is walking down the street and finishes his beer.........

Art Vendor As Art
Walking down Duval Street in Key West I thought the art vendor display as a whole was, to my amateur eye...art...so I clicked.

Harry Miller 1875-1943
His engines dominated American oval-track racing for almost half a century. Most of the speed records which there were to be had on land and water were held at one time or another by those engines. He created the school of American thoroughbred engine design, which was faithfully followed by those who sought to outdo him. He was the originator, in the United States, of the racing car as an art object. He had a passion for metalwork and machinery that soared above and beyond all practical consideration.

Airplane House
As you walk through Key West you find interesting examples of exterior decorating. Since I took this photo the plane has been replaced with dinosaur looking things.

Calf Creek Falls
Calf Creek is a perennial clear stream that descends 126 feet into a pool. It’s located in Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. During the 6 mile hike you’ll pass two granaries, beaver dams, and a mighty pictograph on the wall opposite the canyon, to name but a few sites along the way.

Long Term Parking

Red & White
Snow covered Navajo Sandstone at 10,700 feet in Cedar Breaks National Monument

California Coastal Color
Along US1 near Monterrey

The power of Irma
September 2017 Hurricane Irma made landfall in an area 20-50 miles north of Key West as a Category 4 with 140mph winds with recorded gusts of 180 on Big Pine Key. About a month after the storm passed I visited this area on Long Beach Road. This home received the 5' water surge plus wave tops relentlessly pushing until it broke through the house. Everything in the home was swept into the mangroves behind me.

Old barn old glass
Here i a photo of a reflection of an old barn behind me that is showing in very old glass in front of me.

Into the wild blue yonder
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket, which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane. The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant, since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. As with all aircraft, hot air balloons cannot fly beyond the atmosphere. The envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom, since the air inside the envelope is at about the same pressure as the surrounding air. In modern sport balloons the envelope is generally made from nylon fabric, and the inlet of the balloon (closest to the burner flame) is made from a fire-resistant material such as Nomex. Wikipedia
This was one of 23 balloons launched as part of a fundraising festival in Mukwonago WI.

Fair Fun
Playing with the lights of amusement rides in the midway, at the state fair.

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.

Sand Dunes Sunrise
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah features uniquely pink-hued sand dunes located beside red sandstone cliffs. The dunes are formed from the erosion of pink-colored Navajo Sandstone surrounding the park. High winds pick up loose sand particles and then drop them onto the dunes. The 3,300 acres of dunes are estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000 years old. Wikipedia

Mirror
Based on the light sometimes I have to leave the shutter open to capture more light. This one took 6 seconds which had the added benefit of smoothing out the already flat lake.

EAA Oshkosh
Stunt plane

Fremont Street
Downtown Las Vegas has been erecting old refurbished neon signs which is really helping the area hold on to its gambling history.

Full of hot air
Inflating a colorful hot air balloon prior to take off in Mukwonago WI.

Eye candy

Harry Miller 1875-1943
His engines dominated American oval-track racing for almost half a century. This car ran in the Indy 500.

Daylily

Friday Firework

Havana Shine

Point Imperial Grand Canyon National Park
Point Imperial Grand Canyon National Park
The highest point on the rim of Grand Canyon at 8,803 feet, Point Imperial is also the most northern boundary of the park.The views of the Painted Desert and the eastern end of Grand Canyon. It is from this area that the canyon transforms from the narrow walls of Marble Canyon, visible only as a winding gash, to a more open and dramatic "grand" canyon. Layers of red and black Precambrian rocks, not visible at Bright Angel Point, add contrast and color.

Future Astronaut?
Saw this guy rollerblading in Key West and asked if I could take his picture.

Bird of Paradise
Desert Bird of Paradise. Can grow as tall as 13 feet as a shrub or trimmed to a tree shape.

The Key West Strand
The Strand Theater opened in the mid-1920s as a single screen movie house that sat around 800 people. The theater closed sometime in the early 1980s and reopened as a nightclub. It remained open as a few other nightclubs until it became a Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum in 1993.
The theater was again closed in 2002. It has since reopened as a Walgreens drug store. Based on research, over the past 20 years the marquee had become damaged with parts even missing. Walgreens restored the marquee to its original status. All of the interior has been removed and/or covered over with the exception of the balcony.

Mesquite
Rugged road through some Joshua trees with Mesquite Nevada way off in the distance. Not quite sure if I'm standing in Arizona or Utah because all three states are at this location, pretty close together. Beautiful spot to be for sunset due to the light and silence.

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.

Lady in red
Beautiful pocket park in Key West.

Near Zion
Outside of Zion National Park this serves as a background for the abandoned town of Grafton. At the base, and reason for the towns settlement is the Virgin river which carved the landscape here and created Zion Park a few miles away.

In what way?

F-35
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions.

Clematis

Vintage Racing Engine
Ran in the Indy 500

Blue Angels Moon
I was very lucky with this photo.

Nelson Nevada
A wonderful collection of abandoned buildings, various junk and a gold mine.

Kolob Canyons
The Kolob Canyons district of Zion National Park feature narrow parallel box canyons are cut into the western edge of the Colorado Plateau, forming majestic peaks and 2,000 foot cliff walls with soaring peaks of Navajo sandstone, canyon streams and cascading falls. NPS

A Close-up
There was enough cloud, fog and Canadian fire smoke to create a natural filter allowing me to take this with a very powerful lens without my camera and eyeball melting. If you are seeing this on a larger device screen you'll even be able to clearly see a sunspot on the right side above trees. I take quite a few photos, especially sunrises and it amazes me that a photo can easily capture trees 5 miles away with a sunspot 93 million miles behind them. This is the kind of stuff that makes this an enjoyable hobby.

Havana Gallery
These fellows had a little photo gallery and knew a few words of English so we "talked" photography. They, like most cubans, were doing so much with so little.

On a windy night
Trying to take photos on a windy 4th of July from a boat.

California State Route 1
State Route 1 is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At 656 miles, it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Montana Highway 200. Wikipedia

Cosmos
Boerner Botanical Gardens

B&W Navajo Sandstone Canyon Wall
Took this on the Navajo Nation in Page Arizona in a very small part of the 26 mile canyon. In color the reds, pinks and even purples brighten with sunlight but I thought I'd experiment with B&W.

Glen Canyon Dam
Supplying Colorado River water and hydroelectric power to 5 states located in Page Arizona

Black Crowned Crane
Black Crowned Cranes are found in eastern Africa, centered in Senegal and Gambia. I took this at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo WI.

Hot Colored Air
Getting to ready launch a field of hot air balloons. This is one of the more colorful and dramatic events I get to photograph.