Santa Fe–The Prettiest State Capital

I live in Pennsylvania and Harrisburg is our Sate Capital. It is a perfectly nice place but not pretty in any sense of the word. Jackson Mississippi and Austin Texas are both beautiful capital cities. However, the best in my opinion is Santa Fe New Mexico. One of the reasons is because they have strict building covenants in the city so the old city looks the same as it always has. Sure there are new buildings but they all conform to the code and the result is an adobe old west environment. See more scenic images at my commercial site by clicking here.

Santa fe New Mexico

Santa fe New Mexico

Hurry Back!

It is around this time of year that I get desperate for Spring and begin to look for signs of Spring returning to the mountains. Last week I saw and heard a Pileated Woodpecker. They don’t leave for long and are usually the first birds back to the area. Soon the winter birds will start to leave and fly north. Then the Robins will return. All these birds can fool you however, they can all handle a little cold and snow. You know its really spring when you see the hummingbirds and I can’t wait for their return. You can buy prints of these images and see others by clicking here.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

Hummingbird Close Up

Hummingbird Close Up

Sunning on a Yacht

We were visiting Monterey California on our way to attend my cousin’s wedding in Los Angeles. We stopped in Monterrey to see the world famous aquarium and as we were walking towards the aquarium we passed the harbor and saw that the seals had taken over. Boat owners could not have possibly gotten to their boats on some of the yachts there were dozens of seals and boy do they smell like dead fish. They were all over the harbor, hundreds maybe thousands of Seals. They bark like dogs and fight and play like dogs but smell of the sea! I took this image while we watched them off the pier. You can purchase a print and see others by clicking here.

Pals Sunning Themselves

Pals Sunning Themselves

Pecos National Historic Park

Americans visiting Europe will talk about how much they like exploring the old culture of Europe. Europeans coming to the USA visit New York, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago and talk about how young our culture is. I wonder how many Europeans come to the United States and visit our ancient culture which is the Native American culture of the Southwestern United States. The Pecos National Historic Park in New Mexico is one of these places of ancient American culture that dates back to before the birth of Christ and a true wonder. It is only a short drive from Santa Fe New Mexico and should not be missed if planning a visit to that area. This is a photograph of one of the ancient ruins and you can purchase a print on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Pecos National Monument

Pecos National Monument

Sea Dogs

My wife and I visited San Francisco and Monterrey California for our twentieth anniversary. A few years later we took our daughter there for a visit on the way to Los Angeles. We had told our daughter about all the Seals we had seen in San Francisco but of course when we got there the seals were not where we had left them six years earlier. The park official in San Francisco told us they were gone from the area and migrating to the channel islands. We were disappointed. A few days later after getting to Monterrey we were walking towards the aquarium and we smelled them before we saw them. They were all over the harbor, hundreds maybe thousands of Seals. They bark like dogs and fight and play like dogs but smell of the sea! I took this image while we watched them off the pier. You can purchase a print and see others by clicking here.

Harbor Seals in Monterrey California

Harbor Seals in Monterrey California

Seal Island Revisited

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of my first year in the blogosphere and this is the final post of celebrating my first week by revisiting my first posts. Tomorrow i will repost my very first blog and then it’s on to new stuff!

There is a scenic drive in California that is not to be missed It is called 17-Mile Drive and is a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula. There are many scenic views along the drive like the Lone Cypress and the Famous pebble Beach Golf Course. There is a small island off shore that is called Seal island which was one of the highlights for me because I love seeing wildlife in a natural environment. You can buy a print of this image on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Seal Island Monterrey Peninsula

Seal Island

Wish I was There!

I hate the winter. I am not a winter sports enthusiast. Today I will have to put on long underwear just to be able to walk my dog in 4 degree weather. My mustache will ice up. My dog will start to whimper after a while because of the salt on the roads and the cold. I would much rather be in Maui today watching this guy doing his thing, snorkeling, swimming and watching a beautiful sunset while eating fish that was caught the same day. Sigh. If you want to see other images from Hawaii to warm up, click here.

Wind Surfing in Maui

Wind Surfing in Maui

Diners at Sunset

While visiting Maui, planing dinner is really important. The trade winds keep bugs away and the temperatures are so mild you can dine outdoors every night. The advantage of doing this is that each evening you can see a beautiful light show while you dine. This was shot at the Japengo restaurant in the Maui Hyatt at Ka’anapali Beach. You can buy a print of this image and see others at my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Honokohau Bay

Honokohau Bay is located in West Maui beyond Ka’anapali Beach and the main tourist area. The road around the west side of the island is a challenging drive and not as well known as the road to Hana so less crowded and traveled. To the right of this little cove is a rocky beach which is one of the best spots in Maui to swim and snorkel with giant sea turtles or Honokohau. Dive boats come here to dock because their passengers are pretty much guaranteed to see turtles and maybe also spinner dolphins. You can buy a print of this image and see others on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Honokohau Bay

Honokohau Bay

Maui Sunset

Maui is one of the most western parts of the United States and if you are in West Maui, every night you will see a light show. It is rare not to see a spectacular sunset in Maui unless you are asleep or something. This was taken from the Hula Grille on Ka’anapali Beach between the appetizer and main course. You can buy a print of this one or see other images on my Hawaii Gallery by clicking here.

Another Maui Sunset

Another Maui Sunset