Category Archives: Photojournalism

The Highland Park Zoo

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Our rediscovery of Pittsburgh continues as we ventured to the Highland Park Zoo for our first visit since the 1970’s. This is the Zoo we grew up with. We both remember walking up the ramps and steps before the giant escalator was built.

I kind of soured to Zoos as an adult. We took our daughter to zoos as a child but I ultimately would become depressed after seeing neurotic animal behavior from being in captivity. As adults we went to the San Diego Zoo and The San Antonio Zoo which are both world class in construction of animal habitats that are more nurturing to the captive animals.

I was kind of nervous about seeing the Pittsburgh Zoo remembering the cages where animals would just pace. I remember the caged Gorillas would spit at the people and throw their scat at the crowds. Who could blame them. However they have done wonders with this zoo and Pittsburgh can be proud of this space.

They still need to do some work on enlarging some of the habitats like the Sea Lion and Otter exhibits. However the new habitats and the Aquarium are really wonderful! For a small city Zoo it is worth the visit.

This is a baby gorilla in the new habitat for these animals. A far cry from the old smelly gages.

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The Pittsburgh Zoo

The Pittsburgh Zoo

The Washington Monument

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Washington D.C. has a lot of wonderful monuments. The Lincoln and Jefferson are fantastic and so are the newer monuments. However, The Washington Monument is our Eiffel Tower and iconic of our democracy. It is also fitting since George Washington was the father of our country. Not just because he was the first President.

People wanted George Washington to be King but he said we had just worked to overthrow a King and we didn’t need another. People wanted him to rule the country as a General but he resigned his commission and insisted that the Military and The Government had to be separate. Along with Jefferson and many others he developed our Constitution and resigned his Army commission to become our first President. In his final speech he warned us about political parties and oligarchy. Too bad we didn’t listen.

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The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument

The Speaker’s Balcony

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On our recent visit to The Nation’s Capitol we were given a personal tour of Congress by an aide to Representative Pat Tiberi (R-OH). Our own Senator never answered our request and my great nephew arranged for the tour. I want to thank Mr. Tiberi’s office for arranging the tour on such short notice. I learned that if you want to visit go through your Representative or Senator rather than arrange a tour on your own.

There are many perks for doing this. Your group will be small, it was just myself and my wife. Your tour guide can save you hours in line. If Congress is not in session you will be allowed on the floor of Congress. You can only do this with a personal guide. It was really inspiring to sit in on one the chairs and have the view that congress has when listening to the State of The Union. Also the Representative from your home district will be knowledgeable about your state and the history as it relates to the Capitol.

You will be allowed to visit The Speaker’s Gallery which offers one of the best views of Washington DC. This is where the Speaker of the House can sit outside and enjoy a private lunch with his colleagues or a cigar. This is the view that the third most powerful person in our government enjoys every day.

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The Speaker's Balcony

The Speaker’s Balcony

Surfer Dude

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If the wind is low and the waves small you will usually see people on longboards paddling through the water off Sunset Beach Florida as the sun sets. If the sky is gray and the winds are gusting there are no beach loungers walking the shore just all the young dudes.

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Surfer Dude

Surfer Dude

Death from Above

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I came across this scene in The Selby Gardens of Sarasota Florida during the orchid show. The blue heron was overheard saying,” I told you to shut up about that damn insurance.” I turned to my friend Jerry saying I didn’t know that herons ate geckos. I think of them as fisher birds. He replied with a shrug, “Well somebody has to eat them.”

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Death from Above

Death from Above

Ooops!

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We were visiting Selby Gardens in Sarasota Florida when we took a break to watch the sea birds. I saw this sail boat and was admiring it until I realize its keel must be stuck in the mud. We were wondering how it stood upright and then realized it must be really embedded in the mud to not have keeled over.

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Oops!

Oops!

The Funky Mailboxes of Sunset Beach–Part 1

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For the last 5 weeks we have been in Florida and spending much of our time on Sunset Beach which is a residential beach community with the city of Treasure Island and adjacent to St. Petersburg. Sunset beach is a little dead end barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico and primarily made up of houses and small condos. There is little traffic, only two restaurants and a magnificent beach and small boardwalk along Boca Ciega Bay. Although we did most of our walking on the beach, we also walked through the community and noticed that many people had really special mailboxes. Here are a few of the better ones.

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The Funky Mailboxes of Sunset Beach

The Funky Mailboxes of Sunset Beach

Winter Joy

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Visiting the Phipps Conservatory of Pittsburgh is nice any time of year but I like it best in the dead of winter. When your skin is dry and you are cold and chilly it is wonderful to spend an hour or two in warm humidity smelling the blooms of orchids and other fragrant flowers. It’s almost as good as a spa treatment. I have no idea what the actual name is of this orchid but it brought me joy in the cold of winter so to me it is Winter Joy.

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Winter Joy

Winter Joy

Power Trip

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We sat sipping margaritas waiting for the sunset on the Blue Docks in Cancun. I was amazed as we watch this speed boat. People were strapped into the back and the boat slowly went out into the center of the lagoon and then came full throttle at the pier. Before hitting the pier, the boat would do a sharp turn trying apparently to throw the idiot passengers from the boat. It was very loud and they would make a huge wave and then chug back out into the center of the lagoon and do it again. People pay to experience this and I am not quite sure why.

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Power Trip

Power Trip

Happy Martin Luther King Day

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The way I create posts for this blog is to first find an image and then write something about it. It is after all an image blog first and foremost. So I went searching for a suitable image for Martin Luther King. When he was assassinated I was living in Los Angeles and the murder occurred four days before my 23rd birthday. Three months later on June 5th, I went to a hotel in L.A. to stand with thousands of others in shock over the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. So I began to look for images that would represent Dr. King’s day.

Of course I have pictures of flags but I have used those for other holidays and although Dr. King was a true American hero, he was much more than the flag. I have other images of African Americans and although Dr. King was an African American he was also more than that. As I thought about it, I thought this was a great image to celebrate his day. He is like an eternal flame of hope. He reminds us that as long as you have hope and show respect for humanity that your life is worth living. He is a symbol of working together and doing the right thing. Thanks Dr. King for your sacrifice.

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