08 Sep 2007 Cedar Survivor

Tall Survivor: this stately giant of a cedar tree in the coastal forest near Sechelt, B.C., Canada, bears the scars of men who tried to fell it decades ago. The two large horizonal wedges cut across the tree's trunk were meant to place planks in for the loggers to climb and balance upon while felling the tree.

Sunset Reflection On Kaneohe Bay

The setting sun throws up a fan of crepuscular rays as it descends beyond the Koolau Mountains on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and in this unusual coincidence the reflection of the sky's vivid colours also falls precisely onto the Kanoehe Bay Yacht Club.

Giant Hawaiian Bumble Bee

This immense Hawaiian bumble bee may be a type of Carpenter bee, but I have not been able to find pictures of this particular type anywhere. It was so big that when it decided after 15 minutes of me taking macro photos of it, sometimes having the camera lens brush its' body hairs, that it had had enough, it could barely keep its' rear end airborne while chasing me, accompanied by the sound of its' thumping helicopter-like wing beats, all the way out of the marsh, across a football field, past an assortment of my laughing friends, and into the relative safety of my car.

Crab in the Hole

A case of patience: the crescent of sand from the upper left of the picture, down around the foreground and up the lower right is the curve of the crab's hole into which an extension tube on my camera was inserted and then followed by a lengthy wait. I'm not sure who was more surprised, the crab or I! This is from my 2005 archives and was taken in an inland mangrove swamp in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, way down south closer to Guatemala. The crab's pink colouration is one of the food sources that give flamingos their coral feather colour.

Close Encounter

Uh... so ok I love animals and tend to get a little TOOOOOO close at game farms... but fotunately this giant towering over my 5'3" frame liked me. Ostrich, game farm Alabama, 21 Apr 2007.

Japanese Maple

This beautiful red Japanese Maple grows in a lush botanical garden in Mobile, Alabama, which I visited on the 18th of April 2007.

Alabama Beggar

In the town square in Mobile, Alabama, are dozens of these cute furry beggars but they can be very aggressive so best not to have food on your person unless you plan to give it away!

Pilot Station, Mobile Alabama

This remote pilot station offshore of Mobile, Alabama, used to house the marine port pilots who escort all big ships into the river Port of Mobile. Access was gained via a stairway adjacent the tiny dock underneath the house. The structure must have seemed tiny and frail in the face of Hurricane Katrina. Today, Mobile pilots come by power launch (as in 2nd pic) directly from the Port to the waiting ships. I passed this area during a voyage from New Hampshire to Alabama in the Spring of 2007.

Pre-Dawn Fishing, Hawaiian Style

Fishing Hawaiian style might include taking your brand new king cab truck far off the road onto a lava rock ledge and then walking out (to check the set of your rods) into the pre-dawn spray of a 35 foot swell that has come halfway across the Pacific Ocean to crash in sea fans upon the shore.

Red Hot Molten Lava

What, you can't walk past THIS point? Well, ok, I'll wait till dark when the red hot molten lava is glowing brilliantly, go on past, melt my shoe soles as I walk on the hot lava and watch a molten river flow past my toes. Big Island of Hawaii, 25 Feb 2002. This is something you really, really just have to do at least once in your lifetime; it's incredible.

Frangipani

Plumeria, known as Frangipani in the South Pacific isles and Southeast Asia, is a very drought hardy tropical flowering tree that originated in Central America. Plumeria has spread around the tropical climate zones of the world, but particularly in Hawaii and the South Pacific islands, with countless beautiful and colorful varieties, many richly scented. Its flowers are widely used in leis and arrangements and for many other ornamental purposes. Beautiful plumeria is named aftger 17th century botanist Charles Plumier.