The Gift of Flight

I could watch pelican drift effortlessly over the ocean all day without tiring. They are masters of riding the air currents between the water and the shore. It is difficult to get a good shot when they are moving so fast and this one was almost an accident. I shot the photo without taking time to make sure the bird was in focus and fortunately, it was.

Point Loma Lighthouse

Quoting from the National Park Service website for the Cabrillo National Monument:

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse stood watch over the entrance to San Diego Bay for 36 years. At dusk on November 15, 1855, the light keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the light for the first time. What seemed to be a good location 422 feet above sea level, however, had a serious flaw. Fog and low clouds often obscured the light. On March 23, 1891, the light was extinguished and the keeper moved to a new lighthouse location closer to the water at the tip of the Point. 

Today, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse still stands watch over San Diego, sentinel to a vanished past. The National Park Service has refurbished the interior to its historic 1880s appearance - a reminder of a bygone era. Ranger-led talks, displays, and brochures are available to explain the lighthouse’s interesting past.

This image of the historic lighthouse has the perspective of putting the light on a hill. Although the building is quite substantial, it is dwarfed by the immensity of the landscape. The dramatic setting is well worth the visit.

Old Town San Diego

San Diego is the oldest of the Spanish Colonial settlements along the Californa coast. It was one of the first settled in 1769, relatively late considering the original Spanish settlements date from the early 1500s in Central and South America. By the time the United States got around to taking an interest in the west coast of North America, the Spanish has established a string of missions all along the coast. My own family's involvement in this state of affairs occurred when the United States entered into the Mexican-American War in 1846. Some of my ancestors were part of the famous Mormon Battalion that marched across the country to San Diego to solidify U.S. claims to California. There is a Visitor's Center maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is adjacent to Old Town San Diego.

Surreal Landscape in Death Valley National Park

This landscape is real. I have to say that because just like with the sand dunes, the landscapes in Death Valley National Park do not look real even when you are there. This photo is very close to what I saw when I was taking the photo even though it looks like and abstract painting.

Death Valley Sand Dunes

I fully realize that this photo looks fake. It looked fake when I was standing there taking the photograph. These sand dunes are part of the huge Death Valley National Park. April is a good time to visit the Park, but a little warm. It was 97 degrees during the day we were there. I should have more photos of Death Valley and I will also keep uploading photos of the jungle, desert, mountains and plains. I will be out taking photos the next week, primarily in California, so that will probably be interesting.

Fruit Vendor in Costa Rica

Walking down the street in a Costa Rican city is far different than being in my hometown of Provo, Utah. The streets are full of people and activity. One impressive addition that would likely be banned in Utah is the street vendor. Here we can see the huge variety of fruits that are grown and sold locally. Many of the offerings are fruits that I have never seen before even when I lived in Panama.

Salt Lake Valley from the City Cemetery

As a full-time genealogist, my avocation as a photographer takes a back seat to my genealogy-related activities. One of those activities involves periodically visiting cemeteries. Both my wife and I have several near family members buried in the lovely Salt Lake City Cemetery. The location of the cemetery on the side of the mountains surrounding the Salt Lake Valley, make it a beautiful place to come and remember our kindred dead. With this view of the Salt Lake Valley, you could almost forget that there is a bustling and very large city surrounding the cemetery.

Spring Flowers on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah

Every Spring, the grounds of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah burst with beautiful flowers. It is a wonderful time to visit and see all the flowers. The weather can be chilly and rainy but the displays are beautiful notwithstanding the weather. This photo shows one of the large flower beds at the main entrance to Temple Square. It also shows that the Salt Lake Temple is now almost completely surrounded by high buildings. In fact, if you are driving on the freeway through the city, you can barely make out the temple in the forest of high buildings in the downtown area.

A Visit to the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah

We took a day trip to Salt Lake City, Utah for a genealogy meeting and stopped off on Temple Square for a short walk-through visit. We made a short visit to the Tabernacle where someone was playing some very loud organ music. It is impressive to hear the power of the Tabernacle Organ when it is not being used to accompany a choir or congregation. We also enjoyed all the lovely Spring flowers and the wonderfully cool weather. We ended our visit with my meeting at the Family History Library and my wife's research in Swedish records.

Ornamental Plants at Home in the Jungle

Some of you may recognize this lovely little plant from nurseries and supermarkets around the United States. You may already have something similar growing in your home or yard. Many of these plants have their origin in the jungle. This plant is called Wandering Jew or Tradescantia zebrina. Here is the description from Wikipedia: Tradescantia zebrina:

Tradescantia zebrina, formerly known as Zebrina pendula, is a species of spiderwort more commonly known as an inchplant or wandering jew. The common name is shared with closely related varieties T. fluminensis and T. pallida. Tradescantia zebrina is native to Mexico, Central America and Colombia, and naturalized in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and various oceanic islands.

This plant was growing along a trail in the jungle in the Arenal National Park in Costa Rica.

Lobster Claws

If you look closely, you will see that these flowers are filled with water, like little spiky cups. This is a species of the genus of Heliconiaceae and the family of Heliconia. This particular plant is growing the Costa Rican jungle. There are currently about 100 different species of Heliconia. Here is a description of the family from Wikipedia: Heliconia.

These herbaceous plants range from 0.5 to nearly 4.5 meters (1.5–15 feet) tall depending on the species. The simple leaves of these plants are 15–300 cm (6 in-10 ft). They are characteristically long, oblong, alternate, or growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age. Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar to Canna, Strelitzia, and bananas, to which they are related.The flowers can be hues of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, and are subtended by brightly colored bracts. The plants typically flower during the wet season. These bracts protect the flowers; floral shape often limits pollination to a subset of the hummingbirds in the region.

Sky Bridge Above the Jungle

Walking hundreds of feet above the Costa Rican jungle on a shaking suspension bridge is quite an experience. In the Arenal National Park, these bridges provide a way to cross deep canyons and rushing streams in relative comfort. This particular bridge was about 300 feet above the river at the bottom of the canyon and was approximately 200 feet long. There is no real danger in crossing the bridge but it is scary.

Self Portrait in the Sand

Walking around on the beach is an interesting activity. Because I usually end up climbing on rocks and walking on sharp shells and such, I am well equipped with shoes, but I also avoid the sun so I wear shirt, pants, and shoes. My regular trips to the dermatologist always remind me that the sun is nice but not my particular friend. This beach is a good representation of the world. My shadow will have just about as much effect on the beach as I will ultimately have on the world in general. I am often reminded of this when I read Jacob 7:26 in the Book of Mormon which refers to the transitory nature of our lives.

26 And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.

I am not mourning out my days, but the dream part certainly applies.

Fields of Flowers

Sometimes the visual impact of a certain color or landscape can become almost overpowering. Fields of flowers can have that effect. Most of us do not have yards that could accommodate large accumulations of flowers. To see these kinds of displays, you need to visit the growing fields or gardens that specialize in flower displays. We are fortunate to be near Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah which has an annual display of flowers that is spectacular.

Parrots in a Tree

One of the advantages of travel to Central America is that I get the opportunity to take photos of a whole new world of animals and birds. I was in Costa Rica for too short a time to really get a lot of photos of animals and birds, but these beautiful green parrots were flying by in flocks and resting in nearby trees. With more time, I could have gotten some of the other beautiful birds I saw as they flew by, but that must wait for another time, if ever.

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life

Lazarus in the tomb -- Thanksgiving Point Sculpture Garden

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

John 11:25-26

Lac van Rhijn Tulip 1620

This is the "Lac van Rhijn" Tulip (Liliaceae tulipa Lac van Rijn). At one time, back in 1620, one bulb of this tulip weighing 5 grams sold for 175 Dutch guilders or eight months wages for the average hand laborer. Here is a quote from GardenofEaden.blogspot.com about this tulip.

This was during the heydays of the tulip mania period, a time when a few bulbs could be valued as much as the prize of a stately canal house in the city of Hoorn, one of the more prosperous cities of the Dutch East India Company. In fact there is still a house in this once wealthy area which displays a façade stone depicting three tulips - the price at which the house was bought for at that time.

This rare flower was exhibited at the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival in Lehi, Utah.

Great Curassow

This is a female Great Curassow (Crax rubra). We spotted this unusual bird in the Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica. It took me a while to find an identification for this bird. The Arenal Volcano National Park is a wonderful place for birdwatching but in our case, we would've had to of spent a lot more time there. There is a Wikipedia entry for the Great Curassow:

The great curassow (Crax rubra) (Spanish: hocofaisán, pavón norteño) is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropical rainforests, its range extending from eastern Mexico, through Central America to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Male birds are black with curly crests and yellow beaks; females come in three colour morphs, barred, rufous and black. These birds form small groups, foraging mainly on the ground for fruits and arthropods, and the occasional small vertebrate, but they roost and nest in trees. This species is monogamous, the male usually building the rather small nest of leaves in which two eggs are laid. This species is threatened by loss of habitat and hunting, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "vulnerable".

This is likely one of the more unusual birds I have seen the wild.

Early morning on the beach

 We arrived in Costa Rica in the middle of the night and it was surprising to arise the next morning and find out that we were deep in a dry desert. During the dry season, there is practically no rain on the northwest coast of the country. Most of the trees lose their leaves and the ground is very dry, the grass has turned brown and the shrubs are mostly desiccated. Of course, I felt quite at home in the desert was happy to see the cactus and other desert plants. The image above shows a portion of the beach and between high and low tides. During low tide, many more rocks are visible. During high tide the beach where I am standing to take the pictures is underwater.

Beach in Costa Rica

The beach we stayed at in Costa Rica was rather steep and the waves broke very close to the shoreline. There was a substantial tide with high tide in the middle of the night. At low tide, there were almost no waves at all. The beach was very clean with no shells or seaweed and almost no human garbage. The water was quite warm and very clear except near to the shore where it was filled with sand from the waves. The water was filled with huge schools of fish and the pelicans came close to shore diving and eating their fill.

Tulip Festival

Every Spring we look forward to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. This year, the flowers were spectacular. Quoting from Emerson:

“The earth laughs in flowers.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Flowers make our hearts glad to be alive.

Sails in the sunset

One of the advantages of being on the West Coast is that the sunsets over the ocean. When I lived in Panama, the isthmus is oriented from west to east. So the sun sets over the mountains. But in Costa Rica, the ocean is on the west side of the country. So we had gorgeous sunsets out over the ocean. Of course, we eventually got into the jungle and you couldn't see the sunset at all.

Costa Rica – The land of flowers

After having lived in the jungle for two years, I very much appreciated the variety of plants and animals. In our recent visit to Costa Rica, I relived some of my earlier jungle experiences. One of the most impressive was seeing the variety of animals and plants. There is a wet and a dry season in the jungles. Whatever the season, there are always beautiful flowers almost everywhere you look. In the desert, I appreciate the flowers because they are relatively rare, usually small, and difficult to spot. In the jungle, the opposite is exactly the case. Everywhere you look it is possible to see a flower.

Jungle Waterfall

Waterfalls all have a peculiar attraction. This particular waterfall was about 75 feet high. It is hard to judge the scale of some landscape objects. This is especially true in the absence of anything with which we are familiar. This particular waterfall is in the jungle of Costa Rica. The challenges of this type of photo are the extreme contrast between the dark shade of the jungle and the bright sunlight. It is also difficult to get far enough away from the waterfall to get the entire objective within the field of view of the camera. To get some perspective, if you look very carefully at the left-hand side of the photo you will see a person hidden in the shade.

Have a Banana

Banana trees are not particularly exotic. When I was young, we had several large banana trees growing on the side of our house. In the summer, if given enough water, you could sit and watch them grow. The grew inches in an hour. We did get some bananas but Phoenix, Arizona is too hot and dry to actually produce an edible fruit unless the trees were in an enclosed and watered area. These bananas were growing the central part of a large hotel in Liberia, Costa Rica.

Waterfall in Costa Rica

Waterfalls in Arizona and Utah are as scarce as hen's teeth. The issue, of course, is water. There are plenty of dry creek beds and canyons that could provide spectacular waterfalls except for the fact that they are dry. This spectacular waterfall in Costa Rica barely rates a mention because there are so many to choose from. It is at the end of a long uphill trek through the jungle near the Arenal Volcano.

Fruit Display in Costa Rica

One of the interesting parts of visiting another country is visiting the stores and the seeing the assortment of foods that are different than those we are used to in the United States. In some ways, we are protected from the real world of fruits and vegetables. We mainly buy and eat the same traditional foods all the time. Looking at this array of fruit for sale, there are several items that are entirely missing from the usual North American diet in the United States. This is a store in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

Playa del Coco, Costa Rica

This is mostly a steep, sandy beach with waves that break very close to the shore. The water is about 75 degrees or warmer and the air temperature is about 90 degrees. It is hot and relatively dry. These rocks are volcanic and, as I written before, they are mostly slippery. We had a good time snorkeling along the rocks and watching the fish. It is a lovely place. Most of the native Costa Ricans speak some or a lot of English but my Spanish has come in handy. There are a lot of fires in the area and the air is not exactly clear.

El Volcán Arenal, Costa Rica

We moved from the beach to the mountains and from the coastal desert into the rain forest jungle. The weather was about the same, but we did have a brief rain shower. The jungle here has a sprinkling of pine trees and is generally more open than the jungle to the south and east in Panama. El Volcán Arenal last erupted as recently as the year 2010. It is considered a dangerous volcano and lies in the middle of a well-populated area in north central Costa Rica but is considered to be one of the top ten most active volcanos in the world. I have seen and climbed a significant number of dormant volcanos during my lifetime. In fact, the first mountain I ever climbed, I climbed alone. It was a dormant volcano called the Cinder Knoll in the Springerville Volcanic Field in Arizona. I was eight years old.

Antique Rattan Rocking Chair

This lovely antique rattan wicker rocking chair is in the mansion at the Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park in Canandaigua, New York. We have owned an assortment of rattan and wicker furniture over the years and if used constantly, they do not hold up well. This piece is exceptionally well preserved.

Rocks and Waves

Here on the Pacific shore of Costa Rica at low tide, these rocks poked out of the water. The rocks were covered with a plant or animal. I have yet to find out what it is. It may be an anemone. The rocks are hard volcanic and slippery. The weather is hot and humid.

Ocean Panorama at Sunset

You will definitely have to click on this image to see it well. We are having an enjoyable week on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is strange to be back in the heat and humidity when we were just watching it snow on the mountains around our home in Utah a few days ago. Today, there is a smell of smoke in the air. We saw hundreds of fires as we flew down over Mexico and apparently, there are quite a few burning here in Costa Rica. Rather than the jungle we expected to see, the country here on the coast is a dry desert.

Cardón Cactus

You have to look carefully at the center part of this photo on the side of the hill. There are large cactus plants called cardónes (Cardón Cactus or Pachycereus pringlei,). They can be the largest cactus in the world, even larger than the iconic saguaro of the Arizona-Sonora Desert. There are four or five of these huge cacti in the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona. These are the first ones I have seen growing in the wild. This hill is on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica in Central America. This part of the country is a semi-desert due to the rain shadow created by the high mountains in the interior of the country. It was quite a surprise to see them growing on the side of a hill, next to the ocean.

Snow in Provo

As I turn my thoughts to summer, ocean breezes and exotic foreign lands, here is one last shot of the winter that was. No matter how much snow I end up shoveling, it is always worth it to see the beauty of the snow on the trees. Right now, these same trees are getting their summer garb of leaves which makes it even harder to imagine them covered with snow. 

Howler Monkey from Costa Rica

I spent two years in the jungles of Panama and never saw a monkey in the wild. On our second day in Costa Rica, we were awakened to a whole troop of monkeys. The dominant male was howling loudly. Before I saw them in the trees, I couldn't figure out what kind of animal or machine was making the sound. They ate some bright yellow flowers and after an hour or so, moved on to other trees. It was early in the day and they are really black monkeys, so getting a photo was quite difficult.

Last Sun

Standing and waiting for the sun to set over the ocean is difficult because you are looking directly at the sun, but trying hard not to see it. This is my first "summer" photo even though it is technically Spring. This photo was taken in Playa del Coco, Costa Rica.

Lock on the Savannah River, Martinez, Georgia

For about a year, I drove to work each day by crossing the Bridge of the Americas across the Panama Canal. When I think of canal locks, my experience is with something a little more elaborate. These locks were obviously manually operated and worked with a relatively small amount of water. Not at all like the monumental locks at Gatun in Panama.

Above the Clouds

The sky was overcast in Denver but shortly after takeoff, we broke through the clouds and could see the mountains above the clouds. I have an app that shows the direction and speed of the airplane and we get moving to over 500 miles per hour so scenes like this are constantly changing. It is hard to get a good photo with an iPhone out the window of a fast moving airplane.

Falls of the Savannah River, Augusta, Georgia

The rapids or falls of the Savannah River were circumvented by the construction of a canal. The canal is actually located in Martinez, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. Quoting from the Savannah Rapids Park Website,

Begun in 1845, the first stage of the Augusta Canal was completed the next year. The headgates at today's Savannah Rapids Park were opened on November 23, 1846, and water flowed for the first time into the canal that had taken 200 men roughly 18 months to build.

From time to time, I will feature some photos of the Park.

Perpetual Poinsettia

This is the third year we have had this beautiful poinsettia plant bloom for us in the winter. We planted it outside all this last summer and it grew large enough to need a new pot. We are ready to put it outside again for the summer.

Returning to Frank Lloyd Wright

If you are acquainted with the work of the famous American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, you will quickly recognize this particular design. This is an interior view of one of the buildings in the Martin House Complex in Buffalo, New York. As much as I like his designs, I would prefer to live in a house with large windows in all directions. Our present home has huge windows in every room and you never feel like you are enclosed. Most of the Wright houses I have seen have smaller windows and with a lot of art glass that makes the view distorted.

Disappearing Waterfall

Water holds a fascination for me. Probably because I have seen so little of it during most of my life in the desert Southwest. I can hardly believe that all this water just disappears into a very narrow crack in the rocks. I cannot imagine the forces of erosion or tectonics that might have caused this phenomenon. It seems like when I go to these, for me, exotic places, there are always storm clouds and I can never seem to get bright and sunny days for photos.