The braided river patterns over the glacial outwach sandurs in Iceland make great subjects for arial drone photography. I will be getting a dron for my birthday, but did not have one on this trip. So, I thought I would see what I could do taking images from Google Earth as a starting point. The colors in the images below are all present in the original Google Earth photographs - just very muted.
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A few quick photo stops en route from Reykjavik to a 13-course Icelandic Christmas dinner at Hotel Ranga.
Reykjavik - Two architectural icons. Two very different interpretations, each inspired by the hexagonal basalt columns of the Iceland landscape.
Hallgrimskirkja
The rainbow street leading down from the church
The Harpa Concert Hall
November 17-19 - Caddo Lake
A 3000+ mile round trip to visit the largest cypress forest (swamp) in the world; a magical, mystical hideaway that in November provides some of the most beautiful fall colors the south has to offer.
We stayed at Hodgepodge Cottages in Uncertain Texas, immediately across from the lake, and I went out onto the lake for morning and evening shootingexcursions with local guide and photographer Paul Keith.
Cypress trees in the spotlight
Mostly about Spanish moss
 Bare branch; Caddo Lake |
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Cypress trees in isolation
Details
Sunset and sunrise light
Birds
Treescapes and Waterscapes
Whimsical Art Installations on Taylor Island
The whimsical, creative spirit of Dottie Carter is found in art projects around her Spatterdock Guest houses on Taylor Island. Dottie Carter and her pal, Patty Lovelace, with their creative and whimsical spirits, create mosaic pieces, large and small. Most of the friends' work are on Taylor Island, where all but one of the Spatterdock Guest Houses are located. VWs can be seen near the road at Frog Trot (Super Heroes), Barnstormer (Volksfroggin) and Spatterdock (Baby Buddha and the Teapots).(Wanda Warmouth) is across the road
October 14 - Fly Geyser and Pronghorn Antelopes
October 14 - Photographing the annular solar eclipse from northern Nevada
An interesting aspect of an annular eclipse is the appearance of Baily’s beads. These are beads of sunlight either disappearing or reappearing through deep lunar valleys along the limb of the Moon. Although Baily’s beads can be seen at the centerline of the eclipse path, they appear for only for a few seconds. In contrast, at the edge of the path is it possible to see the beads speed up and slow down for a few minutes before and after peak obscuration. This is the so-called “grazing zone”. Whereas eclipse maps show straight lines representing the edges of a path, it is actually an irregular shape defined by the Moon's bumpy terrain. High-resolution data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) now make it possible to plot the “grazing zone” on Earth, a region roughly 3 km wide. I used Xavier Jubier’s wonderful interactive Google eclipse maps to select a location in the Black Rock desert about 3 miles north of Fly Gyser,. a site I had long wanted to photograph and which was conveniently accessible later on the same day through a tour organized by the Friends of the Black Rock Desert. The eclipse would peak at 9.31 am, but the prospects of seeing it seemed poor when we crawled out from our tent at dawn to find the sky completely overcast with dark clouds. Over a few hours, however, the clouds started to thin. With only ten minutes to go we began to make out the largely eclipsed sun through the cloud, and a patch of blue sky drifted in the right direction to give a clear view at exactly the right time.
A Road Trip along the Eastern Sierras looking for Fall Colors
October 12 - Heading north from Mono Lake to view the eclipse in Nevada
October 11: Sagehen Summit and Lee Vining Canyon
Close up photos of aspen leaves
October 10, 11 - Camping for two nights by Mono Lake as a base to explore the Sierra canyons
Wild horses, previously seen rarely and only in remote parts of the Mono Basin, have experienced rapid population growth in the past five years—so much that they have expanded far beyond their home territory near the Nevada state line and now routinely reach South Tufa and the shoreline and wetlands at Mono Lake.
October 10- From Cinder Cone to Mono Lake with side trips to Big Pine Canyon, Rock Creek Canyon and June Lake Loop to find fall colors.
An afternoon concert in the dome of the 100 inch telescope on Mt. Wilson - Oct. 8
A Sunday afternoon concert by the Los Angeles Reed Quintet. Wonderful accoustics and a photographic treat within the dome of the historic 100 inch telescope on Mout Wilson.
New Sculptures in the Newport Beach Civic Center Gardens - Sept. 22
John C. Campbell Folk School
September 3-7, 2023
 John C. Campbell Folk School |
Anne and I spent a week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. Anne studied and practiced "Fred Ball's experimental enamelling techniques", while I took the photos here during my class on "Photography - Lightscape, Darkscape". The Folk School is spread across a bucolic campus of woodlands and open fields that made a serene environment to escape from the world for a week. My photos here were taken largely on the School campus.
[A work in progress - more photos to come shortly...]
Folk School Buildinga
The Sawmill
Kilns and Ovens
The Folk School Gardens and Grounds
Folk School Artworks and Sculptures
Rivercane Walk and Sculptures
Opened in 2006, this quarter-mile long, creekside loop trail features installations from area artists honoring the strong Cherokee heritage of the Appalachian area.
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Visiting the Workshops and Classrooms
Hand Crafting
Crafts Exhibits in the Festival Barn on the final Morning
Student Crafts - Yoruba Batik
Student Crafts - Fred Ball's experimental enamelling techniques
 Enamelled copper envelope #2; John C. Campbell Folk School |
 Medley of enamelled tiles #3; John C. Campbell Folk School |
Student Crafts - Sewing
Student Crafts - Wedge-weave
Student Crafts - Woodworking
Student Crafts - Preserving the Harvest
Student Crafts - Basketry
Student Crafts - Music
A week in Yorkshire
Steam engines and Locomotives
Tees Cottage Pumping Station, Darlington
East Lancashire Railway
47298 was built in 1924 at a cost of £3,168 by the Hunslet Engine Co Ltd. at Leeds. In 1983 47298 was moved to the Llangollen Railway, painted blue and ran as Thomas the Tank Engine. |
Whitby
 Whitby - Lobster pots |
York Minster
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A week in Scotland
Kelburn Castle (The "graffiti castle")
In 2007 experts told the owners of Kelburn Castle that its concrete facing on the 16th century tower house would eventually need to be replaced to avoid further damage to the stonework. At the suggestion of his children,Lord Glasgow invited four Brazilian graffiti artists to to spend a month at the castle and, in collaboration with local graffiti artists, decorate it in their own inimitable style. The Brazilians were Francisco Rodrigues da Silva, known as Nunca (‘Never’ in Portuguese); identical twin graffiti team Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, who work under the name Os Gemeos; and Otavio’s wife, Nina Pandolfo. Collectively they have worked on street murals on Los Angeles, Lisbon, Berlin and beyond, and featured in the Tate Modern’s 2008 Street Art exhibition. None of them had every spray-painted an 800-year-old castle before, however. The Kelburn mural was intended to be only temporary – thankfully, it has now become permanent. In 2011, stencil and graffiti art expert Tristan Manco listed it as one of the top 10 best examples of street art anywhere in the world.
Kelburn Castle - The Secret Forest
Law Castle, West Kilbride
Our home in Scotland for a week.
"In the fifteenth century Law Castle was constructed as a wedding gift for Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of James II of Scotland upon her marriage to Thomas Boyd the Earl of Arran. What is now the formal great hall of this comfortable but unusual home once served as a courtroom - and comes complete with a pit prison behind a flagstone trap door. There's also a 'murder hole' through which hot oil could have been poured over unwelcome visitors outside.
Having fallen into a state of disrepair, the Grade A listed building has been restored to an immaculate standard. Six hundred years later, it is available for rent as one of Scotland's most luxurious and exclusive holiday homes."
 Spiral stone stairs; Law Castle, West Kilbride |
Portencross Castle - my early morning walk from Law Castle
 Portencross road |
"It is said that Portencross Castle was the last resting place of the great kings of Scotland. Legend has it that they were transported via the castle on their way to Iona, for burial. They lay in state at Portencross Castle for a short time." [Friends of Portencross Castle]
Glenapp Castle, Scotland
Afternoon tea, followed by a falconry experience
Afternoon Tea
followed by...
Falconry in the Castle grounds
"An experience that will showcase the ancient art of Falconry and exhibit it in an exciting and lively manner. Each bird has been expertly raised with complete human exclusion so as to showcase these wonderful birds natural behaviour, you can expect them to soar metres above you, before swooping down to your gloved hand for a tasty morsel. You will fly and handle various birds of prey including owls, hawks, falcons, kites and of course a glorious Eagle. "
Long-eared Owl
Red Kite
Harris's Hawk
American Bald Eagle
June 26 - July 12
Svalbard / The Ultimate Pack Ice Voyage
A tour organized by Joe van Os Photosafaris, aboard the MV Polar Pioneer
"The main feature of our trip is our search across the pack ice for the very icon of the arctic—the polar bear—in spectacular photogenic situations that can surpass any place else on Earth! Birdlife, including throngs of wheeling seabirds, barnacle and pink-footed geese, arctic terns and red-throated loons, offers wonderful additional photo possibilities. Other subjects include towering glaciers and sea ice in many forms—including startling documentation of the effects of global warming—as well as walruses amidst the ice floes, bearded and ringed seals, and several species of whales."
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[Scroll down for polar bears - the principal subject of our trip]
Svalbard - Land, Sky, Water, Ice
Birds of Svalbard
Black legged kittiwakes - constant companions hunting for fish in the wake of the ship
Other birds...
Tundra Flowers
Svalbard Reindeer
Arctic Fox
Walrus
Seals
The Pack Ice Environment- Home of the Polar Bear
Polar bears in the pack ice
Polar bear reflections
Cute polar bear cubs
Polar bear mums with cubs
Polar bears in the water
Polar Bears are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals. In fact the latin name for Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, means maritime bear. This is because they depend on the ocean for their food and habitat. They also have many physical characteristics that make them well adapted for life in the cold Arctic Ocean. They are excellent swimmers with streamlined bodies and tiny webs between their forepaws to help propel them through the water. A thick layer of blubber and a water-shedding coat keeps them warm in cold temperatures both in and out of the water. [PolarTREK] |
A family dinner
Leaping bears
 Leaping bear #2; Polar bears in pack ice; Nordaustlanded, Svalbard |
First days at sea.
Our destination was the area south of Nordaustlanded (north-east island), where the ice chart showed a large expeanse of pack ice which our "bear master" Rinnie thought would be a prime place to find polar bears. To get there we had to circle around the north of Spitzbergen before heading down south through the Hinlopen Strait between Swalbard and Nordaustlanded. The ice strengthened Polar Pioneer was readily able to penetrate through heavy pack ice beyond 80o north of Spitzbergen,; but this stopped other ships, and we were then almost entirely alone for the next 10 days.
 Ice chart showing dense pack ice (red) north of Spitzbergen and blocking the entrance to the Hinlopen strait. |
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Our first couple of days were beset by a thick fog that made it impossible to search for polar bears.
Occasionally the fog would lift a little, giving nice fog bows.
Our first polar bear sighting. Distant, and not a good photograph, but I include it as this was the only polar bear (out of 53 sightings) that we found on land.
Some other wildlife...
Kittiwakes; constant companions in the wake of the ship.
Eventually the fog dissipated, and we enjoyed perfectly clear blue skies for the rest of our voyage, with still conditions making for clear reflections in the water.
June 24,25
Two days in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, before boarding the Polar Pioneer to voyage to the Arctic pack ice.
 Cemetery below Coal cableway supports; Longyearbyen, Svalbard The six crosses and single headstone at the back mark the graves of miners whose bodies were exhumed in 2018 in the hope of finding samples of the deadly 1918 flu virus preserved in the permafrost. |
Dinner at Gruvelageret - the World's most northerly fine dining restaurant.
"We are proud to have restored and rebuilt Gruvelageret in Sverdrupbyen - a historic part of Longyearbyen - into a new and unique fine dining restaurant. The restaurant's interior focuses on the history of early coal mining in Longyearbyen, over one hundred years ago. Our kitchen staff take pride in serving genuine, exquisite food with a love for arctic cuisine."
Gruvelageret: The menu
 Ragu of Svalbard reindeer with apple-pickled carrot, chive mayonnaise, shrimp chips with lingonberry powder Gruvelageret, Longyearbyen |
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