Philippines Leg

Hello Halo Halo. Halo halo is a very popular, refreshing, sweet and delicious dessert/drink in the Philippines. It consists of Jell-O, flan, beans, milk, ice cream and other ingredients that I am not really sure of what they are. It goes down real good in the Manila heat!

Fish and Fruits are sold on just about every roadside in the Philippines. Cars literally stop on the road (you have to be very careful driving there) to buy delicious juicy fresh fruits and, as this boy shows, fish. The fresh fruits there are some of the best I have ever tasted!

Cow Watching Traffic

This is an occassional sight along the roads in the Philippines. This cow was just a couple feet from the road and appeared content just watching the cars whizz by.

Gyne Clean? I was told that the woman in the poster is the daughter of former president Corazon Aquino. She has quite a reputation for being very "sociable" with men, which probably explains her wanting everyone to know how (ahem) clean she is.

Rear View shows some of the many different vehicles all over the Philippines. This is a very convenient and common type of taxi. I did not get the chance to ride on one but they woke me early every morning as these trikes are annoyingly noisy and my sister-in-law's home, where I stayed, is on a fairly busy street.

Surf Meets Sand on the beautiful California coast near San Clemente.
Also near San Clemente is this photo, On Cool Sand. The weather was perfect and the water and sand were cool. California beaches are a great place to relax, read a book, watch the surfers, build castles or just do nothing but enjoy the magnificent Pacific waves crashing.

Sunset Swinging on the highest hill in Turtle Ridge in Irvine, California. My wife Pauline, left, and niece Nikki, right, were enjoying the park until the very last bit of daylight as the sun disappeared over the Pacific Ocean behind them.

High Flyin' Rides was taken at St. Dorothy's yearly fundraiser, the Oak Tree Festival. We've been going to the festival every year since we moved to the area. There's lots of good food, drinks (even ice cold beer on tap), fun rides and games, lots of live performers (dead performers don't do very well) and even a chance to win some $. One year we won one year's tuition!! Here, from left to right, are Rob, Nikki, Marco, Josette and Pauline as they watch the stomach-churning rides above them.

The photo to the right, Spotlight on Hammerhead was in the Maui Ocean Center. I was pointing my camera in the tank looking for a cool shot of the fish and sharks when this magnificent ray of sunlight appeared. It only lasted for about 5 seconds and I never saw it again. I had an awesome time in Maui and would love to go back every year!

Did It Make a Sound? (below) Strolling through the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia we came across a spectacular sight.

I found this Basking Spider on a sidewalk a block from UC Berkeley. Sidewalk art or a fun way to frighten small children?

Friends on Trikes was taken on my recent trip to Dong Guan, China. Many locals get around either on foot or some sort of cycle. Cars are evidently a fairly new introduction there as there are no old cars, most all the roads look new and driving is a new concept - and the learning curve is steep!

Everglades Grandma was taken in Cooperstown,

Florida. She raises alligators and offers airboat rides through the Everglades, also known as the River of Grass - it is not a swamp as many people believe. She handled this little gator as if it was a kitten. She'll even let you hold it if you dare -I did! The airboat ride is always fun and if you are ever out in that part of the world do not pass up the opportunity to ride one.

I have been there many times for hiking, alligator watching, off-roading, sightseeing, listening to the beautiful sounds of nature, or just plain hangin' out. When the mosquitoes are at a minimum, I would like to go back and do some kayaking or canoeing through there. I love the Everglades.

For more info on this wonderful area go to http://www.everglades.national-park.com/

First Photo on Blog

Welcome to my photo blog. This is essentially a small collection of my photos that I found to be interesting, unusual, funny, thought-provoking, beautiful, strange, inspiring, odd, bizarre, or at the time just plain cool.

If you find that you get any sort of reaction from any of these photos, leave me a comment because I am interested.

I will publish many photos here but please bear with me as this is my first attempt at blogging.

This 1st photo is titled Racing the Waves and was taken at El Matador State Beach in Malibu, California.

Enjoy!