Capturing the Moment

 What an amazing, non stop trip we just had to Savannah. Dela, Fisher, and I just spent a week staying at the Blue House, and hanging with Grandma Nancy, Babu and Nana, Lea and David, and all the Boys as well. We had lots of morning walks on the Bluff, playground visits, a big boat ride out towards Wassaw, aquarium time with crab catching, and pool time. Fisher and Babu caught a ton of fish, including a big striped bass. We went to the Pirates House to see the infamous tunnel leading underground to the Savannah River, where pirates used to shanghai drunk patrons to join their shorthanded crews. We watched trains and built legos, finished puzzles and collected eggs.     We had good animals as well, with some close, big alligators, tons of frogs, a box turtle, some deer, and even a big water moccasin (cottonmouth) snake that we caught and relocated out at the Ford. One of the coolest animal moments was Dela's very first alligator catching night. At two and a half years...

Vermont House lit up and reflected   I haven't spent much time in Vermont during the fall season. It was something I was hoping to remedy after seeing all the pictures of the changing of leaves and crisp weather. Now that I am here at the end of October I can say that fall is definitely a nice time to be in Vermont.    What I didn't expect was downright warm temperatures this late in the year. This, combined with clear dark nights, gave me the idea to head outside and do some star photography. I was hoping to see some meteors since this was during the Orionids meteor shower but only one shot across the sky during the photo shoot. Star Gazing in Vermont   Using a long exposure (30 seconds), I was able to start capturing the milky way streaking across the night sky. A little bit of light pollution and some low wispy clouds added a bit of color and drama to the sky. Then as I walked around the pond down below the house I got the idea to include the reflec...

in the failing light Shooting star and the Milky Way over the Main House I am a firm believer that with all of the technology out there that many people never get outside after dark to experience a different side of the world around them. With electricity, tv, and internet all around it is easy to stay indoors and miss out on things like shooting stars, constellations, and feeling comfortable in darkness. But luckily this same advanced technology that keeps many indoors, also gives us the power to capture the night in photos like never before. Far away from the big cities, on moonless nights, photographers armed with long exposure capable cameras and a bit of patience see what the night really has to offer. Sometimes it will surprise you with its beauty. Looking up the Lookout Tower Kid's Cottage at Night    I spent the last two nights on a quiet island in the middle of Lake Champlain named Stave Island. I noticed the stars coming into focus and even the milk...

For the past three and half years I have been sharing the Hawaiian island experience with visitors. One question I often get is what is my favorite thing to see and do here. It is a hard question to answer. We have world class surfing waves, great scuba diving, an annual migration of playful humpback whales, and some of the best waterfall hikes anywhere in the country. But as a photographer, a scientist, and an adventurer there is one thing that stands out above all the rest. Glowing Lava Meets the Ocean Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii has been erupting continuously since 1983. It sits on top of the hot spot in the earth's crust that has formed all the Hawaiian islands over the last 70,000,000 years. While the eruption is continuous, the amount of activity can rise and fall. Sometimes the only activity is churning lava inside the crater, creating a glowing smoke trail. But often on the slopes northeast of the crater breakouts happen. Lava will ooze out of undergro...

Me grabbing the rail at Honolua Some surfer getting shacked   What a way to ring in the new year! A week on Maui with old friends, borrowed camping gear, and a good winter swell brought out many smiles. We made sure to get in a couple of whale watches complete with muggings and breaches, and even managed a few dives at some of our favorite spots. Nate breaking the mystique Cutting hard at Honolua   There are a few spots on the island with big firework shows for new years eve but the real scene is in the local neighborhoods. Fireworks sell like crazy leading up to new years and it shows with explosions heard from noon onwards. I even heard a few the next morning. I checked a few times to see if Nate's car was on fire because of all the smoke. And despite her best efforts to fall asleep I still kissed Heidi at midnight thanks to some unbelievable explosions from the neighbors. Whale tails everywhere! Adult breaching Baby attempt   It was a n...

Looking back on New Zealand Hiking Mt Cook Mt Cook- We finished up our boat cruise through Milford Sound with the weather still clearing and the need to put some miles behind us. Milford is the end of the road and the farthest point from our departure city of Christchurch. I thought about heading the four hours back to Queenstown but it was such a beautiful day and driving in New Zealand is such a pleasure in itself we just kept going. As the sun was setting we turned off the main highway towards the tiny village of Mount Cook.   The mountain itself loomed in the distance, getting ever closer. Even in summer it is covered in snow which feeds a lake of pure turquoise water. We had to stop at several overlooks to take it all in. The picture postcard scenes here in New Zealand just keep getting better. Our hostel was one of only a few buildings that comprise Mt Cook village. It is a jumping off point for hikers and mountaineers. Wanting to take full advantage of the lon...

Green Sea Turtles on the beach resting Pathway to Paradise  The beauty of living in Hawaii is you can go on a wild, tropical vacation on a totally different island after taking a quick, 35 minute plane ride. The islands here are all unique and each one has its own reasons for spending time there. For underwater excitement, the Big Island is hard to beat. So after hearing that my dad was going to be there I hopped on a plane and headed over for a quick weekend. With only one night there I had to make a choice as to what our activity should be. While the Big Island has pretty amazing night activities like viewing lava from the active volcano and stars from Mauna Kea, the choice to go swimming with the manta rays was an easy one. I can't say enough how amazing the encounters are here with animals much bigger than me.  This was my third time doing the manta night dive in Kona. I had great success on my first two and was hoping for another big night. I was the first d...