Capturing the Moment

  It was a beautiful day on Burlington's famous Church Street. People were enjoying the late summer hot weather and getting some walking in past the shops and restaurants of the city market. There are so many little villages and beautiful towns here in Northern Vermont. Today my mom was in town, and the kids were in school, so I thought we would go and explore a bit. Even though its not the capitol, Burlington is the major hub of Vermont. This is where the biggest airport is, and it is located right on the shores of the massive Lake Champlain. The University of Vermont draws in students from all over, and holds the hospital where all three of my kids were born. Every once in a while, I will descend out of the mountains of Stowe, and go explore this beautiful city. On our way out of Stowe, Vermont, we made a stop at the Von Trapp Family Lodge. This is where the some of the Von Trapp family, made famous by the movie 'Sound of Music', immigrated from Austria. The rolling mount...

  I'm back in Stowe, Vermont with my camera in hand. This was a photo of the newly refurbished Stowe Community Church chapel, in the early morning blue light. Summer in Alaska has been pretty amazing. There was even a quick trip to Norway and Sweden this summer as well. But now its time to soak the last of summer up in the lakes and mountains of Vermont, with three of the coolest kids I know. Sometimes folks forget about all the beauty that is right in their backyard. I am determined to grab my camera and not miss any of it. This past week was spent walking around my town of Stowe, Vermont, enjoying the summertime vibes and mountainous surroundings. There were waterfalls, sunsets, blue hour shoots downtown, and wildflowers galore. The chances for photography are all around. Summer is a great time to be here. Stowe is known for its winter skiing, but summer bike riding and hiking into the Green Mountains is a can't miss. Plus a day trip to Lake Champlain is a wonderful addition....

    This is the Alaska that I see in my mind when I close my eyes and daydream about being back there. Water, so calm that it reflects the mountains and sky. Ice filled glaciers that can be the purest form of blue I know. And rugged landscapes, totally devoid of the touch of humans. No boardwalks, no cars, no ticket booths, just wilderness. It was a picture perfect day at Northwestern Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. Like most of Alaska, there was not another person around for miles. It was just our little expedition cruise ship and our thirty passengers. The water was calm, almost like a mirror, reflecting the jaw-dropping scenery of the fjord. There was much less ice floating in the water than last time, but I still had high hopes that the guests would be able to see a calving, where chunks of ice as big as buildings fall off the glacier face and crash into the water. My plan was to get everyone on either kayaks or small boats, to give them a more intimate look at the ...

  I thought the clouds, the meadow, and the mountains all camme together for a great view in this photo. In true expedition fashion, we anchored the Safari Explorer off a bay that we had only explored in satellite photos and dreams. It was located in the Northeast corner of Wide Bay. It had a very shallow entrance, which meant we couldn't get the big boat into the bay. But this afternoon was high tide, and we planned to send out a kayaking group and a skiff tour, so I made the decision to move activities to this unnamed bay, and do a little exploring with the guests. I led the kayaking group, which was quite large. I had about 20 guests, in ten double kayaks with me. The bay is about 2 miles long, so I knew we were in for a workout, but we had all afternoon and were not in a big rush. We did have some waves outside the bay, where we anchored. Luckily the waves and breeze pushed all the kayakers towards the bay and towards a beautiful waterfall that would serve as our first gatherin...