Thursday, August 30, 2007

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During my working career, my travel patterns included very short, overloaded visits to exotic ports of call. Arrive at 11:00 PM; sleep; attend meetings from breakfast until the plane left; lather-rinse-repeat. Since I retired I have enjoyed a different kind of travel; travel where I can stay someplace long enough to begin to get a feel for its culture. I like this better.

Earlier this year I had a chance to live in Florence Italy for about 4 months. It gave me a chance to dig deeper into Renaissance art, Italian culture, and to live as a native, at least to an extent. UNESCO claims that 60% of the world’s most important art resides in Italy and that half of that is in Florence. Obviously the art was fantastic. So was the Italian food. And Italian style. And Italians.

I took 6,600 photos while I was there and just posted the best of them in 16 galleries on my website: • Ponte Vechio • Duomo • Piazza della Signoria • Palazzo Vecchio • Santa Croce • Santa Maria del Carmine • Ufizzi • Streets • Cars • Italians • Windows • Chianti • Bologna • Fiesole • Lucca

At the risk of coining a phrase, these photos represent a cultural biopsy of Florence.  They are big, bright, sharp. Collectively they go pretty deep. I feel great about the experience and I feel great about these photos.

Feel free to visit http://www.DigitalQuixote.com. Take all the time you want and enjoy!

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Casual Travel
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Monday, August 20, 2007

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I pay a LOT of taxes. If I allocate them all to the Blue Angels ... I think I get what I pay for! Here for your viewing pleasure are the Blue Angles at Seattle’s SeaFair 2007. In the photo above, ... Mt. Rainier in the background!

The 3 above from day two are definitely worth expanding. I love the way water vapor in the air condenses during high speed and aggressive aerobatics!

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Planes
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Monday, August 13, 2007

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Seattle’s summer (last week in July + first week in August) is celebrated with a huge citywide party called SeaFair. There are Unlimited Hydro Races, Parades, Airshows, a Pirate Landing, and so much more. Here are some pictures I took on the water waiting for the Airshow to start.

Needless to say, it gets pretty crouded. The Army, Navy and Coast Guard patrol the waters keeping the boats out of harms way and look for safety violations (life jackets, alcohol, overloading and such.)

And it is a great place to watch people.

Above: Beautiful People. Below: Beautiful People in training.

Watch for photos of the Blue Angels ... Coming Soon!

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Out and About
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Sunday, July 15, 2007

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Nancy has this great garden planted so various plants bloom all summer long, one speices after another. At the moment, these are all in bloom and the garden looks great. I took these pictures using my 105mm macro lens, so I had to get very close to the flowers. It felt intimate ... almost like I was looking up their skirts.

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Out and About
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

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The wife (she who must be obeyed) is in Orlando for a conference, and I’m free to go motorcycling; this time to the Olympic Peninsula. Seattle to Port Angeles with two side trips: 1) Hurricane Ridge; 2) the Hoh Rain Forest.

I knew, but had forgotten, there are 60 living glaciers on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington (State, USA), more than in Glacier National Park. Here you will find the cleanest air on the planet, and the purest water. Here you will find a Million acres of 100% natural biodiversity. It’s also the wettest spot on the planet with up to 200 inches of rain each year. So go now, in July or August.

The picture above and the last one were taken from Hurricane Ridge, just 17 miles from Port Angeles. This is a very pretty place with tremendous hiking opportunities ... and “knock your eyes out” gorgeous vistas. Recommended. The photo immediately below is from the Hoh Rain Forest. Here is a stream, flowing beneath a fallen log, which due to all the rain is covered by hanging epiphyte moses and lichens.

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Casual Travel
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