Archive for 2010

Washingtonian Cover: Balloon by Rick Collier

Washingtonian Cover: Balloon by Rick Collier

The cover of The Washingtonian Magazine August 2010 issue is this photo by Rick Collier of a balloon lifting off at dawn. The original image is named “Dawn Lift” and I originally blogged about it in August 2009.


Fourth of July Mashup

Fourth of July Mashup

Every Fourth of July Nancy and I invite a group of friends and neighbors to cruise on a deckboat on Lake Thoreau at sunset, to watch the evening’s impromptu celebrations of Independence Day. Enormous, professional-grade starburst shells go off overhead as bottle rockets inscribe arcs over or between the boats. The whole thing is spontaneous and unplanned. Our music was a mashup of Sousa marches and patriotic country. This is America’s birthday, lake-style.


Peekaboo

Peekaboo

This is a small Caribbean reef (spiny) lobster I found while diving with Dreamtime Dive Center in Mahahual, Mexico — the small town near the cruise ship port called Costa Maya. The dive center stands right on the beautiful white sand beach that runs the length of the town. Highly recommended; check them out if you ever get there.


Quirigua HDR

Quirigua HDR

High Definition Images (HDR) images taken during a tour group visit to Quirigua Archaeological Park in central Guatemala. Quirigua is home of one of the largest and most well-preserved collections of Mayan stelae and zoomorphs of the Mayan classic period, displayed under thatched roofs in beautifully manicured gardens.


Toad Ugly

Toad Ugly

Half-way through a very nice dive at Turneffe Atoll off Belize, the divemaster found this whitespotted toadfish. The whitespotted toadfish is reported only in waters off Belize, which makes this fish unique and interesting — though also quite ugly.