Bali Volcano View
(HDR landscape shot of Mount Batur in Bali, Indonesia.) The bottom of the ancient volcano, now verdant and dotted with houses and villages, falls away to the new volcano, Mount Batur and its nearby lake. Beyond the lake is Bali’s tallest mountain, Mount Agung.
Lake Shrine
The Ulun Danu has a walled center precinct that is normally closed to the public, as it is actively in use as a Hindu temple. There are a number of attractive and active shrines scattered in the gardens. The two, multi-tiered shrines that are actually in Lake Bratan form what is are probably the most recognizable and often photographed sight on Bali.
Swans
(Two photos: A pair of white swans, and a black swan.) Keswick Vineyards is different from the vast majority of Virginia wineries; they have swans. We saw the pond (and the swans) when we entered the property. There were two pairs.
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.
Reflecting Fall
Reston, Virginia, USA
It is a still, cool day at the lake. The colors of autumn leaves and the clear blue sky are reflected in the calm lake, bordered by boats that have been put away for the season. There has been a break in posting as I upgraded our systems to Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system, which I have to admit I greatly prefer over its predecessor, Vista.
