Travels with L (and sometimes Z & F): September 2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

My Map of the World

Here's a fun way to see where in the world you've been to so far. I've created my map below. The red areas are places I've lived in, the blue are places I've traveled to, and the green are places I want to go to. I'll go just about anywhere in the world - as long as it's safe, but if I had my choice, the green countries are the places I'd most like to visit before my time is up. There are a lot of places on this planet I haven't been to yet. I've only visited about 19% of the world's countries...

How about you? Want to make your own map? Go to this site and give it a try - this site will generate a map like the one I've posted:

Whereivebeen.com

Or you can try this travelbuddy site, which is a little more accurate since it includes more islands than the whereivebeen map site:

Travbuddy.com

Monday, September 22, 2008

Happy Fall

Happy first day of autumn!

Autumn is my favorite season - cold, crisp days and nights, long shadows, vibrant colors -it's a great time for photography too. I'm looking forward to going out into nature and capturing the beauty of fall.

That's me...the autumn queen - wishing you a wonderful season...

Friday, September 19, 2008

The World in Black & White

What if there were no color photography...

Bavarian cows...

Nordic Tug in Anacortes...

4th of July on Lopez Island...

Deception Pass Bridge...

Tacoma, WA...

My Japanese lantern...

Lighthouse on Whidbey Island...

Flounder Bay...

Sailing in the San Juans...

Christmas at Union Square

Phoenix, AZ...

Vancouver, BC...

Waikiki...

San Francisco...

London...

Videos of Fidalgo Island

I know, I know...I'm a BIG fan of Anacortes and the San Juan Islands. Well, I found some fun videos about the area that the local Chamber of Commerce has posted on their website:

http://www.anacortes.org/anacortes-video.cfm

Check them out; the one about Oyster Run is especially entertaining to watch!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

San Francisco 3-day walk

On Sunday September 7 we went to the Marina Green in San Francisco to welcome my friends Hollis and Norman back from their 60 mile walk through the San Francisco Bay Area. They walked 60 miles over three days in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which raises funds for breast cancer awareness and research. Many of you donated to Hollis' team, Quincy's Cruisers, and she would like to thank you all for your generous support and warm words of encouragement. Because of your donations, they have almost reached their goal of $5,000. Thank you! The entire event had close to 2,000 walkers and raised over 6 million dollars for the foundation. It was very moving and inspirational to be there for the closing ceremonies and welcome the tired and sore but happy walkers back. Here are a few images of that day...

The fight against breast cancer arrives in San Francisco...

Alcatraz Island as seen from Fort Mason...

Boats in the marina...

Todd, Christina, Cait, and me waiting for the ceremonies to begin...

Goofing off while we're waiting for the walkers to appear...

Richard having fun...

The cheerleeding section for Quincy's Cruisers...

The walkers arrive...

Me, the five-year survivor...

The walkers celebrating their accomplishment...

Quincy's Cruiser teammates Norman and Hollis after walking 60 miles...with blistered feet!

Nate and Ali mixing cocktails...

Well-earned gin and tonics for the team...

Hollis and her kids remembering their grandmothers...

Best friends since kindergarten...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

More Images of our Travels

So, I'm kind of obsessed with photography...especially when I'm on the road. Always have been and always will be...It can be frustrating, though, for my travel companions to have to wait around while I'm shooting off dozens of shots of the same thing, or while I'm waiting for that perfect light or shadow to reveal itself. Then of course, nothing is worse than having to endure my shouts of "wait, stop the car, I gotta get that shot!" So I've learned over the years that it causes a lot less stress on everyone if I just head off on my own to see what I can find worth photographing...

The age of digital cameras has made taking, sharing, and storing photos so much easier, too. Ever since I purchased my first digital camera, a small pocket Canon, my database on my laptop has been growing. Photography really became fun, though, when I bought my Nikon D40, which allows me so many more options than my little point and shoot. So, my database continues to grow...

Here are some more photos of some of the places we've been to over the past few years...

Twilight over Fidalgo Island...