A Range of Topics
Burt's Used Cars
Come on down to Burt's Used Cars on West Erwin in Tyler.
We've got a great Dodge van for you.
But if you're looking for something a little more sporty ... well, we've got a great Dodge van for you.
Burt's Used Cars
Boots and Spurs
The Texas Trail, with its larger-than-life cowboys pushing a herd of longhorns across a stream, dominates Pioneer Plaza in downtown Dallas.
I've shot many photos there over the years, trying to capture the scope of it.
The sculptor, Robert Summers, considers it a work in progress and adds a steer every now and then. It's already the largest bronze statue in the world and growing.
This shot, a closeup that captures a fraction of the whole, is my favorite.
Boots and Spurs
Sky Vu Drive In
This is all that's left of the Sky Vu; just a perch for a hawk.
I was happy to see the sign; not surprised the rest was gone.
I was back for a funeral, my first trip home in 25 years.
The drive-in on the western fringe of Russell, Kansas, brought memories of hot summer nights, tomato beer, cruising Main, and hanging out with my closest high school buddies.
There had been four of us, and now there were three.
Sky Vu Drive In
Route 66 Bridge at Catoosa
The twin spans of the "Bird Creek Bridge" on Route 66 near Catoosa, Oklahoma, are no more.
Shortly after this photo was taken in October 2008, the westbound lane of the bridge was condemned and demolished.
With half the historic structure replaced by a simple concrete bridge in 2011, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation plans to scrap the remaining eastbound lane by 2015.
Attempting to appease history buffs, the state used the steel pony trusses along entries to nearby Rogers Point Public Park and Molly's Landing restaurant.
It's not the same.
Route 66 Bridge at Catoosa
Got Your Back
I've Got Your Back
This shot of the "Three Servicemen" (or "Three Soldiers") statue at the Vietnam Wall to me says a lot about brotherhood, friendship, and ties formed in war. It's not the usual frontal view of Frederick Hart's statue, which sits on a rise above "the wall."
Hart said his goal was to create a sculpture that would be a moving evocation of the experience and service of the Vietnam veteran. He described it this way: "The portrayal of the figures is consistent with history. They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that are the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their aloneness and their vulnerability."
You can interpret this photo any way you like. I've always thought the three were scouting the wall for the names of their buddies.
The man on the right, M60 machine gun at the ready, could well be assuring his friend, "They're down there. If you want to take a look, I've got your back."
Got Your Back
Mountain Blue Jay and Lost Mine Peak
We were headed to the top of Mount Emory. My brother-in-law and I were determined to climb to the highest point in Big Bend National Park, the second-tallest peak in Texas.
We had spent the night before, fairly comfortable, in a wind-blown tent, perched high in the Chisos Mountains on the edge of the basin. On that high ridge, three thousand feet above our vehicle and campsite, we watched the sun go down through "The Window," a notch in the mountains looking out on the Chihuahuan Desert.
Now, with the dawn, we began the hard climb, another three thousand feet up, to the peak.
I saw this photo halfway to the top. Lit by the morning sun against a backdrop of the mist-covered Lost Mine Peak, a mountain Blue Jay stopped for a moment in the branches of this tree.
I quickly leaned out over a log at the edge of the trail and snapped this photo with my Nikon FA. The blue jay flew, and I was only able to get off a couple of shots.
But the stop gave us a breather, and soon we were scrambling up and over the rocky ledges that made up the last hundred feet to the top.
Was the climb worth it for a couple of old men? Yes, the view was spectacular.
Mountain Blue Jay and Lost Mine Peak
Temple Bar Alley
It was our last morning in Dublin. Our banged-up but matching luggage was neatly aligned in the lobby of The Arlington Hotel Temple Bar, and the cabbie was on his way.
It was raining, but we were waterproof by then. Our slickers kept us dry, and I had mastered the art of protecting my Canon from the elements.
I had about 10 minutes to make one last run through the early morning streets of Temple Bar. Last night it had been full of tourists. The historic pubs were rocking. And you couldn't snap a shot without standing in someone else's photo.
This morning was different. The people on the sidewalk strode with a purpose to find jobs in the Irish city. The tourists were, for the most part, still in the rack.
I like this shot. It's an Irish alley in the rain. And it has stories to tell.
Temple Bar Alley
Century Plant Dove
The sun was right. The angle was perfect.
But I was a little too far away.
On the return swing around the short circular Window Overlook Trail in the Chisos Basin at Big Bend National Park, the dove caught my eye.
I was alone, enjoying the quiet of the Chisos Mountains, and her peaceful call caught my attention.
My short zoom lens fits most occasions, but I needed a longer reach. I snapped a couple of photos just to have something to show for the effort, then quietly pulled off my pack and retrieved my longer zoom.
She didn't care. The seeds she harvested from the century plant claimed her full attention.
I got the photos I wanted, then went on my way, leaving her to her business.
Century Plant Dove
San Jose Mission
Mission San Jose, one of three missions on San Antonio's Mission Trail, is historic and unique.
There is no lack of great photos on the sprawling grounds.
The handle on the chapel door shows the wear of the hundreds - both worshipers and tourists - who pass into the quiet interior of the mission every day.
I like the shot. Hope you do.
San Jose Mission
Call Roaming
It was a delightful day on the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands.
Sure, it rained most of the time ... I even got wet shooting this. But that's Scotland; if you want warm and balmy, go to Mexico.
I love the old traditional red telephone boxes, still scattered around the world wherever Great Britain left its mark. On my first trip to Ireland and the Isle of Man in 2004, we spent a lot of time in them when they were critical to our survival as we searched each evening for our next B&B.
In 2011, with cellphones and international plans working, the red boxes seemed relegated to historical oddities.
But I love them, especially this one in the middle of nowhere.
Call Roaming
Into the Mist
We were headed to the Highlands of Scotland. Everything was green and new and wet. Driving north on the A84 through the Trossachs mountain range, we came upon Loch Lubnaig.
Pulling off the motorway into a small car park, we followed a muddy track to where a few hearty souls were launching their kayaks.
To those who don't read captions, this photo says solitude, peace, and quiet. But that would be a lie.
Off my left shoulder, two fishermen joked and laughed as they huddled beneath their slickers beside a smoky campfire that struggled to survive in the rain. A black and white dog, curious about this intruder in its territory, barked and sniffed at my heels. And just below me on the beach, a half dozen members of the kayak clan ... cropped from the photo by a good zoom lens... clambered noisily into their boats and paddled away to catch up.
I didn't have to tell you that.
Into the Mist
Blue Boat in the Rain
Blue Boat at Low Tide in the Rain
I was up with dawn, anxious to see what wonders I could capture along the shore of the Kenmare River.
We were staying at the Blue Merles B&B, a wonderful little place on Ireland's Beara Peninsula looking down on Dinish Island, and I was enchanted by the possibilities.
I shot despite the rain, and you can see the evidence of that in this shot.
Low tide had sucked the river to the sea, and I was enjoying the morning as the sun fought to peak through.
"Never pass up a picture of a blue boat," I told Marti. And I didn't.
Blue Boat in the Rain
Farewell to the Day
I don't know this girl, but I like her a lot. She, too, was swept up by the panorama of that Tucson sunset.
We spent a week out west in 2007, renting a condo from dear friends who said Tucson doesn't have great sunsets.
They were wrong. That year, big fires filled the atmosphere with smoke, and our trip was timed perfectly to observe the result.
The bright reds, oranges, and yellows had faded, and everyone headed for their cars and a long winding trip down off Mount Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains.
The light was nearly gone when I saw her standing atop a rocky outcrop. With dark coming on swiftly, she stood like a statue, as if waiting for an encore.
Holding my Nikon tight to the flat top of a guardrail, I zoomed in and counted off what seemed like the longest exposure ever. She never moved, and this is the result.
Farewell to the Day
Contrabando Canyon Adobe
Contrabando Canyon, an aptly named dry wash that cuts through the Chihuahuan Desert to the Rio Grande, has probably seen its share of travelers, smugglers, and bandits.
This adobe is part of a small village near the mouth of the canyon just off Farm to Market 170, a scenic highway that cuts across Big Bend Ranch State Park between Lajitas and Presidio, Texas. The Rio Grande, a thin blue border that keeps Texas just a short wade from Mexico. Flows quietly a few feet away. Except for the occasional car on the blacktop and the bleating of goats on the Mexican side, there is little sound.
You might think you have found something old and wild, but looks can be deceiving. Inside, the house is a shell, part of an abandoned movie set. Built in 1985, it has been used to film scenes from eight movies like "Dead Man's Walk" and "Rio Diablo."
This shot was taken on one of our earlier visits to the Big Bend area.
Contrabando Canyon Adobe
Salado Sunflowers
We were just exploring some of the country roads around Salado, Texas.
I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, just curious about what the country was like off the Interstate.
I hadn't been back to my native Kansas in years, so a field of sunflowers caught my eye. I had to stop.
It was a bit of a scramble down through the ditch and up an overgrown bank choked with weeds. Once at the barbed wire fence, I still had to work the shot a bit to get clear of overhanging branches that obstructed the shot.
When the cloud swept over the yellow field, providing the contrast that makes the shot interesting, I knew the scramble had been worth it.
Salado Sunflowers
Paintball Not Bullets
Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland, 2004
This is the observation window of a British guard tower on the Derry Walls.
It was attacked by the Irish Republican Army - but with paintball, not bullets.
At the height of "The Troubles" in 1972, Derry saw 479 murders or deaths in battles with security forces. While Derry continues to have a reputation for sectarian violence, in 2004, when I visited, the city boasted a single murder. Tyler, Texas, where I serve as editor of the newspaper, recorded 13 homicides that same year.
Paintball Not Bullets
Monarch and Sunflower
Monarch and Kansas Sunflower
You know the old saying: You can't go home again. It's kinda true, but not really.
Things might well be much different. But if you enjoy change and believe that rust and erosion have their places in life's scheme... go home and enjoy it.
It had been a full 25 years since I visited that old farm on the Pioneer Road.
The house was gone; the shed had collapsed; and the pasture that had been native grass and buffalo wallows was now marshland and cattails.
So it was nice to see a monarch on the sunflower, hear the meadowlark's call, and trace with my finger the fossils in a limestone fence post.
Some things don't change.
Monarch and Sunflower
Elephant Tusk
"South Rim By 60," I used to say. That was my challenge - to hike to the southernmost edge of Big Bend's Chisos Mountains before my legs gave out. I had climbed the 3,000-foot trail up out of the basin, and I had scrambled another 3,000 feet up Mount Emory with my brother-in-law.
But until 2006 I had fallen short of my goal - to follow the trail south to the far edge, where I would camp for the night and look down on the rugged Chihuahuan Desert, the Rio Grande, and the mountains of Mexico.
Two years before my self-imposed deadline, my sister and I made it to the South Rim. This photo, capturing the distinctive peak of the Elephant Tusk, was made the evening we arrived.
We watched the sun disappear, then found our campsite with the help of a flashlight. The temperature dropped, the wind freshened, and dinner was a frigid affair. The stars were amazing.
The next morning, we watched the sun rise over the Sierra del Caballo Muerto (Dead Horse Mountains), then found our tent in a tree when we returned to camp. It was worth the effort.
Elephant Tusk
Ross Castle Canal Boats
Ross Castle sits majestically on the edge of Killarney's lower lake in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland.
These colorful canal boats that take tourists on short jaunts along the shallows of Lough Leane caught my eye as we crossed the bridge to the castle.
I was in Ireland as part of a family adventure in 2004, when I shot this photo. That trip was a wonderful getaway that took us all the way around the island.
The western end of the island is every bit as beautiful as they say, and it lured us back in 2011. This time, however, we steered clear of the tourist bus-choked Killarney and opted for a quieter, somewhat slower-paced sojourn day tripping from a Bed & Breakfast on the Ring of Beara. It was the way to go.
Ross Castle Canal Boats
Mystery Valley Petroglyph 2
Mystery Valley Petroglyph 2
Monument Valley Sundown
Yes, that is the actual color of the rocks.
As the sun set on Monument Valley, the rock towers and spires that had been so impressive all day exploded in color.
To capture this shot, I returned to the park at closing time. We weren't far - just down the road at Goulding's Lodge, where John Wayne and John Ford headquartered during the making of "Stagecoach" and many other iconic westerns.
We had spent the day on a wooden bench in the back of a pickup driven by a Navajo guide, who took us to some amazing places.
But we were on his schedule. Now I could sit and wait until the photo came to me.
Most of the time, when you shoot sunsets, you look west. For this shot, I wanted the view to the east as the last rays climbed the mountains and the shadows filled the valley.