Beijing Hutong

View down an alleyway in central Beijing. Although we went to see a solar eclipse in the summer of 2009, this visit to a traditional neighborhood was one of the highlights of the trip for Stephi and me. The big monuments were nice, but seeing how the Chinese actually live was much more interesting.

Champaign Camping

Thinking of selling my camper so this is a sad shot. No more campgrounds for awhile. Took this one near Champaign bringing Jono back to school last year. Go Illini.

Hawaiian Sunset

It is 15 degrees in Chicago today. Need I say more?

Hermosa Beach Bike Shop

This shot was taken in November 2009 near my hotel in Hermosa Beach. I always look for color where I can find it.

Old Montreal

Had to go to Canada last week for the first time for work. Got to visit Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Didn't have time to take a lot of shots so I hope to go back one day while on vacation, especially to Montreal. The area called "Old Montreal" is a collection of bars, restaurants and art stores and looks like it would be lots of fun....especially in, say, June or July. In January it was cold, although no colder than Chicago the day I was there. Anyway, here is a shot of a store front in Old Montreal. Reminds me of streets in Paris and the city has a very strong French flavor. About half the conversations you overhear while walking around are in French or part French and part English.

Florence is for lovers

My friend, Kit Lawson, reminded me of this shot with one of his Photo of the Day posts on Facebook. So, I grabbed a similar shot that I took back in 2006. Unfortunately, we were both in Florence on overcast days (Kit: were we there on the same day? :) but I just love that city, overcast or no. You have to find a way to Florence. Just an amazing city. History going back to the Renaissance and unbelievable shopping all in one place. I can't wait to get back there one day.

Now, another friend teased me about trying to slip in teaching points with my pictures. Horrors!!! By the way, the Ponte Vecchio bridge is the oldest of Florence's six bridges. It is one of the city's best known images. The bridge probably goes back to Roman times with its stone pillars and wooden planks; it was built in stone but then destroyed by a flood in 1333. It was built again twelve years later. Two other points I can't pass up: I heard that the Allies wanted to bomb this bridge but held off. What a gift to the future. Lastly, the bridge originally held butcher shops back in the 13th or 14th century. The ruling family, who lives right around where I was standing, kicked them all out because of the smell. Today it mostly has gold and jewelry shops.

Don't you love history?

Santa Fe

My cousin, Catherine Silva, lives in New Mexico, a place of wonderful beauty. In her honor, I am posting a shot from Santa Fe that I took last fall. Didn't get any great shots as I was working that day. Got 10 minutes between meetings to walk around the city, but here is one that I liked. Haven't seen a blue sky like that in some time. Hope to go back one day and explore Santa Fe and the region to a greater extent.