August 20, 2023
After a wet ride of downpours in the desert accredited to Hurricane Hilary, I arrived at Panaca, Nevada. Here I would enjoy a charming bed and breakfast along with a pretty amazing state park, a warm spring, some muddy trails and, fantastically, a slither of time with the stars. But Read more…
August 18, 2023
And onward to the second national park during this short trip: Nevada’s Great Basin National Park. This park, which is also an International Dark Sky-certified park, has such a diversity of offerings… the chance to step into a glacier, an emerald-hued alpine lake, caves, tremendous conifers, towering cliffs and rock Read more…
Utah has the imprint of many native cultures on its rocks. The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs are a compact and busy space for these ancient communications. Whatever these people intended to communicate I cannot help but fixate on just how much more peaceful now would be if it took patience, time Read more…
August 17, 2023
I learned about this hike from some signage at Cedar Breaks National Monument and I was very glad I did. Not only did I have the hike to myself, but there were spectacular views every step of the way, including Zion National Park in the distance. The waterfall is fed Read more…
August 16, 2023
As with any of my summer trips west, the goal was star shoots. Camping ensures easy access to an International Dark Sky park’s starry skies. But first you have to fill your day with the park’s beauty as the sun beats strong. On my last visit to Cedar Breaks National Read more…
August 10, 2023
August 10th is National S’mores Day! So instead of making rice krispy treats using up the stale marshies in the cupboard as I had planned, they were used for s’mores. I had a box of Partake‘s Classic Grahams from VeganCuts a few months back and though they are gluten-free and Read more…
July 19, 2023
While in Connecticut for that ice cream I loved so dearly, I mapped out another photo opportunity as I like to do. Abandoned stuff… I would have to head to Northwest Park to access a trail to some ruins… As it turned out, I had a bit of a detour. Read more…
July 17, 2023
And just like that July flew by… it is and will be a jam-packed month of change and finality. Here is peek into its everyday days thus far.. Through the Viewmaster looking glass… Let’s make lemonade! Making things with kids takes longer but you get all these little cute hands Read more…
July 5, 2023
With two visits in three days, Grimes Glen Park may just become my favorite day trip from Rochester. The easy streambed hike delivers you to not one but two 60-foot waterfalls surrounded by gorge walls. And you can step under their powerful force. Also–discovered there was a tree fossil over Read more…
July 2, 2023
Just like last year, the porch was the home for some gorgeous robin’s eggs! Here is papa bird who spent a good amount of time yelling at us to stay away. Mamma was more relaxed. She sauntering in after finding food and took her shift for warming the eggs. This Read more…
June 9, 2023
With another remote work day, I took a walk to the Narrows Botanical Garden, a beautiful spot a good enough walk away to get the blood flowing. After the atmosphere was so hazy, it was nice to get out and get some fresh air. The roses seemed to be in Read more…
June 8, 2023
Oh wow look! Something new to deepen fear and anxiety in the populace! Fear is the opiate so many have been hooked on since the pandemic gave their anxiety such purpose.
May 31, 2023
Like sands through the hourglass, and so are the days of our lives… The pistachio chocolate chip cookie from Yardsale is still in my rotation despite a severe sugar detox I underwent. 😬 Yes, I want the onion and the watermelon, sweet landlady. Henna-ed hair… not bad Lake Champlain Chocolate Read more…
May 25, 2023
Lilacs are “a thing” in Rochester. Celebrated since 1905, the Lilac Festival at Highland Park is a gorgeous display of over 500 varieties of the fragrant flowering bush. Though I missed the official festival, I thought I might still be able to check out the purple. . . And there Read more…
May 13, 2023
So the shore of the Peconic was completely filled with scallop shells… quite magically! I was so excited about collecting a ton as my shell haul has been dwindling. I don’t know why the shore was so plentiful, but I felt like I was right where I was intended to Read more…
April 21, 2023
Long time, no new addition to my ongoing series: These are a few of my favorite things. Well inside this magical field of 8 million tulips, I remembered. Two hours flew by like a few minutes. Have you ever seen something so beautiful then these colors as far as the Read more…
April 20, 2023
April 16, 2023
We were back at Chimney Bluff State Park to complete the Bluff Trail. It is on this trail where you can see the dramatic views of the pointy spires looking out at the blue expanse of Great Lake Ontario. A quick trip before my flight back to NYC… We’re down Read more…
April 12, 2023
It finally feels like Spring. The birds, the bees, the flowers and the trees. So here a quick little celebration of the season in its early onset. To more green…
April 8, 2023
After spending the afternoon in Rochester’s Highland Park, I told my guy it was like the equivalent of New York’s Central Park. As it turns out it was designed by the same man who designed the iconic Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted–the founder of American landscape architecture. As I tend Read more…
April 7, 2023
Braddock Bay in northwest Rochester has a special draw. A hiking trail popular with bird lovers runs through Owl Woods. Here, owls make a roosting pit stop, resting and eating before a long migratory flight over Lake Ontario. Determined to make use of every day of my spring break, I Read more…
April 1, 2023
March’s wrath is officially over. It is a tough month; but it’s the portal to summer. To follow some highlights that cannot be sorted elsewhere… The cookie that can get me through an 8-hour day. Yardsale‘s vegan pistachio chocolate chip… Ok, this is also work-related. Because March is one of Read more…
March 19, 2023
Wanting Spring faster, I headed over to The Bronx for New York Botanical Garden‘s Orchid Show. Though most of the grounds were still barren and wintery, it was nice to see some crocuses and flowering trees starting to rear their colorful heads. But I was mostly inside the humid and Read more…
March 4, 2023
With some gorgeous snowfall in Rochester and another new used lens to try out, I headed to Letchworth State Park in Castile, New York. I bought a new wide angle after some photographic failing on my recent trip to Arizona. I was impressed with this new wide angle. Here are Read more…
February 23, 2023
Petrified Forest National Park would offer me so much beauty on my short trip. Though I had made this assumption before arriving, I was not prepared to see the range of gorgeousness. I want to return to get out of the car more comfortably, because on this particular visit the Read more…
February 22, 2023
Heading north through the mountainous San Carlos and Fort Apache reservations made for a grueling day of driving. The windstorm that shook my vintage tiki bus through the night, whipping songs through it’s crevices, was part of the weather system that rocked travel across the country. Snow and frigid temperatures Read more…