About thirty miles west of London and just south of Newbury in Hampshire County on highway A339 is the small village of Headley. Very quaint. It seemed as every business in town was named "Headley"; e.g. Headley Tyre, Headley Stud and Headley House. Even the church had the Headley name on it, but I found … Continue reading St. Peters Church, England
Longboat Key, Florida is a long narrow spit of sand (Duh! It's a key) off the west coast of Florida, near Sarasota. For its size, it's not very populated and has limited things to offer visitors, like restaurants, nightlife and attractions. I would call it "quiet, laid back and relaxing"; others might call it boring. … Continue reading Longboat Key Library
The Church of St. Nicholas, where Jane Austen's father preached and she worshiped as a child, is located in a rural setting near the small town of Steventon in Hampshire County, England. Jane Austen was born in 1775. The original structure of this church was built centuries before Austen's birth. I marveled at the still-sturdy … Continue reading Steventon, England
This is an example of post processing a digital image, showing the original photo on top and the edited version below. Added canvas on the top. 2. Replaced the sky. 3. Removed the car in the left foreground. 4. Replaced the street markings behind the removed car. 5. Removed the bus on the right. 6. … Continue reading St. Petersburg Astoria Hotel
My first field trip of 2019 was to the Henry Doorly Zoo, the most popular tourist attraction in Nebraska. School was out so we took our granddaughter and braved the winter weather. The highlight of this trip was seeing the African animals in parkas, mittens and snow boots. No. Wait, that was the elephants and … Continue reading Nebraska Tourism
Every Christmas there is one toy that excites everyone. The Hover Ball takes the prize this year, provided by my daughter-in-law to the four youngest grandkids. A clear plastic sphere about the size of a tennis ball, filled with lights and a teeny-tiny weightless battery, and two sets of helicopter-type wings takes off from your … Continue reading Favorite Gift
I met Ephraim D. Muro in early 2016 during a mission trip to Moshi, Tanzania. Standing in line for a pot luck dinner at his church, he insisted that I go first, which then became a point of respectful disagreement. Knowing how age was so respected in their culture, I was somewhat offended that he … Continue reading Ephraim D. Muro
I met Pastor Larry Arganbright over 40 years ago. During that time he has been my pastor, mentor, and role model. Earlier this week, he was laid to rest after succumbing to a cancerous brain tumor at 70 years young. He led his flock with humility, humor and dignity without ever the slightest hint that … Continue reading Pastor Larry
We celebrated the 16th birthday of our #4 grandchild this weekend. Sweet 16. She is the youngest in this photo, second from the left. Cute as a button then, a beautiful intelligent and caring young lady now. Time flies! Thought for the Day: They say I'm old-fashioned and live in the past, but sometimes I … Continue reading Time Flies
There were 6-8 guys I'd call Army buddies; didn't know any of them from Adam, but all of our lives crossed paths in Viet Nam. While still in country, we scheduled a reunion more than two years hence -- in St. Louis, under the arch on July 4th, 1974. Since the reunion, I maintained contact … Continue reading Viet Nam revisited
The blue and reds are so vibrant on this plant, it caught my eye from across the conservatory. The plant was screaming, "Come take my picture!" (I never know if the closed quotation mark comes before or after the punctuation ending a sentence.) I found this in the Des Moines Botanical Gardens. The spiked "branches" … Continue reading Mystery Plant
'Tis the season for everyone to hang their Advent calendar with little pockets for each day, and treats or ornaments from each pocket to mark each day. Here is a high-tech version of the Advent calendar. Created by a couple Lego-Masters, ages 6 and 9, each day has a workable door with a treat inside. … Continue reading Advent
A seven foot high brick wall surrounded the property. No roof or evidence of any building rose above the wall, only a few trees. A curved brick walkway led to a gate, the only break in the brick wall. Entry was denied by a heavy solid wooden door, locked with a sturdy gate latch. The … Continue reading Opportunity
I'm planning another photo safari next spring, but looking for a new kind of adventure. In past years I would do one of two things: 1) Drive everywhere, staying in a different motel each night and occasionally camping (sleeping in my car) in a state park, or 2) Fly somewhere, rent a room in a … Continue reading Road Trip
On the banks of the Thames River sits the London Eye, a mere 200 meters downstream from the House of Parliament. The giant wheel measures 400 feet in diameter. A complete rotation of the wheel takes 30 minutes, such a slow rate that each of the 32 capsules can load and unload 28 passengers while … Continue reading London
Happy Thanksgiving! Go for it! ... but be thankful for all your blessings. Thought for the Day: Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. … Continue reading Thanksgiving – 2018
The cemetery path was bordered on the left by a fence with questionable durability. Strong brick pillars connected by an aging woven stick fence made me wonder just what was being kept inside ... or attempting to keep out. Beyond the mysterious fence was a solid brick wall showing signs of its age. Attempting to … Continue reading Pathway
I have an old friend who now lives in South Dakota; we met the other day after a long span of texts, e-mails and an occasional phone call. Like an old sweater with thread-bare elbows, our relationship was showing signs of wear and tear ... but still comfortable. It was great to catch up, and … Continue reading Old Friends
Uggh! Winter is here already, temperature in the teens and snow on the ground. While cooped up in the house for three days, I searched my archived files for reminders of warmer days. I found this shot taken at the Elkhorn Days Parade in early June. This man is a local celebrity, playing in beer … Continue reading One Man Polka Band
The tour guide looked the part of a wealthy lady in the 1850's as she led us through the Belle Meade mansion (click here) near Nashville, TN. The authenticity of her "costume" was outdone only by her seemingly first hand knowledge of the original owners. Her speech was flawless, not the least bit lazy. She … Continue reading Prim & Proper
