Trip photos - Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Montana

Back again .. We took several trips in September and October, and in late October/early November we were slammed by Hurricane Sandy, then a small earthquake, then a Nor'easter.  With all the power outages and time away from home, I finally have a minute to update what I've been shooting.

Here are some images from our recent travels (Click on any photo to enlarge .. Click on hot links to learn more about each location):

Milwaukee has an edgy, old side to it.  It inspired me to convert several images into black and white.

The Brew City Barbering Shop apparently offers free prostate cancer and colon cancer screening.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is a treasure ..

The Milwaukee Art Museum building is a work of art in itself.

As a stained glass artisan, I absolutely love the Dale Chihuly installation in the front lobby!  (Visit my stained glass website here).

 Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) features three different environments for plant life.  All beautiful and worth photographing.

ISO 250, F/5.6 @1/10s

We came upon an enormous wind farm in Illinois .. This was taken with my iPhone using the Lightbox app which offers several effects including cropping, and adding borders and captions.

 Cleveland's Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame was a wonderful, upbeat, step back in time .. but alas, they did not allow any photos to be taken inside.  So I took a LOT of all the painted guitars out front.

 Fall colors along every road, all 2200 miles from our trip to the Midwest.

 The tunnel leading to the Golden Gate Bridge .. ISO2500, F/5.6, 1/100s

 As a former resident of Sonoma County, CA (1986-1990), I love the coast .. Here we are coming up on Goat Rock Beach.

 Napa Valley Wine country, a couple of weeks before harvest.

And a few shots of the wide open spaces of Montana.

Teepee and mesa at Buffalo Jump State Park in Ulm, Montana

My Mother-in-Law holding a small violet Montana wildflower.

Gates of the Mountains, discovered by Lewis and Clark.  Majestic!

Great Falls Montana at night.

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Wyckoff 5K Run to Benefit Wyckoff Education Foundation

By Saturday morning, Friday's rains were just a memory.  Out in full force were families from all across Wyckoff, wearing the running shoes and queuing up for the Annual Family Fun 5K Walk/Run to benefit the Wyckoff Education Foundation.  The WEF was created in 1990 in response to declining government funding of schools. WEF President Robert Bayer said that, "the funds from last year's event enabled the organization to purchase over 200 iPads, related applications, and sponsor educational programs across the district."

For more on the organization, and a few more of my photos, please visit the Wyckoff Patch.com website.

Here are some moments from the day: (Click on any photo to enlarge)

To view my website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook page, please visit here.  Thank you!

America's Response Monument dedicated near WTC

Heavy rain dominated the weather today which was very fitting for the dedication of the America's Response monument at its new home outdoors at the foot of the Freedom Tower at the side of the World Trade Center.  The statue, created by sculptor Dowe Blumberg, is an homage to the brave U.S. Special Forces units who rode into the rugged mountains of Afghanistan on horseback in search of the Taliban, shortly after 9/11.

Bill White, President and CEO of Constellations Group, served as master of ceremonies with members of the U.S. Special Forces Unit, NY Police and Fire in attendance.
Here are some of the images of the day .. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

 Members of the elite Special Forces Unit in front of the drape prior to the unveiling of the Monument.

 Sculptor Dowe Blumberg talking about his inspiration for the statue, saying he was "humbled to use" his "God-given talent" to create this lasting memorial.

 Constellations Group President Bill White at the podium, a long-time supporter of our Troops.

 Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, Commander of Special Operations Command.

 One of three wreaths which were placed at the foot of the statue during the dedication ceremony.

The Special Forces pose in front of their statue, placed in the center of walkways where thousands of workers pass each day.

For more about the sculptor and the process of creating this sculpture, please click here to see YouTube video ..   And for the Wikipedia entry with more info .. Click here.
To view my website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook page, please visit here.  Thank you!

The beautiful gardens of Filoli in Woodside, CA

Eric and I are recently back from a trip to the West coast.  We stayed overnight at an airport near SFO so we could meet up with my cousin whom I hadn't seen in 20+ years.  She's an administrator at the wonderful Filoli Home and Gardens in Woodside, CA, about 30 miles south of SFO.  What a treat!
One reviewer said, "Filoli is a place of grace and serenity where you can tend to your soul."  We agree .. This was one of our favorite places on earth .. Possibly even rivaling Monet's garden at Giverny.  A must see!  Here are some of the images, more than I generally post, but with a place this gorgeous, I just had to share more ..
(Click on any photo to enlarge).

To read more about Filoli, click here ..