A Week in Chicago

Rayleen fly me to Chicago for my birthday this year. Chicago is an amazing city with beautiful architecture. We went on an architectural cruise, saw several museums, city landmarks, and of course, Wrigley Field. It was an exciting 4 days. These were all shot with my Fujifilm GFX with the 43-64 f4. Thank you.

A trip to San Francisco and a hike in the Headlands

Recently Ray and I took a trip up to San Francisco to see Kelsey, Mark, and Kodak. They are adventurous and active, as are we, so we know we’ll be out and about. It was Pride month, so we hit Clement Street for Green Apple Books, and Bingo and Burlesque at one of the bars. We took advantage of the glorious weather at Golden Gate Park and a wonderful hike (except one yellow jacket sting) in the Marin headlands. A wonderful time was had by all.

March 2026 A Vacation in Amsterdam, Ghent, and Bruges.

We bathed in history and beauty on our trip to Amsterdam and Belgium. We travelled by ferry to the NDSM, a permanent art installation out of Amsterdam, took the Eurostar and inner city buses to to Bruges and Ghent, enjoyed a horse and buggy ride in Bruges, and rode canal boats in Ghent and Bruges. These quaint cities were built for strolling, and oh how we walked, including the 366 steps to the top of the Belfort in Bruge. Our visit ended back in Amsterdam at an ER hospital the night before we left, (everything’s cool) but as we say, it’s all part of the adventure.

January 2026 An Anniversary with photographic locations.

Ray and I celebrated our 53rd anniversary by heading north. Our first stop was The Spyglass Inn, a cliffside hotel that overlooks the beautiful town of Pismo Beach which happened to be hosting a surf tournament. We then continued on to Sausalito, venturing into San Francisco to celebrate our daughter’s birthday. We headed home by taking Highway 1, a road that snakes along spectacular coastal views, and is now newly reopened after 3 years of constructions due to mudslide damage. We stopped for lunch at our favorite restaurant, Nepenthe, which towers above the untamed ocean below. Our last stop was the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, which is where we spent our honeymoon.

A little Day Trip to Long Beach, Part 1.

Ray and I took a little day trip to Long Beach, part one of a two part photo-story. There is much to see in this cosmopolitan city: a mix of the new and the old, a city of allure, of character. I hope these pictures capture the joie de vivre of this interesting and beautiful city. During our visit we experienced the following: Small Cafe in Naples, Long Beach Museum of Art, the beach, Marina Green Park, The Pike, Aquarium of the Pacific, Gladstone’s, Golden Shore RV, Long Beach Convention Center, Museum of Latin American Arts, Pacific Island Ethnic Art, and Anne’s Joint. Enjoy!

A Vacation to: Zurich, Munich, and Budapest

Ray and I went on a wonderful vacation to Europe. Thought I would post a few pictures. We had a great time. We took dozens; if not hundreds of pictures. Please feel free to leave comments. Traveling in the off season is wonderful We did not encounter too many crowds. Zurich is clean and the people were so nice. The rivers and mountains are beautiful. The city is amazing. I think it’s our new favorite place to go live. Munich has old world charm and personality. So much to see. The city is beautiful. Budapest is much more old world charm. The thermal baths were amazing. Buda hill and castle are something to see. The parliament building is stunning.

A Weekend in Benbow

Ray and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in August up in Northern California at the historic Benbow Inn, which will soon turn one hundred years old! For anyone who’s travelled the 101, three hours north of San Francisco, she stands right off the highway in glorious splendor. The Eel River meanders over and under the 101 like a shimmering snake. We were able to visit some of the local towns and do a few hikes through the majestic redwoods. Hopefully you’ll enjoy some pictures of our weekend get away.

Up north of Santa Cruz

One of our favorite places to stay is up north of Santa Cruz. It is a campground called Costenoa, located between Davenport and Pescadero. We spent a week up there in early July. The temperature didn’t get higher than 65 degrees which for us, especially my wife, was blissful. Since it was located right off the Highway 1, the views were spectacular. We went to Pigeon Point and saw the lighthouse. We also went to Ano Nuevo and saw Elephant Seals, surfers, and maybe a Great White shark. Can you see it in one of the pictures? We also went to Big Basin to see the Redwoods. We didn’t know that there had been a big fire there a few years back, but the Redwoods, those tall giants, were amazing and mostly survived the fire. There was much to see and so many hikes. The ocean, contrasted with the darker clouds is the perfect opportunity to experiment with my camera. I hope you enjoy!

Click on a picture for a larger view.

Northern California Adventure

Ray and I went to Northern California for around three weeks in May. We enjoy the weather and we have an absolute love of the Redwoods. I was able to take some pictures of the redwoods, northern beach, and a trestle. Hopefully you will enjoy them. Feel free to leave a comment. These pictures were taken with the Fuji GFX. I’m trying something new this time, so maybe the pictures will be more accessible.