The following gallery features more shots from my recent visit to my daughter, Angelika, in Berlin. I included some beautiful entry doors that caught my eye, indoor pictures of the ...
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Around Berlin, part 2
The following gallery features more shots from my recent visit to my daughter, Angelika, in Berlin. I included some beautiful entry doors that caught my eye, indoor pictures of the Van Gogh Piano Bar where we spent a really enjoyable evening listing to one of the best piano players I’d ever had the pleasure of […]

Around Berlin, part 1
I recently spent a wonderful three weeks in Berlin, Germany, visiting my oldest daughter, Angelika, and family. We explored, ate, explored some more, and ate even more. The food is delicious, the sights are just the best, public transportation is a dream. The below gallery starts off with pictures from around that great city, in […]

Berlin’s Ampelmann
I recently returned from spending three glorious weeks visiting my daughter, Angelika, and her family in Berlin, Germany where they’ve been living since last year. We had such fun, saw so many places, ate such delicious food, and generally had a very memorable time. While I sort through all the hundreds of photos I took […]

Visiting Abilene, part 2
The pictures included here continue from my previous post Visiting Abilene, part 1. I not only wandered through the Eisenhower President Museum (that will be a separate blog post), but also the little historical area. I even found another painted boot. As daylight was quickly coming to a close, I decided to take back roads […]

Visiting Abilene, part 1
Abilene, Kansas, was yesterday’s spontaneous driving destination. Just about 1.25 hour northeast of Hutchinson, I chose my first visit to the home of our 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, for a Sunday. I knew that most things would be closed and therefore, very quiet, peaceful, and great for picture-taking. To say I was impressed with […]

A Drive Around Town, part 2
Finishing up with the pictures I took in Hutchinson, Kansas, this past Christmas Eve. I wanted to include “regular” scenes around town, not just the most pretty and interesting ones. A favorite thing about living here, having come from Southern California, is that old buildings are still standing. Property developers haven’t razed everything and put […]

A Drive Around Town, part 1
Christmas Eve was the perfect day to drive around town, do a bit of exploring, and see how much snow was left. Since shops closed early, the streets were nearly empty. That made for an easy day of taking pictures. Since moving to Hutchinson, Kansas (2020 population 40,006), in October of 2021, I’ve spent a […]

Visiting Coronado Heights
Following an afternoon wandering around the Swedish town of Lindsborg, about 45 minutes north of my home, I started exploring the surrounding area. I’d heard of Coronado Heights before, and was very happy to stumble across it. Per Wikipedia, “It is alleged to be near the place where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado gave up his search for […]

Alaskan Cruise – Bear Sighting at Ketchikan
This is my fifth post documenting my recent cruise on the Norwegian Encore to Alaska’s Inside Passage. My brother surprised me with an excursion ashore at Ketchikan, the final stop in Alaska. We gathered with a handful of other ship passengers to board a van that took us on a beautiful drive down the coast, […]

Alaskan Cruise – Glacier Bay
This is my fourth post showing pictures of my recent cruise with my son, son-in-law, and my brother on the Norwegian Encore to the Inside Passage of Alaska. Today I’m sharing our experience onboard as we viewed the glaciers. They were everything I’d imagined, and more. Below, you’ll see as we’re entering Glacier Bay. (Click […]

Alaskan Cruise – Icy Strait Point and Hoonah
Continuing with pictures of my fantastic cruise to Alaska, this post features our stop at Icy Strait Point. From the dock, I explored the offerings at Icy Strait Point, but then walked to the village of Hoonah, about 1 1/2 mile up a seaside road. A shuttle ran people back and forth, but to me, […]

Alaskan Cruise – Ahoy! Off We Go to Juneau
We boarded the ship and departed Seattle! Our first day was at sea, covering quite a distance as we headed north. We spent the day exploring the ship, as well as eating and drinking. When all food and beverages are included, and prepared for you, life is so simple! Once docked, we each set off […]

Alaskan Cruise – Trip of a Lifetime
I returned a few days ago from a trip I’ll remember forever – a cruise up the Inside Passage of Alaska. It was a gift to me from my son and his husband, who were also on the trip. My brother joined us, as well, checking off a lifelong dream of seeing Alaska. We shared […]

Evolution of my Veg Garden
My large back yard was calling for a vegetable and herb garden, so I laid out a plan in an area that was pretty dull and featureless. My inspiration was drawn from pictures my sister-in-law showed me of large trellises made from heavy metal cattle fencing panels. I was immediately drawn to them and started […]

Sunflowers in Buhler
I’d been looking forward to seeing the fields of sunflowers Kansas is famous for. It’s the state flower after all. I lucked out in having the entire field to myself, although, had I been a week later, more flowers would have been in full bloom. A somewhat cooler, overcast day without crowds suited me just […]

Happy 9th Anniversary to us!
Nine years ago Kat and I decided to start documenting our picture-taking adventures around Southern California. Now, as happens, 1207 posts and 8666 pictures later, we find Kat busy with married life and being mommy to an adorable little boy, and me now living in Kansas. Time has certainly moved on. I don’t post nearly […]

Yoder Heritage Day, part 3
This is the final installment from my visit to the Heritage Day event in nearby Yoder, Kansas. I think most everyone felt very lucky it was a bit cloudy and hadn’t gotten to the forecast 98 degrees. Watching the races was a highlight for me as I’d never seen something like that in person before. […]

Yoder Heritage Day, part 2
Continuing on from yesterday’s post, this gallery features more wonderful entries from the Yoder Heritage Day parade. I think it’s easy to see this is an area of farms. The parade highlight for me was the pig walking along… at least he was toward the very end of the parade so he wasn’t setting the […]

Yoder Heritage Day, part 1
I visited the nearby farming village of Yoder, Kansas, for their Heritage Day this past Saturday, and was so glad I did. Yoder, and the surrounding area, is home to about 165 people. Since its founding in 1906, it’s been the hub of the local Amish community, as per their website. Arriving fairly early morning, […]

Drive-in Movies, those were the days
While out and about yesterday, I came across an old drive-in movie theater in Kanopolis, a town about an hour’s drive from my home. It certainly took me back to the days of my youth when I often went to the drive-in, both as a child with my family, and later as an adult. I […]