Bill's Travel Photos

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I try and get away for a week or two, twice a year. 
It makes you appreciate not only the beautiful places around the world
but our beautiful Eastern Pennsylvania.
Below our some of my favorite photos as I try to capture that beauty.

Every year we visit Highlands, North Carolina. 
One morning the sun  was streaming in through the trees and I captured this photo

My wife's grandparents came from the small village of Grottaminarda in Italy. 
 We bought some cheese and dried peppers from this local shop.

As we were driving south of Florence we stopped at a small cafe
 to get an afternoon espresso.

One of the oldest museums in the world is in Florence.
This work, called "The Visitation" was one of the pieces on display.

Impruneta Italy is renown for their highly detailed handmade pottery.
 Italy is so photogenic.

There was a kite flying contest at a Beach Park in Guam that commemorates the recapturing of Guam from the Japanese in 1944.
  I love the way these kites disappear into the sky.

This is Hupato Beach at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. 
We were installing radon systems at the Navy base next door.
This rock formation is off the beach.

In 2001 we vacationed in Belize.
  These fisherman were about to pull out at dawn in Belize City harbor.

We stayed on the small island of Caye Caulker which is a boat ride from Belize City. This sleepy dog was sort of guarding the store.

We took a side trip into Guatemala from Belize to see the ruins of Tikal.
Nearby Flores is surrounded by a lake where they still use water taxis

I got a chance to do some hiking above Lake Tahoe before a radon conference in 2002 and caught this picture on the way back to the conference.

After attending my sister-in-law's wedding in Marin County above San Francisco,
 we took a drive North into Napa wine country and visited the cellar of this winery.

My daughter in law and her mother rented a cabin on a lake in Vermont
they had used as a family vacation for many years.

Sailing around the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is my all time favorite way to totally relax and enjoy the adventures and sites.
 This was the view hiking across from our anchorage at Little Yost Van Dyke

This chameleon caught my eye as I was taking a morning hike on Norman Island
 in the British Virgin Islands.

The best is when you spot a Leather Back Turtle and try your best to keep up with him.

While installing radon mitigation systems at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa,
I was able to scuba with this 28 foot whale shark.  Unfortunately he was held in captivity but it was an incredible experience being so close to this gentle creature.

All across Bali you see women and men carrying objects balanced on their heads.  The people of Bali are so friendly, religious, creative and hard working.

The Barong dancers of Ubud in Bali are world re-known and so special that
we went to three different performances and enjoyed them immensely.

An extended family in the sacred park in Ubud where the monkeys run free.

I was able to ride in the back of a truck through the San Diego Wildlife Park
 and captured this lovely Rothschild giraffe whose native home is Kenya

The light house above San Diego has a marvelous circular stairwell to the top

We visited Cozumel Mexico to do some diving in the summer. We caught a ferry to Tulum and this was the view from our bedroom one morning.

I took an early morning walk on the beach and this Osprey began to hover overhead.

He suddenly went into a dive.

Collapsed his wings

Smashed into the water

And took off with a fish in his talons.  I was shaking with awe.

We toured through Thailand in January 2006.
There are more Buddha statues in Thailand than any place in the world.
But I never get tired of seeing them.

This Buddha in particular, in the temple ruins of Ayuthaya was very special

In Sukhothai we rented mopeds and drove through the countryside.
These lovely Thai kids waved and smiled at us.

In the market place of Mae Sot, this Burmese refugee girl struck a regal pose.
The Burmese color their faces this way.

After trekking in the Northern - Golden Triangle of Thailand.
We spent the night in this Burmese Karen refugee village

Early the next morning this was the scene as a motor-bike delivered fresh vegetables that were then sold to the villagers

The next morning this hen was protecting her young while
 we sat around the fire cooking some breakfast.

We finished the trip In Krabi on southern end of Thailand. it is a rock climbing paradise.  You get there via these long boat taxi's. Krabi just missed getting hit by the Tsunami that wiped out Phuket in 2004.

Watching the longboats leave at sunset from the beach is pure magic

You can run into Monkey's anywhere in Thailand.  Even on Krabi.

An aerial contortion in silk at the Cirque du Soleil.  We treated ourselves to the most awesome, artistic, musical, and enjoyable performance in Philadelphia.    www.cirquedusoleil.com

If you visit Peru you have to view Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail.
 And take time to climb Wayna Picchu behind it.

This is the stone work of the entrance gate to Machu Picchu.

The stone work of the Inca's was amazing.  This is from the sun temple in Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley Between Machu Picchu and Cuzco

We were visiting a family friend, who was living in Ayacucho, Peru.
They took us up into the mountains.
The Peruvian girls wear the most lovely colorful outfits.

We spent the night in a small mountain village.  These colorfully dressed girls on the way to school were more curious about me than I was with them.

This is the same girls walking off to school.   Amazing huh.

This woman wearing a traditional Peruvian hat was napping in the doorway as we came down from the mountain village.

Back in Pennsylvania we get the deafening noise of cicada's
who come out of the ground every 17 years!

One of my big home projects was to build a frog pond next to the walkway to the house

We often drive down to Savannah GA.  One year we visited Atlantic Beach NC and walked out on this pier.  I came back at sunrise to get this photo.

All along the North Carolina to Georgia coast line are barrier islands
 with tidal marsh and long docks on the bay side

My brother and sister live near Savannah, Ga.
  We took a boat trip out to one of the Typee beaches with his two grandsons.

A few porpoises decided they would swim around the boat and entertain us.

This is the entrance to Wormslo Gardens next to my brothers house.

A visit to Bonaventura Cemetery in Savannah is not to be missed.

My Nephew, Andrew Brodhead is an awesome photographer.  He taught me lots of new tricks.  This is an HDR photo shoot of a sunrise looking out on the Marsh near his home in Savannah Georgia.   Andrew's  Flicker photos are worth checking out.

Not far from Savannah we took a kayak to Tybee Island and walk the island beach.

Just into Arizona is the beautiful Canyon du Chelly.

At the bottom of the trail are two ancient elders embedded in the rock, who have been watching over the cliff dwellings below them for 800 years.

It's hard to get perspective on such scenes until you realize
 the tiny dots at the bottom are other hikers.

We headed North from there across the Western landscape.

One of the stops was the slot canyon "Little Wild Horse". A few months before, my son Jeremy had to make a fast re-treat out of this canyon as it began to fill up
 from a flash flood.

Hiking in and out of this narrow canyon is like being in another world

Not far away is Monument National Park.

It's easy to understand why its called Monument.

North of Monument is Arches National Park and the famous Balancing Rock

And if you travel farter North you end up in Salt Lake City. Jeremy took this picture on Antelope Island, in the middle of the Great Salt Lake.

After teaching a school mitigation class in Halifax, Nova Scotia, we toured a Mexican tall ship in the harbor.  Halifax is a wonderful town to stroll through.

From Halifax we rented a car & stayed at a B&B
 with a view of the light house on Peggy's Cove.

We drove across the peninsula to hike out on an over look of the Bay of Fundy
 and catch a glimpse of the highest tides in the world

This was a wonderful walk on Bromidon Beach in the Bay of Fundy

Sherry & I were invited to a wedding in Southern France.  Our first stop was Barcelona where we fell in love with all of Gaudi's work.  From about 1900 until his death in 1926 his spectacular organic architecture completely revolutionized Barcelona's architecture.   These are his chimneys on the roof of Pedrera house

We attended the most magical wedding of two friends in this 12th century Urval church in the Dordogne region of France with the blessing of the local town friar.

How beautiful the countryside is from this view of the Dordogne river
 from the top of Chateau de Beynac.

 Zion Park.  Another must see location in Utah.

One of the Zion adventures is walking up the Narrows River into the Canyon

A days drive from Zion is Lee's Ferry
 where you cross the Colorado River using the left bridge.  Right bridge is for walking.

Rafting down the Colorado starts up stream from the bridge
where the shore line finally allows you to get close to the water.

Not Far from Lees Ferry is the town of Page.  From there you can get a Navajo Guide to take you through one of the famous Antelope Slot Canyons
 for some out of this world natural sculptures.

If you do visit the town of Page consider Kayaking at Lake Powell which was created when the Glenn Dam was built to control the flow of the Colorado River.

We have a good friend who lives in a mountain town in Southern India.
The 1st thing you realize is honking your horn is the only rule of the road

It was a four hour drive to her village. We stopped for some tea
 and this woman was washing behind the store

The locals always have a smile

These were the Chinese fishing nets still used in Fort Kochi, India They are dropped in the water and then raised up with counter balanced stones.

This Indian man was outside the cafe we stopped at for coffee
 on the way to the Periyar National Park Tiger Preserve

We stopped along the road in Kerala to check out this family run brick farm and the owner brought his whole family out to meet us.  The kiln is under the thatch roof.

These are his bricks.

In Varkala, India, the locals work as a team Using these wooden boats they spread their nets in the water right off the beach

Eagles fly above the nets and try to swoop down and steal the catch

Once the nets are in place they pound the water with their fists to scar off these Eagles

Everyone helps drag in the heavy nets up on the beach

The fish are flipped into the center then they start bidding on who gets what
 and how much is it worth.

This was the local priest in the Derisanmacope village.

A couple of Indian woman washing their clothes in the river

Outside of Sedona Arizona is a hike to Devil's Bridge
 if you are daring enough to walk across it.

We started the West Fork canyon Hike late in the day.
 I caught this silhouette of Sherry on the water

We left Sedona early one morning to make it to the Grand Canyon
 and started hiking down the Kalib Trail

There had been a lot of rain that year and the vegetation and the morning light, created this incredible watercolor vista in the Canyon

I've never seen anything quite like it.

My sister lives in Central Florida.  The live Oaks in the morning fog are really pretty.

Not far from my sisters house is Silver River.
 This Blue Heron was having lunch while we paddled by.

Along the way there were turtles sunning themselves. There were signs that swimming was not allowed which I decided to abide by.

Further South you can wander on the pristine white beaches at Siesta Key Florida

My mother in law lives in West Palm Beach. If you ride your bike across the bridge
there is a lovely walking - biking path along the inner coastal waterway.  

There is a short cut into Crested Butte on Jack's Cabin Road.  It was late afternoon.  The sunset light turned this mountain field into a perfect landscape

Above Crested Butte is Kepler Pass.
You drive through groves of dense Aspen forests.

Back Home the Jere Knight hiking trail at the Fuller Preserve is always changing
 as the seasons move through.  Visit Jere Knight trail to learn about it.

We took the day to visit the aquarium in Camaden NJ. You can walk through a glass tunnel and see the underside of this green saw tooth shark

Outside they had a Grey Seal show One of the kids ran up to the window
and made eye to eye contact with this seal

We were visiting my son in Colorado and spent two days at Grand Lake on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park

Adams Falls hiking trail above Grand Lake passes by a beautiful meadow
 as it winds up into the mountain.

Down from our Hotel in Okinawa is a tourist area called the American Village.
They have a Ferris Wheel with great colors when you take a long exposure.

In the other direction from our hotel is the Sunabee Seawall.
A lone person sits on the wall, enjoying the movement of the waves.

Clown fish in Okinawa protecting their soft coral home.  The female is inside the coral.

The Hotel in Guam had a a perfect deck for watching the sunset.

This is an old Spanish Guard house looking at a protected bay in Guam.
The Spanish ruled Guam from 1565 to 1898 when
 we declared it our island during the Spanish American war

The snorkling in Guam is obviously spectacular

Behind my house is Cooks Creek.  It flows all year.  There was a light snow falling on Saturday and I managed to get this picture without getting wet.

We were at a fund raiser in Philadelphia at the Eastern State Penitentiary and Sherry spotted this drawing on the wall of a prisoner's cell that I caught using a pen flashlight

We visited tAnimal Kingdom at Disney in Orlando.
 I would say we are definitely related

There was a male Peacock at the Philadelphia zoo determined to impress a female.
  I can't say if she was impressed but I was.

Every year I wait impatiently for the Lotus Buds to rise up out of my pond. 
When the bud reaches a height of almost six feet the outer greenish leaves open
 to reveal the beauty of the Lotus Flower

Inside the flower is a green upside down cone shaped "Carpellary Receptacle".  The black bumps are the female stigma pistils that house an ovule. Around her are the male yellow stamens that split open and release pollen. 
This bee is helping to get the pollen on to the receptive stigmas.

The next morning the yellow stamens are all fallen and the petals begin to fall.  

By the fourth day the petals are all gone.   Then as the summer progresses the carpellary receptacle will begin to swell as each fertilized ovule in the base of each pistil develops into a seed.

The seeds will fall and the ones that were fertilized could become a new Lotus Plant.

We had a fabulous trip visiting the coast of Oregon and Bend.  This is the trail along the Deschutes River that I lit up with a flashlight and a long exposure.

My son and new daughter in law were married in Costa Rica.  We took a side trip to La Fortuna and found an excellent guide who found this red-eyed tree frog at his preserve on a night tour.

Earlier the same day we lucked out and spotted a group of Howler Monkeys.  Our guide could give a perfect howler call and this one responded back.

We needed a break from our PA Winter so we caught a flight to Nassau Bahamas. We spent a few days exploring the quiet western side of the island.
This was South Beach at low tide.

Not far away is an abandon bankrupt resort that we explored at Sunset

At sunrise I walked around Porter Cay to check out the fishing boats.
 Conch Shells our still harvested by divers in huge quantities.

I had to have a conch diner at Fish Fry in Arawak Cay. This cowboy was enjoying a beer and watching the crowds at Goldie's.

I had a class to teach in Switzerland. 
Sherry and I had the joy of making a loop through the Alps.
One night we got this view at sunset

I had a sibling re-union in Southern Spain. Four of us took the challenge to walk the Caminito del Rey.  The 100 year old pathway below the newly added path was considered the most dangerous hike in Spain

Ceiling of the Royal Alcazar palace in Seville Spain.  The king was jealous of Alhambra in Granada and determined to have an even grander palace.

In the basement of the Palace they flooded the floor to keep it cooler for food storage.

This is an abandoned Eceria Cliffside monastery on the coast of Portugal

We joined a friend looking for property in Guatemala around Lake Atitalan. 
The water taxi's take you to the different lakeside towns.

Below our house I spotted a fisherman on the lake in the early morning.

The main street of Santiago on Lake Atitlan

We got a chance to walk through the Chicicastenango market place
 and get a papaya drink from this vendor.

In the Antigua there is a beautiful palace along one side of the main plaza

Outside of Antigua is this alley way in the small town of Saint Lucia

On September 11, 2001 the collapsing World Trade Center knocked over a century old sycamore tree in St. Paul's Chapel courtyard.  The roots of this tree were painstakingly preserved in bronze by Steve Tobin, a world famous sculptor who lives near us in Quakertown, PA, as a reminder that, our strength and connectedness comes from what we don't see.

I hope the photos inspire you to travel and take your own shots.

If you would like to see my latest photos visit Bill's Flickr Photos or lovely Jere Knight hiking trail that adjoins Bill's property You can see photo travel logs of the actual trips at Individual FB photo trip logs

If you feel like it - Send me a comment: bill@wpb-radon.com

Favorite quotes from J. Brian Harris, Ph.D., P.E.

"I have found that no one can truthfully describe any mistake (or error) actually made and also truthfully describe any achievable process through which the mistake which was made could actually have been avoided, and I find this to be true regardless of the nature of the mistake made or its consequences."

Brian would define a Mistake as:

"A mistake occurs when someone does something, and what happens as a result is not exactly, in every detail, precisely what was anticipated."

Brian would define Learning as:

"Learning occurs when someone does something, and what happens as a result is not exactly, in every detail, precisely what was anticipated."

Therefore:

"Learning occurs, and only occurs, when mistakes are made."

Which brings Brian to the final conclusion:

“Were I to decide never to make a mistake, I could never do anything, and I cannot imagine making a greater mistake than that.”

Two additional short essays on other fundamental truths:

Re-Discovering your True-Self and Taming your Dragon