First annual trip to Echo Lake

In July, we had a perfect stay at Echo Lake. We liked it so well, in fact, that we went back again the next month! A nostalgic detour Making our way home from our hiking trip in the Eastern Sierras, we decided to stop at Echo Lake — or, more…

Flower power!

In mid February, with the vernal equinox still weeks away, spring was already in full flower here in Northern California: almond blossoms in the Central Valley, plum trees in the wooded hills, and cymbidiums at the Pacific Orchid Exposition. So we went exploring…  Spring has been bustin’ out all over…

Kindred

This is the fourth in a series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  Chimpanzee habituation Kibale National Park in western Uganda is home to a large population of chimpanzees, and they offer guided chimpanzee experiences to tourists. When I made our booking,…

The birds and the bees

This is the third in a series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  The bee-eaters Bee-eaters simply beg to be photographed! Not only are they exceptionally colorful and beautiful, but one of this bird’s strategies for attracting the bees and other insects…

Reigning cats and dogs

This is the second in a series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  When people think of safaris, they tend to think first of the big cats: lions and leopards and cheetahs, oh my! Alas, no cheetahs did we spot in the…

The fisher kings

This is the first in a planned series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  Pied kingfishers The first stop on our Africa trip was Maun, Botswana, where we spent a day and a half recovering from a more-grueling-than-necessary journey, before heading out…

Birding in Africa

As you will know if you’ve read my posts from the past year, Craig and I have gotten interested in birds in recent months — okay, very interested. So although we didn’t go to Africa specifically for the birds, it was natural that birdwatching should end up being a significant…