Just a Preview

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Lake Titicaca

Cusco

Sacred Valley

Moray

Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Cusco

Iguassu Falls

On the train to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Iguassu Falls

Sacred Valley

Iguassu Falls

Machu Picchu

Rio from Corcovado Mountain

Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Cusco

Cusco

Minneapolis Skyline

Created with flickr slideshow.

Yesterday was a gorgeous summer day and I decided that I wanted to get out and shoot some photos. Since I have been on a night photography kick, I ended up shooting the Minneapolis skyline at dusk. After a little research, I discovered that there is a pedestrian bridge over I-35W that has great views of downtown and that's where I headed. Only after arriving at my destination did I start to get a little worried about the location . . . I decided to press on however when I noticed that there were other photographers up on the bridge. Despite the fact that I had to shoot through a chain link fence (that had some conveniently placed holes for setting up a camera) I ended up getting some pretty decent shots.

By the time it was dark I was ready to leave, I realized that I was the only person still up there and that there was a large group of young men sitting at the bottom of the stairs I needed to go down to get back to my car. This made me a little nervous since I was carrying expensive camera equipment, but I didn't really have a choice, so I started heading down. At that exact moment, the doors to the building directly across the street opened up and dozens of people started streaming out (apparently it was a theater and the play had just ended). I'm sure I was just being a nervous nellie, but it definitely made me feel better to have a lot of other people around as I headed back to my car. Next time, I will try the other side of the bridge since that is where all of the other photographers came from.

What do you think of the photos? I thought it was pretty fun to be able to get the streaking headlights and tail lights from the cars on I-35W.

Stars

I went camping this weekend in beautiful Superior National Forest right outside of Boundary Waters. The sky was crystal clear for two of the three nights I was there and the stars were incredible. I broke out my camera, stayed up way too late, and practiced my night photography skills. I am definitely still a beginner at this, but I managed to get a few cool shots!

I was trying to do an hour-long exposure for this one, buy my camera battery died
forty minutes into it. Luckily it didn't ruin the picture. It is very difficult to
compose a shot in the dark, but I really like how this one turned out.

This one was a twenty-minute exposure from earlier in the evening.

I wish I could see stars like this in Eden Prairie!

This isn't a great shot, but I liked that you could see the trail of a plane that
flew overhead during the shot. It also shows how incredibly thick the stars are when
you have clear skies and no light pollution.

Spring!

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.
Just thought I would share a few pictures I took this weekend at the Como Park Conservatory. Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota and I couldn't be happier about it!

Eagles

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous and I decided to head down to Wabasha to go hunting for bald eagles. I had read that this was a great time of year to see them along the Mississippi River and I thought it might be a fun photo opportunity. As you can see, I had pretty good luck and saw at least 25-30 of them. It was incredible to watch them soar above the river and I even managed to catch a few sitting in trees. The black and white speckled birds are juvenile bald eagles. On the way back home I saw several other big birds that I could tell weren't bald eagles. After a little googling I'm pretty sure they were turkey vultures. There is a picture or two of them in the slideshow. All in all, it was a fabulous way to spend a beautiful spring afternoon!

What color are my eyes?

Ever since I was a little girl I have never quite known what to say when someone asked what color my eyes are. Are they brown? Green? Blue? Eventually, I just started calling them hazel.

The other day I came across a website that discussed people who have two different colored eyes--a condition called heterochromia iridum. It turns out that there is a related condition called central heterochromia. This is what Wiki has to say about it:

Central heterochromia is an eye condition where there are two colors in the same iris; the central (pupillary) zone of the iris is a different color than the mid-peripheral (ciliary) zone. Eyes displaying central heterochromia are often referred to as "cat eyes" because of the appearance of a multi-colored iris. Central heterochromia appears to be prevalent in irises containing low amounts of melanin. Central heterochromia does not label an eye as hazel. This is because the outer ring of an eye affected by central heterochromia is that iris's true color.

I think it's kind of fascinating that the color of my eyes constitutes an "eye condition." Apparently central heterochromia is a dominant genetic trait. I know that Mom and Lara both have eyes like mine. Does anyone else in the family have multi-colored eyes? Any of the nieces and nephews?

And let me know what you think I should say when someone asks what color my eyes are!

Nothing too exciting

Since nothing very exciting has been happening in my life lately, I thought I would share a couple of my new favorite songs. What are some of the frequently played songs on your iPod right now?

Adele--Rolling in the Deep. The video is a bit weird, but I am loving this song. Adele has an amazing voice and several other great songs.

Avett Brothers--I and Love and You. Another great song from the Avett Brothers.

La Isla del Encanto

Puerto Rico is truly the "Island of Enchantment." The scenery was beautiful, the people friendly, and, most importantly, the beaches were gorgeous! Nate and I stayed in Luquillo, about a half hour east of San Juan, in a wonderful beachfront condo. We were able to spend a lot of time on the beach relaxing, but we also enjoyed some more active pursuits, including hiking in the rain forest a night kayaking trip through a bioluminescent lagoon.

The kayaking trip was one of the most incredible things I have ever done. We set out from a small bay and headed through a narrow channel surrounded by mangrove trees. Once we were in the channel, it was almost pitch black. At first we were focused solely on trying to avoid running into the trees or other kayakers, but suddenly I noticed that our paddles were glowing when we dipped them in the water. I stuck my hand in and was amazed to see sparkling, shimmering lights on my hand when I brought it out of the water. It looked similar to lightning bugs, but much smaller. It was so cool! At that point I started tossing water onto my legs so I could watch my legs sparkle and shimmer. Poor Nate ended up doing more than his fair share of paddling because I was so fascinated with the sparkles.

The glowing is caused by bioluminescent micro-organisms that give off light when they are disturbed. There are only a few bioluminscent bays in the world (including some where you are allowed to swim) and I highly recommend a visit if you ever have the chance. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

View from the balcony on the condo. There is nothing like enjoying

breakfast outside with the fresh breeze blowing, the sound of the

waves crashing, and the smell of ocean in the air.

Enjoying the balcony.

In the rain forest.

My flight home left several hours after Nate's, so after we dropped off the rental car, I found a place to store my luggage and took a taxi to Old San Juan to do a little sight seeing. Old San Juan is a really neat place with several Spanish forts and beautiful old homes. Below are a few pictures from my last afternoon in Puerto Rico.

Colorful buildings in Old San Juan.

View down a narrow cobblestone street to the bay.

Guerite at Castillo de San Cristobal.

Castillo de San Cristobal.

American, Puerto Rican, and Spanish military flags flying at San Cristobal.

View from Castillo de San Cristobal looking towards Fort San Felipe del Morro.

Me in old San Juan. I am not quite as talented as AL

at the self-portraits :o)

My new favorite song

I have been totally obsessed with this song lately. What do you think of it?

Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise by the Avett Brothers

Random Road Trip

It was another beautiful fall weekend here in Minnesota and I decided to take a little road trip to enjoy the changing colors in the southern part of the state where the colors haven't peaked yet. I forgot to grab my map before I left so I drove a bit aimlessly and ended up on the Great River Road on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi. The drive was gorgeous and I eventually I ended up in Pepin, Wisconsin. A sign for the Laura Ingalls Wilder birthplace caught my eye and I decided to take a little detour. They had a re-creation of the home she was built in and a small display about her life. Made me want to re-read the books. Below are a few pictures from the trip.

Birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Historic marker.

Photo of Carrie, Mary, and Laura Ingalls.

Pretty country church in Wisconsin.

An old schoolhouse that had been converted into a home.

Don't you love the fall?!

Today was a gorgeous fall day and I decided to take a walk around Lake Harriet. I think half of Minneapolis had the same idea, but it was still a very pleasant way to spend a sunday afternoon.

My guest room is lonely . . .

You need to come visit!

Camping on Madeline Island

I thought I would share a few pictures from my camping trip with Mom this weekend. We drove up to Bayfield, Wisconsin and took a ferry to Madeline Island. It was a beautiful drive (once we got out of the traffic on I-35) and the ferry ride was fun.

Although we had a few snags along the way (dead air pump, wet wood) we still had a great time :o) Nothing beats sitting outside on a beautiful night and gazing at the stars!

My first star trails picture. I was very happy with how it turned out. I will definitely be trying more of these in the future.

Mom and me on the ferry to Madeline Island.

Big Bay beach on Madeline Island.

Sunlight on the water.

Mom and me on the beach.

Pretty orange flowers.

Pretty yellow flowers (descriptive, I know).

A lovely tattoo I got from carrying a bag of bagels under my arm.