Some Old Favorites

Here are some of my favorite shots, taken with my old Canon  point-and-shoot before the CCD screen decided it would self-destruct. 

One of the most beautiful places I've ever been to is in the Grand Tetons near Jackson, Wyoming. Not far from Yellowstone, it offers beautiful lakes, great kayaking, numerous hiking trails, fresh air, and beauty, no matter which way you turn your head. These were the days before my zoom camera, but take my word for it, the picture above is of a huge hairy moose!

The water at Jenny Lake, String Lake and the others is clear and breathtaking. There's plenty of fish, but we learned quickly that trying to chase them in a canoe or kayak while flinging a hook off a $5.00 fishing rod just won't do the trick. Better luck next time. You do have to buy a fishing license to fish. 

 Bison roam the territory. Go there today, and I guarantee you will find them as easily as you would find cows in other parts of the country. 

Some Old Town San Diego. . . 

Old Town in San Diego is a happy tourist trap. I like that much of it is cordoned off and limited to pedestrians only. There are churches, restaurants, historic buildings (old school, dentist's office), bakeries and cool, overpriced gift shops. 

More on Hawaii. . . 

I didn't have to venture far to get this shot. Beautiful flower arrangements like this one were delivered to our room every day or at least every other day. Try Mama's Fish House. It is a hotel and a restaurant right on the beach. At the very least, treat yourself to one good lunch or dinner there. Great fish. Expensive but worth trying once. 

The good thing about being jet-lagged is that we frequently woke up at 3:00 in the morning, trotted out of our hotel, drove in the dark, and reached our destinations at dawn, well before most other tourists were up. This is a picture at dawn at the summit of Haleakala. (I'm sure I've misspelled it, so check that.) It was cold, and the air was very thin at 10,000 feet. We hiked down for an hour, but it took three to hike back up. Every step was an effort. My legs turned to lead and I could barely move. Every minute, I contemplated asking one of the mounted rangers to rescue me and take me to the summit. I called the place Hell-i-yakala. Unforgettable experience, but watch out for that lack of oxygen! By the way, that is a blanket of clouds/fog, not the ocean.

A succulent on the way into the crater. The area is desert-like, as I remember. It was surprising to see that many parts of Hawaii were not covered with the stereotypical lush plants. 

These flowers were more what I was expecting, but they were gifts from the Inn at Mama's Fish House!

 On Hana road, we stopped for provisions and nearly ran over this bright green creature. One leg was missing, no doubt run over by another car. He seemed fine, nonetheless, and determined to limp and jerk in the direction he was headed.

I'm not sure if it's due to the overcast days on which I've recently taken pictures on the Fujifilm zoom camera, but it seems to me even the old point-and-shoot photos are more vivid and clear. I'll keep testing and trying, at least for several weeks into summer, but if I can't get the clarity I want with a bridge camera, I'm going to invest in a Canon SLR.

The weather this time of year in San Diego is affectionately called May Gray and June Gloom. I'll have to seize the sunny days and see what happens.

With the exception of the moose photo, which I tried to make sharper so you could make out the moose, none of the above photos were enhanced in any way. The chameleon creature, for example, really was a glowing bright green. I worked with some of the photos of Las Gaviotas and Sweetwater, mostly with the sharpness.