These might be my last photos from Washington this year. This was a cool sunset over the bay, but I like the contrast that came out when converted to black and white. Even though I know the sun and sky were bright red, I like that the differences in darkness...
I love the chaos of this photo. So much noise but also an imperfect balance.
Happy Birthday Bex. With your infectious smile and thirst for life, you have shown me so much joy. You have helped me expect more out of myself and others. But also taught me how to have grace with myself when I fall short. I’m proud of how you’ve faced adversity...
This was our first flight to Friday Harbor. The sky was much clearer which made for good sightseeing. I really liked the contrasts in this delta of the mainland.
This was one of two flights we had to friday Harbor. There had been some forest fires in the area making for an incredible sky.
I realized I still have a bunch of photos from Washington this summer I haven’t posted yet. I like the simplicity of this one. Fittingly it’s from a fun afternoon with different Hoesterey men taking us around on their respective plate/boat.
We had a wonderful time in Ohio this week celebrating our anniversary. I’d like to thank my wife for sticking by my side for so many years. Life wouldn’t be the same without you. Your presence never ceases to bring me joy and excitement. Not every day lives up to...
We came back to Ohio for a friend’s wedding and stayed for an anniversary getaway. Thanks to our friends for letting us crash in their basement and for taking some photos of Bekah and I. It was also great seeing college friends, some after many years. My friend Matt and...
We made the trek to North Cascades National Park this weekend. This remote park in Washington was very fascinating to drive through. We stopped for some short excursions and learned about the complex geology and history. So much of this natural beauty is defined by the three dams built in...
On our way to North Cascades national park we stopped at an old growth forest. The scale of these trees was really staggering. It’s also cool to see how in a forest that old, you have generations of trees growing out of the downed trunks of previous generations. And on...
We came to spend time with family this summer and fit several day trips including to North Cascades National Park, two trips to Friday Harbor, and some time walking around Seattle.
I was super pleased to have gotten this photo on the flight into NYC. I love how much is recognizable at this elevation.
Grabbed some shots of the city on a work trip last month.
I caught these cool shots of the Oceanside pier and harbor when flying back from Washington recently. I like how you can see the sunset reflecting off the buildings and the waves breaking outside the harbor.
This month I attended the Wings Over Water Birding Festival in Blaine, Washington. This was the first birding festival I’ve attended but I had been wanting to do more social birding events. We got the idea when a family member recently moved there and my wife and I stayed at...
A spring trip to participate in a local birding event.
The birder in me loved this exhibit titled “Aviarium Cuarto Suspiro” in La Biblioteca de Investigación Juan de Córdova in Oaxaca. The exhibit used ceramics to flip the symbolism of the avian and human worlds to create fascinating shapes.
Somehow this shot captures a lot about Guanajuato. From the hills, to the tunnels, to the buildings.
When it is 85°F (30°C) and sunny during the day, the party starts at night.
Una calle en San Miguel de Allende
It’s good to be back in Mexico! 🇲🇽
A combination of two friend trips centered around Guanajuato and Oaxaca.
Au revoir France. It was nice to meet you. I’ll have more photos to share soon ❤️
Sometimes I can’t pick my favorite perspective…
This tower is impressively tall. I loved getting brunch at a nearby cafe and walking around the neighborhood.
Didn’t expect to find this jungle in Paris 🌿
I’m loving the stonework in Paris. So much detail to appreciate.
Someone tell the French opera they need to update their windows machine.
I joined Bekah in Paris for our first time in France as an early anniversary trip the week before she had a work trip.
Following my 2021 birding summary, I’m excited to share my 2022 birding review! My travels brought me to 7 different states, Italy, and a bonus layover sighting. Between the varied locations and some active days, my total number of species identified was up slightly over the previous year. But my...
Been thinking about potential new places to travel to this year and beyond. There are so many amazing options. Hawaii Alaska Glacier National Park Yosemite National Park Oaxaca Mexico Iceland Argentina/Patagonia New Zealand Netherlands South Africa Scotland
Typically I do a year-in-review of my birding, but I fell behind posting 2021. Before I share about my birding in 2022, I wanted to give a quick update to fill in the gap. Despite the continuing pandemic and being busy with a new house and foster care, I still...
Three years after our first visit to Italy, I was excited to be back. This trip was also prompted by a work trip my wife was taking. Her company was looking to bring all their employees together and flew everyone to Petratoli on the eastern side of Italy. We took...
And other PNW adventures
Our third trip to Washington for a family wedding and to explore Olympic National Park.
2020 Trends After a year of international travel that triggered my re-entry into bird watching, 2020 was a much more restrained year. While life events and global lockdowns kept me in the US, I enjoyed refining my birding skills and focusing on more birding from home. As the stress of...
Birding in 2019
I’m grateful we were able to travel last year. There are so many beautiful places in the world to see.
My post about our time in Venice is finally posted! This is the last post in my series about our trip to Italy last October. The Doge’s Palace, shown here, was one of the cool places we toured while staying in the city. When Venice was a regional power, the...
As a boy, I remember my grandmother telling stories of her and my grandfather’s trip to Italy. The two of them were invited by a sibling to go on the trip with most expenses paid. For some reason, the destination that I remember hearing about most vividly was Venice. I...
A year ago, @bekahbugs and I were in Cuetzalan Mexico which is in the mountains between Puebla and Veracruz. It was our first solo trip since we had arrived in Mexico and it forced us to practice our Spanish with people who didn’t know English. It’s a magical town with...
I finished my blog post about Orvieto this weekend. It’s a really cool town with lots of interesting history like how it was a Papal residence after the Pope was ousted from Rome. The town has this huge cathedral (or duomo) in the middle of town. Unfortunately it will likely...
I’m working on a blog post about our time in Orvieto last October. It’s been fun remembering everything we did together with my parents and siblings. I’m glad we could take that trip together.
Happy Valentine’s Day to my beautiful wife. I love getting to experience life with you. 😍
Four months ago @bekahbugs and I visited Rome and made a whirlwind tour of the biggest sights. The art and architecture were breathtaking. There is a mix of modern and historic across the city making it a fun place to travel through. I’ve written down some of my memories into...
Rome is such a massively historic city that I didn’t know what to expect when arriving in modern-day Rome. I’ve read so much about it in the context of ancient history but relatively little about the last couple hundred years. What we encountered was a mix of multiple centuries organically...
After meeting up with my family, we drove to the town of Orvieto a little more than an hour outside of Rome. We stayed in Orvieto because my sister was studying there for a semester of her undergrad and had classes during the week. It may not be top of...
This year was filled with some great experiences as @bekahbugs and I traveled to places I thought I’d never see. Looking ahead I see both light and challenges as we look to navigate our next chapter. But I’m grateful for the loving people around me that have helped me every...
The Amalfi Coast is a beautiful section of coastline on Italy’s western shore one providence south of Rome. Its steep hill produces great views pretty much anywhere you stay. We chose to stay in this region for the solo-anniversary portion of our trip based on several recommendations we had heard....
A Change of Plans After our honeymoon in Cancun, Bekah and I started saving for our 5-year anniversary trip to Hawaii because we really enjoyed the chance to travel to beautiful places together. Five years and half a dozen countries later, we were still planning on taking that 5-year anniversary...
I took some time to write about Peru this weekend. It has been fun to think about all the cool places we were able to see. Hoping to share some stories soon.
Anniversary trip to the Amalfi coast followed by exploring the country with family.
I love this little collection of plants against this tree trunk.
The Catholic churches in Antigua were all beautifully decorated and with yellow and white like this. They often were near more open spaces where people would spill out after mass and where vendors would be selling street food.
Iconic Antigua Guatemala’s Santa Catalina Arch
My plant loving soul really enjoys traveling around the tropics.
Guatemala in many ways is a country fighting against the forces of mother nature. The Convent of the order of the Recollects was built at the beginning of the 18th century but was repeatedly damaged by earthquakes. Within 75 years, much of the complex was heavily damage. Today it stands...
Hello #costarica🇨🇷
While we were in Peru, I had a lot of fun discovering different kinds of birds. By the end of our trip I had seen 75 different species. @bekahbugs found it quite comical that we saw “hundreds of Peruvian Boobies” on the Ballestas Islands in Paracas. Who said birding was...
When my wife and I arrived in Peru, I didn’t know that I would eventually identify 75 different species in the country. At the time, I was just getting back into bird watching and had less than 100 species on my lifetime list. Peru is not known as an eco-tourism...
She’s the reason we get out and do fun things. She scouts out the best places to go, looks at plane tickets while there are still plenty of options, and reminds me that life is worth enjoying. So when she starts feeding the street dogs, I try not to give...
México city seems so close yet so far.
Visiting Peru has been a wonderful mix of family, friends, culture, history, language, and nature. We were able to travel to several different parts of the country though there is much more to see. I’d love to come again. Thanks to my cousin @wdevenney55 and his wife @mayra_devenney for all...
Cusco is beautiful
Huaca Pucllana is an adobe pyramid dating as early as 400 A.D. however until the 1980s it was just a dirt mound located in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima.
Stonework
I’ve been missing the mountains and I can’t think of a more dramatic place to enjoy them. I’m so grateful we were able to go on this trip.
One of the best parts of our trip has been meeting up with friends and getting to see their corner of the world. Last month we had fun hiking up the Peña de Bernal with the Dalolio’s to check out the views looking over the town of Bernal. The Peña...
Almost ready for more #traveling
Stages of Talavera pottery
Back in February, my wife Bekah and I packed up our things and left the United States for Puebla, Mexico. We left Colorado last year after I began working remotely and my wife began working on her online master’s degree full time. But with no job holding us to a...
It’s comforting to know that God won’t disown us for having weak faith. If we remain in him he will continue to support us. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If...
Despite the shifting ground the pyramids of Yohualichan still stand, though some of them have been restored. Built around the year 1200 AD, these were some of the earliest pyramids of the Totonac people who later moved on to create larger settlements, with their distinct architectural style of square “windows”...
Sometimes traveling off the beaten path is worth the effort. @bekahbugs and I had an amazing time Exploring #cuetzalan #mexico despite the long bus ride on winding mountain roads.
Avenida Independencia in Atlixco on Benito Juarez Day
This is a cool plant sometimes referred to as a “sensitive plant”. It folds up when touched perhaps has a way to avoid being eaten. I remember seeing some back in Liberia. Apparently they are native in tropical parts of the Americas.
Yesterday was a colorful day: meeting friends on the highway, exploring Atlixco, losing our keys, volcanic eruptions. I feel like we are doing a good job of keeping life from getting boring.
Mexico’s plant game is strong 🌵🌵🌵
Gracias a nuestros nuevos amigos de Puebla por un día muy divertido. @bekahbugs and I had a great time touring Puebla today and checking out Fort Loreto.
This weekend we were able to enjoy walking around the beautiful downtown of @pueblatravel. It was fun playing the tourist and checking out this artist market as well as visiting some of the bigger cathedrals.
I love sharing life with this beautiful woman. You bring me joy and my life is much more fun with you. And traveling with you reminds of that even more. Thanks for making me feel special and accepting me in all my quirkiness. I’m grateful for every day I get...
For those of you who had checked our blog while we were in Liberia, I’d like to apologize for our lack of updates. We were unsure of what our housing situation would be but we knew that during Bekah’s last trip she could get online from her housing at the...
Detour to Senegal
Family trip to visit an orphanage and missionary friends in Liberia.
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