Monument Valley - Utah
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San Antonio
The Henry B. Gonalez Convention Center
Our hotel, the Hyatt Grand connects to the Henry B. Gonalez Convention Center.
Hyatt Grand Hotel
The Hyatt Grand Hotel opened two years ago and is located between the convention center and the River Walk.
Dale Chihuly in the Roto Bar at the Hyatt
Dale Chihuly's work has always meant something special to Kitty and me. Our first date was Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Minneapolis Art Institute in 1997.
Dale Chihuly in the lobby of the Hyatt Grand
The next three pictures are different angles of Dale Chihuly's chandeliers in the lobby of the Hyatt Grand.
Dale Chihuly in the lobby of the Hyatt Grand
Dale Chihuly had an exhibit ar the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix last year during our annual conference. I took time out to visit the Desert Botanical Garden. See the album the Desert Botanical Garden on this site.
Dale Chihuly in the lobby of the Hyatt Grand
Escaltor Birds
This mobile of birds hangs over the escalator connecting the lobby of the Hyatt Grand Hotel to the outdoor restaurant overlooking the River Walk.
Torch of Friendship
The Torch of Friendship, San Antonio, Texas (USA). Fifty-ton sculpture made in Mexico. A gift to San Antonio from the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs. According to scu;ptor Sebastian, "Obviously, I thought of all the possible allegorical meanings of a burning torch, such as the fire of friendship, relationships, strength, and creativity. The complexity of the work is that it is in two parts; in this case from two countries, which is complex but the same time satisfying, festive, and friendly."
Skyline
Picture taken from hotel window.
Another View
River Walk
River Walk Boat Ride
Taken from the patio of the Hyatt Grand Hotel.
River Walk Boat Rides
Everyone rides the boats on the River Walk.
Trolley
One of many trolleys in San Antonio.
La Villita Street
When the Spaniards founded Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718, Coahuiltecan Indians inhabited the area. The missionaries sought to Christianize these natives. By 1792 San Antonio de Valero, which is now known as the Alamo, was abandoned and become a military outpost. La Villita became a village of primitive huts for Spanish soldiers and their families. After a flood in 1819, brick, stone and adobe houses replaced the earlier structures.
Little Rhein Steak House
In 1836 a map drawn before the fall of the Alamo showed La Villita to be of considerable size. Late in the 19th century European immigrants from Germany and France moved into the area. These pioneers became San Antonio's business leaders, bankers, educators, and craftsmen. The cultural mix that occurred at this time is best illustrated by the variety of architectural styles of the buildings now comprising La Villita.
Monte Wade Gallery
The gallery is conveniently located near the riverwalk in Historic La Villita, in beautiful downtown San Antonio,TX. Monte Wade specializes in contemporary and traditional art and represents some of the finest artists in the country. We purchased a small iron wood box with a Horned Toad carved on the lid.
La Villita Street with band
The Little Church of La Villita
The cornerstone was laid for the church on March 2, 1879. Several denominations have held services here. It is now an active non-denominational church and a favorite site for weddings. ominational church and a favorite site for weddings.
John in La Villita
John in La Villita
Kitty in La Villita
Kitty in La Villita
Village Weavers
Hand-woven and handmade clothing, rugs, tapestries and gift items from local and international weavers. Home and Fashion accessories.
Village Weavers in La Villita
Kitty
La Villita Fountain
Grapes
A grape arbor in La Villita
Old Tree
In the Alamo grounds.
Carriage Rides
Outside the Alamo.
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Workshop Presentation
John
Poster Presentation
Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis founded by John in 2008.
Aloe
In the Alamo gardens.
Alamo Gardens
This picture is in honor of JiMi Royal.
Alamo Cannon
Alamo Cannon
Emily Morgan Hotel
San Antonio has some nice architecture.
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Crockett Hotel
Crockett Hotel
The Alamodome
The Alamodome
Hemisphere
This fountain is one of many from the 1968 Hemisphere. The convention center is in Hemisphere Park.
River Walk Wildlife
A Night Heron drying its wings in the sun.
Izzy at Soccer
Check the socks!
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Time for a break.
Action Shot.
Are we done yet?
How did I do, Grandpa?
Now can we go to the playground?
Buterflies at Brookfield
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Big Bugs
Dragonfly Inspection
Kitty and Lucy give the Dragonfly a close inspection.
Dragonfly
The sculptures are created using various combinations of whole trees found standing or fallen dead, cut green saplings selectively harvested from the willow family, dry branches, and other forest materials. The inherent uniqueness of these materials: their different shapes, colors and textures provide these sculptures with character, definition, and a sense of motion.
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Rear View of Praying Mantis
The inherent uniqueness of these materials: their different shapes, colors and textures provide these sculptures with character, definition, and a sense of motion.
Praying Mantis
The sculptures are created using various combinations of whole trees found standing or fallen dead, cut green saplings selectively harvested from the willow family, dry branches, and other forest materials.
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Ant Number Three
Since its debut in 1994 at the Dallas Arboretum, the Big Bugs exhibit has traveled all across the USA. It consistently brings in swarms (indeed!) of new audiences to all the venues it visits. It provides a visually stunning platform for educational programs and interaction, one of the main goals of the Big Bugs exhibit. Big Bugs also has the effect of helping create greater public awareness of its host institution as a fun and interesting year-round educational resource, with a concomitant boost in attendance.
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North to Alaska
Ontime
We flew Sun Country Airlines non-stop From the Humphrey International Terminal in Minneapolis to the Ted Steven International Airport in Anchorage. Sun Country flies out of the international terminal because officially it is a charter airline. They only fly to Anchorage in the summer.
Waiting to board
Eager anticipation. It's still early, but many people are yet to arrive for the nearly sold out flight. We take off at 9:30 AM Minneapolis time, and arrive in Alaska at 12:30 PM Anchorage time.
Row 7, seats E & F
Kitty always gets the window seat.
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park of Canada. Jasper is the largest and most northerly Canadian rocky mountain national park, part of a spectacular World Heritage Site. Comprised of delicate and carefully protected ecosystems, Jasper's scenery is none-the-less rugged and mountainous. Jasper National Park is the largest of Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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More Jasper
Jasper spans 10,878 square kilometres (4200 square miles) of broad valleys, rugged mountains, glaciers, forests, alpine meadows and wild rivers along the eastern slopes of the Rockies in western Alberta. There are more than 1200 kilometres (660 miles) of hiking trails (both overnight and day trips), and a number of spectacular mountain drives.
Icefields Parkway
Jasper joins Banff National Park to the south via the Icefields Parkway. This parkway offers unparalleled beauty as you travel alongside a chain of massive icefields straddling the Continental Divide. The Columbia Icefield borders the parkway in the southern end of the park.
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Reindeer Farm
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Matanuska Glacier
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Hatcher Pass
Hatcher Pass Map
From the west, the pass is reached by a road winding approximately 40 miles up the valley of Willow Creek. The pass connects the alpine headwaters of Willow Creek to Fishhook Creek and Independence Bowl on the east side, from there the road follows the Little Susitna River canyon southward some dozen miles to the abrupt mountain front at the edge of the Mat-Su valley. Over the pass, and for miles on either side, the road is unpaved, and is usually closed from late September to July. Although closed to car traffic, this section of road is heavily traveled in winter and spring by snow machines and skiers.
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Willow Creek
Kitty and I stopped for a closer view of Willow Creek, which followed Hatcher Pass Road after we left the town of Willow.
Willow Creek
Willow Creek looking east.
Active Claim
The sign above Kitty's head states that this location on Willow Creek is an active gold panning claim.
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Mining Road
Exploring an old mining road off of Willow Creek Road.
Closed in the Winter
From the Willow side, the first 11 miles of road are paved. The 20-mile middle section of Hatcher Pass Road—the stretch that actually traverses Hatcher Pass—is dirt and gravel and not maintained in the winter. Although passable for a regular passenger car in summer (taking care to avoid the larger rocks and potholes), this section of road is not recommended for large RVs and trailers because of several narrow, hairpin turns and rough road conditions.
Willow Creek Road
This was taken looking west from Summit Lake. That is the road as it approaches several steep and winding switchbacks leading up to Summit Lake.
Summit Lake
Summit Lake State Recreation Site is also located in the area not far from Independence Mine. Summit Lake is a small cirque lake, or tarn, reaching a depth of 20 feet. The site does not have camping, but provides the perfect spot for a picnic in a spectacular setting.
Summit Lake looking east
The best view along the road is from Summit Lake, with its great vista to the west.
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Marmot
Summit Lake is also a great spot to see marmot and watch paragliders jumping from nearby Nixon’s Nose. This is not a paraglider.
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Summit Lake view
The Marmot won't come back out.
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Independence Mine
Independence Mine State Historical Park is in the area, consisting of a fascinating 272-acres, all above tree line. Within the beautiful bowl-shaped valley of the park are the remains of 16 buildings that were built in the 1930s by the Alaska-Pacific Mining Company, one of the leading hard rock gold mines in Alaska in its day. Abandoned in 1955 and now a state park, the mine and the company town that was built around it make for a fascinating day in anyone's trip to Alaska. The Manager's House has been converted into a visitor center where you can get a walking-tour map of the park and a list of area hikes. Guided tours are also available.
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Alaska Native Heritage Center
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Local residents and visitors to Alaska are introduced to Native traditions and customs of both the past and present. The Welcome House is a celebration of contemporary Alaska Native cultures while the outdoor facilities and sites allow the exploration of ancient tradition and the presentation of stories from the past.
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A brief history: In 1987, the Alaska Federation of Natives, the state's largest Native organization, responded to the need for a community gathering place by unanimously approving the concept to establish a statewide Native culture center. The Alaska Native Heritage Center was formed a year and a half later as an independent non-profit organization with tax exempt status. In facilitating the transmission of Alaska Native knowledge, heritage and tradition, the Center promotes self-esteem and pride among Alaska Natives. The Alaska Native Heritage Center improves understanding among all Alaskans and encourages appreciation of Alaska Native people and their traditions, history, and contributions to Alaska.
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Halibut Fishing in Homer Alaska
The Start
This is taken at 6:00 AM at the Homer Harbor on the Homer Spit. Our boat, the Coastal Predator, is the first one on the right.
Andrea & John
Gettining ready to leave to catch Halibut on the Costal Predator.
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Tom & Kitty
Tom & Kitty keep and eye on where we are going.
GPS
You can see our starting point from the Homer spit. We are the red dot in the center of the GPS screen
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Under way
Andrea spent a lot of time on deck.
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Sea Kayaking
True North Adventures
This is the office of True North Adventures on the Homer Spit.
Yukon Island
Yukon Island is the small green dot just northwest of Seldovia.
Kachemak Bay
This is a map of Kachemak Bay. The top red dot is the location of True North Adventure on the Homer Spit. You can see the the base camp indicated by the red dot on the southeast side of Yukon Island. When we passed the first rock as we neared Yukon Island we awoke a young, sleeping Sea Lion, who just watched us motor by in the water taxi. Naturally there were dozens of the ever present Sea Gulls sharing the rock with it. Yukon Island was named by W. H. Dall, in 1880, for the USC&GS schooner Yukon.
Sea Otter
Yukon Island is in the U.S. Maritime Fish and Wildlife Refuge which provides great habitat for marine mammals and all sorts of nesting birds. Sea Otters were seen at several times. They did not seem to be too disturbed by our presence. This appeared to be their favorite pose. On our way to the island, we saw a young Sea Lion on the first rock we passed.There were also plenty of Puffins, Cormorants, and Bald Eagles.
Steller Sea Lion
On the way to Yukon Island we passed this large rock sticking out of the water with a young Steller Sea Lion sitting on it with a couple of hundred sea gulls.
Steller Sea Lion
He appeared to be sleeping before we passed the rock. He watched us to make sure were not coming any closer.
Base Camp
This is the base camp of True North Adventures on Yukon Island where most of the sea kayak trips for True North Adventures start. It is reached by a 20-30 minute water taxi ride from the Home Spit docks across the Kachemak Bay. Note my colorful rain gear.
Paddling
John & Kitty settling out to explore the shore around Yukon Island.
Team Work
Kitty operated the rudder in the second seat, while John "navigated" in the front.
Kitty & John
It was cloudy and a little rainy, but the waters around were very calm.
Yukon Island Archaeological Site
The Yukon Island Main Site is an archaeological site on Yukon Island, an island in the Cook Inlet, in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. Related to the Kachemak Bay Culture, it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Yukon Island is located at about 59°31′22.5″N 151°29′55.5″W / 59.522917°N 151.49875°W / 59.522917; -151.49875 (59.5229167, -151.4987496), about 9 miles (14½ km) south of Homer.
Radialarian Ribbon Cherts
The geology (and terrain) of Yukon Island divides dramatically from one side of Kachemak Bay to the other. Here it is a melange of older ocean floor and trench rocks, including these radialarian ribbon cherts from the mesozoic McHugh formation, formed from the exotic skeletons (they're cool - Google images of radiolarians) of long-dead zooplankton settled out on the deep ocean floor and then thrust to the surface where geologic plates collided.
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View from Yukon Island
View view from Yukon Island.
Elephant Rock
Elephant Rock is a formation just south of Yukon Island, which can be seen in the background.
Elephant Rock
Everyone gets to paddle through the elephant's trunk.
Looking west from the base camp
This is the oldest and most continuously occupied archeological site on Cook Inlet. Excavation here helped define the Kachemak Bay Culture, which is related to that of the Salish Indians to the south and to that of the Kamchatkans and Ainu of Asia. Yukon Island is across the bay from Homer. Most of it is rocky, but there are several pocket beaches and at the southeastern corner, a cuspate foreland (two spits or barriers converging to form a triangular shaped landform).
John & Kitty
Kayaks are very easy to paddle.
Alison O'Hara
Alison O'Hara is the owner of True North Kayak Adventures. She founded the company in 1992 because of her love of kayaking and guides many of the trips. She has over 20 years paddling experience, an educational background in environmental studies and a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license. She has also completed the BCU (British Canoe Union) 4 star training. In this picture, she is paddling toward Elephant Rock.
Lunch Beach
Yukon Island is across the bay from Homer. Most of it is rocky, but there are several pocket beaches and at the southeastern corner, a cuspate foreland (two spits or barriers converging to form a triangular shaped landform). This is the beach where we stopped for lunch.
Rock Formation
This is a picture that Kitty took of the hole in the rock in the previous picture.
Another Shot
This is another shot of the hole in the rock.
Another Sea Otter
They appear to use their stomachs as tables for their meals.
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Desert Botanical Garden
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Andrea Visits
Andrea and Quin
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Quinn
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Iowa Aboretum Hiking Trails
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Colorado 2009
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Naperville, IL, August 2008
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John's Birthday 6/02/2008
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Susan and Michael Smith
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Kitty, John & Andrea
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Kitty, John & Andrea in Bloomington, Minnesota in 2008.
