WONDER

Happy Summer

Hope all well. Not traveling abroad this summer so spending lots of time in Laramie: running, playing pickleball, and taking wildflower photos. We’re all enjoying summer: walks each morning to the park for Sorrel, tennis and pool-time for Susan, and for me enjoying that each day is spent wearing shorts and soaking my frequently tired legs in our little Walmart wading pool. Some good local news is the fence that stretched some five miles north to south across the Pilot Hill Recreation Area (blocking miles of wonderful trials) was finally removed.  So once more I’m enjoying long runs surrounded by beautiful wildflowers (photos below).  Also, I was elected president of our local Pickleball Association; one of my first tasks was creating an online presence (link to website below). Pickleball is a great game for players of all ages (providing exercise and fellowship); we’ve a fairly new outdoor pickleball court where and I tend to play two hours a day, five days a week. (“Recess for adults,” is how one of our older players once described pickleball.)

More soon … currently working on an addition to my Youtube channel featuring local wildflowers.

Happy Spring

Happy Spring!

At long last, the BIG snow seems behind us.

You may have read about 2 feet of snow we endured a few weeks back (photos below). But, our local ski area did benefit from all the snow, reaching a 100inch base; I managed 37 days teaching skiing this winter (below is a photo of a trio of instructors). And, our tulips are beginning to emerge BUT probably a big mistake — late April early May snows still likely. Most summer travel on hold for another year so still have too much time on my hand. Included are five recent YouTube videos. The most recent “Celebration of Travel” is the video I had in mind March 2020 (beginning of Covid isolation) when my first YouTube video was constructed. Hope you enjoy the videos and our paths cross again soon; and stay healthy!

Rusty

Greetings and best wishes for 2021. Unfortunately, I begin the new year with a sad announcement. Shortly before Christmas, Rusty passed; he no longer kept food down, was losing weight, and growing week. We tried a few things but nothing worked, and after many sleepless nights it was time. We miss him greatly, as does his sister Sorrel, but Rusty managed to live a long life (14 years, not bad for a Springer). When I began sensing we’d soon lose Rusty, I started a YouTube video celebrating the lives of all seven of our Springers. The video is now complete and can be viewed at

On the bright side, 2020 and the Trump reign, are finally over. Let’s hope the virus is soon controlled, decency and forward thinking return to government, and days of social distancing and wearing a mask are soon behind us.

For those who knew Rusty, what follows are a few photos.

Holiday Greeting 2020

What a strange time we’re living in. Hope you’ve stayed healthy and remain hopeful for the future. I am, though it seems the very fabric of our democracy is being tested daily. Attached are some links to recent YouTube additions … still have too much time on my hands. Let me know what you think. Wishing you the very best for 2021!

Five New YouTube Videos

Hi all,

Hope summer going well and all healthy. Managed to visit Yellowstone for a few days in late June — needed Yellowstone Fix. Stayed in Gardiner, Montana (near north gate of park) because few accommodations open in park. Park crowded BUT not as bad as recent years BECAUSE buses not allowed … wonderful!  My goal was to video black bears and capture some Yellowstone sounds. Was partly successful — road over Mt. Washburn closed so unable to take videos of black bear moms with cubs (best locations for me always along road from Roosevelt Lodge to Tower Fall), though did get some audio of the park’s great sounds. Have included five new videos to YouTube channel (two are Yellowstone additions), hope you like.  Stay well!

Trekking to Everest Base Camp  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw8Jg0wZ4dw&feature=youtu.be

Wildebeest Migration Serengeti National Park  https://youtu.be/zVxf8tjIhJA

Land of Polar Bears  https://youtu.be/_KK5IO9Z1Cw

Sounds of Yellowstone  https://youtu.be/PwuT8HwYul0

Searching for the Loveliest Waterfall in Yellowstone  https://youtu.be/DVKOGGFg62I

1000 Days of Travel

Greetings all

Hope you’re all healthy and successfully weathering the new virus. Like most of you, I have plenty of unplanned stays at home recently and had to reschedule planned trips (postponed Australia visit until 2021 and postponed annual Yellowstone adventure until next month, hopefully). So, I had time to take some of the blog idea to YouTube; thus far placing five short videos on YouTube (seems a length of 12-16 minutes works, let me know if you agree). On my YouTube channel, I plan to continue linking the benefits of Adult Education to Wonder, Curiosity, Adventure and Travel. To date, I’ve had the good fortune to visit five of seven continents, spending (at last calculation – lots of time these days for calculations) over 1000 days traveling and exploring new sites, often in new countries (42 countries visited thus far). That’s roughly 20 days of travel a year for the past 50 years. How and why would I spend that amount of time traveling? Answering the “how” part of the question is easy: it helps that Susan (who’s been part of my life since 1971) also enjoys traveling, that my job provided ample time for travel, and that not having children we had additional resources and discretionary time. Answering the “why travel” part of the question is more difficult. At times, I feel like a travel junkie (experiencing first-hand the harsh and uncomfortable feelings of withdrawal lately), but that isn’t all bad. There is something about the excitement surrounding a good dose of travel in one’s lie. Though travel tends to inform, broaden one’s world-view, increases openness to novelty and to others, and remains a cornerstone to learning throughout life, travel also thrills and animates life; it has for me. Below are links to my first YouTube videos.

Countries Visited

Banner for YouTube channel

Arusha Pickleball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-TngGGHYLo

51 Works in American Adult Education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpKMaIBSb_Q

Seven Yellowstone Hot Spots:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7kF1VNhrHI&feature=youtu.be

Galápagos Islands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbemmnQ7wTU&feature=youtu.be

Kilimanjaro Trek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbdKtCOOxkU&feature=youtu.be

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Photo used at end of YouTube videos – taken by Matt Caires (River Lodge, Tanzania, June 2009)

Love Bears

Greetings Everyone,

Happy early March 2020! Hope winter was kind thus far. This morning -15 Celsius in Laramie (brrrrr); once again shoveled snow. But skiing is wonderful; have already taught skiing nearly thirty days at Snowy Range. Fun seeing a few of you at last Monday’s Pickleball movie/presentation at Eppson Center – nice group and seemingly recruited a few new players.  Am already working on next Eppson Center movie that I hope to present in May: working title is “The Heart of Adult Education: Curiosity and Adventure (Yellowstone, Galápagos, and Kilimanjaro)”. Looking forward to weaving a bit more adult education into future presentations. This blog though captures another of my interests: photographing bears. Thus far, Susan and I have had the great fortune to experience a wonderful variety of bears (five of the eight species, both in zoos and in their natural environments). We’ll visit Yellowstone again in May and hopefully fortunate enough to see and photograph more Grizzly and Black bears. Why do I love bears? Those bears I have had the wonderful opportunity to experience in the wild possess a rather unique solitary majestic quality of wildness (though mothers do seem to possess an infinite amount of affection and patience while caring for cubs). And, that quality of wildness should be celebrated, as does Lyle Lovett in his tribute to “Bears”  and not destroyed (see lyrics below).

And, in Australia this summer, I hope to photograph some Koala bears (I do realize koalas are marsupials and are not really bears). Also, it seems I have a few potential clients interested in buying and displaying some of my bear photos. So, I’m sharing a few of these photos in this blog. (If you see a photo you like and might want a print let me know). Cheers

Songwriter Lyle Lovett “Bears” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T4SaNuxZO8

Some folks say there ain’t no bears in Arkansas
Some folks never seen a bear at all
Some folks say that bears go around eating babies raw
Some folks got a bear across the hall

Some folks say that bears go around smelling bad
Others say that a bear is honey sweet
Some folks say this bear’s the best I ever had
Some folks got a bear beneath their feet

Some folks drive the bears out of the wilderness
Some to see a bear would pay a fee
Me I just bear up my bewildered best
And some folks even see the bear in me

Some folks drive the bears out of the wilderness
Some to see a bear would pay a fee
Me I just bear up my bewildered best
And some folks even see the bear in me

So meet a bear and take him out to lunch with you
And even though your friends may stop and stare
Just remember that’s a bear there in the bunch with you
And they just don’t come no better than a bear

So meet a bear and take him out to lunch with you
And even though your friends may stop and stare
Just remember that’s a bear there in the bunch with you
And they just don’t come no better than a bear

No they just don’t come no better than a bear

No they just don’t come no better than
No they just don’t come no better than
No they just don’t come no better than a bear

1. Grizzly bear and cub – Togwotee Pass, Wyoming

2. Polar bear – Churchill, Canada

3. Black bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

4. Polar bear Voda and cub (Koda or Nuka) – Denver Zoo, Colorado

5. Black bear cub – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

6. Grizzly bear #399 and cubs – Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

7. Male Grizzly bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

8. Polar bear – Churchill, Canada

9. Female Black bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

10. Male Grizzly bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

11. Grizzly bear #399 and cubs – Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

12. Male Grizzly bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

13. Black bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

14. Black bear cub- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

15. Female Black bear – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

16. Polar bear – Churchill, Canada

17. Male Polar bears sparring – Churchill, Canada

18. Male Polar bears sparring – Churchill, Canada

19. Brown bears fishing for salmon – Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

20. Polar bear resting – Churchill, Canada

21. Brown bear fishing for salmon – Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

22. Male Grizzly bear (black and white photograph) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

23. Polar bear walking ice field – Churchill, Canada

24. Male Grizzly bear (black and white photograph) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Joy of Pickleball

Happy 2020!!

Hope all healthy and thus far 2020 treating you well. On the 31^st my sister Donna and her husband Ken sent fresh crab from Seattle so Susan and I welcomed the new year with crab and champagne … managed to stay awake until after midnight. Last month I mentioned working on my next iMovie and presentation at our local Senior Center: Joy of Pickleball (JoyPickleball Announcement). As noted a few times recently, I really enjoy playing and teaching the game of pickleball.  There is a flow and rhythm to the game that’s both relaxing and engaging. Ironically, I find similarities between learning to play pickleball and learning to alpine ski: initially the learner’s approach is commonly defensive but overtime there is a significant change in performance as understanding and confidence increase. Love it! Included in the iMovie is a discussion of when and why the game of pickleball began and how the game is played. Also included in the movie is some footage from a “Beginners” pickleball clinic I did in Tanzania last summer as well as some of our local pickleball players playing the game and discussing the attraction of pickleball. If you’re in town, I hope you can join us on February 24th for the pickleball presentation.

Have a great year!

Pickleball equipment and player – Laramie, Wyoming

Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania

Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania

Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania

Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania

Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania

Beginner’s Pickleball Clinic (June 4, 2019) – Arusha, Tanzania

New outdoor pickleball courts – Laramie, Wyoming

Holiday Greetings 2019

Happy Holiday’s Everyone!

Hope all in all you weathered another year successfully. We did … but we’re VERY MUCH looking forward to civility returning to Washington in 2020. All of us stayed reasonably healthy: Sorrel is losing her hearing but not her appetite; Rusty and Michael are getting gray and both continue to be easily distracted; and Susan just never seems to age. Our biggest house projects this past year were the replacing of the fence (long overdue) and instillation of a fire pit. And though both were headaches at times and took months to complete, the new fence and fire pit are wonderful additions. Susan and I got to Denver a few times to visit the zoo, take in a show and rendezvous with friends. And, big for me this year was getting nationally certified as a Pickleball Coach for Adults; have already taught a few Beginning Pickleball classes at our local Recreation Center. Now I’m able to teach skiing (primarily to adults) part-time during the winter and teach Pickleball (primarily to adults) part-time during other months of the year; both activities help keep me connected to the flow of adult education. I also returned to Tanzania for a few weeks in June and backpacked with friends in Yellowstone in August (both adventures were featured in previous blog posts). On the creative side, I made six new iMovies in 2019 (easily a record). Part of the reason for this is every few months I make a travel-like presentation at our local senior center – the Laramie community is also invited. My next presentation is in January and is called “the Joy of Pickleball”. More on that shortly, but for now Sorrel, Rusty, Susan and I extend Best Wishes for 2020!  Below are a few photos from 2019.

Holiday Greetings from Susan, Sorrel, Rusty and Michael – Laramie, Wyoming

Rusty and Sorrel after recent trip to the prairie (November 2019) – Laramie, Wyoming

Susan enjoying fire pit – Laramie, Wyoming

New fence – Laramie, Wyoming

iMovie presentation at Eppson Senior Center (February 18, 2019) – Laramie, Wyoming

Black bear cub – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

iMovie made for Susan for Valentine’s Day, (February 14, 2019) – Laramie, Wyoming

Susan and Michael (May, 2018) – at Machu Picchu, Peru

iMovie presentation at Eppson Senior Center (May 20, 2019) – Laramie, Wyoming

Susan catching a piranha – Amazon River, Peru

iMovie made for June 3-17, 2019 safari to Tanzania

  Male lion – Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

iMovie made for August 13-18, 2019 backpacking adventure along the Bechler River – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Hiking companions, Bechler River Trail – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

iMovie presentation at Eppson Senior Center (October 21, 2019) – Laramie, WyomingFairy Falls – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone’s Majestic Waterfalls

Greetings all,

Back in August I shared photos of a recent six-day backpacking trip to the cascade corner of Yellowstone National Park. (I greatly enjoyed my companions, the hike, the adventure and the waterfalls.) Because the trip was so rewarding, I decided my next Eppson Center presentation would focus on Yellowstone Waterfalls (It’s scheduled for October 21^st, flier attached YNP Waterfalls Presentation Announcement (October21st)). But, though I’ve visited many waterfalls in the park I’ve actually only video-taped a few so planned a return trip in early October.  Visiting Yellowstone in October can be challenging primarily due to weather (rain, sun and snow) but can also make a lovely setting for photos. I visited and filmed 15 waterfalls in three days: exhausting and wonderful. Below are a few photos from the trip and if you are in Laramie Monday October 21st hope you’ll join me at the Eppson Center presentation.

Moose Falls (near South Entrance) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Crystal Falls (view from Upper Falls overlook) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Fairy Falls (easy on-trail hike) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Undine Falls (road side pullout) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Sylvan Lake (early morning) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Willow Park lake (early morning) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Lake near Norris Geyser Basin (early morning) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Kepler Cascades (road side pullout) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Mystic Falls (easy on-trail hike) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Grizzly Bear (October snow) – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming