Velvet Sky Fit for The King

Dusk, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
The clouds in this beautiful evening sky are reminiscent of velvet. Many Elvis lovers enjoy his likeness on velvet wall hangings. Sitting just minutes from Graceland, we enjoyed this magnificent sky.

Nice and Placid

Pacific Ocean, Point Bonita, California, USA
In Spanish, the word bonito means nice and the word pacifico means peaceful. While the Pacific Ocean is not a placid sea, this spot is both peaceful and beautiful! At the tip of Point Bonita is a working lighthouse which helps guide ships through the Golden Gate (and away from these treacherous rocks and cliffs) to San Francisco and Oakland.

Floating Five and Dime

Container Barge and Tugboat, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Everyday over 5 million tons of cargo are shipped in and out of US ports. Over the course of a year, about 2 billion tons of cargo pass through the various ports around the United States. The Port of Savannah is one of the top ten busiest container ports in the United States. This barge is being pulled up the Savannah River into port. It is amazing to think that this giant stack of containers, piled incredibly high, crossed the swelling ocean without any falling overboard.

Poultry Defrost

Portland International Jetport (PWM), Portland, Maine, USA
This little bird, from Northwest Jet Airlink, is getting de-iced with a warm spray of propylene or ethylene glycol. The de-icing spray washes off existing ice and snow and delays additional accumulation before take-off. Ice is especially dangerous because it reduces the ability to control and lift the aircraft.

Want Some Snow?

Old Port, Portland, Maine, USA
For those of us who live in warmer climes, snow is very exotic. For folks in Portland, this is their routine for many months of the year. This is what it looked like after 8 inches of snow was plowed for traffic.

A Grating Experience

Latkes Frying, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Friday night marked the start of Chanukah. Like all Jewish holidays, special foods (or fasts) are integral to the celebration. The miracle of the sanctified Temple oil lasting for eight nights inspired Jews the world over to eat fried foods during Chanukah.

Here were see latkes (potato pancakes) frying to a deep golden brown! To make latkes, we grate potatoes and onions, mix in matzo meal, egg, and seasonings, and fry!

Fresh Falafel

Fresh Falafel in a Pita, Tel Aviv, Israel
Wherever we travel, we love to eat local cuisine and skip the American stuff. In Israel, this is so easy as most of the everyday foods are fast foods. Israeli pita is strong and flexible, so you can pile in falafel balls (fried chickpeas) with pickles, olives, salads, hummus, and hot sauce. A full meal in your hand!

Suspended Animation

Rail Cars and Cargo Plane, Miami, Florida, USA
This shot of an Atlas Air 747 cargo plane landing at Miami International Aiport (MIA) was taken through two rail cars of a freight train. Air freight is the fastest way to send items around the globe, but trains are still very important for moving items over land.

Come Sail Away

Sailboat, Lake Union, Seattle, Washington
It was amazing to see these beautiful colors on Lake Union at sunset. Because of the northern latitude, during the summer months sunset comes much later and folks often enjoy outdoor activities like sailing well into the evening hours. As you can see, not every day and night in Seattle is overcast.

Not Found in Any Stores

Banner, Atlanta Zoo, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
You won't catch us feeding this to any human babies!

Piering into the Past

Pier and Roundhouse, Manhattan Beach, California, USA
Opened in 1920, the Manhattan Beach Pier is Southern California's oldest remaining example of early reinforced concrete pier construction. The rounded tip has allowed the pier to withstand the heavy Pacific surf for nearly 90 years.

What's on le Menu?

Alleyway, Paris, France
One of the joys of dining in Europe is that restaurants post their menus outside. We always seem to spend too much time deliberating when it comes to deciding on where to eat. At least in Europe we can see their offerings and prices at a glance!

Rows of Rugelach

Rugalach, Tampa, Florida
It's been harder and harder for us to find fresh-baked rugalach where we live. We happened to be at a diner in Tampa which had tons of fresh, delicious rugalach. Mind you, there are many bakeries where we live which sell rugalach, but most are poor imitations of the real deal.

A Dance Upon The Ceiling

Ceiling Decoration, Ziff Ballet Opera House, Miami, Florida, USA
This beautiful swirl evokes dancers in motion. To get this picture, the camera was placed on top of a seatback. We set a 10 second delay to ensure that the camera was perfectly still by the time the shutter opened. This was especially important as we suppressed the flash to capture the ceiling and lights in natural colors.