Photograph of the Week
Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja, California is a white shark breeding ground. Males show up during the summer, but the larger females don't show up until October. This photograph was taken on a trip with Lone Star Scuba in July, 2014. The cage diving was provided by Nautilus Explorer.
Photograph of the Week
In August 2004, myself, my brother, our father and one of our cousins took Grandpa to visit the World War II memorial in Washington D.C. He never really talked much about the war, and most of what I know about what he did I learned after he passed away a few years later. I do know he served this country well, being awarded both the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
We miss you, Grandpa.
Photograph of the Week
This is a Whale Shark. It is harmless to humans unless you get in its way: which I did and got a tail swipe upside the head for my mistake. This photo was taken in 2006 in the Gulf of Mexico, just north of the island of Holbox, Mexico. Due to the currents, there are dense nutrients in the water there, and Whale Sharks come in the hundreds to feed. While we were there we saw 60-70 at a time on the first day. On the second day, we only saw this one, but we were able to stay with it for a couple of hours. The Mexican government has strict rules regarding the Whale Sharks which only allows snorkeling and prohibits the use of sunscreen because of the chemicals. Some in our group (who shall remain nameless but you know who you are) were yelled at while we were still at the dock for putting on sunscreen. They are very strict about it.
Photograph of the Week
One of the few times I have attempted to photograph fireworks back in 2013.
Photograph of the Week
This is an air pump affectionately nicknamed "R2-D2" by the SCUBA diving community. It sits in the engine room of the Fujikawa Maru: a cargo ship sunk in 1944 as part of Operation Hailstone during WWII. Operation Hailstone was the Japanese equivalent of Pearl Harbor. Allied forces sunk numerous ships inside a maintenance and supply depot in Truk Lagoon, (now named Chuuk), in the Federated States of Micronesia. The ships in Truk Lagoon were rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1969 and documented in 1971 as part of his television series "Undersea World" in the episode "Lagoon of Lost Ships".
To get this picture I had to work around a metal barrier that sits exactly where I needed to be, and there is not enough room to go around it. This barrier has holes in it large enough for your hands but not your camera. So, I gave my camera to the dive guide who handed it back to me after I put my hands through the barrier. Once I got the shot, we reversed the process.
As you can see, there is a lot of debris in the water: mostly kicked up by divers. I would love to go back and try to get a better shot, but that is not likely to happen. In 2010 when I took this photograph, the engine room was still easily accessible; however the super structure has since collapsed, and trips into the engine room have become very difficult and not recommended.
Photograph of the Week
I got this photo while on the Steel Bender offroad trail near Moab, Utah. As you come off the trial, you have to look back the way you came or you miss this shot.
Varner Family Reunion
I attended the Varner Family Reunion today with whom I am related through my mother and her mother. My grandmother was the second of 8 children. Unfortunately, only the youngest is still with us. Today's reunion was a gathering of the children, grand-children, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and if I heard correctly, great-great-great-grandchildren of John Shamblin and Mary Alice Varner.
Photograph of the Week
Bonaire is one of the ABC islands in the Caribbean along with Aruba and Curaçao. It is considered one of the best places in the world to shore dive. All you do is drive up and down the coastal road looking for little yellow rocks with the name of a dive site on them. Then you park, gear up and jump in. It's that simple. Unfortunately, not all of the dive sites have a nice beach like this. Most are very rocky, but it is definitely worth the effort. This particular location is called “Bachelor's Beach”.
Photograph of the Week
When my nieces and nephews visit their Grandpa, one thing they love to do is ride the horses. Here, Matalee is having a quite moment with Jenny.
My Blog:
This is where you will find a travel log of my trips with galleries of many more photographs as well as the "Photograph of the Week".
