Travel Ahh….Lakes

Posted on August 12, 2013 by sglaser

A pine tree hides Lake Minerva in Danbury, Wisconsin.

Hailing originally from Minnesota — the Land of 10,000 Lakes — I have a thing for water, especially lakes. There’s nothing like zenning out while sitting on the dock of a still lake and listening to the occasional waves lap the side of a pontoon boat.

This is a collection of lake photos I’ve take in the past year. Some of the shots are of reservoirs, which are not the same, in my opinion, but they are still bodies of beautiful water.

Sand Lake at dusk in Salida, CO

Sand Lake, Salida, Colorado, USA.

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh….Color

Posted on May 14, 2013 by sglaser

Hosier Lane, Melbourne, Australia. Color and travel go together since we are always looking for something striking to catch our eyes. I took the photo above of my sister, Suzanne, and the the next two photos of rubbish bins while meandering down the famous graffiti alley, Hosier Lane.

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh…Colorado Rocky Mountains

Posted on April 30, 2013 by sglaser

To be honest, the ocean is zen to me. It’s where I’d most love to be. However, mountains aren’t a bad substitute. I live in Colorado with some pretty spectacular peaks. In fact, as a teacher, every year I had my students write about the mountains that we often take for granted.

The above photo I took in Telluride, Colorado, USA. Before we had kids, Kurt and I would choose a new place in Colorado every fall to go and check out the Aspens.

Aspen, CO, USA.

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh…Seagulls

Posted on April 21, 2013 by sglaser

Goleta Beach, California, USA. Seagulls may squawking scavengers, but I love to watch them soar. My kids especially like seagulls because the birds are fun to stalk. Ultimately, I appreciate seagulls because they tell me that water, in particular the ocean, is close.

East Beach, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

Goleta Beach, California, USA.

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh…Silhouettes

Posted on April 9, 2013 by sglaser

Silhouettes not only capture definite outlines, edges and angles of a subject, but they offer a bit of mystery, too. That’s what I like so much about them. I also like silhouettes because they seem a bit more forgiving when you’re taking a photo. The above photo of the boat I took after a stunning sunset in Kalbarri, Western Australia.

Kalbarri, Western Australia.

Bali, Indonesia. It’s impossible not to take a good photo of Tanah Lot, one of the sacred Hindu temples on Bali.

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh….Palm Trees

Posted on March 10, 2013 by sglaser

Palm trees immediately make me feel at ease — like the ocean. Perhaps it’s because they are such an iconic symbol of tropical islands or, at least, warm weather. I took the above photo in Bali, Indonesia.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Adelaide, South Australia.

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh….Rivers

Posted on March 4, 2013 by sglaser

Rivers are compelling — whether they’re slow and meandering or fast and furious. With a dual personality, rivers represent both nature and civilization. Regardless, they take you on a journey that metaphorical and literal. The above photo is the Amo River running through Florence, Italy.

The Danube River is particularly beautiful. In Visegrád, Hungary, its “S” curve is almost always in view.

The Danube, Budapest, Hungary.

The Dnieper, Kiev, Ukraine.

Continue reading →

The Travel Ahh…Outback Roads and Vehicles

Posted on February 5, 2013 by sglaser

The Red Soil captivated me every time I saw photos of Central Australia. The Outback was the place I really wanted to visit in Oz during my first school holidays as an exchange teacher. Uluru, of course, was a must on the list. Just getting there, however, proved to be almost as surreal as seeing Uluru’s spiritual grounds and the monolith itself.

One minute I’d look out the car window transfixed by the soil and its various shades, and then the next I’d see some wacky vehicle that looked like it drove off the set of The Hangover 3. The Stuart Highway didn’t disappoint either since you’d definitely see the hard core, badass Road Warrioresque machines.

Northern Territory

Continue reading →

Travel Ahh…Seeing Wildlife in the Wild

Posted on January 28, 2013 by sglaser

I’ve always liked zoos; in fact, I was a junior zookeeper when I was in seventh grade, living in Santa Barbara, California. However, nothing quite compares to seeing animals in their natural habitat — in the wild (albeit some are in wildlife preserves.) The photo of the hippo (above) and the other photos of African animals were taken by my dad in Tanzania. I think they are fantastic and I feel as if I’ve seen the creatures myself. Someday I will get to Africa, until then, I’ll look at photos.

The other photos are various pictures I took on our travels.

Tanzania, Africa. A mother lion and her cubs.

Tanzania, Africa. An elephant herd.

Continue reading →

The Travel Ahh…Sometimes the Everyday is Extraordinary

Posted on January 21, 2013 by sglaser

Clichés are, by nature, tired and worn out. But the ordinary to some people may be the extraordinary to others. We have lasting images of clothing, food, drinks, professions, activities and buildings that are associated with certain countries. Some people would call these clichés. But seeing these images can be quite exciting. Recently, a friend from Australia was visiting us in Colorado and spotted deer in our back yard. We think nothing of it, and if anything, get annoyed since they eat our juniper trees. However, to our friend, it was amazing, and he couldn’t believe they were so close. Plus, this was a brand new animal for him to see.

In Greece, I wanted to see whitewashed windmills against a brilliant blue sky or sea (photo above). Speaking of windmills, how can you visit Holland and not want to see them along with tulip fields? So again, the common, mundane and everyday can be extraordinary to a visitor. Finally, no one can say that Flamenco dancing, Legong dancing and Cliff diving are mundane!