Nestled in a mountain valley not too far from us, lies a magical place built of ice and surrounded in snow. Aptly named Ice Castles, there are canyons and caverns and caves and towering spires lit with embedded lights that change colors with magnificent themed music. They’ve created slides and waterfalls and benches of ice […]
For the last few winters, we’ve had an eagle or two in our backyard once the weather turns bitterly cold and everything starts to freeze. Since water is always flowing into our pond, it takes a little longer to completely ice over than some of the smaller more shallow wetlands in the area, where we […]
My recent trip to the Oregon coast was planned around the moon. I knew that it would probably be the last time this year that I would have the opportunity to capture the Milky Way and I wanted the darkest skies possible. I noted when the new moon would be and gave myself a few […]
Battery Point Light in Crescent City was one of the first lighthouses on the California coast. Built on a tiny islet, it can only be visited during low tide when the isthmus connecting the lighthouse to the mainland becomes visible. Except for a period of 17 years, it has illuminated and provided aid to navigation […]
Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming has some amazing sights and the Grand Prismatic Spring is one of my favorites. The boardwalk that takes you around the edge keeps you a safe distance from the extremely hot water but if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, you can find yourself shrouded in a sometimes […]
On a recent family vacation, we saw an abundance of osprey as we traveled beside the Salt River in Wyoming. They were actively building nests and flourishing in their current environment. I always enjoy seeing raptors in the wild because I remember a time when they were diminishing in alarming numbers. When the US entered […]
A few years ago, our grandson was eagerly opening his birthday presents with typical three year old smiles and laughter. Pulling the last of the tissue paper out of a bag, he all at once grabbed hold of a small package, held it up and shaking with excitement, shouted at the top of his lungs, […]
A few weeks ago, we went to the funeral of a member of our film family. His sudden death caught everyone by surprise. There was an incredible outpouring of love and support for his wife and four young children. We heard story after story of how people rallied around them, loving hands reaching and helping […]
One of the wonderful things about being raised with animals, is that children learn the virtue of being gentle and kind to those who have no voice nor any choice in how they are treated. They learn what righteous dominion means and how to apply it in their stewardship of our world. As parents, most […]
Not long ago, my youngest daughter, Stephanie, was diagnosed with hemochromatosis the same week she found out that she was pregnant with her second child. All throughout her pregnancy, she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her doctor listened to her fears and sent her to maternal-fetal medicine for further testing, […]