Author: Jim

  • The Rattlesnake under the Shed

    The Rattlesnake under the Shed

    A trip to the dump should be simple, right?

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  • Raking the Grass in Lofoten

    Raking the Grass in Lofoten

    While in Lofoten this past May, I spent a few days exploring the islands by car. One of the places I visited was Unstad, which has a nice beach that is popular with—believe it or not—surfers. It’s a pretty area, but

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  • Day-Glow Gecko

    Day-Glow Gecko

    As I was waiting for my order at a parking lot food truck at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, I noticed this gecko

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  • Sunset Punishment

    Sunset Punishment

    The summer monsoons are frequent visitors to Tucson during July, August, and September.

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  • Thumbs-Up!

    Thumbs-Up!

    As mentioned in an earlier post, last month I spent a few hours exploring the Painted Hill Trail in Tucson, Arizona. In that post, I alluded to a bizarre crested saguaro—well, this is it.

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  • Lair of the Frost Dragon

    Lair of the Frost Dragon

    In August, my wife, Susan, and I returned to south central Alaska for the first time since 1992.

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  • Surrounded!

    Surrounded!

    Story Last month I decided to explore the Painted Hill Trail in Tucson, Arizona, and take some pictures. It is only a couple miles from my house, but was new to me. It is a recently-developed trail and loops over and around some small hills up near the Tucson Mountains on the city’s western edge.…

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  • Muntin Wood

    Muntin Wood

    There are a large number of interesting old buildings hidden along the roads near East Camden, Arkansas. Most seem to be related to munitions production, storage, and transportation during the Second World War. At some point, many of these were abandoned and are in various states of decay. There are rail sidings, loading docks, and…

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  • Swinging Liana

    Swinging Liana

    I visited southern Arkansas in mid-July as summer storms were rolling through: during a short two-hour visit to Cane Creek State Park, I was continually soaked either from repeated downpours or my own sweat. If I had just been hot and drenched and uncomfortable…

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  • Not So Badlands

    Not So Badlands

    My first visit to Badlands National Park—and for that matter South Dakota—was on a dry day at the end of a wet summer. So other than the iconic badlands features themselves, the park was uncharacteristically green.

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