The World Through Our Lens
Our plan, when staying in La Fortuna, was to make a couple of road trips to further our exploration of the area. On our third day in Costa Rica, we were up at 5 a.m., wakened by bird song, but pouring rain had us holding off until 9 o’clock before setting off for Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. It is considered by many to be the third most important wetland in the world. Read more
On our first full day in Sabie, South Africa, a drive north of the town to investigate Blyde River Canyon had us putting three landmarks on our list of things to see. The first one up was The Pinnacle Rock. This massive freestanding rock towers over the deep ravine carved by the Ngwaritsane River. Read more
After tucking several years of travel experience under our belts, Bob and I made plans for a self-guided tour of South Africa where we would complete a circular route taking us from Johannesburg, through Swaziland, along the Indian Ocean, across the Kalahari Desert and back to our starting point. It was an awesome trip that we will never forget!! Read more
I found myself in Shanghai, China, several years ago. It’s hard to believe that this modern city was once considered a very minor river port to which few people ever traveled.
Gros Morne Mountain is the second highest mountain on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its French name means “big dreary” or “great sombre” mountain perhaps because it is often cloaked in fog, wrapped in snow or capped with clouds. Read more
A farmhouse stay near the Po River Delta on the east coast of Italy appealed to Bob and me because it was located a few miles from Parco Regionale Veneto del Delta del Po (The Regional Park of the Po River Delta). The Park is one massive sprawling wetlands that promised some excellent birdwatching. Read more
Since the inception of a Mosaiculture Competitions back in 1998, Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal has launched 5 competitions and 6 exhibitions worldwide. We have been fortunate enough to visit two of these, in 2018 we attended the artful garden of Mosaiculture in Gatineau, Quebec. Read more
On the next leg of our trip, between Auckland and our next lodgings in Rotorua, Bob and I planned a stop at the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre. Its reputation as being home to thousands of shorebirds made it a must-see destination, and we were keen to add some new birds to our life list. The area did not disappoint. Thousands of Bar-tailed Godwits had returned to spend summer on New Zealand’s North Island. Read more
After several hours of bird watching at Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada, Bob and I decided to check out another location, Crown Marsh, before heading off for dinner. A lengthy walk there on Long Point Trail 6 had us coming across this substantial Melanistic Eastern Garter Snake. Read more
The night before our scheduled Armed Safari in Kruger National Park, I was so wound up with excitement that I could hardly sleep. Laying awake from 1:30 a.m. on, I didn’t need the alarm that was set to beep us awake at 3:30 a.m., but the dainty chimes wrested Bob from his sleep and then we prepared for the 4:30 a.m. departure from Skukuza Rest Camp. The armed park rangers in charge of leading us safely around the savanna were Rouleni and Opa. Read more
