The World Through Our Lens
Photography of birds, animals, landscape and places we have traveled to around the world.
Who wouldn’t want to visit Florence to look upon some of the most famous sculptures in the world: Michelangelo’s sculpture David, Bartolomeo Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune, and Donatello’s heraldic lions? The artistic and architectural heritage of Florence goes far beyond those sculptures and led to this city, the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, being called the birthplace of The Renaissance. Read more
The day that Bob and I headed out to explore Florence, we were anxious to discover everyone’s fascination with the highly renowned Florence Cathedral, in Italian known as the Il Duomo di Firenze. After arriving in the city, we did not go directly to Piazza del Duomo but instead heightened our anticipation by viewing many other sights in the city.
Of particular interest to both Bob and me when we visited Florence, Italy, was the famed medieval stone bridge known as Ponte Vecchio. Read more
After leaving Muriwai and the Gannet colony, Bob and I planned to make a stop at Ark in the Park en route back to our lodgings. Ark in the Park is a conservation area of note in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park of Auckland. Situated in Cascade Kauri Park, it is where concerted efforts are being made to restore the ecology of the area to its natural state. Read more
The Irish National Heritage Park near Ferrycarig, County Wexford, Ireland, is an open-air museum that explores the world of Ireland’s cultural history in a beautiful natural setting. As Bob and I traveled across Ireland, we were constantly reminded of its more recent past in the ruins and castles that we saw, but for an understanding of history dating back to prehistoric times, we had come to this 35-acre Park. Read more
When staying at Hotel Garza Canela, a great birding base in San Blas, Mexico, we found the hotel staff and other birders quite willing to give helpful tips on where to go looking for birds. One recommended area was Cerro de San Juan Ecological Reserve near Tepic. A trip to this area required a 1 1/2 hour drive to get there. Read more
An irruption of Snowy Owls in southern Ontario in the winter of 2017/2018 gave Bob and I huge expectations of seeing one. Reports had been pouring in from all across the province, so we made plans to go touring with friends in the hopes of turning up a couple. Read more
An initiative by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, to commemorate Canada’s 150th birthday resulted in this marvelous compilation of 150 stories that examine what it means to be Canadian living in Ontario. Each story is paired with a relevant photograph. Read more
It was with notions of mystery and intrigue, memories of historical facts and a sense of spiritual respect that Bob, our son and I headed to Salisbury Cathedral. After recently reading Sarum and Pillars of the Earth, we could hardly wait to set eyes upon this magnificent cathedral whose spire has dominated the Wiltshire skyline in rural England since 1320. We were in awe! Read more