Costa Rica

Larry, Judy, Lisa, Rodney, Leila, and Dahlia visited Costa Rica in December, 2006. We spent much time at the beach or in the jungle. The wildlife was extraordinarily varied and many of the creatures were gorgeous! Perhaps the most spectacular bird I saw was the Scarlet Macaw. This picture was taken as the bird was inspecting me.

Rose and Ray

Ray is demonstating a kick at his karate class. Rose, below, was photographed at a family wedding with her stuffed cat.

Judy & Larry visit Germany

Judy and Larry in an archway at Schoenburg Castle.

A painter copying one of the masterpieces in a museum.

A view from our room in the tower of Schoenburg Castle where we stayed the night.
Neuschwanstien Castle

Amazon visit

In June 2006 I travelled with Randy Frakes to Iquitos, Peru. There we boarded El Arca, a funky river boat, and travelled upstream several hundred miles on the Maranon and Ucayali Rivers (these two join to form the Amazon.) We loitered, photographed, swam with the Piranhuas, fished for Piranhuas, and trekked in the tropical rain forest. These snapshots show a few of the local critters.
This shows just the head of a large anaconda loitering in the river next to the boat.
Here is a tiny Cat's Eye snake.
This is a Hoatsin bird hanging out in the bushes by the river.

Visit to headwaters of the Amazon

A black Huacary monkey stares at me.
El Arca, cruising up the Amazon at dawn.
Colorful caterpillar

Leaf cutter ants carrying food for their mushroom gardens.

Giant waterlilies
The botanical explorer Richard Spruce (1817-93) had his first encounter with the giant waterlily (Victoria amazonica) in South America, where it grows in the backwaters of rivers in the Amazon basin, the Guianas and the Mato Grosso in Brazil. Its circular leaves, with their upturned rims, are anchored by long stalks rising from an underground stem buried in the mud of the river bottom. The leaves first appear as spiny buds but expand rapidly up to half a square metre a day. Their upper surface has a rather quilted appearance and a waxy layer that repels water. The purplish red undersurface is covered by a network of ribs clad in abundant sharp spines, possibly as a defence against herbivorous fishes and manatees. Air trapped in the spaces between the ribs enables the leaves to float - they are so buoyant that they can easily support the weight of a small child. Each plant produces some 40-50 leaves per season which cover the water surface and exclude light, thus restricting the growth of most other plants.

Ray and Rose Piano Recital

A piano recital is a big deal--especially when it is your first and it is held in a large church before a large audience! Well, they played beautifully and were given a jump rope by the teacher as a little reward and a way to help them unwind. For Rose, an bit of extra excitement came from shedding a tooth as she finished her piece.

Leila and Dahlia at Bass Lake

On Memorial Day, Leila, Dahlia, their parents and grandparents hiked 2.6 miles to Bass Lake in the Point Reyes National Seashore. This was the girls' first time swimming in a natural lake. The water was cold but they loved it.
 

Rose's Dance Recital

Rose performed yesterday at the Santa Clara Convention Center. These snapshots show her in her tap dancing routine and then dancing to the music, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
 

Snowy Egrets

It's hard to believe it, but, these birds were photographed on April 29, 2006 in a palm adjacent to the duck pond in Palo Alto, California.

Travels through Northern Ethiopia

Axum was the center of a vibrant civilization for almost 800 years. Above is a stela marking a royal burial site.
Gondor in northern Ethiopia is noted for its ancient castles. One of these is pictured above. Often each royal generation would build a new castle.
This is a monastery on the outskirts of Mekele, precariously perched on top of a tiny peak.
Here is an overview of the Mekele countryside as seen from the monastery. I photographed this during the dry season. Later, once the seasonal rains fall, this will again become some of the most productive agricultural land in Ethiopia.

Here are some of the flower gardens around the buildings of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. Dr. Catherine Hamlin, the co-founder of the hospital, has long believed that lovely gardens are an important adjunct to curing the physical and psychologic damage the patients have suffered.
In an effort to reach more women with obstetric fistula, new satellite hospital facilities are being built in five outlying areas of Ethiopia. The newest center, in Mekele, just opened in February 2006. This is a view of the new main ward. This facility was largely built with donations from both the Australian government and the Australian Hamlin Fistula Trust.
Few photos more clearly demonstate the plight of woman in Ethiopia than this picture of women carrying stones from a construction site. Women often are the ones who literally do the heavy lifting in the fields and job sites.
This woman is making gravel by smashing rocks with a hammer. She does this job all day long to supply needed aggregate for concrete mixed on the job site.

This is the new fistula hospital in Mekele. It still has a yellow ribbon that was cut later at the opening ceremony.
A patient knits as she waits outside of the hospital.
Dr. Catherine Hamlin visits with a fistula patient. This is one of the lucky few who managed to deliver a live baby. Unfortunately, the mother suffered an obstetric fistula.
Dr. Gordon Williams, one of England's most renowned urologic surgeons, has been coming monthly for years to donate his time to training local doctors in repairing some of the most complex cases. Here he meets with Dr. Hamlin outside of the operating suites.