Charleston, South Carolina

Lake Taal, Tagaytay, Philippines

Lake Taal is located in the Province of Cavite, about 35 miles south of Manila, Philippines.  It has an active volcano in the center (first “island” below) which has erupted several times in the last fifty years.  It was pretty quiet at dawn on this particular day in February, 2015.

Iwo Jima Memorial

I got up early one Sunday morning and went down to the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Arlington Cemetery nearby.  I was the only one there!

Sussex Downs

I recently went for a walk along the Sussex Downs coastal path from Birling Gap to Beachy Head.  You walk perilously close to the edge of the cliff along the public footpath.  It was a beautiful day but the wind was blowing quite hard.  I was more or less alone for three hours before I encountered a large group of Czechs heading out as I was heading back!

Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon

The Shwe Dagon Pagoda is reputedly made up of over 20,000 golden bars 

A phalanx of sweepers keep the pagoda's marble floor clean in return for good karma

The pagoda is lined with small temples, altars and holy shrines where people make offerings
and say prayers

Banaue to Sagada, Philippines

Banaue and Sagada are small mountain towns in the northern-most part of the Island of Luzon in the Philippines.  They are separated by about 60 miles of rugged roads that are often washed out by heavy rains or landslides.  It is a spectacular journey through green rice terraces inhabited by native peoples belonging to different tribes.

Old Ifugao ladies will smile for the camera for some small consideration

The water in the rice terraces glints in early morning sunshine

A tiny church lost among the rice terraces near Bontoc

Great Falls, MD

After rain and snow on the first day of Spring (March 20, 2015), I went for a walk at 7.30 am the next day to Great Falls, Maryland.  It was freezing cold and the the Potomac River and its tributaries were swollen.  These photos were taken with my iPhone 5c.