Spring in the Desert

Even in the extreme heat, spring still shows its colors. I think people forget that spring actually goes well into June, so there is still lots of room to grow!

This blooming cactus was up in the Sedona mountain trails.  I was excited to find a trail with a bit more shade, but the sun shinning on the life around the trails is so breathtakingly beautiful.

After several days of hiking I was really excited to make it to the summit of one of the mountains, so I wanted to break the mold a bit and share this personal accomplishment photo.

Two Years Past

 

It’s hard to believe that it’s coming up on two years since I left for Thailand.  It was such an adventure, though truly challenging at times.  I know I failed a good number of those challenges, but I also had some great experiences along the way.  It two years sometimes it can feel like so much has change, and barely nothing has changed.  When my father talks about going up to the temple I still remember the area so vividly, but I know if I were to visit again it would be very different.  For starters Jayron, the monkey pictured above, who had been rescued by the monkeys had been one of the most exciting parts of visiting the Temple.  How often in life to you get to be up close and personal with a wild monkey?  Last year they released her though, she was strong enough to be in free in the wild.  Which makes me wonder what would be my favorite part of a visit if I went there again?  It presents a whole new adventure, which hopefully I can have some day.

Shrine Side Trip

A shrine in Hokane, Japan

While on our trip to Hokane to view Mt Fuji we spotted this shrine next to one of the train stops.  We couldn’t resist getting off to explore on our way home.  It was a bit scary getting off the train, not knowing when the last train went by or where exactly we even were on the mountain side.  The shrine was fascinating.  It was so different from the shrines in Thailand, though I saw some similar themes.  The sun was setting and the woods around the area was getting quite dark, giving the whole area a mystical feel.  It made me wonder if some of the demons and spirits always seen in occult animme were watching from trees.

Power

Killiney Folly

This is one of my favorite images from Ireland.  Which is only natural since our trip to Killiney was one of my favorite experiences on our trip.  It was such an exciting and romantic adventure, hiking up the hill through a beautiful and quaint village surrounded by mansions.  This image captured how I was feeling that day.  It also always makes gives me a feeling of power.  The folly is on the top of a very huge hill and adds the the power the biker must have had.  Viewing this image always makes me feel a desire to be stronger and keep pushing forward.

Lions & Tigers & Orangutans Oh My!

Life has sure been busy here in Milwaukee, but these day’s I feel a lot like the tiger in this image from the Milwaukee County Zoo, on the prowl for adventure.  In these incredibly tight financial times being able to go zipping around the world is a bit unrealistic.  Yet there are still new adventures to be had here in Wisconsin.  I recently took a trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo, just a few minutes from my house.  For seeming like such a small town most of the time Milwaukee really does have all the big metropolis features.  The Milwaukee Zoo easily has as much variety as the giant zoo I went to in Thailand.  And even though I worked there for years, I always manage to find new surprises when I go.  Like last time when I learned that seals actually have toenails!

Now I have to plan another trip to the Zoo this fall.  On July 24th, three adorable lion cubs were born!  You can see them at the Milwaukee County Zoo website or by watching a video of them with their mother on YouTube.  We’ve already been lucky enough to enjoy the a youthful bundle of joy in Mahal, the young orangutan sent to our zoo after his mother rejected him, and adopted by our adult female orangutan.  And now we will be getting even more baby fun!

 

Lucky

I remember as a child spending hours looking around the grassy playgrounds with my friends hunting the lucky four leaf clover.  Sometimes a friend would claim to find one, whether or not they really did I never could tell.  Sadly I had never found one.  Even sometime as an adult I like to casually look through clover patches when I’m camping thinking that just maybe some day I might be that lucky person.  Though in my mind I always kind of knew I wouldn’t.  When I was in Ireland there were tons of plastic coated four leaf clovers you could buy, but I feel that it is only lucky if you actually find it yourself.

Well I am now officially one of the lucky ones. I finally found my very own four leaf clover.  Whats more suprising is where I found it.  This picture is not from anywhere you might expect.  It’s actually from an ancient ruined university in….India!  My very own lucky clover with an even crazier life than my own.  I know I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t resist and I did pick it.  It was carried with me around Asia and back home to Wisconsin.  Sadly I had forgotten it was safely wedged in front of my divers licences one day when I threw my school ID back into my wallet and broke it.  The memory of my lucky one lives on in this photo though!

Let the Adventures Begin

I am not the greatest with words, but in this blog I would like to show my own eye’s view of the world which I see.  I have a love for travel, adventure and people, art and most of all photography.  My first adventure begins with my life in which I am currently living in Bangsaen, Chon Buri, Thailand.  I will be living here in the wonderful heat for three months until returning home to freezing old Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA (which hopefully by May will no longer be covered in snow).  In this blog I hope to post images of my travels and my thoughts on the the things I see, as well as images from past travels and every day life back home in Milwaukee.  Life is an adventure, one which I wish to share with the world.

The Adventurer