The best part of a building

     You see the Eiffel Tower best from several blocks away.  It is said of one of the newest buildings in Paris that it looks best from the roof as you cannot see it. The above photo is of Mont St. Michelle in Normandy France. You can climb to the top where the abbey is and take pictures or you can take one like this of the abbey from the outer rampart. There are many taken from a distance to show the whole island and admittedly it is beautiful. Please note the people on the middle rampart in the lower center. There are many ways of seeing is place.

Cool pictures are not always hard to take

These are three un-doctored photos that I took in South Africa. I was pretty impressed with myself for taking them. But, the truth is that the animals are what make these pictures cool and the animals are everywhere. They may be under threat, but they are willing to pose for people who are not going to shoot them. The hard part is getting to them if you live in Northern California. They are about 25 hours away by air. It is not cheap. But, most of all you have to want to go and then figure out how to do it. The actual pictures are the easy part.

Most of the famous statues are nudes

Manneken Pis, Brussels

     It is interesting to me that the majority of statues that draw large crowds are nudes. The one here is a boy peeing. Then in Verona people go to rub Juliette's breast (although not completely nude.) The pig's nose in Florence and then there is David in Florence and The Thinker in Paris and San Francisco.  People flock around Venus in the Louvre. I will bet you can think of more ... I can.

To dream the impossible dream

To the south of Madrid there is a highway traveling west. (You will need a guidebook.) It courses through a town (which appeared uninhabited on a Monday) and heads up a hill. There you will find a castle and a group of windmills used for milling grain. There will likely be Japanese tourists and a bus or two. But, it has a great view of the valley and you will leave humming the major tune from a Broadway musical.

Jamestown, California USA

 An old engine in the roundhouse of the Jamestown Railroad Museum  and State Park.

The engine to the right is the engine that Pulls the old cars on the Polar Express

in Jamestown. Not the Christmas lights.

When there is no garden

When there is no place for a garden, the people of Europe (in this case a Hospice in Brussels, Belgium) will have a window box or in this case a corner.

Rome High-speed Pursuit Car

Just kidding. In Rome the motorcycle is the policeman's friend.

Rouen, France

I found this house in Rouen, France and like it better than the newer ones on either side.

Then again, I suppose most people would.

Grafton Street, Dublin

     This is one of my favorite photos because it brings back memories of beginning a three week road trip around the Irish Republic. The "mall" at the end of Grafton Street (across from the entrance to Saint Stephan's Green) reminds me of the old Sutro's Baths at the Cliff House in San Francisco.  The baths have been long torn down, but it was a grand Victorian work of art. I used to go there as a youngster. This lovely building in Dublin is giant green house with shops. We had lunch at one end that looks toward the park.  Grafton Street compares to Oxford Street in London or Fifth Avenue in New York or Market Street in San Francisco.

Sunset over Namibia

Standing on the shore of the Chobe River, wine glass in hand, each evening we watched the sunset over Namibia from our refuge in Botswana.  In the distance is Zambia and here we can see three countries from a high place. As soon as the sun would set we would hear the animals through the walls of our safari tent. The moan of the hippo, the call of birds, and the roar of large cats. Our compound was surrounded by a low electric fence to prevent us from being bothered at night - except by the most dangerous animal in Africa, the mosquito. Deet is a major defense.  

Photo by Marietta McLellan

Paris Graffiti

Even the graffiti in Paris is special.

The top shows a street sign changed to a man carrying a board.

The bottom is a child's dream on a wall on Montmartre.

Photos by Mike McLellan 

Gaudi Designed Park: Pavellons Guell

 In the heart of Barcelona, a little visited park and garden stands as a testament to the great artistry of  Antoni Gaudi.

It originally was more like the back yard of a rich family, but now this a place to encounter the creative architecture of the man who changed Barcelona and the world of structures.

This is from 1884-1887 and is a remarkable departure from style of that time.

Stop on the main bus line and enter the dragon gate. Sit in the cool or visit one of the buildings. Look at the details and colors.

Listen for the birds. Relax.

Sutter Buttes

I have always wanted to see the view from the Sutter Buttes in the middle of the Sacramento Valley in California. We have not climbed them yet, but this is a photo out of a Horizon Plane flying at 25,000 feet.  It was a rainy day at about 3:30 pm on November 16, 2017. Those large silvery plates at the lower right are rice paddies.  The Coast Range is in the background.

The Vatican and St. Peter's are not in Rome

     People will ask if you went to see the Vatican, St. Peter's, or Sistine Chapel when you went to Rome. The best answer is that they are not in Rome. The Vatican is its own country. It may be surrounded by Rome. People can walk in without a passport or visa to the place pictured above but there are walls around much of  the rest of it. If you go to the top of the dome of St. Peter's you can see it all. 

Trump Administration and killing elephants for sport

Mr. Trump's son likes to bring home trophies like elephant tails, but the elephants are being killed at a rate of nearly 100 a day - mostly for ivory and trophies. The governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe are working to bring back the population and reintroduce them to areas where they have been brought to extinction. Elephants are not predators, They eat plants. Why would you think it is fun to shoot and kill one of these. (I met him in the Chobe River in July. He was playing and bathing.)

Manholes and other things in the road

Bayou, France

 Kinsale, Ireland

Madrid, Spain

     It is not like there is nothing up high to look at, but when walking on cobblestones it is a good idea to look down from time to time. And, while looking down, you will find a surprise now and then. Above are three things that I found interesting in three trips to Europe. Some folks did some good casting to make these. It would be a shame just to walk on and walk on by.

A380

     On an Air France A380 there are cameras on the tail, front and belly. You can watch as the plane takes off and lands. With the front camera you can see what the pilot sees. The photo above is a capture of the seat back screen. A view from the tail, you can see the plane at over 35,000 feet.

Favorite Irish Street Sign

    The folks in Kilkenny are serious about picking up after your pooch. This sign is not very subtle. I had heard that the French were bad at letting their dogs "foul". At least in the areas we have been in Paris and other French cities we saw very little of it. Also people complain about the dogs in Spain. Didn't encounter much. On the other paw, we were not looking for it and we are accustomed to some of it on our sidewalks. At home, we buy bags now because our state has pretty much banned plastic bags or charges for them.  In any case, our dog (Duncan, a good Scot) would not foul. He reads the signs.

Not Big Ben and now silent

     This is Elizabeth Tower, newly named after the present queen. The largest, deepest bell in the tower is called Big Ben. You can hear Big Ben, but hardly anyone gets to see it. But, right now you cannot hear it at all as the clock is shut down for repairs. None of this makes the tower over Westminster less important.  It is not only beautiful, but a symbol of the great City of London. 

American Cemetery, Normandy, France

     On a rainy day, a couple of years ago, I walked with my wife and granddaughter through the crosses in the American Cemetery in Normandy.  We laid a wreath at the memorial and heard our National Anthem played. After that, we just walked silently and read the legends on each cross or Star of David or Muslim marker. I recalled watching "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Longest Day" and remembered how loud those films were as they showed the bombs and bullets. I was taken by how quiet this place is with only whispers. It seemed to me to be sad that someone chose to take over the world and make it theirs and these young men had to stop that.  It also seemed sad as things have not changed that much. There are still people who want to rule the world using the bodies of others.

The Bridge Between Zambia and Zimbabwe

The Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side is the most impressive, but the hardest to get to

for  geographical (see the bridge) and political reasons.

(Photos by Marietta McLellan)

Shooting Giraffes for Sport

I just saw a photo of a man who had hunted down a giraffe and killed it for its tail.
We were in Southern Africa in July armed with cameras and brought back some amazing trophies that we can hang on the wall. Actually using a firearm to kill and giraffe is not brave or a sport. It is a kin to going out in a field and shooting a neighbor's horse. They are not dangerous predators. They are beautiful and strange, but not a threat. But, lets pretend that they are actually lions. Why kill them either? You are not going to eat them. Shooting one with a high-powered rifle with a scope is not sport unless the lion is also armed. You can get a nice rug at JCPenny's for $29.99 and it is not facing eradication from the face of the earth. Polyester is renewable.

Mount Hood, Oregon

Mount Hood, Oregon USA from the window of an E175 jet. 

This plane is flown by Horizon/Alaska Airlines.

Photo taken yesterday.

Cheetah

A beautiful and endangered animal encountered on the De Wildt Preserve in South Africa. 

The Tower of London

     This is the White Tower at the Tower of London. This is a fascinating place with the Crown Jewels and the last time when we were there they had a display of Henry the Eighth's armor. On a previous trip we had seen so many things that we ran out of time to get to the Tower. A mistake. This last time we made sure to spend a whole day at the Tower. Here is a hint: get there at 10 am for opening. Go immediately to the Crown Jewels and you will miss the long lines. Then work your way back to the front gate and by then the crowds will be less at those locations. Do spend time and have lunch in the cafe. Walk the ramparts. Visit the chapel. Look at the ravens. This is one of the great visits in London.

Why so solemn?

     We sometimes have someone offer to take our photo.  It is usually in a special location. We very often look  like we are not having fun. On the contrary, we are happy to be in these places. However, these places are often special because they are out of the ordinary. Take this photo. We had hired a driver named Karl to take us on a full day tour of The Rock of Gibraltar. When this photo was taken, we had just come down a few hundred feet from the top. We had gone through caves and caverns and gun emplacements and dealt with apes - all on the narrowest of roads. We were just a little tired but also what you do not see is the drop off behind the fence in front of which we are standing. We take a less solemn photo in an Irish pub or a Spanish  tapas bar, or even in an wine tasting room in the alps.

South African Welcome

Two elephants at Askari Game Lodge, near Johannesburg,  greet one another.

Later, we were able to greet them, as well.

They are rescues and tame enough to be approachable.

Irish Polo Field

See below

Ireland's "White House", Dublin

This is the national home of the current head of state of Ireland. It is very near the polo field.

Prescott, Arizona

Turned wood art shown in gallery, Prescott, Arizona