Bio Bay

My family and I booked a trip to Vieques, Puerto Rico for Christmas and New Years. Aside from the long standing US Military bomb testing that went on here for decades - Vieques is also known for it's natural wonders - most famously being the Bioluminscent Mosquito Bay. This photograph shows the phenomenon from the boat spray on a night tour.

Tiny, single celled dinoflagellates are responsible for the luminscence. There are more dinoflagellates per gallon in Mosquito Bay than anywhere else on the planet. There's 24 days until my trip - and I'm pretty sure that once I return, I will have much more to say about this small island that sits between the mainland of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Kites in Kabul

My coworker, Zakk, shared this great link with me today. This was one of the featured photographs. I'm currently listening to The Kite Runner on CD in my car. I might be running behind the curve on this one, but with the state of affairs continuing to be what they are in Afghanistan, it's been important to gain the knowledge of what life may have been like in Kabul before the installation of The Taliban. This picture speaks of freedom and innocence to me - two things lost very quickly in the novel, and to many children that reside here in real life. This post isn't mean to be political or depressing - just a reminder of what's happening in the world at this very moment.

Atolls

This is a great photograph of Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Bora Bora is one of the most sought after destinations in the world - making it one of most expensive places to vacation. Judging from this picture, I'd pony up the cash and sit on a plane for 20 hours to enjoy the view here.

What makes this such a unique destination - is that Bora Bora is an atoll - def: is an island (or islands) of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. The Pacific Ocean possesses the most atolls on earth. The Maldives, Seychelles and Solomon Islands, all have atolls in their island groups - just to name a few. Google Image atoll - it should impress and possibly encourage additional funds transferred to savings.

VRBO/Home Away

I was talking with someone yesterday who had never heard of renting a house through VRBO or Home Away. I was certainly taken aback, as I use these sites for all of our photo shoot planning and for personal vacations as well. I am not posting this to make anyone feel like they aren't internet savvy enough to be aware of these sites - just to alert everyone that they are great tools to find private home rentals all over the world.

This picture was taken by yours truly. This is the house that we rented via VRBO for our latest photo shoot with work. This is the Westward Look House located in Tucson, AZ. The view was great, the house looked like where Roger Sterling would vacation and there was a koi pond in the back. Pretty awesome.

Abasin

I have the snowboarding bug today. It seems that most resorts Out West are opening up this weekend. Jealous? Yes! This is Abasin - the last place that my Ride snowboard was last season. Abasin is so great - they have some of the steepest and highest elevation skiing/riding in the US.

Camping used to be allowed - but no longer. I was not aware when I wrote my first post:-( But, they do still have bloody marys!

For those of you who are living close enough to get on the mountain this weekend - just remember there's a nice girl from the midwest whose wishing she could do the same:-)

Kay - O

This is an aerial view of Cayo Costa, Florida. Cayo (pronounced Kay-o by the locals) Costa is a barrier island that sits between North Captiva and Gasparilla Islands on the south west side of Florida. The beaches here rival those of it's neighbors - the more accessible Sanibel, Captiva and Boca Grande. What separates Cayo from it's posh neighbors is exactly what made me fall in love with it - there is hardly anyone there. Why you ask? The entire island is a State Park - and is only accessible by ferry, plane, private boat or kayak. You will find no cars on Cayo Costa either. Bike, foot, kayak or cross island atv shuttle are the only modes of transport here.

There are only a few private residences here that were grandfathered in once the island was made a state park. However, there are cabins for rent, campsites for tenting and 9 miles of the best beach you can find in the continental US. Cayo is also fantastic for a day trip (which is the only way that I've experienced it). You can take the passenger ferry out of Pineland, FL. Try something different and once you've been to a place like this - you'll be able to agrue with people who say that Florida is the worst.

Pabst Mansion

Both of my mother's parents grew up in Milwaukee. However, my first trip to MKE was just this past year. One of the stops on our tour was the Pabst Mansion. This was one of many large edifaces that lined Grand Ave (presently called Wisconsin Ave) in 1890 when it was built.

The history of the mansion is pretty interesting. After most of the Pabst's passed away - the mansion was sold to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. They painted over all the custom interiors to a stark white. Most of the wood floors were carpeted. The room off to the far right side of the mansion which you can see here was used as the "beer tent" at the 1893 World's Fair - the Catholic Church turned it into their area of worship.

In 1978 - the Archdiocese put the mansion up for sale again - this time to a developer who had plans to rip it down and build a parking structure - probably to accomodate nearby Marquette University. A group of historians and preservationists lead by John Conlin saved this tragedy from happening. Since 1978 - a massive restoration has been underway to restore the original artwork and interiors. It's pretty impressive - definitely worth the $9 admission.

Fitz Roy

I'm obsessed with Patagonia. The region and the company. Not only would I love to see these peaks for myself one day, along with the fjords, Tierra del Fuego, and the lake regions that make up this part of the Southern Hemisphere, but I'd love to also order pretty much everything off the Patagonia site - except for their pants - dork city.