Watercolors Part 3 - Landscapes

Until it’s safe to travel widely, I’m spending time painting. This is part 3 of my landscape watercolor series based on my domestic and international travels. Each image reflects a scene inspired by one or more of my journeys. (All of my paintings are available as prints.)


Sometimes forests have colors that only I can see.

For me, the sky and sea are one.

Even though the only forests I see now are in my dreams, they still snuggle me with comfort.

In my dreams, the colors of the sky, clouds, and trees can be unusual but no less beautiful and inspiring.

Entering each and every forest is a magical and transformative experience for me.

continue reading "Watercolors Part 3 - Landscapes"

The Azores (in Portugal) in Pictures

It's uncanny how few savvy people know anything about the Azores, a pristine Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic and 1,000 miles from any shore. I just returned from my second trip there. The first time I visited five of the nine islands. This time I visited three more, leaving little Corvo for another journey. Yet, curiously, ever person I met  in my home town, New York City, and told that I was venturing to this island chain asked the same exact question: "What's that?" Not even where's that but what's that. How odd.

I've written (for National Geographic Traveler, Outside Magazine and other major publications) and blogged extensively about and been interviewed on  these volcanic isles where each bears a distinct personality. On this recently trip, I visited two of the smaller islands -- Graciosa and Santa Maria -- and one of the largest: Terceira. My YouTube video  represents only a snippet of some of the authentic features I found during this one-week trip. And this video, The Azores in Pictures, represents the first of my new travel series that will appear on my YouTube Channel, so please make sure to subscribe, comment and share. You'll see plenty of hidden treasure travel images wherever I venture.

continue reading "The Azores (in Portugal) in Pictures"

Fun Learning About Marine Creatures

Who wouldn't want to learn about all the oddly shaped, bizarrely colored and uniquely behaved creatures in the world's seas? But sitting in a classroom listening to a marine biologist drone on about facts and figures or pouring over a dense tome may not be the most fun way of going about it. I just posted a feature on the best ways to learn about sea life in the best places in the world. Sure, we all have a favorite place to snorkel, sea kayak or dive. But what if you could find the healthiest marine environs where there are such a diverse array of organisms, you wouldn't want to leave? This is the list of those 12 best places. And not only the best waters but also the best tour operators or accommodations at each site that will assist you in the fun learning experience in as eco-friendly a manner as possible. Check out where these 12 places are located and all the interesting organisms that call these waters home.

continue reading "Fun Learning About Marine Creatures"