Window Seat

     On the road again. Yesterday, Aly and I took a bus from Madrid to Barcelona. After an 8 hour tour of the Spanish highway system, we arrived in the bustling city to streets and historic towers aflame with the glow of the setting sun. Here I have included an image of a wind farm we passed in the spanish countryside.
 
Salud!

The New Year

     A few days after Christmas, Aly and I embarked on a ten day trip through California, that would end in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our first stop was Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs where we played tennis and ping pong, hit the pool and hot tub, soaked up some sun, and enjoyed a leisurely game of lawn bowling. After two nights in Palm Springs, we set off to Balboa Island. There, we stayed at my Uncle Pete's house. We toured the newport boardwalk on bikes, had an incredible sushi dinner, and hopped on a friend's boat to search for whales. We found one grey whale, and many dolphins that were playing and swimming right under the boat. That was the first day of the New Year.

     After Balboa, we headed North to visit my Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Paige at their new home in Palos Verdes. We were there for only one night, but had an incredible time with them, their dog Riley, and Charlie the cat. That day (and the following morning) we enjoyed great food and wine, enticing conversation, and much laughter.

     After our visit with Jimmy and Paige, we b-lined it for Las Vegas. There we saw and amazing Cirque Du Soleil show (KA), took many a stroll on down the strip, had cocktails in an Ice Bar, met some Canadians, and rode the "Big Shot" thrill ride at the top of the Stratosphere.

     All in all, it was quite the way to kick off the New Year!

Cheers

16mm Monday

Here is an oldie from September in Siena. This rider was spotted cruising through Piazza del Duomo mid-day. Enjoy

Walking with a Camera

   After an afternoon rain storm I decided to hit the streets of Siena with my old camera. A camera which has served me well for almost 4 years now, and spent most of it's time in the past 3 months in the hands of one of our photo students; who's camera broke shortly after she arrived to the program. It was a fantastic evening for a leisurely romp around the city. I began my walkabout in the Torre Contrada, and concluded near the Duomo. Here are a few images from the tour:

16mm Monday

Greetings and welcome to another addition to the 16mM archive. I found this gem of modern architecture last week in the parking garage under Via Sant'Agata in Siena. Since I have become very familiar with the map of this small city over the past 5 months, I find myself venturing to unknown destinations in the medieval city such as; this beautiful 5 story underground monument. 

Cheers

Montepulciano and Siena's Market

 A few photos from the weekend. Starting with my adventure to Montepulciano with Katie and Chris.

Below: Market in Piazza Del Campo, and a few photos from Siena's streets after the sunset.

Cheers!

16mm Monday

   Welcome to another installment of 16mmM. This weekend there was a fantastic market in Piazza Del Campo, with vendors selling everything from locally made meats, cheeses, wine, and olive oil to hand-made wool sweaters and other crafts. I found myself at the market at least 5 times this weekend, as it continued through Saturday and Sunday, finding something fresh and exciting every time.

   I captured this photo last night, about a half hour after the sun had slipped past the horizon. The typical dark blue sky was hanging prominently over the medieval city. A city that seems to truly come alive at night, especially this time of year. This was specifically apparent last night, when I observed more people in Siena's famous Piazza than I have seen since the Palio horse races of the summer months.

   Stay tuned for more images from my day trip to Montepulciano this past weekend. As well as more images from the market and the streets of Siena.

Salute!