In 2023 we took a few short road trips, I flew to New Mexico, and we went on a fantastic cruise. When we weren’t wandering we enjoyed being at home in Coastal Georgia. Here are a few of my favorite images from the year.
When March comes around, the Dogwoods are blooming here in Coastal Georgia.
Double Rainbow in Coastal Georgia
In June we stopped at the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia on our way to Orlando.
Okefenokee Swamp boardwalk, Georgia
I traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico in October to attend the Albuquerque Internal Balloon Fiesta for the first time. Each day began with a morning glow followed by lots of activity as the balloon crews prepared the balloons for launch.
Dawn Patrol Balloons, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New MexicoInside a hot air balloon as it is being inflated.Kermie the Frog
Our final trip of the year was a cruise to the Panama Canal and Central America. Passing through the Gatun Locks was the highlight of the cruise. There were great adventures as we traveled into Central American rain forests and saw wildlife we’ve never seen anywhere else.
Passing through the Gatun Locks of the Panama CanalBlack Howler Monkey, Belize
Many thanks to all of our Lens-Artists hosts for all of the photo challenges in 2023. I’m looking forward to whatever challenges they bring us in 2024.
Our host Tina has asked us to choose up to 10 of our favorite photos and to explain why they are favorites. If we choose one for sentimental value they should still be strong from a technical perspective.
All of my photos have sentimental value. They bring back fond memories of a good experience. All have been featured on my blog before. The hardest part of this challenge was limiting it to 10 favorites!
My header image is my favorite sunset photo. I pass by this tree to get to my house and I’ve watched many beautiful sunsets there. This is my favorite sunset image because of the dramatic orange sky, the bird on one tree, and the sun framed between two trees just before sinking below the horizon.
This next image of a pair of Orcas in Alaska is one of my all time favorite wildlife photos. We saw plenty of wildlife on our RV trip to Alaska ten years ago but when we reached Valdez, our last coastal town before starting for home, we still had not seen any Orcas. We took a wildlife and glacier cruise on a fairly small vessel and witnessed many whales, seals, puffins and other wildlife before a pod of Orcas surfaced near the boat. I was able to stand by the railing of the boat with my telephoto lens and take a few shots. This is one of my favorites because I captured a moment I will never forget.
Pair of Orcas, near Valdez, Alaska
Another favorite wildlife photo is this one of a Green Sea Turtle on Oahu’s North Shore in Hawaii. We were surprised when we spotted the turtle as we were taking a walk along the beach after doing some snorkeling.
Green sea turtle on the beach at Turtle Cove, Oahu
I love taking bird pictures and I have many photos of Great Egrets. This is one of my favorites because he is showing off his breeding plumage and it shows the green color around his eyes.
Great Egret in breeding plumage, St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Florida
This is my favorite hummingbird image. I was looking down on the garden when I captured this hummingbird drinking from a Mexican Sunflowers. I like the way the background is blurred and that the wings are in motion.
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
The next image just makes me happy. We were walking along Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island on a beautiful July day when I spotted the beach chairs set up underneath the colorful umbrellas in the middle of the driftwood.
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia
One of the most memorable experiences of my life was taking a flight seeing trip to see Mt. Denali in Denali National Park from the air. This is one of my favorites from that exciting flight.
Mount Denali in Denali National Park, Alaska
The next image is one of my favorite landscape images. On my morning walk in a campground in Colorado I spotted this fisherman beside the lake with storm clouds over the mountains.
Storm over Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado
I chose my final two favorites for the reflections and fog. Both of these were featured in past challenges and based on the number of comments I received they were favorites of readers of my blog.
Crescent Lake, WashingtonFoggy morning on West Point Lake, Georgia
Here’s a look back at 2020 with a few of my favorite photos from the year.
Before Covid-19 shut down world, the first two and a half months of 2020 were pretty normal for me. Henry and I explored the beach close to home, enjoyed a fun getaway to nearby Savannah to attend a Willie Nelson concert and be tourists for two days, I puttered in the garden and planted Camellias, and I had fun going on outings with friends.
After the shutdown began in mid March my photography options were limited to things and places close to home. The weather was perfect for working in the garden, watching the birds and butterflies, and walking in the neighborhood or at the beach.
In July we ventured away from home to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Our original plan was to go on our first ever cruise. When all the cruises were cancelled, our plan B was to spend a few nights at the Jekyll Island Club. It turned out to be a perfect place for us to celebrate.
Birds and butterflies continued to keep me entertained during the hot, dry August. We were safe as tropical storm Isaias passed us by.
Fall arrived with cooler weather, clear blue skies, a walk in the park and more birds.
Our holidays were quiet with no family visiting from out of town and no neighborhood parties. Phone calls and Facetime kept us in touch with all of our loved ones. The Christmas lights in our neighborhood made me smile and there were some beautiful days for being outside.
Many thanks to Tina, Patti, Amy, Ann-Christine and the guest hosts for these wonderful Lens-Artists challenges. Thank you for giving me an incentive to keep taking photos and keep this blog going.
Wandering Dawgs 