As happy as we all are to say sayonara to 2025, the year did provide some lovely opportunities for me to snap some sweet shots. Mostly kids and cats, here’s a sampler of my favorite images from the year that was.
During her sister’s swimming lessons, granddaughter Charlie sweetly clings to Mommy, Taylor.


Imagine yourself taking middle-of-the-night photos with your iPhone balancing on a dragged-over beach chair. Carefully press the button, then jump out in front of the lens, standing still for the remaining 25 seconds.
When we finally sat in the BZ4X, my wife and I both felt like Goldilocks breaking and entering into the bear’s bungalow. As previous Prius owners, we both thought, “This is just right.” The acceleration threw us back in our seats and all the gauges & clusters felt normal. It was pretty instantaneous for both of us and a big upgrade.
My granddaughter jumped onto the chair, raised the blinds and waved bye-bye to Mommy who promised she’d be back within the hour … (she was!)
Arriving on the ship for our Galápagos expedition, my dad’s cousin, Dick, takes a break, relaxing after our long journey to arrive here.
A sea lion rests atop a rocky climb on South Plaza Island in The Galápagos while frigatebirds fly overhead.
Only about 500 people lived at Machu Picchu at its peak. That’s incredible, considering the built-out area is about one million square feet.
Yep, that’s me doing the iconic tourist shot of Machu Picchu. (You have no idea how many tries it took this professional photographer to actually get it right!)
Marci emerges victoriously from a cold plunge.
In Michigan, pretty much everywhere you go is “Up North.” I’ve even jokingly said sometimes going south is considered “Up North.” But when you hop in your buddy Farina’s car and travel three hours up the righthand side of Michigan’s mitten, you’re definitely Up North — no air quotes needed.
I took this amazing and beautiful sky photo — appropriately — exactly 30 years after our amazing and beautiful daughter Skye was born.