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.
Forty Favorite Frames
I am incredibly lucky and amazingly grateful for my year of adventure, work and family. Here are some of my favorite photos, taken from as nearby as right here at this computer and as far away as the Southern Hemisphere, 600 miles out to sea or a couple miles high, yet somehow still standing on the ground.
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!)Read More
Arriving on the ship for our Galápagos expedition, my dad’s cousin, Dick, takes a break, relaxing after our long journey to arrive here.
“I’m not getting any younger,” he said as we were sitting in his Chicago home, readying to fly to South America. “This may be my last hurrah.”
A photo expedition to The Galápagos
A sea lion rests atop a rocky climb on South Plaza Island in The Galápagos while frigatebirds fly overhead.
The sea lion couldn’t have cared less about me. It was as disinterested as the iguana that I almost stepped on while photographing my cousin getting off the plane. That tortoise I took a dopey picture with? Yeah, as indifferent as they come.
I wasn’t expecting that down here on The Galápagos, just a touch south of The Equator and 600 miles out to sea.
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.
Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an overall really cool place to visit.
HOWEVER, people really don’t talk about just how involved it is to actually get there. I wrote about my recent visit in some detail here, but I thought it was important — for those considering the journey — to lay out a bit more detail about all the moving parts of the expedition.
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!)
I’m sitting in a courtyard 11,000 feet up in the mountains. Breathing is difficult, especially since our tour guide pressed us to climb even higher into the Andes to see the impressive stonework of Incan ruins. I’ve sucked in several minutes of hotel oxygen, provided in the lobby. And I’ve downed cups and cups of coca and mint teas to combat altitude sickness. Every website warns against alcohol consumption.
I order a drink.
We squeezed the last drops out of summer at a dear family friend’s cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan this past week. Here are some of my favorite images; cold plunges, beach buddies, fashionable headwear, chilling out and vibing on the ridiculously unbelievable colors — day and night.
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.

After snapping this photo on Piha Beach at the edge of the world in New Zealand, I went up to the family who was wondering why I was taking pictures of a puddle on the beach. They loved the photo and I happily emailed it to them. A week later, this beach town was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.
We had a great opportunity to photograph a wedding in Vermont, so we traveled to New England and spent a beautiful, long weekend with all the family’s kith and kin.
The bride and flower girl relax before the ceremony.Read More