Changes 5 Nov 2026 2 mins read Cebu Abandoned Places It's amazing how easily time can get away from you. I was updating my blog regularly for quite a while, but then took a break, and before you know it, more than a year had passed. As you can probably guess, life got in the way. Continue reading
Spring Flowers 14 May 2025 1 min read Portland Bloomscrolling Spring marches on in Portland with new blooms to enjoy almost every week. On almost every walk, I see something newly blossomed, a few I've never seen before. All of these were taken in the last week or so around the nearly completed resevoir in Washington Park. Continue reading
Cherry Orchard Wild Flowers 14 Apr 2025 1 min read Portland Hikes Bloomscrolling It's definitely spring in the Columbia Gorge, at least the far eastern part near The Dalles. On Sunday, I hiked the Cherry Orchard trail near Lyle on the Washington side of the river. It's a little early yet, but the bright sunflower-yellow balsamroots were already in full bloom. Continue reading
Wat Thong Noppakhun Windows 20 Mar 2025 1 min read Bangkok Window In case you weren't aware, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand for over 20 years. The city had a seemingly endless supply of surprises around every corner. Tiny temples tucked away full of intricate details. One of those is Wat Thong Noppakhun on the Thonburi side of the Chaophraya River. Continue reading
Magnolia 16 Mar 2025 1 min read Portland Bloomscrolling More flowers are breaking out in Washington park. This singular magnolia is one of my favorites, with its vivd magenta blooms. There's a whole section of magnolias a short distance away in Hoyt Arboretum, but I don't think it includes this spectacular specimen. Continue reading
Trillium 9 Mar 2025 1 min read Portland Bloomscrolling Like many in the Pacific Northwest, I keep a lookout along the trails for trillium. The little plants that sprout from the forest floor are widely viewed as a harbinger of spring. This dense patch of small plants was spotted in the Cloud Forest section of Washington Park. Continue reading
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park 5 Mar 2025 1 min read Malaysia Kuala Lumpur The KL Bird Park claims to have the world's largest free-flight aviary. It's sort of like an open zoo. With a few exceptions, the birds aren't in cages and are free to fly about the large net 'tent'. You're then free to walk around among them and get as close as they will let you, which is often pretty close. Continue reading
Buddha Park, Vientiane 27 Feb 2025 1 min read Laos Vientiane Outside of the Lao captial of Vientiane, east of town, sf the “Buddha Park.” The name is fitting. Scattered around a large grassy yard on the banks of the river are dozens of concrete statues. There are Buddha images, as would expect, but also depictions of many deities from the Hindu-Buddhist pantheon, as well as many mythical creatures. Continue reading