Holiday Greeting in the Final Post of 2017

This is a travel and photography blog and after ten different trips this year, we’ve stopped traveling for the year. I do, though, want to have a final post to 2017’s blog. So, with good wishes to all for a happy holiday season and wishes for even more health and happiness in 2018, I present an amorphous photo essay containing what I think are interesting photos from past travels. I hope you find at least some of them enlightening or entertaining.

Starting with an old one (taken in the early 1980s), this photo shows us on a Sunday morning picnic with our sled dog team after a run of four miles along the Pistol River beach.

From one of our first trips to Ireland comes this picture of "One-Ear"--a gentleman in Kilfenora Ireland in the Burren near Galway. He allowed me to take this portrait for one euro.

This photo show a fire bomber dropping retardant on the Mt. Ashland in the early 1980s. We were at the home of one of our sled dog driver friends whose house was endangered by the fire. We had their cars loaded and our van loaded with their possessions ready to evacuate. Thankfully, the fire bombing saved their home.

We've never taken the Highland Adventure Safari in Perthshire, Scotland. We understand it's quite...uh, boring.

At the Birmingham, Alabama, national speech tournament, these young tournaments hostesses wanted to be photographed with someone else wearing a skirt.

Some would say I sometimes worked my speech students too hard.

In the village of Culross all Anne needs to complete the picture is the Morton's.

Why do we keep going back to Scotland? Doesn't this at least partially answer the question.

A dessert from a dinner at Merlindale B&B in Crieff, Scotland.

Sunset from our Alaskan cruise liner--the color was enhanced by the smoke from forest fires in British Columbia.

Anne and the icebergs.

Boat reflection in the harbor at Juneau, Alaska.

Even on our Alaska cruise I still tried to get in an hour of writing a day.

Locked out of the train car.

Highland dancer at the Portland Highland Games.

I'm proud of my Native American heritage, but this photo was taken in York, England.

We met some strange characters in Wynchcombe, England.

In Oxford, the punts should come before the pints, not after.

One of Oxford's finest.

When Swans Attack

Anne getting some journaling done in a lovely tea room and gallery in Kirriemuir, Scotland.

Anne tees of at Royal Dornoch GC and below at Ballater GC.

Anne posses with our playing competitors at Boat of Garten GC.

Johnston Creek Falls in Banff National Park, Canada.

Mt. Hood and the Molalla River

Upper Bute Creek Falls about an hour from our home in Canby.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our family and friends, and good Bah Humbugs to any curmudgeons among us.