Guestbook Earth

In the hours before we closed our cottage for the summer, I sat at the lake edge thinking about all the fun we’d had with our friends and family. “I should read the guestbook” I thought, and see what people have said, and maybe I should sign it too, after all, the cottage will long survive me, so in a way I too am a guest.

I contemplated how fortunate I am to see the things I see and live the experiences I live. I am so lucky to be aware of what I encounter when so many people drift through their days unaware, focused on the noise that’s so persistent today. In fact, I wish I could sign a guest book for the planet and share what I’ve seen, and in my way say “thank you”.

That’s what this blog is about. Guestbook Earth is my way of sharing, for no other reason than to say thank you to the world for all it offers while I am here. I hope that eventually, people will hear of this and send me pictures and stories that have made them happy and appreciative. At a time when the planet is under siege in so many respects, there is still much to marvel at.

Guestbook Earth, Canada

Guestbook Earth, Canada

I spend much of the summer on Lake Huron, never doubting how fortunate I am to see sunset after sunset, each one different from the last. The water is so clear that even as the light falls away you can still see the rocky ground beneath the surface. Brazil seems far...

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Guestbook Earth, Scotland

Guestbook Earth, Scotland

At roughly 1000 meters above sea level, the Old Man of Storr is a 4km hike on the Isle of Skye not to be missed. A mixed blessing is that it also can be busy. Busy is good because I am always happy to see so many people outdoors, taking in nature and appreciating all...

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Guestbook Earth, USA

Guestbook Earth, USA

Nature helps me find an equilibrium. That might be by a lake, or the ocean. It may be on a trail near my home, or when I can, it is here at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, not far from Naples, Florida. This is the largest old growth, Bald Cyprus forest in North...

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Guestbook Earth, Scotland

Guestbook Earth, Scotland

Sorry for the absence. I’ve been away a bit but have some new images to share. Recently I was fortunate to experience a country that is home to many of the most dramatic landscapes on earth. From the Highlands to the islands of the Inner Hebrides, each with a unique...

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Guestbook Earth, Tunisia

Guestbook Earth, Tunisia

I took this picture roughly 15 years ago on a trip to Tunisia. I was concerned about climate change even back then but also believed that people, businesses and government would see the urgency to act responsibly and good sense would prevail, thus saving the planet...

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Guestbook Earth, Canada

Guestbook Earth, Canada

No matter what’s around the falls, wax museums, fast food, casinos and in short enough stuff to prove that people can’t find enough interest in one of the Wonders Of The Wold that they had to amuse themselves with trash – I never get tired of the shear power on...

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Guestbook Earth, USA

Guestbook Earth, USA

Over my last couple of weeks in Naples, I was determine to photograph the many, many birds we’d see on morning walks to Clam Pass, a migratory stop for birds such as Royal Terns, Black Skimmers, Sanderlings and more. Getting my timing right was a chore. I needed the...

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Guestbook Earth, South Africa

Guestbook Earth, South Africa

It’s all about moments. Everything seems to be. Being there for the moment, being in the moment and when it comes to photography, capturing the moment. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a certain look in the eyes of someone special, the colours of the sky that change so...

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Guestbook Earth, South Africa

Guestbook Earth, South Africa

Dogs, dolphins and elephants. It is curious how universally these animals are beloved by humans - sorry cat owners, no matter how much your cat is really “just like a dog” they don’t rank and you know it or you'd never say things like this. Every other species on the...

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Guestbook Earth, Canada

Guestbook Earth, Canada

This is my hand print in the snow near the Floe Edge in Canada’s high Arctic. Mine is the one on the right in case you don’t know me. There was a small iceberg moored in the winter freeze that I was excited to climb. Once near the top I found two things, a small pool...

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Guestbook Earth, Drake Strait

Guestbook Earth, Drake Strait

Standing on the stairs beside the doors to the bridge, I had to time each picture I snapped perfectly with the height of the wave. If I ducked too late I risked me and my camera being soaked with salt water… as you may know, that means death to electronics. This was...

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Guestbook Earth, Ireland

Guestbook Earth, Ireland

Throughout Europe there are many old castles. Some better maintained than others. Some barely recognizable as what once must have been a statement to all who would approach about the types of people who live there. I’ve been reading a lot recently about life in the...

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Guestbook Earth, Antarctica

Guestbook Earth, Antarctica

There is a rule on Antarctica, not unlike other places in the world where wildlife roams free. Do not touch or feed. That said, if a penguin approaches you, it’s up to the penguin what happens next. This one started toward me as I lay on the guano-covered rocks. It...

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Guestbook Earth, Africa

Guestbook Earth, Africa

Annually there are more human deaths caused by hippos in Africa than there are by lions. Maybe because we know lions to be dangerous and give them a wide berth. Hippos seem less obviously a risk. On this evening we left our Rovers and crept down to the area where the...

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Guestbook Earth, Canada

Guestbook Earth, Canada

Roy Henry Vickers is a renowned First Nations artist. I visited his gallery while in Tofino and was completely inspired by his use of saturated colours, and positive and negative space. I was also fortunate enough to have a balcony at the wonderful Wickaninnish Hotel...

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Guestbook Earth, USA

Guestbook Earth, USA

It was with great anticipation that I waited for my first lightning storm to appear over the Gulf of Mexico. I knew that the unobstructed view from my perch would offer the perfect vista. But when would it come? Some say I had two months of amazing weather, which I...

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Guestbook Earth, Brazil

Guestbook Earth, Brazil

“First I will show you how it bites a leaf” said my guide who calls himself George of the Jungle, “then it’s your turn to hold”. We were in a very, tippy canoe in the Rio Negro, in Brazil’s Amazon Forest. We had caught the piranha fishing with horse meat on strings...

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Guestbook Earth, Canada

Guestbook Earth, Canada

Somewhere along Eclipse Sound, on our way from Pond Inlet to the Floe Edge, our komatik (sled) ran into a problem. In attempting to cross this lead in the ice, roughly 100 meters or so away from where I took this picture, we got stuck. Our komatik didn’t make it...

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Guestbook Earth, USA

Guestbook Earth, USA

It won’t be long before I arrive in Naples, FLA for the umpteenth time. Clearly a destination I love. And for all the wonderful restaurants and attractions in the area, what I love most is the nature. A boardwalk through the mangroves, a stroll through the Corkscrew...

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