Skin Soft

Only a guess.  I don't think the security guards would be happy if I touched the statue. Enjoy, jon.

Another Sunset

I spent many hours driving around the Japanese coastline.  Stopping, taking pictures, going, snacking. It was great. Enjoy. jon.

Shortly After

A double black diamond at Crested Butte in Colorado.  After I took this shot I posed for another. The girl taking the shot followed by dropping my camera down this run.  Fortunately it was in the case and survived with no problems. Enjoy.

Fog

Ruined a vista, made beautiful fog shots.  We were walking with a park ranger that day, told that it is never foggy. How it ruined the great views from the hike.  Yet, it was a glorious hike, and I have wonderful pictures to remember it by. Enjoy.

Vertigo Waterfall

Manmade, I know.  But still really cool. Just outside of Sapporo, Japan. Enjoy.

More Chihuly.

From a $14 million sales office for a $5.5 billion project.  Plus it is wicked cool. Enjoy!

Pilot Flower

Another tiny flower made huge by the power of camera lenses.  It is one of my very favorites. Found at 12,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. Enjoy!

Original Heidelberg

The original Heidelberg cylinder.  It is a printing machine.  I'm not quite sure what type of printing, but it does something.  I got to see this on a tour of a small printing plant a month ago.  Prior to figuring out even the basic settings on my camera, this is one of few successes of the day. Enjoy!

More Scraggly Trees

Not quite dead, but looks to be holding on by very little.  Another Colorado tree for you all.  This tree must really have been dedicated to grow on a crag such as this. Enjoy!

Siegfried & Roy

A certain internal smirk washes over me every time I look at their bronze visage. More the sort of smirk because of cartoon lampooning and bizarre cameos these two have amassed over the years.  Less so because of the tiger 'attack', that part is actually rather sad.  Moving on, what a strange icon. They are not smiling and one has an odd frown about him.  Knowing Las Vegas, the statue is probably bronze colored instead of bronze.  Enjoy!

Friendly Chicago

Grabbing Danny's personality is probably the easiest. He has a very emotive face, and projects a larger than life personality.  Technically, I think I would have been happier with a fill flash, especially since this is not quite as crisp as I would like. On the other hand, a fill flash tends to wash out the color in faces.  All in all, I will deal. Enjoy.

Creepy Dolls

Found these in the back of a Third Ward shop in Milwaukee.  They are most certainly creepier in person. Including the bucket of dolls that is right near the wall of dolls.  A sort of disembodied head bucket. Ach. Enjoy!

Japanese Waterfall

A baffling amount of waterfalls lined the roads in Hokkaido.  Understand that it was spring, so the flows were likely much stronger than normal, but c'mon. I must of seen one about every 4 miles (km).  Anyway, this is about my best shot of one. Enjoy!

Buildings as Statues

I can describe the Trump tower as no more than a statue in honor of Mr. Trump himself.  Seriously, what kind of ego must you have to create a 64 story building and your name about 7 stories in itself. As a contrast, most buildings have penthouses on the top. Oh, and the highly phallic design cannot be ignored. Enjoy!

More Lions

Or something similar to a lion.  I would guess this some Asian mythical lion.  That may be some innate Western bias of mine, but it really looks Asian.  Not exactly my best executed picture, but I like the composition and look of the pic.  It also sort of looks like the lion is going to eat the dude in the jeans. Enjoy!

Sharing a Butterfly

It dawns on me I haven't shared a butterfly with y'all lately. Enjoy.

My Fair City

Just took this one last night. I am still excited about it.  Enjoy!

Mirror Image

Just my tripod pointed at a hotel mirror instead of out a hotel window. I find something inherently attractive about this shot. I am unsure of whether to crop it, or level it, so I'm going to keep it as is. Enjoy.

Japanese Fishing Boats

Hokkaido is an interesting Japanese backwater.  Calling it a backwater is blanketly unfair, of course.  But, the description seems necessary in comparison with the rest of Japan.  It is the least populous prefecture and has a reputation of being a frontier land.  My understanding is that people from Hokkaido get the same reception in Tokyo as someone from the Midwest would get in New York or L.A.  In this manner, as a person from Wisconsin, it is easy to identify with the 'backwater' people more than the 'civilized'.  To be honest I'm just fine sharing my backwater status with those from Hokkaido. Enjoy.