Rainforests are prime ecosystems for generating moody weather. The Tongass National Forest in the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska is a perfect example. At 16.7 million acres (6.76 million hectares), it is the largest national forest in the U.S. The…
Oh My, Aurora!
Late last month, two coronal mass ejections (a fancy term for ionized gases that erupt from the surface of the sun) in succession hurled towards the earth. When they arrived on February 26-27, they produced a G3 solar storm that…
Mountain View
Although the Alaska wildflower is the Forget-Me-Not, it would be easy for visitors to the state to assume it was Common Fireweed given its pervasiveness. It is even depicted on the Alaska Scenic Byway Route road signs. Its name derives…
The Road More Travelled
In the poem, The Road Not Taken, poet Robert Frost was confronted in a woods with the choice of two diverging roads. Students of literature know that he took “the one less traveled,” perhaps because he thought he would find…
Chiaroscuro
You need light to photograph, but without shadows your photos will not have any depth. Subjects will lack texture and form and appear flat. While this may seem to be counter-intuitive for a two-dimensional art form such as photography, there…
Soothing Blues
Go gentle into thy soft nightLay me down to rest peacefullyKeep me warm with your last light,‘Til the promise of a new dawn shines again Colors can be used to evoke certain feelings. They can set the tone in a…
Seasons Change
The Coronavirus pandemic, and the need to arrest its spread and carnage, has upended our “normal” lives. Social distancing limits how or whether we gather as friends and family, go to school, work, worship, purchase goods and services, and recreate…
Teachable Photos
Teachable moments are defined as unplanned opportunities that arise in teaching situations to facilitate learning for students. Whether it is a concept, an event, or insight, teachable moments serve to solidify the learning process in a memorable way that rote…