Wildfires are a natural part of the forest ecology. They play an important role in clearing out dead vegetation, stimulating new growth, and creating habitats for certain species. But human activity is affecting this pattern, whether through global warming) which makes fires more common and more extensive) or fire starting, whether accidentally or even deliberately.
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In 1844 a group of pioneers left the usual route west to follow the Truckee River into the mountains. The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party became the first overland settlers to use what later became known as the Donner Pass. It took them roughly four months to cross the Sierra Nevada by this route.
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Sometimes a few words can enhance a viewer’s understanding of an image. After all, what else are captions for if not to explain?
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Like many people I have long been fascinated by the lifestyle of the Amish and Mennonite people. Their rejection of many of the technological conveniences we take for granted. Their seclusion from modern society. And the beliefs that influence the choices they make about how to live. One way to learn more is to visit.
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Old Town is not, somewhat to my surprise, the old heart of Chicago, but rather one of its neighbourhoods. It takes its name from art fairs held in this area in the 1940s, ‘Old Town Holidays’. However, it is certainly home to many buildings older than most in the city. There are Victorian era houses and even one of just seven buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
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In his poem 'To Autumn' John Keats describes the autumn we all know and love, with lingering warm weather and bountiful harvests. But he also celebrates later autumn days, when winter seems just over the horizon. Both have their beauty.
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The mass production of inexpensive steel in the mid 19th century made it possible for urban planners to bring to life the idea of skyscrapers. And it all started in Chicago. The method had been tested in Liverpool, England, on the five storey Oriel Chambers building. But it was in Chicago that the capacity of steel to support taller buildings was first exploited.
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My interest in Frank Lloyd Wright was sparked by Paul Simon's song on 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. Over the intervening decades I’ve seen many images of his buildings, read a bit about them, and visited one, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. But only one.
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This is a house in Oak Park, just outside Chicago, one of several private homes in this neighbourhood designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
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Hummingbirds are among the hardest of birds to photograph, I find. So even though it’s not perfect I was happy to get this shot of one in Costa Rica last year.
