Big Lake, Minnesota.
This weekend, we are in Big Lake, Minnesota for our annual Steiner Family Reunion. We arrived in town on Thursday and set about enjoying our visit. In the morning, winds were high and the large awnings placed so carefully ended up being blown around by high winds. Later that day, the skies threatened, but as it turned out, only a few drops fell from the sky. Continue reading
Morristown, Arizona.
On those hot summer days, one of the best places to cool off is at Lake Pleasant or one of the other man made lakes created as water holding reservoirs near Phoenix. During the winter, the hiking trails in Lake Pleasant Regional Park present a moderate challenge and their shorter length leaves plenty of day left at the end of a morning hike. Probably my favorite trail is Pipeline Canyon. There is a parking area at each end and modern restroom facilities. The trail is a short two miles (3.2 km) long and has a moderate elevation change. At the end of the two miles, take a break at the nearby benches, grab a drink of water and maybe a snack, then head back to your car in the parking area at your starting point. Continue reading
Fargo, North Dakota.
The boys of summer started their home game season in Fargo on Memorial Day weekend. There had been a few exhibition games and their first two series were away games at Cleburne and Grand Prairie, Texas. Friday marked the first day of a six-day homestand with the Lincoln SaltDogs followed by the Sioux Falls Canaries. Lynn and I are big fans of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. We buy their 13-game flex packs since my schedule is so variable. Those passes allow us to pick and choose our games. We could use all 13 passes at one game, or use them one at a time. If we burn through the 13 games early enough in the season, we spring for another pass. At $100 for 13 games, that’s $7.69 a game for a reserved seat. That’s only a bit more expensive than a 24-ounce beer at the game. When we see the RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field, we know that it’s summer in North Dakota.
About the photo: Early in the game against the Salt Dogs (in red), Keury De La Cruz sprints toward second base. This was one of three stolen bases and two runs scored in the 5th inning. The lefty outfielder from the Dominican Republic is beginning his second season with the RedHawks on a high note with four hits in the 5-3 home opener win. The image was captured with my Samsung S7 at 1/300 sec, f/1.7, ISO-50. The rule for Cellpic Sunday is simple. The image must be captured on a mobile device.
John Steiner
Waddell, Arizona.
Three years ago, we were hiking the Old Saddle Trail section off the Mule Deer Trail in the White Tank Mountain Regional Park. At a trail intersection, we met Chuck and his horse. He stopped to allow us to cross in front of him. We stopped and visited for a few minutes. I asked if I could take a photo of him and he obliged. Continue reading
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In November 2015, we found ourselves on a short, but quite easy uphill, trail that ends at the Sandia Cave. The trail meanders up the side of a canyon wall where Native Americans discovered a natural cave. Spelunkers today can explore that cave, most recently rediscovered in 1936, but check with the USDA Forest Service to determine what might be needed on a given day to begin exploration. More photos and a more complete description of our trip to the cave can be found here. Continue reading
Washington DC.
On a chilly, gray day in early March, finished with our visits in the congressional offices, my colleagues and I walked over to the U.S. Capitol grounds. A couple weeks ago, I shared a cellpic of the Washington Monument as seen from a side portico of the building. Here’s a front view of this beautiful structure. Continue reading
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.
This week’s Cellpic Sunday is a few hours late. This weekend we had a SAREx, a Civil Air Patrol term for a Search and Rescue Exercise, a rehearsal for when our wing might be called to prosecute a missing person or downed aircraft search. As a result, I was a bit busy last week in the planning stages. What does that have to do with the above image? Nothing, actually, other than being my excuse for not having this posted already. Continue reading
