Robert Swanson's photos

A lovely range of colors in the trees, from yellow to orange, to a little bit of red. Taken in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North) during our 2022 road trip. The Panasonic GX85 does a nice job. No manipulation done.

Some delicious dim sum. Taken at an excellent Chinese restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. When we have the chance, we enjoy this style of food. Dumplings on the left, sticky rice on the right. Taken with the fixed 20mm f1.7 lens on the micro 4/3's Panasonic GX85 camera.

Taken in a lovely park along the MIssissippi River, in Muscatine, Iowa. This town is overshadowed by the "Quad Cities" nearby, but is worth a stop for itself. This park looks like a nice stop on a hot summer day. (The PiP shows more of the river front). Did you know that this was a major pearl button manufacturing town in the late 19th century? There is a statue in this park to the mussel fisherman of that time. Image taken with phone and processed into square format with GIMP. Using the square format allowed me to crop until there is some Rule of Thirds behavior present.

Our view across the bay of the fortress at Bodrum. Called the Bodrum Castle. Quite impressive. Do look up the history in Wikipedia (for instance). The castle was built using the ruins of the famous Tomb of ancient history. Image processed with GIMP.

Plaque identifying the boundary between Airzona and Nevada half-way across the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at Hoover Dam. The fence on the bridge walkway appears only as a shadow. Image processed with GIMP.

On the grounds of Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, are several historic buildings. They were moved there from their original sites. This is a large log building (not really a cabin....) Image processed with GIMP

Lakeside view of the Grandview Lodge, Priest Lake, Idaho. A recent check shows that this classic lodge has been permanently closed. Back in the day (2012, anyway), this was the type of rustic lodge people visited for a summer vacation. This picture was taken from the lake side. There were boats and a dock just behind us. And, yes, this beautiful location was visited by us, right after our Alaska trip. Image processed with GIMP.

We enjoyed a pleasant walk in the wood around Priest Lake, Idaho. The location is quite scenic. I saw these berries on a plant (probably common) in the forest. Finally got the selective focus to work right. Image processed with GIMP.

Most of Hoover Dam is concrete, and more concrete. However, the designers added some architectural details, all in Art Deco style. Image processed with GIMP.

Rather than a dinner table, this is a WORK table. These volunteers are using blenders to crush up flower petals and other botanicals. For dinner? Nope, to use as float decoration for the Pasadena Rose Parade. The rules of the Parade competition require that all of the float decoration be natural plant products. During our visit to this float preparation facility, we helped glue pistachio shells to a small part of one float. The amount of manual work required is astounding! Should you happen to attend, or just watch the Rose Parade on TV, keep in mind the army of volunteers who do these types of jobs, usually in the last 48 hours before the Parade. Image processed with GIMP.

When you enter the nice town of Kettle Falls, you see this sign. Apparently everyone is friendly EXCEPT the one grouch. Image processed with GIMP A photo of the VIsitors Center: www.ipernity.com/doc/2543754/51755918

Enjoy a rest on the benches at the old Kettle Falls, Washington, railway station. It is now the local Visitors Center. Image processed with GIMP. A photo of the city WELCOME sign, very amusing: www.ipernity.com/doc/2543754/51755992

During our wandering around downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, I came upon this sign, fence, and rails. We have ridden on the Alaska Railroad, quite an experience. I hadn't given much thought about the beginning and end of this rail line. Image processed with GIMP.

Paddle wheel on the steamboat Nenana , at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, Alaska. Now she is preserved and sitting on dry land. Image processed with GIMP. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nenana_(steamer)

Taken in 2012 in Kettle Falls, Washington. Yes, those seem to be Washington state license plates. We were on our way back from our summer in Alaska, and this was the first decent stop after crossing the border back from Canada. Image processed with GIMP.

We attended the RV rally at the Winnebago factory for several years. The social and educational events took place under big tents, like this one. In this case, the people are getting ready to play Bingo (serious business!). Naturally, when playing Bingo, you need to have tables. This was our first Winnebago rally, 2010. Image processed with GIMP

Taken in Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, Alaska. Image cropped to square and processed with GIMP.

Taken on our world cruise in 2009. We wandered through the various souks in Dubai, and came to the area where the gold sellers were located. For the 100th Sunday Challenge, SOLID GOLD!! Great work, everyone! The brilliant color really caught my eye. Image processed with GIMP.