Photography

In five short days, Jacob, Ellery and I saw a wonderful slice of Portugal from our base in the city of Porto. This photo of Mercado Ferreira Borges set the stage. This iron-and-glass building is painted a bright red. It houses craft shops, restaurants and a nightclub. This collection of photos features the colorful sights we saw. The São Bento train station displays tile artwork that tells a history of Portugal between the two major rivers, the Douro and the Minho. ...

Semana Santa (Easter Week) coincided with my visit to Portugal to see Jacob and Ellery. On Palm Sunday, we decided to visit the city of Braga. Braga is the religious center of Portugal and celebrates with elaborate processions through the cobblestone streets. We arrived in Braga at the end of a 1-hour train ride from Porto. After a strong coffee at Nórdica Café, we waited in the square for the first procession. ...

It’s been a relaxing winter break. One day Audrey and I took Ollie for a walk in a small redwood canyon called Thornewood Preserve, which is two miles from our house. I liked it so much I decided to come back the next day with my camera. I brought a tripod along, so that I could take long exposure shots and make the water look smooth and glassy. It’s quite dark in the forest and the winter sun was very low. It’s quite hard to photograph a redwood forest, but these seemed to capture the spirit. ...

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta on a Friday evening, rented a car, and hit the road for “The One and Only” resort, a little over an hour to the north. After a slow start through traffic, we were happy to reach an expressway and make fast progress towards our destination. But when we got to our exit, we learned we had been on a toll road. A toll was due. It was payable only in Pesos, in cash. And we had not yet gone to an ATM! ...

It was an unusual Thanksgiving. After returning from a fun family wedding, we had no one at home with us for the holiday. So rather than eat a 20-pound bird ourselves, we decided to head to Half Moon Bay for Thanksgiving on the Beach. Lunch at the Ritz Carlton was lovely, and then we enjoyed a sparkling clear cliff-and-beach stroll. It was warm and the visibility stretched for miles. Afterwards, we rode in our convertible with the top down along Highway 1 to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. ...