The date was November 29, 1978. My best friend, Reid, and I were huge Bruce Springsteen fans. We were both going to Duluth East High School and had very little money (I was working at WEBC radio for $2.65 an hour, and Reid made about the same somewhere else). Somehow we got tickets for Springsteen’s […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5021: In 2004, Deb and I backpacked 53 miles across Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. We saw quite a few chacma baboons (the largest baboon species). For this photo, the baboon was a little beyond the effective range of my zoom lens, making it a good subject for my […]
Writing quality sequels of unique, non-genre books is hard. One of my favorite novels is “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger. In 2013, she announced that she was working on a sequel that would be ready in 2018. Later, she changed the date to 2023, and the most recent update states October 2026. For […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5020: Exploring the Everglades was the only adventure in my nonfiction books where my wife didn’t accompany me. I was on a college speaking tour in Florida and scheduled multiple days off for exploring. Because I had to pack all my college speaking gear, the only camera I had room […]
Humans have created thousands of gods/religions throughout history, each believing theirs is the one true god/religion and that all the others are delusions. Since both ancient and current history has proven the three major Middle Eastern religions incapable of peaceful coexistence, if a person must practice a religion, why not try a different one from […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5018: In 2002, Deb and I drove all the way to the top of Canada and caught the great Porcupine caribou migration (the longest land migration on Earth). The caribou passed by us in waves, and we hiked with them for a while. Unfortunately, something broke inside the zoom lens […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5017: When Deb and I look back on all the adventures we’ve had around the world and pick favorites, our 2014 Costa Rica trip is always near the top of our list. Who knows? We may go back there some day. My photography on that trip was largely successful, partially […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5016: Deb and I were on a 53-mile-long backpacking trip through Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe when I photographed this African grey hornbill. The year was 2004, and because of 2 flights on rickety little bush planes, we had a total weight limit of 26 pounds per person (including […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5015: I call this a “pipe cleaner spider.” I photographed it with a film camera on my trip to the Amazon Rainforest in 2001. Back then I was still using film cameras, and I had trouble focusing on the spider, which was moving and had very little surface for the […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5014: Whenever I’d go through the Antarctica photos I shot back in 2003, I’d pause at this photo, wishing it wasn’t blurry. I like it because I was able to capture a chinstrap penguin at the moment it sneezed to expel salt from its supraorbital gland. So, naturally, I added […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5013: If you are viewing this photo on a smartphone, it probably won’t look like much. But if you are viewing it on a big screen, it’s really, really cool! In 2014, Deb and I were in a boat along the coast of Costa Rica, watching bottlenose dolphins hunting, when […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5012: In 2004, Deb and I were on a 53-mile-long backpacking trip through Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe when we came across a pack of 18 painted dogs. At the time, there were only 700 painted dogs in Zimbabwe and 4,000 in all of Africa. We sat and watched […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5011: I shot this yellow-billed stork photo in Zimbabwe twenty-two years ago. Although my current books are fiction, my first two books, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents and Endangered Edens, were nonfiction, featuring photos and stories of Deb’s and my adventures as we traveled the world looking […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5010: I shot this red leaf monkey (aka maroon langur) photo on the island of Borneo twenty-three years ago. I haven’t posted it before because I shot it with an early digital camera that had difficulty handling low light in the rainforest. In other words, the photo was soft. Since […]
Marty’s photo of the day #5009: And then the Easter Sea Lion delivered shiny blue fish to all the pups in the sea. (Photographed earlier this year in the Galapagos Islands.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5008: There are more than 30 species of clownfish, and all are born male. The largest male in a group becomes a female, and if she dies, the next largest male turns into the new female. Isn’t nature amazing? (Photographed last year in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5007: This is a male magnificent frigatebird, hoping to pick up a hot chick. (Photographed earlier this year in the Galapagos Islands.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5006: With this photo, I tried to capture just how big Galapagos giant tortoises are. (Photographed earlier this year in the Galapagos Islands.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5005: Here’s a little cuteness for your Wednesday: a juvenile swallow-tailed gull. (Photographed earlier this year in the Galapagos Islands.)
Marty’s photo of the day #5004: With all the exotic species, exclusive to the Galapagos Islands, it’s easy to overlook other species, such as this whimbrel, which are just passing through. These birds can fly nonstop over the ocean for 2,500 miles or more. (Photographed last month in the Galapagos Islands.)
