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Marty’s photo of the day #4518: Deb’s and my two-week-long vacation on Vancouver Island was a fallback vacation that we decided on only two weeks before we departed. It truly was a “winging-it” adventure. Previously, the Covid-19 Pandemic canceled our Bonaire trip (now planned for next year), and then massive forest fires canceled what was […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4514: This tail belongs to a gray whale named Indigo (read on to learn how I know that). While working on my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, Deb and I experienced multiple close-up humpback whale encounters off the coast of Antarctica. The whales would approach […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4512: While working on my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, Deb and I experienced multiple close-up humpback whale encounters off the coast of Antarctica. The whales would approach our Zodiac (a small rubber boat) and—just when it looked like they might capsize us—they’d dive under […]
Marty’s photos of the day #4504-4506: Thanks to my dog, Nellie, for filling in for me during the past two weeks. Now that Deb, Nellie, and I are back home, I’m taking over my posts again. (Nellie fans don’t fret: she’ll be back again). I’m still sorting through the 1,500 photos I took during the […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4503: “Woof everyone! Nellie here. Dad is busy packing, so I’m taking over his post today. Mom and Dad were going to take me all the way to the top of Canada, but that trip got canceled because huge forest fires are blocking our way. Apparently these fires are burning […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4500: In 2002, Deb and I and our dogs, Kate and Annie, traveled to the top of Canada in a 5,572 mile-long adventure that became the North American chapter in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. That trip was as much for our dogs as […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4496: A short excerpt from the Australia chapter in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, explains this photo: A few of the caves had entrances large enough for a human to squeeze through. Reaching the small chambers, however, would have required dropping through layers of […]
Marty’s photos of the day #4483-4489: People often wonder how I can be happy as a liberal in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, where roughly 60 percent of the people are hardcore Trumpers. Well, when Deb and I moved here in 1996, we did so because of nature, not politics. And yesterday was one of those days […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4482: This is a scenic shot from somewhere on Deb’s and my epic journey to the top of Canada for my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. We’ve been hoping to redo that 5,572 mile-long adventure for many years. For the past year, we’ve really gotten […]
Marty’s photos of the day #4480-4481: Deb’s and my house sits roughly in the middle of the 25-acre Essen Wildlife Refuge. A long gravel driveway comes in from the side, crosses in front of the house, and wraps around to our garage. A long raised porch runs across the front of our house, the porch […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4464: This was one of the first campsites on Deb’s and my epic trip to the top of Canada for my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. Ever since, Deb and I have hoped to redo that 5,572 mile-long adventure. We were going to do it […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4452: from the Borneo chapter of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: One creature that did follow a schedule was an insect called a “six o’clock cicada.” I was familiar with a variety of cicadas but had no idea an individual species could accurately tell time. According to […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4445: After 27 years of protecting our forested land as the Essen Wildlife Refuge, I really believe the animals have figured out that they are safer here than elsewhere. As proof, both the number of animals living around us and the variety of species are off-the-charts. Consequently, this summer’s theme […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4442: Deb and I took our dog, Nellie, on a hike up the Fred Burr Creek Trail this morning. About half the time Nellie had to be on a leash, and Deb and I took turns “driving her.” The rest of the time Nellie got to “self-pilot.” Whether she was […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4441: One of the treasures of Montana’s Bitterroot Valley is the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. It’s my go-to spot whenever I want to enjoy a few hours of great photography opportunities. This morning I got up at 5:00 a.m., took a quick shower, and timed my drive to get […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4440: For the North American continent adventure in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, Deb and I and our two dogs drove from Montana all the way to the top of Canada and back. That drive was longer than driving from Los Angeles to New […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4439: The following short excerpt takes place in Costa Rica and is from my second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico: With flashlights in hand and rubber boots on our feet (to protect against snakebites), we started down a trail […]
Marty’s photos of the day #4437-4438: I may have the weirdest 4th of July tradition. Every Independence Day and every Christmas week (usually a few days after Christmas) I clean my rainbow boa’s cages. Of course, whenever the snakes defecate, I spot clean the mess. But twice a year I take everything out, wash all […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4430: For the last couple of weeks, I have been learning a lot about water rights in Old West Montana. I say that because as near as I can tell they haven’t evolved since the 1800s. Deb and I have 25 acres, “The Essen Wildlife Refuge,” on a private mountain […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4428: “Dad! What do I do with this thing? I can’t chase it, like a squirrel, but I can’t really play with it, like a dog, either.” In my book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer, I have a story about Buddy, a cantankerous Saint […]
