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The people of Indonesian New Guinea were among the most friendly I’ve met anywhere in the world. At the beginning of our trip, Deb and I walked the main road in Kaimana (a remote island town of about 17,000) as people on scooters whizzed by. As the only visible white people in town, we were […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4894: I’ve loved photography for most of my life but didn’t get into underwater photography until Deb and I spent a week on the Sea of Cortez in 2016. I’ve upgraded my underwater camera three times. Currently I prefer the SeaLife Micro 3.0 for videos and the Olympus Tough TG-7 […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4893: After 3 days of traveling, including 5 airplane flights and a 2-hour speedboat ride across open ocean, Deb and I are back home from the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea. Having traveled all 7 continents and written 3 nature-oriented travel books, I can say with confidence that […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4892: Deb and I are on our way back from sailing in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea. Our first day was an outstanding indicator of what was to come. We snorkeled near a mobile fishing platform, hoping to see the whale sharks that visit, looking for scraps. […]
Greetings from Indonesia! Deb and I have spent the past three weeks in the Raja Ampat (the Coral Triangle) region of Indonesian New Guinea. Much of it sailing on The Katharina (pictured), which is a traditional pinisi ship, built by the Bugis people. We snorkeled with whale sharks, enjoyed the most diverse and most beautiful […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4843-B: I lost interest in superhero movies years ago, but when I heard that right-wingers hated the new Superman, I had to have a Liberal Superman Watch Party. So last night, Deb and I had some friends and their dogs over for dinner, conversation, and the movie. We had four […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4843-A: I lost interest in superhero movies years ago, but when I heard that right-wingers hated the new Superman, I had to have a Liberal Superman Watch Party. So last night, Deb and I had some friends and their dogs over for dinner, conversation, and the movie. We had four […]
Over the past 18 years, I have spoken at hundreds of colleges in 45 states. Because of Trump “Making America Great Again” by intimidating and defunding colleges, it appears as if extracurricular activities, such as bringing in entertaining and educational speakers like me, is all but dead. I understand the tough choices colleges have to […]
On August 3, 2020, Deb and I adopted Nellie from the Bitter Root Humane Association. The moment I saw Nellie there, I knew she was the one. And for some reason, the woman who assisted us did everything she could to keep us from adopting her (I think she wanted to adopt Nellie too). But […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4791: This has been the “Year of the Bird” at the Essen Wildlife Refuge. I’ve known for years that we have nighthawks here, but since they’re active at dusk and dawn, I’d only hear their calls and glimpse them zooming through the dark forest. Until yesterday, I’d never had the […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4771: Yesterday, Deb and I played hooky and hiked to some cliffs in the Bitterroot Valley where peregrine falcons (the world’s fastest animal) nest. We saw one (or at least that’s the story we’re sticking with), but it was too far away for photos. So my photo from that hike […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4762: When Deb and I were in Bonaire last September, the two consumer-quality underwater cameras I brought soon began to leak. That sent me on a desperate search to buy what turned out to be the one-and-only pro-quality underwater camera for sale on the entire island: a Sealife Micro 3.0. […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4757: I only occasionally talk about cameras on social media, because when someone says, “That’s a great picture! You must have a great camera,” it’s kind of like saying to a chef, “This tastes wonderful! You must have great pots.” Nevertheless, I have fallen in love with my new Olympus […]
Marty’s photos of the day #4756: We’ve reached the third and final Baby Robin Day. As many of you remember, two Thursdays ago (MPOD #4742), I posted about the 3 baby robins in a nest atop an outdoor speaker on the back side of Deb’s and my house and promised to update every week. Here’s […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4723: My goal for last week’s off-coast Belize trip was to photograph a shark and a spotted eagle ray. I did both. I spotted this nurse shark after Deb and I ate lunch on a tiny island near the Great Blue Hole. We were several minutes ahead of the others, […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4717: Hey everyone! My lack of daily posts has not been because Deb and I were disappeared by ICE or anything. Instead, we returned to Belize for a week of incredible snorkeling and wildlife watching. The island we were on had internet service, but it was slower than old-fashioned landline […]
One of the reasons we humans love our dogs so much is that they retain adorable, childlike qualities throughout their lives. A few years ago, I got Nellie a soccer ball with handles. Even though she bit a hole in the ball long ago, she doesn’t care and still loves to play with it. That […]
I’m typing this with an icepack duct taped to my shoulder. Deb and I have lived in the middle of th,e Essen Wildlife Refuge for 29 years, and it wasn’t until 2 years ago that a moose charged us (the one in this picture). At least that moose gave us enough notice to dive out […]
Whew! I just finished the first draft of the sequel to The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles. My wife, Deb, has suggested a title, which just might stick: The Silver Squad Rides Again. I started writing in August, but this sequel gave me the worst bouts of writer’s block I’ve ever had. I kept waiting […]
