Photo: Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain

Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain

I took this photo from the window of my room at the Hotel Plaza in Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain.

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A380 At JFK

There are now more than 30 A380s in service around the world, but it’s still a thrill to see one.

This one, in a photograph by my sister Maryanne Leblanc, is being unloaded at JFK simultaneously from two decks, using two jetways.

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Photo: Fish Creek Ponds, New York

Sunrise over First Pond at Fish Creek Ponds, New York

I shot this photo around 7 this morning from my campsite at Fish Creek Ponds in the Adirondacks.
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Photo Gallery: Palm Springs Area

This photo, with a massive California fan palm in the foreground and the snow-capped  San Jacinto Mountains in the background, was taken in March 2010 at Palm Canyon near Palm Springs.  (See the entire gallery.)

My daughter, Kate Symmonds, and I got a nice Priceline deal on a resort in Rancho Mirage and spent a few days exploring the area around Palm Springs. We were surprised at how beautiful and varied the western Mojave Desert can be, and we ended up spending a lot more time in the great outdoors and a lot less time poolside than we had expected.

 Many of the pictures in the photo gallery were taken in and near Palm Canyon, which is among the Indian Canyons near Palm Springs. Admission is $8, and well worth it. Some of the others were taken at The Living Desert zoo and gardens in Palm Desert, which costs $12.50 per person, a great bargain.

New Photo Gallery: Honolulu

Just posted my new photo gallery of Waikiki and Honolulu. Have a look.

Photo Gallery: Yosemite National Park

I just posted a new gallery from last week’s trip to Yosemite National Park in California:

Half Dome at sunset from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park.

(You can view large versions of the photos in a gallery by clicking on the first photo and hitting the “next” link under each photo.)

Photo: Qantas A380 At LAX

Bagged the big one, a photo of a Qantas A380 coming in to land at LAX after a flight from Sydney:

It’s the largest passenger aircraft in the world, and Qantas has it configured to carry 450 people on two decks. Note the double row of windows.

I first saw an A380 nearly two years ago, when Airbus flew one of the prototypes to Bradley to show it to Pratt & Whitney employees who worked on the engines. My video from that flight is available here.

Photo: Lufthansa 747 At LAX

Just got into Los Angeles, headed straight for the In-N-Out Burger on Sepulveda, next to the airport and spent some time watching planes land.

This one here is a Lufthansa 747:

That’s what I’m talking about!

Photo: Beach Artist, Santa Barbara, California

This man creates a new sand sculpture daily at the beach in Santa Barbara. "This is my job," he told us. He lives on tips from passers-by.

New Photo Gallery: Montreal

I just posted a new gallery of photos from our recent trip to Montreal: