Amazing Ceiling in Mexico!

This amazing ceiling from the 1800's is found in a mission that now serves as an cultural events center in Ensenada Mexico. I was walking down this narrow hallway between the original mission structure and leading into this ballroom, I looked up and pow! This great handcrafted ceiling, just wonderful.

Life in my rear view mirror

Life in my rear view mirror is just another way to look at the road which has brought us to this point in our life. I was listing to a talk show and they said you can’t look behind you because what’s done is done and you can’t do anything to change it, looking forward is impossible because we can’t see the future, but we have today and that is something we can effect and we have no guarantee’s beyond today, that why it’s call “presence”, what are you going to do with your present, your gift of today? This joke came from Lucid Dreams; on the anniversary of his birth, devotees of a certain yogi asked what gifts they might bring. The yogi replied “I wish no gifts, only presence”.  The point is be thankful for today, it might be your last one….

The Historical El Rancho Hotel

The Historical El Rancho Hotel on Route 66 in Gallup New Mexico, its cowboy classic and Southwestern influences is a blast from the past!  For over 50 years the El Rancho has been a true jewel of the Southwest, once you enter the dramatic foyer you are immediately thrown back into time a time when life was more relaxed and time stands still here. When Hollywood films in the area the stars love to stay here, the list is a who’s who of Hollywood Western Superstars like; Betty Garble, Burt Lancaster, Errol Flynn, Gene Autry, and James Cagney. The El Rancho restaurant is very good serving American and Mexican dishes, yummy! If ever passing through Gallup stop and refresh at the El Rancho Hotel.

If These Boots Could Talk

If these boots could talk what stories could they tell us? Would they tell the story of the America of the past when people were self reliant or the America of today where people are becoming more reliant on the government? Would they tell the story of the America that had the greatest work ethic the world has ever seen or would they tell the story of an America that has become a people with an attitude of entitlement? As grim as our American story looks at times we are still the most creative and hard working people on the planet. As much as our government tries to mess up the greatest and most successful social experiment ever known to mankind, it's the people of America that re-boots and keeps finding ways to produce the best economy in the world. As America goes so does the world and as much as the media wants us to believe that we are no better than any other country on earth the fact is we are different and the world depends on us to survive and to prosper. If you need any example of the will of the people of the people to keep on trucking despite of our incompetent leaders just look at Texas the greatest state in America. During the past years Texas has created more jobs than all the other states combined, and Texas does what every state and our country should and could do, just don't spend more than you take in, what a concept. Every day I see people inventing, creating, adapting, and flourishing in what is said to be the worst of times in America. I have hope, I have reason to believe in Americans!

Zhongshan District in Taipei

This Gazebo is above the Keelung River in Taipei's Zhongshan District. I love a lot of the architecture in Taiwan because it has the Asian look I like with an influence from the Dutch, Japanese, and China this combination is beautiful to me. This is a proud country with so much to offer in the art and culinary sectors. If you ever have a chance to visit Taiwan its well worth the air miles and the people are warm and welcoming.

A Quiet Time Of Refection

When I was in Taipei Taiwan, I visited this military monument and off the beaten path I found this person paying respects to the fallen soldiers and while I was observing this time of reflection I thought that most countries pay their respects to the fallen heroes just like we do in America. When you really think about it, all the people of the world want the same things in life, freedom, peace, community, and family. What does make the USA different is that we are the only country in history that has the same core desires as other countries with one major exception, we were founded on a Christian belief value system, we are the only society that publicly thanks to God, it was in everything that we did, we used to pray before community and national meetings, we are sworn in using the Holy Bible, and on our money. It's like we are turning away from that foundation that made our country so giving, we had a moral compass. We give more charity from our government and from our private sector to people in need than another country. If there is a natural disaster in our country or abroad we are the first to step up and give our resources gladly to help our fellow man. I do pray that we return back to our foundation as a people before we stray so far we can't find our way back, we need to be a God fearing people once again and then we will receive the blessings we once enjoyed.

Slow Down People!

I found this on-line - What lies at the bottom of the ocean and shakes a lot?A nervous wreck! This might seems cute but when you think about it our world is turning faster than ever, communication is now at the speed of light, everything is instant gratification, and nothing is fast enough. How on God's green earth can you find any kind of balance, how can you slow down enough to stop and smell the flowers? If you don't slow down your life is going to zip by and you'll wonder what happened to my life? At the end it's too late to make up all the time you lost. This photograph is in downtown Taipei Taiwan and man the hustle and bustle is at an unbelievable pace and it makes me tired just watching them go through their daily life. I have no answer on how you can slow down, we all have things we enjoy doing and I highly recommend you take a little more time for you to enjoy family, friends, and hobbies. Make the time to meditate, pray, and fellowship with people that have common interest with you. Time is too precious and we don't have as much time as we think. In a blink of the eye eighty years have passed you bye. Don't be that person who waited to late to connect with loved ones, don't be the person who has nothing but regret at the end, and don't wait to get right with your faith. A life filled with what ifs and wish I had a do over is a life wasted. Don't waste the beautiful potential of your life, God's plan for you is greater than you can imagine.

Love at First Wave

To me there is no better place to hang and people watch than Ocean Beach (OB) San Diego California. To me it has everything you would want, funky shops, great dives to eat at, a very cool beach and plenty of diverse people to watch. OB is a beach community who embraces its hippie roots and now has developed into a town with a very cool beach vibe. The local’s awesome attitude has help mold this San Diego town into a real jewel of the Pacific coastline. If you want to relax and soak up the sun while exploring one of the most unique beach towns in Southern California than OB San Diego is for you dude!

My Photo OP-Photo Bombed

If you read my blog you know I love people watching, in fact it should be an Olympic sport. I was watching the kids and out of nowhere this kid photo bombed my photo op, that's right I got bombed in La Jolla CA! No matter I enjoy seeing what will be captured when people watching and capturing the candid treasures during my journeys display something I did not expect. Photography like in life the journey is the thrill and a great pic is the result of your ability not to give up and go swim with the others, your patience and persistence. You never know what's around the next wave, next mountain, the next corner, the next photo might be your best ever!Keep on clicking....

Confident or Oblivious?

I am wondering out loud here, but the question of life is…do people know they look ridiculous at times or are they really that confident or are they just that oblivious? Stay with me now, does a person hugely over weight know that wearing spandex  four sizes too small is stupid or are they so confident that they actually believe they look good in it? Does a big old dude wearing a Speedo really think it's cool or just doesn't know? Does this guy fishing know he should just put a shirt on or does he think he looks hot or does he just not care?  As you travel down the isles at Wally World do the people wearing the most ridiculously gross outfits or even their PJ’s with fuzzy slippers realize how dumb they look or do they really just not care? The question always has been do good looking people really know they are good looking and do ugly people know they are ugly? Does they guy who paints his house that color you can’t describe down the street know he has horrific taste or does he like the results or did he just buy paint based on price alone? Does the person know when he buys a $50k car know that the crappie after market accessories that they put on it now make their ride worth $20k or do they really think it looks better than what the manufacture rolled out on the show room floor? This question has been haunting man from the Stone Age and because it’s so subjective it truly can never be answered, but we still pose the question, are people just that confident or just that oblivious?

Rush Hour at the Pumps!

It's like an ant hill coming alive, its 7am and its rush hour at the fuel line at an East Texas truck stop. It reminds me of someone kicking an ant hill and out of nowhere a zillion ants scurry around and another day of endless miles and unfamiliar towns to the point you can't remember what day of the week it is and what time zone you’re in. They are the last of the free spirits criss-crossing America making sure you have what you need to make your life more convenient. It's a love hate relationship between the American public and truckers. People don't realize with out the trucker we would be walking around naked and homeless, everything you see or purchase in stores, from underwear to autos and building materials in the USA at one point came off a truck. Our nation is too large and spread out to not use trucks and without the professional drivers who sacrifice precious time with their families in order to keep America moving our economy would come to a scratching stop! Next time you see a trucker driving down your highways be kind and give them a little extra room, their goal is the same as your goal and that's to arrive home safely to their loved ones at the end of every day.

Golf a metaphor for life?

Actually many sports activities are a metaphor for life, yoga, running, golf, sailing, swimming, any thing that takes commitment, dedication, perseverance, and of course the will to stay with it. The Bible uses the analogy of the long race, life is not a sprint, and it’s a marathon. Walt Disney once said “It’s kind of fun doing the impossible”, Mark Twain said “Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do”.  On any day you can start out great hitting on all cylinders and after the second tee shot everything can fall apart or you can start out slow and out of nowhere you can catch fire and make every shot you think you couldn’t. Life is like Golf. Life it’s more than a few holes or rounds it’s a lifetime of preparation waiting for that opportunity to stand before you and what you do with that opportunity is what you will be remembered for, that’s what will shape the next several seasons of your life. The good news is even if you miss an opportunity, redemption and grace are paramount to our life’s journey and without either we are doomed to a life of regret and frustration. Your attitude towards life’s setbacks will either shorten your set back or prolong it? How you handle it is truly up to you. Will you get back up and dust your self off and move forward or will you let it poison your out look thus sabotaging your outcome? It’s your choice; after all we have free will, the ability to determine how we will confront life’s frustrations.

Crazy Sky

While I travel around our great country I see many beautiful sights America has many different types of country from desserts, mountains, oceans, the result is a diverse and unique landscape begging anyone with a camera to go out and explore. This was taken in Tennessee near the Smokey Mountains. I love early morning photography, it seems to give me more interesting clouds and it has a magical feel as the world and Mother Nature wakes up and gets ready for another day.

Black Gold-Texas Tea

Only in Texas can you find a working oil rig at a truck stop just yards away from the fuel pumps, it's kind of funny a state so rich in natural resources this may seem like over kill. In Texas they call crude oil “Black Gold” or “Texas Tea”, this bring images of J.R. Ewing to mind the old school oil man, ruthless in nature. The “Texas Oil Boom” or the “Gusher Age” started in the early 20th century. Texas quickly became one of the leading oil producers in America, thus the legend began, the image of bigger than life men who risked their personnel wealth for the chance to make it big, and that’s how we got the old saying “Everything is Bigger in Texas”!

Keep On Trucking

Good things trucks deliver to America; it's a crazy stat that everything you have at one time in the delivery chain was transported by a truck! It may enter the country by plane, boat, or train, but it still lands on a truck in the process, and even more crazy their are millions of drivers and they still need more, in fact there is more loads that drivers, that's amazing to me. I took this picture because of the relationship between the two big rigs and how the tanker is carried through the mirror, which was a hard image to capture at 65mph going down the interstate. I admire people who can thrive in this type of work environment and still maintain a balanced home life even though they are on the road away from home for weeks at a time. If these big wheels quit rolling so does the US economy, they need each other. So, my trucker friends keep on trucking!

Be Strong, Be Confident, Be Successful

Why are photographers so interested in images of bridges and or piers, I know I am guilty of this fascination. Maybe it's the strength of the ocean or Mother Nature pounding against the structure, maybe it's because no matter what life throws at the structure it doesn't give an inch, maybe it's a metaphor for life? Like in life your ability to weather any storm or situation truly depends on how deep your rooted like the base of the pier or bridge if your deeply connected in either your faith, beliefs, family, or what grounds you in life, gives you the foundation to ride out the storms and set backs of life and come out of them stronger than ever and ready with the new found confidence to handle the next storm in life. Be strong, be confident, be diligent, and be successful.

Crazy Texas Weather!

I love Texas weather in the spring time because it's unpredictable and crazy! Just like the old joke says; if you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute! That's is so true, when I arrived in Laredo Texas down by the border of Mexico it was 90 degrees, the very next day the high was 58 degrees! So, your asking how do I pack for this type of weather, the answer is... you don't you buy what you need when you need it.

Love Equals Chocolate?

If love equals chocolate then this is the most loving place on earth Hershey's Chocolate World! Valentines Day was yesterday and I hope everyone had a wonderful and romantic holiday. I thought back to my visit to Hershey Pennsylvania and how the love was most evident when ready the biography of Mr. Hershey, he had no children so he started an orphanage and when he died he gave all his shares of his company to the orphanage to ensure that what he started would continue, to me that is the true meaning of love, giving completely of ones self to others with absolutely nothing expected in return, what a wonderful way to live ones life, talk about walking the walk, truly amazing. May peace and love be with you always.

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All images and words © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Frozen Tundra...

I've been traveling for the past three weeks and I'm excited to share my experiences soon. This is how I feel right now; I'm home and thawing out! I was in Peru Illinois last weekend not entirely by my choice, but it was damn cold, it hit minus 14 (-14) and my fuel basically jelled up so I couldn't leave town until late Monday, I can't believe how cold that was, my toes were numb foe a couple of days, really how do people live in such cold weather? This image is while flying over Alaska, talk about cold but that will probably be another blog post. Whatever you do, wherever your travels take you it's always such a great feeling to return home, like it says, there is truly "no place like home" 

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All images and words © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Water Taxi Anyone?

While in China I was enjoying the beauty of Hangzhou which has been a favorite retreat for people of prominence and imperial rulers for centuries. The splendor of Hangzhou is centered on and around the greatness of the massive West Lake, the largest part of West Lake is known as the Outer Lake and it is bounded by the North Inner Lake, Yuehu Lake, West Inner Lake and Lesser South Lake. Now you can see why I spent so much time on this lake and I have posted several images taken here and the cool ting is no two photos look like the same location either. The water taxi or tour boat was a relaxing way to take in the entire lake this boat trip took about 45 mins and we saw why this lake is so popular that boast 20 million visitors a year, not bad, that's like a good amusement park in America's visitor count. West Lake is a great place to spend a day you can enjoy a peaceful bike ride around the lake or take a boat either way you can’t go wrong on this must see while in Hangzhou.  

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All images and words © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is a double-decker bridge across the Yangtze River and its upper deck is part of the China National Highway 104, the lower deck is the railway passage. This bridge is massive and impressive. This day it was overcast and light rain the entire day, but it was still worth the visit. This bridge is also one of the premier destinations for suicide which is not part of any tour group I’m sure. Nanjing is a very busy and it’s an important city commerce hub, but the real treat of Nanjing is the people and old world charm of this historical city. 

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All images and words © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

 

Fisherman's Wharf in Taiwan

If you want a nice afternoon of relaxation and sightseeing just hop a jet to Taiwan and take the bullet train to Kaohsiung and go directly you the fisherman's wharf. If you hike up to the top of the hill and you will find a beautiful little outdoor cafe where you can grab a drink and a snack, but the real treat is the view of the wharf. If hiking up 1,000's of steps to catch the view is not your thing you can just walk around the fishing boats and you can find a small cafe where you can sit outside and enjoy the fresh sea breeze and close your eyes and just imagine your back 200 years before cars and motor scooters became the noise that drown out nature and the relaxing sounds of the ocean. 

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Sign of the Times or Just Gibberish?

Is this the sign of the times or just gibberish? When I got off the train in Danshui Taiwan my first reaction was WTF? Where am I going from this point and then of course you follow the crowd or if you’re lucky like me you’re traveling with someone who speaks and reads the language and you navigate from there. If you don’t have a local guide, you learn to ask strangers for help and read maps even in languages you don't understand. This got me thinking about people who risk everything to migrate to a foreign land where they don't know anybody and don't speak the predominate language of that new country and they risk it all for the chance at a new and better life for themselves and their families, man what guts and faith that must take. You wonder are things so bad where they are coming from and what made them so desperate to feel they have no options left, or on the flip side do they have a dream so big, so consuming, and so strong they don't view this as a huge risk because their faith is so huge, so strong that this is their calling it's no longer a risk but the only path for their life. Have you ever had a passion so strong that you went against the dominate belief or the general condenses that you were willing to risk a sure thing and risk the safety of what you were taught and threw caution to the wind and followed your heart, your passion, your dream because your faith in God and yourself was enough that the fear left you and it was replaced with a calm and clarity of what your future might be? If you haven't had that voice inside you, I hope and pray that one day you too will find your calling, your passion, and your reason for being.

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Saturday in the park...

A Walk in Paradise

There is nothing more relaxing than a quiet walk on a beach either in the early morning or at sunset; this photo taken in the early morning on Coronado Island in San Diego. It’s not a secret to anyone who knows me or reads my blog “I Love Coronado Island”; I truly believe that it’s near perfect for my personality and desires. I love the surf, I love Islands, I love sailboats in a quaint little harbor, I love great food, and Coronado has all this plus the greatest hotel on earth, The Hotel Del Coronado. Go visit and take your personal walk in paradise. 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Parade Floats Are Cool

Parade floats are cool for so many reasons, first; just the sheer creation of the concept of the float and how it works all the engineering that goes into the float, second; the creative minds who think up the float design that is the finished product that we see with all the colors, lights, music, the visual elements, and thirdly; to me the execution of all aspects of the float experience the people who put all the bells and whistles together so we can enjoy the float rolling down the road during the parade. This float I captured during The Texas State Fair and this was to highlight the Chinese Lantern exhibit they had at the fair grounds. I love the colors and just the delight to experience these modern marvels every year at the State Fair of Texas nightly parade.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Life's Thrill Ride

Fear the great motivator to either do something or not to do it? I love going to amusement parks, state fairs, or local carnivals something about the atmosphere and the food, I love the smell of the worst food on earth. The rides have always intrigued me too, maybe its the thrill the ride offers the riders or maybe its the NASCAR mentality where you know a wreck could happen at any moment that's why they are called "thrill" rides. I do enjoy the typical roller coaster with it's steep incline and rapid descent into turn after turn, but I know I'm attached to a rail, which for some reason makes me think I'm safer, or am I? Life is similar to a "thrill" ride it's a short time we are here and it's exciting too see if we make it to the end of our journey without the major disaster in life. Watching our life unfold knowing that we did or did not accomplish all that we hoped for or did we come to the end of our journey filled with disappointment and regret? I challenge you to reevaluate where you are and what changes can you make to make sure your journey ends with found memories and experiences that you can be proud of and one that your family can say your life was a full of accomplishments, a life with few regrets, a life you'd be proud for your family to emulate, a life God will say good job, you ran a good race.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Why I hate Plastic Bottles

I don’t dislike plastic beverage (water) bottles for the same reasons most people hate them, I do moderately recycle, I’m not concerned about saving landfills, I’m not too concerned about toxins they may contain as part of the material DNA, I’m not really motivated about getting a nickel back from each bottle I take to a recycle center even though these are all good reason not to indorse plastic bottles, my reason for this bitterness is people do not really know how to use them when drinking and this has become so clear to me while trying to enjoy my yoga practice, that’s right yoga has brought this abuse to my attention. The plastic bottle was designed to hold liquid so you can enjoy the liquid when you are ready to drink, but here is where I get irritated….You do not need to “squeeze” the dam bottle to get the liquid out and into your body, “gravity” will allow as much liquid as you can handle at any one time to enter your mouth. “Do Not” squeeze the plastic bottle the noise is like finger nails on a chalk board, don’t do it, show some manners, some class, don’t be a pig, hold up the bottle and let gravity drain as much beverage as you desire. Squeezing doesn’t accomplish anything, nada amigo! Drink with class and everyone will appreciate it and not to mention you won’t disrupt my personal meditation time and we both can be in a Zen like state of bliss, Namaste. 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

Waiting, wow the one word we don't really care to hear, wait! Wait what, I want it now, I need it now, I deserve it now, wait no way. In a society that is build on instant gratification, if you doubt this look at the inventions of drive thru restaurants, pharmacy, and liquor stores, the convenience store, smart phones, quick emergency medical care that advertise no wait times, etc. If your a surfer you lean the discipline of waiting between waves, you learn to appreciate the fact if you wait the pay-off might be the perfect wave. Are you waiting for the perfect wave? The hardest thing in life to learn is how to be content with where you are in your life at this moment, it might not be what you want, it might not be perfect, but do you appreciate where you are in your life's journey right now? If you can be happy where you are you have found peace and you know that the perfect wave might be up next, that is a winning outlook on life.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope 2014 is a great year full of love, happiness, and peace! As I was looking back on 2013 this is still one of my favorite images, just the simplicity and innocence of children loving the beach experience, they didn't realize it at that moment but they were building childhood memories that will last a lifetime. Make as many new life long memories as you can in the coming year. The advice I live by and what I have passed down to my kids, spend your money on life experiences and not possessions. In twenty years you won't remember what shoes you wore yesterday, but you will never forget experiencing a beautiful waterfall or sunset.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.