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| Photo Gallery I have been a photographer since the 1970s. In the 1990s I won first place in the Everett Herald photo contest for a photo I took of the Blue Angels and Mount Rainier (see below) in Seattle. Earlier I won some awards in a British Columbia photo contest. I'm primarily a landscape photographer, but am interested in other aspects of photography, too. In the past I have used Nikon and Nikkormat film cameras. Currently I do most of my photography with a Panasonic ZS6. I prefer the less bulky aspects of this pocket camera, which gives remarkable photos for its size. I hope you enjoy these photos. 
Travel: Nashville, 2011 Slide Show In February my longtime friend Mike (Spumoni) Manetas and I made a pilgrimage to Nashville to attend the bluegrass convention held annually by SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) at the Sheraton Hotel. This is a 24/7 presentation of bluegrass with both formal stage shows and informal jamming throughout the hotel. While we were there we were able to make a number of side trips with our rental car including day trips to the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg and the city of Chattanooga, as well as a visit to Goodlettsville, the home of many bluegrass musicians including the late Bill Monroe. A highlight was an invitation from my friend Ronnie McCoury to attend the Grand 'Ole 'Opry with a backstage pass. Ronnie's father, Del, is a member of the 'Opry (Ronnie is in the band) and it was quite an experience. Please see BB's Blog for a complete description of the trip. 
Hiking: North Cascades-Maple Pass 2010 Slide Show Breathtaking views on these two hikes, both of which Stan Miller and I hiked in the summer of 2010. The first of which, to Maple Pass, begins near Rainy Pass on the North Cascades highway. It is possible to make a loop hike as there are two trailheads to choose from. I recommend heading up the more northerly of the two and returning the other route, though either method is fine. You will be treated to increasingly dramatic vistas, topping out about 7000 feet. Same thing for Yellow Aster Butte, which is located east of Bellingham off the Mt. Baker highway. This one tops out at over 6000 feet, and there are stunning views of Mt. Baker and other Cascade peaks once you clear tree line. It was hot the day we hiked and I regretted not bringing more water with me, so keep that in mind. The hike is steep in spots, but the views are so dramatic you're hardly aware of discomfort. 
Hiking: Yellow Aster Butte 2010 Slide Show 
Travel: Oregon Coast/California Redwoods 2010 Slide Show Jen and I traveled to California in early April to visit longtime friends in Arcata/Eureka, where I used to live. The trip was sweetened by an offer from my friend, Mike "Spumoni" Manetas, for a "honeymoon" night at a beautiful bed and breakfast near Trinidad, California. On the return trip we came up the Oregon coast, always a delightful journey. You can read more about this at my Blog.  Bicycling Vancouver, 2010 Slide Show In late January Jen and I, along with our friends John and Deanne Lindstrom, boarded Amtrak with our bicycles for a two-hour trip to Vancouver, B.C. This is the third time we have made this trip. The train scheduling is perfect: Outbound the train leaves Mt. Vernon, Washington at 9:15am. The return is at 5:45pm, so we had nearly three full days of bicycling. Additionally, the Talgo trains that run from Seattle to Vancouver have racks for 6 bicycles so there is no packing. Our intention was to bike around this pedestrian/bicycle friendly city, and not once, from beginning to end, did we ever get inside an automobile. To do this, we packed very lightly (I had a daypack and one change of clothes) and stayed at the Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver's West End, near Stanley Park. This is about a 4-mile ride from Pacific Central Station, but most of our biking all weekend long was on bicycle-friendly paths or designated lanes. Some would say we were crazy to undertake this adventure in the dead of Winter (our two other visits were also in Winter), but we were fortunate with 50 degree temperatures and partly sunny skies. All told we bicycled 49 miles nary a drop of rain or snow -- more like April than January. Mackinac Island/Tahquamenon Falls 2009 Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron a few miles east of the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas. It features a small Victorian village, vintage homes and hotels, and no motorized traffic. Transportation on the island is by foot, bicycle, horse, or horse-drawn carriage. It is also the location of the Grand Hotel one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Built in 1887 and sitting on a bluff overlooking Lake Huron, it has marvelous Victorian appointments and supposedly the longest front porch of any hotel in the world. We spent a day on the island recently and you can read about that at BB's Blog. We also visited Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan's upper peninsula. With a 50-foot drop and 200 feet across the Upper Falls is one of the largest east of the Mississippi. We spent a very rainy few hours visiting it but photography is actually sometimes enhanced by overcast, rainy conditions. You can also read about our experiences at BB's Blog. Bella Coola : 2009 From 1980-84 I lived in the remote mountain community of Bella Coola, British Columbia. I moved there at the urging of my then wife. Located in a 50-mile long valley at the head of the ocean inlet Burke Channel, with 6-9 thousand foot peaks as a boundary, this is one spectacular place. While I was there I worked for the B.C. Forest Service, on a boat much of the time supervising "Handlogger" operations. These are independent "gyppo" type loggers who selectively cut trees from shoreline areas along the hundreds of miles of inlets on the Central Coast. I left Bella Coola in 1984 but have continued to return to visit. Recently Jen and I, along with some friends, returned to the community for a week. I have written about this trip in BB's Blog in addition to the slide show. Bella Coola/Chilcotin : 1980-1990 Slide Show These are some of my early photos, dating to when I first arrived in the Bella Coola valley. They include photos of my days on the Forestry boat, Oliver Clark II, patroling the waters of the central coastal areas of British Columbia; people and places around the Bella Coola Valley including the pteroglyphs; and the Chilcotin plateau, across which you must drive to get to Bella Coola. I spent 4 years living there, and make periodic trips back. Hiking: Mt. St Helens Crater 1989-90 In the summer of 1989 and 1990 my geologist friend John Pitlick, who was then working at the Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington, invited me to accompany him on a couple of expeditions he was making into the crater, for educational and scientific purposes. I quickly accepted. This was one of the most interesting trips I have ever done. At the time the volcano was just approaching a decade since the eruption of 1980. There was little in the way of vegetation, though we did see a number of plants returning at the base, near Spirit Lake (imagine my surprise when I actually got stung by a bee in the crater, where there is no greenery!). We observed many pyroclastic flows and debris avalanches, and nearly constant, dusty rockfalls from the crater walls. It was a barren environment, for the most part -- it made me think that this must be what it like to be on the moon -- but we also encountered flowing water which was incising new canyons. One of the rivers was thermal, and the algal bloom and steam therein created in this stark environment was like an image from Dante's Inferno. The river led to a beautiful waterfall of several hundred feet at the lip of the crater. We were able to get to the base of the new dome, where we observed the formation of the newest rocks in the world! The dome is now considerably larger, and there have been a number of "events," some major, since our visit. Thus the environment has likely changed significantly. Enjoy these photographic postcards. NOTE: It is unlawful to hike without permission in or near the crater -- we had a permit. 
Darrington Bluegrass The small town of Darrington is tucked in a lovely valley of the North Cascade mountains of Washington state. It is (or was) a logging community primarily, and in the 1940s a large number of folks from the Sylva, North Carolina area moved to Darrington for that very purpose. They brought with them their Smokey Mountain culture, most notably their music. The first bluegrass band in the state was in place by 1957, Fred McFall's "Carolina Mountain Boys." By the 1970s, a "Tarheel" picnic had evolved into a full-fledged bluegrass festival which is still going strong. Additionally a monthly jam at the high school is still active and occasionally touring bluegrass bands are invited to perform at concerts there. These photos come from the festival, the jams, and the concerts featuring Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys; Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys; Mac Wiseman; and the Osborne Brothers, as well as some of the notable local Tarheel musicians. Many of these photos are from the 1980s and unfortunately have deteriorated a little. National Oldtime Fiddler Contest Weiser, Idaho: 1973-2003 Slide Show III People and Places, 1980s  Washington is where I live (since 1984). I have also resided in California and British Columbia, both beautiful in their own right. However, I have always felt most comfortable in the northwest corner of the lower 48. The images in this group come from various environments in the state, all of which have their own intrinsic charm. A great place to live!  Trout Lake In 1953 my father, Ford Brower, along with three others, purchased some property at a remote lake in Ontario, accessible only by train, and lacking in any amenities. They were fishermen and purchased 3 acres with a small, tar-papered cabin. At that time it was an all-day drive to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from their home in Wayland, in southern Michigan. At the "Soo" they boarded the Algoma Central Railroad train for the scenic 57-mile trip to Trout Lake. There, the train dropped them off with their baggage but they still had to get across the lake to the property in a small boat. At the cabin there was no electricity, no bathing facilities (except the lake), no phones, no television, no indoor bathroom. Only a few other cabins existed on the lake, which were infrequently occupied. Their company was often just bear and moose, the daily train, and the large rainbow trout they hoped to catch. My father loved this cabin and went there at least once every year until he became ill with Alzheimer's Disease in the early 1980s and could no longer function well enough to travel. Nonetheless, since they had purchased the property on a "right of survivorship" and the others had died, he became the sole owner by the late 1980s even though he was too ill to use the cabin. After my father died in 1994 I decided to do something about it, and began a renovation that is still in progress. Thanks to carpenters Pat Thayer (from Washington) and Kim Tezak, as well as help from Jon Chrestensen, Neal Conway, and Jen. All the materials had to be brought in by train, then transported across the lake in small fishing boats. Quite a logistical operation but we pulled it off and the contrast is evident in the slide show. None of this would have been accomplished without the considerable kindness, generosity, advice, and hospitality of Ron Lints, who allowed us to stay at his cabin during the renovation, and at his home in Traverse City, Michigan.  Merlefest
MerleFest is a huge Americana music festival held every April in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. It is named in honor of the late Merle Watson, son of the legendary blind guitarist, Doc Watson. Begun in 1988 with 4 thousand attendees MerleFest now (2009) attracts upwards of 80 thousand in late April each year. A trademark of this festival is the intermingling of musicians in jam contexts, allowing for some interesting combinations of talents. I attended twice, in 1993 and 1995, and was privileged to have a backstage pass. As a result I was able to get some good photos of the performers, and they are published here for the first time. For more info: /http://www.merlefest.org  To me Bill Monroe is one of the most important musical figures of the 20th Century. Why do I say this? Monroe is widely considered the "Father of Bluegrass" music, one of the few musicians of any era who can lay claim to an entire musical genre. Additionally, in my view, he was, and still is, the premier musician to have ever played the music. His vocal and instrumental approach defined the music from its origins in the 1940s, his songwriting ranks with the best, his recordings are almost all standards recorded and performed by innumerable disciples. Since his death in 1996, "Big Mon" remains the "Big Ship," the "Wheel Hoss" of bluegrass to which most serious musicians aspire. Without a doubt his music will be emulated on recordings, performed on stage, and practiced in the parking lots long after many of today's bluegrass "stars" have mostly been forgotten.  Vietnam/AFVN In 1969 and '70 I was drafted and sent to Vietnam, much against my will. At first I was a journalist for the 1st Logistical Command at Army Headquarters in Long Binh, but got sideways to Lt. Colonel John V. Curry supervising the office and ended up in Cam Ranh Bay where I was dispatched to work at AFVN on Hon Tre Island, off Nha Trang. You may recognize the name AFVN (American Forces Vietnam Network) from the movie Good Morning, Vietnam. AFVN was based in Saigon (now, Ho Chi Minh City) but had detachments throughout the country. It featured live TV and Radio shows as well as pre-recorded American programs on audio or videotape which moved from detachment to detachment - kind of a loose network. Thus some programs were months old by the time soldiers saw or heard them. At AFVN my job was to broadcast sports - of all the things to be drafted for - how important was that to the war effort! The slides in this show are momentos of that experience. Note: Nearly 40 years has dimmed my memory of some people and places. If you recognize anything/anyone not identified here, please contact me: Contact Barry As an epilogue, I recently looked at Hon Tre Island via Google Earth. There is absolutely nothing remaining of AFVN or the other Army buildings you will see in this slide show. Just a wind-blown ridge and earth finally returning to its natural state - as it should be. Meanwhile, just down the slopes from where we dodged incoming mortar rounds, there's now a five-star resort. The folly of war... Slide Show 2000-2004 | |
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