Category Archives: Postcards

Postcard From Fredericksburg, Texas

The Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas

This past weekend, Kathy & I spent some time in Fredericksburg, Texas, which is the heart of Texas wine country. Didn’t know Texas made wine? Well, sure ’nuff they do!

We stayed at a lovely motel located at the Gillespie County airport called the Hangar Hotel. It is styled after a WWII hangar from the 1940s, complete with an Officer’s Club bar and an airport diner. It was a great place to hang out for a few days, watching the planes come and go, including an impressive number of business prop and jet aircraft.

We’re in Florida now, getting ready for another cruise that starts Friday. More photos in the works!

Bonus Postcard! The Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas

Postcard From Prague

St. Vitus Cathedral and the Prague Castle complex viewed from the Stefanik Bridge over the Vlatava River

Kathy and I are currently in Prague, getting ready for a river cruise upon the Danube River starting tomorrow. This morning was the first and only opportunity I had to get out early to photograph this view of the Prague Castle and Saint Vitus Cathedral. I was rewarded with some nice morning light and a rising sun behind me illuminating the castle and the castle grounds.

I’m finding that the process to move photos from my camera to my phone is pretty cumbersome, so I may not be posting a lot over the next few days. But I will catch up with photos when I get home!

Postcard From Eagle Harbor, Michigan

The copper mining industry began on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the 1840s. Lake Superior’s unreliable disposition meant that passing ships needed navigational assistance, and in 1851 the original lighthouse was built. The wooden tower which supported a fourth-order Fresnel lens illuminated by an oil lamp soon deteriorated, and in 1871 it was replaced by the present red brick structure. In 1895 a fog signal was added.
In the 1960s, the Fresnel lens was replaced by aviation beacon-type white and red lights, which beam their warning to ships more than 20 miles offshore. After being tended by 22 keepers since 1851, the lighthouse became automated in 1980 and the last personnel left in 1982.

We spent a couple of days sightseeing in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, and as part of our rounds we stopped at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse for some photos. The lighthouse is an important part of Eagle Harbor’s history and is a familiar icon for those who visit.

I would typically want to photograph a lighthouse at dusk with the beacon operating, but our timing did not permit that for this trip!

Postcard From Mackinaw City, Michigan

The Mackinac Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac, separating Lake Huron and Lake Michigan

We’re on our way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and stopped for the night in Mackinaw City. We took advantage of the 9:30 sunset time to head out to the shore of Lake Huron to photograph the Mackinac Bridge at dusk. There wasn’t much color but the bridge was quite impressive regardless!

Yes, the different spellings of the words Mackinac and Mackinaw are a little confusing, but I’m pretty sure I have it right! 🙂