New York City only schedules ticker tape parades for big historical events and celebrations of national pride. American hostages being freed and returning to the US after 444 days of captivity during the Iran Hostage Crisis was one of those times. On a cold morning in early February 1981, the returned hostages paraded through lower Manhattan to a huge outpouring of national pride and tons of ticker tape cascading from every building along the route in lower Manhattan. Yellow ribbons, adopted as a symbol during the crisis to keep the national focus on the release of the hostages as a priority, were everywhere. Marching bands, music, and large cheering crowds of every age group and ethnicity contributed to the excitement and spectacle.

The fall season on the Florida Gulf Coast panhandle has very little of the summer overactivity and more temperate weather. We visited unique beach towns from Rosemary Beach to Ft. Walton, including Watercolor and Dune Allen which have grown into their own small, beautiful little beach towns. Long walks on the beach, relaxing under a beach umbrella, just sitting enjoying the views from the condo balcony were all memorable. Rain or shine, it didn't matter. Yes, the area is more commercially developed than ever and hurricanes have taken their toll on the beaches, but pockets of beauty still exist. Fall is where it's at on the Florida Panhandle.

I've been in business for well over a year and have been remiss in acknowledging the person responsible for my Tartuga's Pond logo. As a matter of fact, this person just happens to be my daughter, Kari Lennox Gonsalves (recently married). So this is a heart-felt shout-out to Kari for her help and support in getting my new photographic fine art endeavor started. Currently employed as a Graphic Designer at CNN International, she is, in my opinion, a very talented graphic designer, illustrator, and multimedia artist. Lucky me.

On a recent trip out west to Oregon, my wife and I decided to extend our trip by driving from Portland to Seattle. We had never been there and wanted to experience a little of what Washington state had to offer before returning to the East Coast. In planning our trip, Mt. Rainier was on the way, so we decided to spend a night and day at the mountain as the Mt. Rainier National Park was definitely on our bucket list. Our oldest son, who had previously been to Mt. Rainier, suggested we stay at the Paradise Inn up on the mountain. What's not to like about a place called Paradise - right. It's gotta be great. So we booked it.

A while back my youngest son moved to Oregon to begin a new life with his soon to be fiancee. Of course my wife and I miss him, so this was a good reason to visit a place we had never been before. We began to plan a trip soon after my son and his intended settled in Beaverton, a suburb of Portland and the home of Nike. Our plan was to travel in the spring, visit with our son and meet his girlfriend's family, and spend a few days out on the coast. Being first timers, we weren't fully prepared for the natural beauty we were about to see.