船过水无痕

Wow, it's been two years since I last kayaked at Lake Barrington.

As I read through the notes below, all I can say is -- I used to know how to write.

I went back there again over the weekend. The little lake provided tremendous beauty and calmness, nothing else needs to be said...

船过水无痕

Lake Barrington, IL 

August 27, 2022

 

 

August 23, 2020

 

Not sure if I'm going to document every small, insignificant trip I make during the 2020 pandemic... I might, simply because they have become such rare events now.

This is the second time since mid March that I ventured out beyond grocery shopping.  Made a little kayak trip today, and I am so proud to have driven 84 miles for the day!!  Many of my friends asked me how I'd adjusted the significant change in my lifestyle -- staying home for months without any personal or business travel.  Strangely, I really didn't feel that the change required any efforts. I love it, and I am totally at peace to stay home all day, every day!  Maybe this is how the world should be -- human beings probably don't really need to fly around and "appear" to be so busy. 

Again, I really, truly appreciate the opportunity over the past 5 months to slow down and settle down.  To have the time and interest to ask myself a few simple questions and allow myself to reflect every day on what's really important in life... When you think about it, do we really need to rush through life -- like how we've done over the past many years????

Live the life you love, love the life you live!

Lake Barrington, IL

August 23, 2020

Morning Mist

Is there a better way to start the day?

iPhone photos - next to my tennis court.

Naperville, IL

August 22, 2022 

6:43am

 

Faroese Salmon

Salmon from the Faroe Islands is renowned for its superior quality and taste.

The geographical position of the Faroe Islands is ideal for farming Atlantic salmon. The remote location of the Faroe Islands is complemented by pristine clear waters, cool steady sea temperatures, strong currents and accessible fjords.

The surroundings in the Faroe Islands are the natural feeding ground of wild Atlantic Salmon. Wild salmon leave the rivers of Europe and travel to the feeding grounds around the islands. Here these wild salmon grow and thrive before heading back to the rivers of Europe to spawn.

Atlantic Salmon has adapted to this environment for thousands of years and therefore the Faroese can proudly say that salmon is farmed in its naturally desired surroundings in the Faroe Islands.

Faroe Islands

August 2, 2022

 

 

Atlantic Puffins

I lost 4Ibs during the Faroe Islands trip. In addition to staying up all night to photograph sunset and sunrise continuously, I also had to skip meals for these violent boat rides.

July 30, 2022, we were scheduled to take a boat ride to Mykines Island to photograph the Atlantic Puffins. To avoid motion sickness, I didn't eat breakfast, and took Dramamine before leaving the hotel. We drove in the rain for about 30 minutes when we got a call from Port Sorvagur informing us that the boat to Mykines Island had been cancelled due to high winds in the ocean. Wow, not only did I skip breakfast, I was also on Dramamine... Of course we couldn't go back to the hotel. Our schedule for the day got changed to go to the Traelanipan Cliff (the Slave Cliff), which involved hiking 40 minutes one way with over 20Ibs of camera gears. I successfully passed the "12-hour fasting" test.

July 31, 2022, it was our second chance to go to Mykines Island for the puffins. I learned one thing from the previous day -- do NOT take Dramamine until the boat ride is confirmed. But still, I skipped breakfast again in anticipation of the violent boat ride... On our way to the Port, our boat to Mykines was confirmed, and that's when I took Dramamine. The boat ride was violent and WILD to say the least!!

Puffins are pelagic seabirds. They feed primarily by diving in the water and breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands. The Atlantic Puffins are found in the North Atlantic Ocean.

To my knowledge, the large colonies of Atlantic Puffins are in the northwest corner of Iceland and the Mykines Island, part of the Faroe Islands. In the US, you might be able to see them in Maine.

Faroe Islands

July 31, 2022

Traveling with My iPhone

Can we travel over 12,000 miles around the world with an iPhone? Yes, we CAN!!

During this trip, I intentionally tried to take more photos with my iPhone. I am looking forward to the day when I can travel the world like a normal person -- enjoy the scenery without heavy camera gears; I am looking forward to the day when I can accept my iPhone photos as successful captures of beauty; and I am looking forward to the day when I can truly be present for the wonders of nature.

Here are a few iPhone photos from Faroe Islands. Enjoy!!

Faroe Islands

July-August, 2022

 

The Sunrise

I'm sending the long awaited sunrise mentioned in the story below. The moment was incredible, and was almost impossible to be fully captured by a camera. 

It once again made me think about the best ways to enjoy wonders of our lives -- should they be seen through a small viewfinder or be felt with our heart and soul being fully present?

What's the true meaning and value of photography?  

Faroe Islands

July 29, 2022

4:47am

 

 

Noctilucent Clouds

Noctilucent clouds, also called night-shining clouds, are thin clouds high up in Earth's atmosphere – the mesosphere – as much as 50 miles above Earth's surface. They are made of ice crystals that form on fine dust particles from meteors.

Still remember the moment when I unwillingly made this shot.

We finished our sunset shooting around 11:30pm. Stopped by a gas station for hot chocolate because I was totally freezing. The next thing I learned was we were not going back to the hotel. Instead, we'd be driving over an hour to the sunrise location. Sunrise was a little after 4am. We parked our car at this location hoping to take a nap. It was windy, cold outside, and we were all exhausted. Then I heard someone running around grabbing his cameras, for these rare clouds. I really didn't want to get out of the car... but I did, unwillingly.

You know the rest of the story. Take another look at the photo -- not because it's good, but because it takes strong will to produce.   

Faroe Islands

July 29, 2022 

3:28am