• Tagged abandoned houses, Ben Canales, environment, nature, night photography, Oregon, photographer, photography, space, star trails, stargazing, stars

Ben Canales has astounding skills as a night photographer, capturing the child-like wonder and awe of our world as we stare up at the stars. When he was younger, he lived in an urban area where a starry night means maybe seeing a maximum of 20 stars. Now he lives on the West Coast “nearby some very dark, much less light-polluted night skies. It’s been a thrill and a treasured experience to look up and see a literal field of diamonds in the stars above.” Besides photographing the stars for personal enjoyment, Ben does it for us so we can feel the wonder of the sky as if we are standing under it ourselves and gazing up. He snaps glittering starry shots in amazing natural landscapes and also captures the night sky nearby abandoned houses way out in the middle of nowhere. He climbs mountains and pitches a tent far away from civilization to better bring us these amazing images of the stars. Ben quotes Van Gogh: “For my part I know nothing with any certainy, but the sight of the stars make me dream.” We were blown away, absolutely dazzled, when we saw his breathtaking photos on The Star Trail. Wowza! We love these pics! [40 Photos]

• Tagged event, holiday, Native American nations, Native Americans, people, pow wow, powwow

At the first Thanksgiving there were 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans who feasted for three days. Yet when you look at the First Thanksgiving history, art shows mostly pilgrims outfitted in clothing that they probably didn’t wear and a small amount of Native Americans. The depicted scenes irk me as it’s all about the pilgrims and totally skewed — or perhaps screwed which is where the pilgrims would have been without help from Native Americans. The new colonists were suffering illness and malnutrition, and most likely would not have survived had it not been for Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe. Squanto helped forge an alliance between the settlers and the Wampanoag tribe. So this is a bit different for a Thanksgiving post, but hey what can I say other than be thankful and hope you enjoy the very beautifully and brightly-colored pow wows. Happy Thanksgiving! [50 Fantastic Photos]

• Tagged forgotten, holiday, homeless, hungry, invisible, people, Thanksgiving

Food for thought . . . because that’s all some folks have. Somewhere in the war between the 1% and the 99% are The Forgotten, The Invisible, the Homeless and Hungry with no hope. So while you are preparing for Thanksgiving (or any time) could you not buy a little extra to donate to a food pantry, a soup kitchen? You won’t be sorry; those little random acts of kindness will give you a warm fuzzy glow inside. If you don’t have the time around a holiday to help out at a soup kitchen, and you don’t have the money to help, chew on these images as food for thought because thoughts, regrets and broken dreams are all some folks will feast on this Thanksgiving. This may be hard to look at? Be thankful for all that you do have. [35 Photos]
This one is for you, Mich.

• Tagged animals, Appalachians, black bears, Blue Ridge Mountains, cougar, environment, Grandfather Mountain, habitats, mountains, nature, North Carolina, photography, puma, river otters, wildlife

Grandfather Mountain, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a part of the Appalachians, rises 5,946 feet above sea level. The elevation allows the mountain to boast of 16 distinct ecological communities. There are 7 environmental habitats featuring cougars, white-tailed deer, black bears and river otters. The Mile High Swinging Bridge is one mile up and offers visitors 360-degree panoramic views as far as 100 miles away on a clear day. Hikers, nature and animals lovers flock here for the outstanding views, rugged landscapes, and to find the ‘peace of mind’ that nature gives those of us who love it. The Grandfather Mountain website suggests that there is still a part us that is 9 years old and ready for fun and play. “With rocky outcroppings and fragile forest hideaways to explore, it’s easy to tap your inner adventurer.” [46 Photos]

• Tagged environment, nature, New Seven Wonders of Nature

On 11/11/11, the provisional winners on the New 7 Wonders of Nature were announced: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River, and Table Mountain. Voting started in 2007 and ended in 2011 with over 100 million votes from around the world. The announcement came along with: It is possible that there will be changes between the above provisional winners and the eventual finally confirmed winners. The voting calculation is now being checked, validated and independently verified, and the confirmed winners will be announced starting early 2012 during the Official Inauguration ceremonies.The worldwide votes were led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New7Wonders Foundation which is a Swiss-based, government-controlled foundation. We love nature, all nature, and want it preserved and kept clean without heavy evidence of humans passing through by leaving trash and other traces on trails. Sadly the Grand Canyon did not make the final cut. Neither did the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands, the Black Forest, or Angel Falls which were some of our favorites and seemed to be doing well according to voting trends! Just the same, congratulations to the world class winners and new 7 wonders of nature. Here they are as described by the New7Wonders. [29 Photos]

• Tagged animals, environment, Indonesia, komodo dragons, Komodo National Park, National Park, nature, New Seven Wonders of Nature, reptiles, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Komodo National Park in Indonesia is another of the 28 finalists in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition. The park has much more than reptiles, but it was founded to protect one of the world’s largest lizards — Komodo Dragons. In time, the national park expanded its conservation goals to protect marine life as well. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and has maintained a high rank in the New Wonders of Nature competition. Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and many smaller ones. [35 Photos]

• Tagged environment, Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound, Milford Track, nature, New Seven Wonders of Nature, New Zealand

Beautiful Milford Sound is one of New Zealand’s most popular destinations. It’s a fjord located in the southwest of NZ’s South Island and is within the Fiordland National Park. Rudyard Kipling once dubbed it ‘the eighth Wonder of the World’ and its natural beauty is internationally renowned. Having been carved by a glacier, hundreds of temporary waterfalls cascade off the steep cliffs after a heavy rain. Milford Sound is another of the 28 finalists in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition. One side note, as a bonus, if you ever have a desire to get away from it all for real, to poof off the radar for the ‘ultimate privacy,’ New Zealand is the most highly recommended place where you can ‘vanish’ without a trace and live a happy life. [43 Photos]

• Tagged Devil's Throat, environment, Iguazu Falls, Iguazu River, nature, New Seven Wonders of Nature, UNESCO World Heritage Site, waterfalls

Iguazu Falls, in the Iguazu River, is one of the largest waterfalls in the world and a tremendous natural wonder being that there are about 275 separate waterfalls ranging from 200 – 269 feet high. Devil’s Throat is the tallest of these falls which extend for nearly two miles in a huge semi-circle. Iguazu Falls is another of the very popular finalists in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition.The legend behind this giant falls goes like this: A god planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage the god sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. Iguazu Falls is located near the border of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The area has two National Parks, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [26 Photos]