During an eruption at Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi, we heard the roar of 1,470-foot-high lava fountains, felt the radiated heat on our faces, and stood agape as tephra (volcanic ejecta) fell around us.

A four-day visit to the central California coast with my camera in late November-early December 2025 included stops at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, and Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove.

The warming climate poses an existential threat to the majestic polar bear.

Following a memorable first attempt at photographing Crater Lake at night (see earlier post), I returned two months later for another try.