View Obscura

Last December my travels took me to the southern Arkansas town of El Dorado. During my short time there I spent a wonderful rainy walk through the South Arkansas Arboretum that was nothing short of magical. I was impressed by the acres of flora and the beauty of the changing colors that surrounded me. Arkansas Bucket List Adventure Guide: Explore 100 Offbeat Destinations You Must Visit! Paperback - $14.99 @ Amazon.com On Friday I was blessed to be able to return to the arboretum and experience how the forested area would look in summer. Again my rather warm but pleasant stroll around the grounds was filled with color, textures and the amazing contrasts of dark and light filtered through the rather thick canopy of trees. As you know I never set out on one of these adventures without my trusty camera around my neck and on this day I paid special attention to those colors and contrasts as my eye searched for areas and items to photograph. I really wanted to capture images that told a stor...

This week I had the blessing of being able to travel into Texas to pick up some items for work. My travels took me through several small towns in the eastern part of the state and I really enjoyed the scenery. Texas Bucket List: Set Off on 150 Epic Adventures and Discover Incredible Destinations to Live Out Your Dreams While Creating Unforgettable Memories that Will Last a Lifetime. (Map Included) - $14.99 @ Amazon.com When I traveled through the small town of Newton I was struck by the amazing architectural structure that occupied the center of its town square. I am of course referring to the Newton County Courthouse which stands out due to its unique design. I discovered that the building has had a rather interesting history. The current Newton County Courthouse is the second courthouse built in Newton replacing one constructed in 1853 shortly after Newton became the county seat. The first county courthouse was constructed in Burkeville in 1848, two years following the establishment ...

 From the Palm Springs Air Museum: The Douglas built C-47 Skytrain (aka Dakota, aka “Gooney Bird”) was a superlative military aircraft and saw widespread use by every Allied service in every theater of WWII. The C-47, a modified DC-3, became famous for carrying paratroopers and towing gliders full of soldiers and heavy equipment into battle. The C-47 was used to deploy the first airborne troops in July 1943 when C-47s dropped almost 4,000 paratroopers into Sicily. In June 1944 more than 1,000 C-47s dropped paratroopers before and during the Normandy D-Day invasion. In 60 hours, C-47s alone airlifted more than 60,000 paratroopers and their equipment into Normandy. World War II Fighter Planes Spotter's Guide Paperback - $11.99 @Amazon.com In the Pacific, with careful use of the island landing strips of the Pacific Ocean, C-47s were even used for ferrying soldiers serving in the Pacific theater back to the United States. C-47s in British and Commonwealth service took the name Dakota. ...

Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny 1:6 Scale Limited Edition Diorama: $229.99 @ Entertainment Earth - Order Here "Ehhh, what's up Doc?" It's Rabbit Season! Show all of your friends just how much you appreciate the original Looney Tunes character lineup with this high-quality polystone and beautifully hand-painted Bugs Bunny collectible statue. At just over 9-inches tall, this valuable collectible was delicately crafted in 1:6th scale to ensure it fits right into your collection. Limited edition of 500 pieces. Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny What's Up Doc Portrait T-Shirt - $22.99 @ Amazon.com Check Out: Bugs Bunny in Baby Buggy Bunny (1954) Toons Of Terror!!!: Bugs Bunny in Hair-Raising Hare (1946) He took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and Rigel IV Retro Saturday Morning: The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Hour (1960-2000)(ABC/CBS) Toons of Terror!!!: Porky Pig & Sylvester in SCAREDY CAT (1948)

Back in August of 2021 the world's largest operating steam locomotive, 4-8-8-4 Big Boy #4014, toured through the South and Midwest stopping at several cities and towns along the way. On the 23rd the famous locomotive ventured into central Louisiana and I fought off Covid symptoms to capture photos of it as it made a brief stop in Bunkie. Despite the grueling heat there was a large crowd of onlookers as the enormous locomotive slowly rumbled into town just after eleven in the morning. Its stay may have been just a brief stopover for maintenance, but I provided the enthusiastic onlookers a great view of this operating piece of American history. Union Pacific's Big Boys: The complete story from history to restoration - $36.62 @ Amazon.com As I mentioned I was just recovering from Covid at the time so my stamina in the blazing heat was extremely diminished. Regardless I had a passion to capture images of the locomotive that I used to sit in the cab of, before the Union Pacific rest...