The Spirit Tree of Joplin, MissouriThe "Spirit Tree," was one of the many trees in Joplin, Missouri destroyed by a deadly tornado that struck on May 22, 2011. This 40' tree on 20th Street near the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks was painted with vibrant colors inspired by Native American spirit stick art. It was done by Dolores and Darrel Bilke and members of the Tank, a public art group that has

Within the Manzanar National Historic Site is the Manzanar Cemetery. 71 years ago today Manzanar was the first of ten "relocation centers" built by the War Relocation Authority as ordered by Franklin D. Roosevelt following the attacks at Pearl Harbor. The order resulted in the forced relocation of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were native-born American citizens.  They were

This is Kimba, a feral kitty that was neutered last month at FixNation. As you can see, he's doing well despite his preferred grunge/slacker kitty appearance. About two years ago he began to show up daily on the porch for his breakfast and dinner. Even though we're friends now, he always keeps a distance of at least 15' from me when I'm near him but this morning I was able to capture this photograph

Four miles west of Lone Pine, California, nestled in the Alabama Hills along the portal road to Mount Whitney, sits Nightmare Rock. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions, especially Westerns set in an archetypical “rugged” environment. Since the early 1920s, scores of movies and television shows have been filmed here, including Tom Mix films, Hopalong

Over a hundred and forty years ago, the Great Lone Pine earthquake struck on March 26, 1872. Historical evidence detailing the damage it caused in settlements and landforms near the epicenter, and the geographic extent to which noticeable movement was felt, leads researchers to estimate a Richter magnitude of 7.6 to 8 or greater — similar in size to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Most buildings

This blog post marks a return to the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, California.  The collection features rare collectibles ranging from mechanical musical instruments and antique furniture to the true heart of the collection: over 250 American and European automobiles dating from 1898 to 1997.  To view a panorama from my previous visit to the Nethercutt and the interior of a 1937 Pierce

On a recent trip to the Bay Area, I went to see the spectacular Gaultier exhibit at the De Young in Golden Gate Park. Nearby, next to Spreckels Lake, is the Buffalo Paddock which is home to a herd of bison that live in an enclosed field.Since you can't really get close to the bison, this panoramic image is unremarkable as they appear teeny tiny in the distance due to the wide field of view of my Sigma

loadEmbeds(); Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, first opened its doors in the fall of 2011.For interior panoramic views of the venue, simply click through the images below. loadEmbeds(); Muriel McBrien Kauffman TheatreThe auditorium seats 1,800 and was inspired by the great European opera houses.Click image to view full 360°

loadEmbeds(); Appending yesterday's blog post is this panoramic image of the Bartlesville Community Center, a performing arts facility, located down the street from the Price Tower.The Center was designed by William Wesley Peters, chief architect of Taliesin Associated Architects and son-in-law of Frank Lloyd Wright.Just left of the American flag and west of the venue is a view of the Price

loadEmbeds(); Frank Lloyd Wright's signature tileThe Price Tower was originally intended to be built in Manhattan sometime in the 1920s but when the Great Depression struck, the project was shelved only to be adapted for the Oklahoma prairie in the 1950s.  It is the only extant skyscraper by Frank Lloyd Wright.The building's nickname "the tree that escaped the crowded forest" not only refers

loadEmbeds(); For 12 years Scotty's Classic Cars Museum in Arma, Kansas, educated and entertained visitors about the automobile history and its impact on society through the maintenance of exhibitions, publications, collections, records and a library. Sadly the museum was shuttered in 2011 having sold most of the contents to the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky, Texas.As

loadEmbeds(); While I was unable to actually explore the interior of the Colonial Fox Theatre during my recent visit, I was able to snap this pano of the parking lot where during the summer months the Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation presents “Friday Flix” a special series of outdoor screenings. It is a free event but donations are always appreciated and help with the organization's efforts

loadEmbeds(); Rose O'Neill and Kewpie dollsThe Ozarks were my destination while traveling along Route 66 in these past few blog posts. Specifically what I wanted to see was Bonniebrook, the home of Rose O’Neill (1874-1944) an American illustrator, author, artist, poet, sculptor, inventor, suffragette, and creator of the world famous Kewpies.Due to some heavy road construction en route to Bonniebrook,

loadEmbeds(); I was still cruising along Route 66 the day I shot this pano on my way to check out the Hornet Spooklight when I came upon the Giant Praying Hands in Webb City, Missouri. Weighing in at about a 100-tons, these hands were cast in concrete by Jack Dawson, who at the time was a 20 year old college student, back in 1972. Due to the lighting conditions, I attempted to pull out the shadows

loadEmbeds(); D.L Morris Garage & Station is located at corner of Co Rd 1142. It was built on the site of the old Heatonville Post Office (1872-1881). My dad told me that when he moved out to California back in his early twenties that he picked up on Route 66 passing through Chicago. I'd like to imagine that perhaps he fueled up at many a place like this one way back when.

loadEmbeds(); At sunset on Memorial Day, a rainstorm began to take shape when I took this pano of the Pittsburg State University Veteran's Memorial. The setting sun caused these crazy dramatic rays to cut through the clouds and across the sky. The sound of the wind blowing through the display of the 50 state flags that are featured on the north berm of the memorial made the entire experience breathtaking.Designed

loadEmbeds(); It's nearly sunset on Lollipop Row, a section of Chris Barbee's Bowling Ball Yard art in Nowata, Oklahoma. Chris, a widower, welcomed us warmly and gave us a tour of all his creations including the Bowling Ball Fence, the Bowling Ball American Flag, the Bowling Ball Rosary, the Bowling Ball Pink Ribbon (commemorated to his wife who passed from breast cancer in 2006), the Bowling Ball

loadEmbeds(); The Dalton Gang dead in Coffeyville KsIt was in Coffeyville, Kansas where the Dalton Gang was gunned down by the well-armed citizens of the town and shot 'em dead on October 5, 1892, after the outlaws were attempting to rob not one but two local banks.  The town has since erected a self-guided walking tour that culminates with "Death Alley", the exact spot in which the showdown

loadEmbeds(); On the roadside near East 300 Road and South 4130 Road just off of Highway 169 [map it] in Rogers County, Oklahoma, lays what appears to be an old NASA space capsule.The Facebook page of the Winganon Space Capsule elucidates: “The mixer wrecked when the Winganon bridge was being built in 1959. The cement hardened and the truck was hauled away while the mixer was abandoned due to weight.

A year ago a deadly EF-5 tornado ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people and damaging or destroying about 7,500 homes and 500 other buildings. Despite it all, the city is well into a significant recovery mode but there is still work to be done. Along the tornado's path at the intersection of East 20th Street and the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks, where Dillon’s

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” - BuddhaYesterday the observance of Wesak, also known as the celebration of the Buddha Full Moon, not only coincided with Cinco de Mayo but is also notable as this year's "super moon", the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. But instead of partying at a local tequila bar or dedicating my

A year ago I posted my first 360 panoramic image to my blog featuring the interior to the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation which is very similar to the image posted above. Some improvements between the one from this year and last year:Portal of the Folded Wings (exterior)"Little Planet" projectionUse of a nadir shot (to hide the tripod) using a fantastic tutorial by Florian Knorn.Use

Click to embiggenLast Saturday night's concert of the Monkees at the Greek was awesome, especially after coming off the excitement of being on the 405 freeway when it was closed off. As promised, here are some more panorama photos taken at the epicenter of Carmageddon.On the morning of July 16th, I decided to risk being stuck in what was being predicted to be LA's worst gridlock nightmare. My plan

1937 Pierce Arrow Trailer Interior at The Nethercutt Museum in SylmarIn memory of my father and grandfather, for Father's Day this weekend I visited the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, California, to have a look at some of the world’s greatest antique, vintage, classic and special interest automobiles on display.Growing up dear old dad drove a black convertible 1955 Cadillac El Dorado which

I'm house-sitting in Thai Town, an area on Hollywood Boulevard roughly between Wilton and Normandie just off the 101 freeway.  In addition to featuring some of the best Thai restaurants in Hollywood, the hood  also plays host to a dream team lineup of some of the city's finest street artists including the LA Mural Front, Miles "Mac" MacGregor, RETNA and most recently the street team

Vault of the rotunda at the Griffith Observatory. Click to embiggen.The Central Rotunda at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles has the distinction of being one of the top 10 ceilings in the world. It was designed by muralist and Hollywood art director Hugo Ballin who also worked as a sketch artist on MGM's 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz".Be sure to click on the image above to see all the gorgeous

QuickTime required for viewing. Click and drag image to view. Use Shift or CTRL to +/- zoom.2010 has been a fantastic year for me both personally and professionally. I have been lucky enough to meet wonderful people, work with some amazing artists and learn from a variety of talented experts -- all of which I feel has given me a great stepping stone for 2011.