The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

We spent the last five day in Bangkok high up in the Grand Centara Hotel . . . thanks Marc for the upgrade!  The view from our 51st floor room was beautiful in the daylight . . .

. . . beautiful in the evening . . .

. . . and beautiful at night.  Good-bye Bangkok, it has been a fantastic 17 years!  I'll be back in Thailand for retirement one day . . . but first . . . a summer vacation in:

The Pacific Northwest, USA

Olympia Washington: My sister-in-law Mary is a great gardener.  She grows everything.  It is always a treat to go from the steaming tropics of Thailand directly to to cool climes of the American Pacific Northwest.

I still had Internet access, so I had fun with my big camera in the Mary's garden.

Very sweet.

We all took several long nature walks along the shores of Puget Sound.  The blackberries were not ripe yet . . .

. . . but the salmon berries looked inviting.

The essence of the Pacific Northwest.

New life everywhere under the forest canopy.

A nice morning to row about on one of the arms of Puget Sound. An old log loading pier still stands.

It Doesn't Get More American Than This: The Monmouth, Oregon 4th of July Parade.The Monmouth, Oregon Parade is open to anybody from the community who wants to 'parade' themselves.

It's a great opportunity to crank up that old tractor you lovingly restored, and drive it down Main Street. I love this little town: I attended two years of univesity here.

An old Mac Truck.  Nice.  Brought back memories of El Paso, Texas at 3:00am in 1958 for me.

As is my personal tradition, I ingest The National Dish on the 4th of July every year.  Yep, it was great.

What would a parade be without a car show?  I met my Hot Rod photo quota for the year.

I LOVE these flames!

I prefer the 4-door fat fender hot rods . . . you can take your friends. 

Silver Creek Falls, Oregon My good friends Jeff & Sharon under Silver Creek Falls.  It was a good day for a trail walk in the foothills of the Oregon Cascades.

Oregon.

Delicate new growth.

More ripe salmon berries.

A beautiful trail through the forest along Silver Creek.

A serene mountain stream.

Upper Silver Creek Falls is somewhat unique because the trail takes you under and behind the falls, making for unusual photo opportunities.

Loud and beautiful.

You can judge the scale in this photo by noticing the size of the hikers on the trail.

A perfect day.

Looking out from behind Upper Silver Creek Falls.

Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaI visited my daughter near Valley Forge.

We all went to the Longwood Botanical Gardens for a morning stroll with my new grandson, Torin.

Scrumptious cacti!

Lovely flowers everywhere.

Touching.

Longwood had formal Italian gardens too.

The tropical greenhouses were interesting.

I remember seeing these same lotus pads in Jogjakarta, Indonesia a few years ago.

I had to laugh when I saw these wax flowers . . . I came half way around the planet to see a flower that was growing in my back yard in Bangkok!

Lovely early summer day in Pennsylvania.

Ocean City, New JerseyA strangly cold summer in Ocean City New Jersey.  We took a walk with our freinds, Bud, Gaile,  in the gathering gloom . . .

Night falling over Ocean City.

Last Light.

New England VillageI won't reveal the exact location of this village in New England, except to say that it was the perfect New England village.  Our good friends from Bangkok, Joe and Nancy, recently retired there.

A dream . . . more like a living calendar!  Just too perfect.

Rural Colonial New England.

Mmmmm.

House Proud New Englanders sure know how to spruce a place up.

Around Nancy's garden.

A friend's home.

More old barns than I had time to photograph . . .

I could have stopped a hundred times . . . but Bud and I had more important things to do . . . .

NASCAR at New Hampshire SpeedwayYep, Bud and I joined 40,000 of our best friend and at the New Hampshire 300.  Bud commented that the people watching here was like looking through a 1920s physiology text book, so varied were the physiognomies of the gathered throng.

We rooted for Juan Pablo Montoya . . . . and I think we were the only ones who were.  We rooted for him when we saw him at the Chinese F1 race in Shanghai years ago too.

It was an unseasonably hot day with the threat of rain that never materialized. It was a good, tight race with surprising results.  Loud and fast . . . just the way I like it.

Loudoun, New Hampshire.  Pre-race ceremonies were colorful, to say the least.

PHILADELPHIA, PA,  U.S.A.

I went to the U.S.A. this July (2012) to breathe some American air.  Pennsylvania did not disappoint.

My first stop was on the grid in Philadelphia, home of American Democracy, signed, sealed, and delivered here in Constitution Hall in 1776.

My daughter is a professional artist in the very artsy Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is an old city, a bit down at the heel and in need of some fresh paint . . . which has been slathered here and there: Philly is a city that feels like it is on the rebound.

There is much urban charm to be found in Philadelphia.

Some Philly residential areas remind me of my time in London.

My infatuation with street carts was fully satisfied in Philadelphia. I couldn't help but think of the similarities and differences between food carts in Philly, Bangkok, and Yogjakarta, Indonesia.

A trip to Philly would not be complete without engorging on the requisite cheese steak sandwich.

Philadelphia is also a modern metropolis of glass and steel . . .

. . . and all kinds of people in funny hats and clothing . . .

. . . for many, many years, it seems.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM of PHILADELPHIA

There is a fine Natural History Museum in Philadelphia definitely worth the visit.

You can actually touch dinosaur bones!

There was a large section containing many dioramas of current and extinct animals.  We enjoyed looking at the bison, moose, and bear dioramas in anticipation of actually seeing them in Yellowstone National Park later in the summer.

Like many museums, actual scientific study was going on.  There were glass windows overlooking the research labs.

There was a butterfly "room" filled with colorful butterflies from around the world . . .

. . . a photographer's dream (although I did not have my macro lens handy . . . damn!).

I chased this black example around the room until it sat still.

A fantastic environment for photography . . . I could have spent all day in there, but Vietnamese dinner in Chinatown was beckoning.

Philly does not have an especially large Chinatown area, but it makes up for it in colorful lights.

The Occupy Wall Street folks were in Philly to protest the 4th of July parade, but stopped off in Chinatown for food and beer.  Good people.

We were still a little jet-lagged, but we enjoyed the day.

The city that never stops  working . . . I imagined these guys to be secret operatives splicing into the Police Station communications net they were working next to . . . .

I LOVE A PARADE: 4th of July

A hot, sunny 4th of July morning in Philadelphia.

We where up early and out the door to get a good place to view the big 4th of July parade.  Thee side streets were full of staging floats and parade goers . . . .

. . . as well as a goodly number of Occupy Wall Street protesters, and an overwhelming police presence.  The Founding City of American Democracy seemed a bit intolerant to those who want to preserve it - for all.

We stopped for good coffee right across from Betsy Ross's Historical House . . . .

. . . where they were busy running visitors' hometown flags up the Betsy Ross Flag Pole (BRFP).

Everybody was eager with anticipation for the parade to begin.

And the parade began!

The 4th of July is America's Birthday party . . . a time to celebrate America . . . in all its aspects.

I liked that the parade organizing committee allowed such a wide swath of American culture, history, and institutions to parade themselves before the citizenry.

There were lots of Marching Bands . . . .

. . . and actual soldiers just back from Afghanistan . . .

. . . and soul singers on floats . . .

. . . antique milk trucks (I enjoyed these) . . .

. . . a Viet Nam Veterans Motorcycle Club . . .

Sometimes the contrasts between the parading groups was astonishing . . . like these members of the Confederate Antebellum Society . . . followed by the group representing the Underground Railway Museum.

A fervor of historical reverence was evident among the parade-goers.

They are proud of their police in Philadelphia . . .

. . . and their Beauty Queens.

Lots of Beauty Queens riding on convertibles . . . like the calmly Miss Philadelphia here.

There was a nice mix of Beauty Queens and Marching Bands . . .

. . . and old Fire Department machinery . . .

. . . and Marching Bands, some more wild than others!

I was glad to see the Shriners and their little parade cars racing about . . . the crowd loved them.  They do good work.

Uncle Sam was a part of the Red, White, and Blue orgy of patriotism.

For me, the highlight of the parade, in addition to the hot rods and classic cars, were the many ethnic communities represented.  The inclusiveness was admirable and exemplary.

The local Philippine community was out in force . . .

. . . Miss Philippines USA was on hand . . .

. . . as was this Filipino sailor, symbolizing the close historical connection between the USA and the Philippines.

The Chinese community was amply represented.

 Did I mention that there was a temperature record set on this day?  It was well over 100f degrees (37C) when the parade began.  These poor Chinese dragon masters were taking a well-deserved break.

The Philadelphia Tibetan Association was also present and received a very loud ovation from the crowd. It is very interesting how these conflicting groups (Chinese and Tibetan) coexist here in the U.S.A.

Thanks for calling our attention. Tibetan Lamas.

My own personal Grand Marshall of the parade, the Dalai Lama.

The Chinese also had to contend wiht a large presnce of Fulon Gong members in their yellow silk outfits.  The are banned in China.

I guess that's why they have so many old fire trucks in the parade . . .

. . . and Beauty Queens on very cool old cars . . . .

. . . and wonderfully loud drumlines: they separate the groups that might be in conflict.

Philadelphia is a National Football League (NFL) team hosting city: home of the Eagles.  This guy brought the crowd to life!

This was my favorite entry in the parade: teacher of the year.  To be a great teacher is to be living a great life.  I am glad the good people of New Jersey appreciate that fact.  If you don't know your American geography, Camden, New Jersey is just across the river from Philadelphia, Pennsylania.

There are large numbers of Cambodian refugees in The States . . .

. . . and apparently a large community in Philadelphia.  I loved seeing the young Buddhist monk being paraded down the street . . . . talk about a test of your inner peace and a challenge to your conscious awareness!

What a great idea: a Migrant Heritage Commission.  This poor guy had a hell of a time fighting this huge banner against the sudden hot wind.  The crowd really got behind his efforts.

What could be more fun than getting together with 15 of your best freinds to bang on the "sto" buckets while riding down Main Street, I ask you?

What could be more American than the Hot Rod! 

It must be nice to have friends on the parade Organizing Committee: you can drive your car down Main Street waiving a USD$0.29 flag.

Eventually, all things must come to an end.  The, by now, 103f heat had driven most of the children off the streets, along with their overheated parents. Flags play an important part of the American experience.

The Official End of the Parade float.

In Philadelphia, even the coolster HipShop owners get into the fun.  We headed back to an air-conditioned space for naps, then later in the evening . . . .

. . . we went to a delightfully post-modern Cuban restaurant.  I ask you, what could be more American on the 4th of July?

After a rousing engorgement of black beans and rice, we walked to the very popular Franklin Fountain for ice cream.

The Franklin Fountain is a very interesting business concept:  take an 1880s building and recreate an 1880s business in it.  In this case, a soda fountain.

Dress your staff in period costumes, find period furnishings, make your own ice cream with period recipes, and display antique fountain products.  Very good . . . . they even had sugar-free ice cream for me!

They managed to pull off a perfect illusion of the 1880s.  There was a line of 30 people waiting to get in . . . it was 7:30pm and it was still 90f . . . good ice cream weather.

Our original plan was to walk to the river to watch the fireworks display, but they had moved the fireworks to the other end of the city.  It was getting late, and we wanted an early start for our road trip to Virginia, so we went back to the hotel to pack.

Good night Philadelphia.

My wife, Yoo, and I  spent a wonderful day sailing the Chesapeake Bay with my daughter, Kirsten, and her beau, Jason, on their 60 Swan sailboat in perfect weather.

Captain, my Captain!

In Philadelphia, PA to visit my daughter, Kirsten.

Philly is a city that is coming back to life.

Philadelphia from the top of the City Hall.

I am just back from a quick trip to The States.  I got to see my wonderful daughter in Philadelphia on my way to attending an international conference in Baltimore.  Unfortunately I got food poisoning at the Airport Hilton Hotel in Newark, New Jersey on the way that put a damper on my time in Philadelphia.  I recovered by the time I got to Baltimore . . . and the National Aquarium.  Here are some photos from the trip.

Baltimore harbour from the hotel window.

These things seemed to be left over from the last Ice Age in Baltimore Harbour.

A view to the US National Aquarium where, interestingly, they have a lot of fish that you can photograph!

A Box Fish head . . . . .

A Large Mouth Fish . . . . .

The underside of a Sting Ray . . .

They even had some snakes in the habitats at The US National Aquarium.  See more photos from the National Aquarium in my Travel Photo Blog section.