#47: Western Tanager, Breeding Male

#47 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. The gorgeous Piranga ludoviciana, shot in Portland, Oregon, on the Columbia River.

It's Groundhog Day

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow at Gobbler's Knob, PA, this morning. Why that means we will have an early spring in Missouri, I know not. The groundhog in this photo would know better. He lives along a nearby trail we walk. Didn't see him today, but he would have seen his shadow, which means more winter for Springfield. (Doesn't it seem it should be the other way around?)

#49: Rearing Horse & Cart

#49 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. Rearing Horse & Cart in Pakistan.

#51: Athens Street Life: John and Kitten

#51 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. I met John in Athens. He said he was homeless and cared for several cats who roamed among the monuments.

#52: Sunset/Sunrise

#52 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. Sunset/Sunrise: both are the same on this tributary of the Yukon River in Alaska.

#60: Sentry

#60 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. In Muzaffarabad, a Pakistani guard watches over the rubble of the Neelum Hotel, once a 12-story building, reduced to a pile of rubble. Several people lost their lives here. Though all the bodies had been recovered, the stench of rotting flesh lingered, emitting from human limbs left behind in the debris. I will never forget the smell. I shot this during my trip to cover the devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Pakistan in 2005. Muzaffarabad is in Kashmir state.

#61: Sagrada Familia, the Passion Façade

#61 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. Gaudi's masterwork in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, never finished, eternally in a state of construction. As it was in November 2007.

#62: Ruined Village in Afghanistan

#62 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. In this 2008 shot, an Afghan villager stands in front of the ruins of his home, bombed by the Taliban. A neighbor boy jumped into the picture.

#64: My Favorite Barn

#64 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. My favorite barn, which is now history. I passed it hundreds of times on walks and runs since I moved to Springfield. A few autumns back it was damaged by a storm, then, suddenly, it was gone. I took this several years ago.

#65: Couldn't Get Better

#65 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. Fishing bliss, on a tributary of the Yukon River, Alaska.

#69: A Slice of Afghan Life

#69 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. A slice of life in Kabul, Afghanistan, from my 2008 trip.

#71: Cottontail

#71 of my most viewed photos on Flickr.

#72: Clouds Over Springfield the Day of the Catastrophic EF5 Joplin Tornado

#72 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. This unusual formation appeared shortly after the tornado struck Joplin, Missouri in the late afternoon, Sunday, May 22, 2011. Springfield is about 70 miles from Joplin.

#73: Roses in a Tajik Garden

#73 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. At Marian’s Guesthouse, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

#75: Ukrainian Farm

#75 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. I was in this gorgeous country setting in the Ukraine in 2006.

#76: Government Worker, Balakot, Pakistan, After Earthquake

#76 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. I was there days after the massive 7.6 magnitude Kashmir Earthquake that claimed 79,000 lives in 2005. In the photo, this man is showing me his credentials. He had been an important person with significant responsibilities. Now he was displaced and was wandering through rubble (which you can see behind him) without knowing where to go. It was the plight of tens of thousands in that very grim time.

#77: Shop Cat, Athens, Greece

#77 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. You can see Peggy's blonde head at the top center of the photo, in back of the shop. PB070852

#80: The kids are growing up.

#80 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. A family of Canada geese on Drummond Lake in Missouri.

#82: Tree-Climbing Goats of Morocco

#82 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. In Morocco (this is outside of Agadir) goats climb argan trees, a main source of income for locals. The argan trees are hardy and grow where little else will, becoming the only food available for goat herds. The argan berries can't be reached from the ground so the goats have adapted, learning to climb and easily balance on thin limbs in order to reach the fruit. A post-digestion gathering process eventually leads to argan oil which is sold for health and beauty. Amazing to see.

#84: Doorway to Philippi

#84 of my most viewed photos on Flickr. A portal of Basilica B. The ancient ruins of Philippi in Greece, near modern Kavala, which was known as Neapolis in the New Testament book of Acts. Paul wrote a letter to the Christians here. According to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Philippi is "the most important archaeological site of eastern Macedonia."