Weekly Photo Challenges Archives

Sunset over the Sea on the Royal Caribbean

January 22, 2016April 9, 2018

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How to remain optimistic in winter: Head South

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer”. – Albert Camus

Here in Minnesota we are in the midst of winter. The days are short and cold and in January it rarely gets above freezing. Winter can last anywhere from 4-5 months depending on the year. This year, we have been fortunate as we had an incredibly mild November and December, and despite a sub-zero week it has been mostly in the 20s and 30s. For me, that is almost tropical after last week’s -20.

“So how do you do it” many people ask me in bewilderment and shock when I tell them where I’m from. Simple. I embrace it, and I take a break.

December 11, 2015April 9, 2018

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Bison Crossing at Custer State Park

“Then she gave something to the chief, and it was a pipe with a bison calf carved on one side to mean the earth that bears and feeds us, and with twelve eagle feathers hanging from the stem to mean the sky and the twelve moons, and these were tied with a grass that never breaks”. – Black Elk

The joy of any driving trip through Custer State Park in South Dakota is the sighting of the Great American Bison. Once a prominent presence throughout this landscape, today their numbers are sadly dwindling. At the height of the bison population, there were over 30 million of them roaming the grasslands of North America. However, the arrival of European settlers and the desecration of Native American communities and territories significantly reduced the bison population to almost extinction. We almost lost one of the greatest symbols and species of the American West.

Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a special place because it is one of the only truly wild places left in the United States where bison roam free. In fact, there are nearly 1,300 of these magnificent beasts wandering about the parks 71,000 acres.

During a family vacation to South Dakota last summer, we spent many hours driving through the beautiful, winding roads of Custer State Park. Yet it was not until our last day while driving along the 18-mile Wildlife Loop of prairie land that we finally encountered our first bison.

Driving along the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park

South Dakota TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY United States Weekly Photo Challenges

November 29, 2015March 11, 2019

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Transition through the eyes of a climber

There are few mountains in the world that have such an amazing ecosystem and transition of landscape as Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Rising up to 19,341 feet above sea level, the transition from cultivated crops, to lush forest, to heather, moorland, and alpine desert is astounding. I have hiked many mountains but have never experienced any with such a fascinating landscape as Kilimanjaro.

Welcome to the long journey up!

Although I’ve already written at length about my trip and am about to put it all to rest, I thought it would be fun to go through the pictures as if you are climbing the mountain for yourself so you can see exactly what I mean. Pay attention to how dramatically the landscape and vegetation change. It truly is spectacular.

Day 1: Climb to Machame Camp

The hike to Machame Camp meanders up about 7.5 miles (12 km) from a starting altitude of 4,890 feet (1490 m) to 9,780 feet (2980 m) and almost the entire hike is through thick rainforest common at the lower altitudes of Kilimanjaro. It is the only part of the hike that is shaded yet the temperature can be quite hot.

Day 2: Climb to Shira Camp

The second day climb transitions from 9,780 feet (2,980 m) to Shira Camp at 12,600 feet (3,840 m) passing through rainforest glades, the vast open moorlands and up to the Shira Plateau where the treeline ends and the vegetation becomes sparse. In total, the climb is roughly 4 miles (7 km) taking anywhere between four to six hours depending upon speed.

Africa CULTURE Tanzania TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

November 21, 2015April 15, 2018

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Three Girls from Ethiopia

Good things come in three’s.

Girls in rural Ethiopia

In June 2014, I had the honor of traveling to Ethiopia for two weeks with the International Reporting Project (IRP), a program based at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of The Johns Hopkins University that provides opportunities to US journalists to go overseas to do international reporting on critical issues that are under covered in the U.S. news media. The focus of the fellowship was newborn and maternal health as Ethiopia has made great strides in saving the lives of mothers and children under five.

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Mosebo Village, a remote village located about 42 kilometers outside of Bahir Dar in rural Ethiopia. Reaching the village is not for the faint at heart. It requires a land cruiser, patience, and a bit of adventure to cover the hour and a half drive on bumpy, muddy roads to reach Mosebo and see how over 90% of Ethiopians live. If it starts to rain as it frequently does during Ethiopia’s three month rainy season, the road becomes dangerous and impassable.

My visit to this village opened my eyes to the dichotomy of struggles and progress being made for millions around the world, and has instilled a passion for doing whatever I can to raise awareness of the world’s challenges in regards to global health, nutrition, inequality, women’s rights and empowerment and more. I read books on religion, politics and culture. I watch documentaries and listen to the latest podcasts to educate myself on what is going on. I seek out alternative media sources as opposed to mainstream media to get a better understanding of terrorism, poverty, education and child marriage.

Far away from Africa, in my home in Minneapolis I often wonder about this trio of children I photographed in Mosebo Village. Are they still healthy? Are they in school? How is their family doing and the community around them? What will their future be?

Africa Ethiopia TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

November 13, 2015April 14, 2018

— 39 Comments

What Victory Means to Me

“You won’t win until you learn how to lose” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Following and fulfilling your dreams is not easy. Oftentimes the obstacles and hurdles that lie ahead seem so insurmountable that they hold you back from even trying. Whether it is the fear of failure or anxiety of the unknown we all have our reasons.

I’ve realized over the years that if I do not take risks or step out of my comfort zone than I am miserable. I don’t grow as a person nor do I feel fulfilled or happy. The more I challenge myself both mentally, intellectually and physically, the more peaceful I feel in my own skin.

CULTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

October 16, 2015April 13, 2018

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The Extraordinary High Line in NYC

There is no place on earth like New York City. It is quite a city and I’ve been lucky to have visited on three separate occasions over the past six months. If you have never been, It is hard to describe New York City. It is so busy, overstimulating, overwhelming and congested with people from all over the world that as much as I love it, it also wears me out. Just walking a few blocks down the streets of Manhattan is enough to make my mind swirl and go into overdrive trying to process everything I see. The people. The places. The restaurants. The shops. The poverty and the wealth to the extreme. The homeless living in the dirt of a noisy street right outside of Prada. The brand new Ferrari pulling up curbside at a small cafe in Little Italy to eat. It is sometimes amazing and other times overwhelming.

In my early twenties I had the opportunity to live in Chicago for five years, right in the heart of Lincoln Park, and I also lived in Paris for a semester abroad during college. While both cities are large and amazing in their own right nothing compares to the sheer size, concentration of people and magnitude of New York City. I am not sure I could ever live somewhere so intense, invigorating and so over the top without going mad. (I loved living in Paris and Chicago by the way).

In big cities I need to find space and solitude which is a rare commodity. In Chicago, I had Lincoln Park and the lakefront. In Paris, I lived right across from Parc Montsourris in the 14th and found tons of green spaces throughout the beautiful city. In New York, there is an awful lot of concrete jungle outside of massive Central Park. So you can imagine how utterly delighted I was to find the High Line during my past visit in April.

The High Line is an urban park-like oasis in the heart of Manhattan and ingeniously built on an abandoned, elevated railroad track high above the street below. It is an extraordinary concept and example of inviting nature into urban planning.

New York TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY United States Weekly Photo Challenges

Hike to Karanga Camp Machame Route Kilimanjaro

October 9, 2015April 9, 2018

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My Happy Place

Life is abundant, and life is beautiful. And it’s a good place that we’re all in, you know, on this earth, if we take care of it. – Alice Walker

For those of you who are regular readers of my blog and know me, then you will not be the least bit surprised when I tell you that my happy place is being outside in nature. I prefer being in the mountains, hiking and breathing in the fresh, magical air but of course it isn’t possible that I’m always in this special place. Instead, I find beauty, peace and solitude in being anywhere outdoors and at home I generally find my happy place at my favorite neighborhood lake, Lake Harriet in Southwest Minneapolis. I walk and run around that lake year round, rain or shine, snow or sleet. I watch and marvel at the changing of the seasons and the cycle of life. I reflect on the migration of the birds who come and go with the changing of the wind. If I’m lucky, I see a pair of bald eagles or a distant loon. I’ve even see a wild turkey and a group of deer which seems crazy given the fact that I live in the heart of a city.

Fall is by far the most beautiful season in Minnesota and I take advantage of being in my happy place as much as possible. The air is so fragrant, the sun so bright and the sky is usually a deep, dark sapphire blue on most days. But best of all, is the magical tapestry of leaves in their deep scarlet reds to pumpkin and burnt orange and golden yellows. It is a time of year that I always feel incredibly vibrant and alive.

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”. –Albert Camus

Lake Harriet Walking/Running Trail

I took this photo just yesterday on my walk around Lake Harriet, one of four urban lakes in Southwest Minneapolis that make up the “chain of lakes”. We are so fortunate to have over 10,000 lakes in this state and many in the city have walking, biking and running paths that are plowed year round.

CULTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

Uhuru Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, SolarSisterSummit

October 2, 2015March 20, 2019

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Reaching up to the sky on top of Kilimanjaro

If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. – Bruce Lee

What are the boundaries we make for our lives? I know for myself, I have certain boundaries I will not cross. I will not be dishonest, disrespectful, or full of hate. Instead, I will be as open-minded as I can, as loving, loyal and honest as possible. I have set my standards high at trying to be the best “me” I can humanly be. Do I make mistakes? Of course! We all do. Yet I strive to correct them, to push ahead and to always try to improve myself to make me a better person and human being.

While I may be an adventurous person who is driven to explore, wander and challenge myself physically there are other aspects of my life that are relatively structured and risk free. I have my boundaries on what kinds of risks I want to take and what kind of life I want to live. My family always comes first. Yet thankfully I have the most incredible, supportive husband possible who encourages me to follow my dreams and challenge my boundaries. Climbing to the top of Kilimanjaro is one such boundary I had dreamed to conquer, and thankfully with plenty of hurdles and obstacles along the way I fulfilled my dream at the end of July.

I have written a lot about each day of my Kilimanjaro climb. But I have not written yet about the hardest, most difficult day of all. The Summit. So here the story goes.

Sunset at Shira Camp. 12,600 feet/3,840 m

Adventure Travel Africa Tanzania TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Trekking/Hiking Weekly Photo Challenges

September 25, 2015April 14, 2018

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Make Change #2030NOW #GlobalGoals

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
― Lao Tzu

As I prepare to head out to NYC tomorrow to attend my fourth Social Good Summit (#2030NOW) I could not help but wonder about what kind of world I’d like to see in 2030. As 193 global leaders meet at the United Nations General Assembly this week and commit on the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will guide our planet for the next several years, there is no time more important than today to think about the change we want to see in the world.

The three main areas that the bold new SDGs address include ending extreme poverty, eliminating injustice and inequality and climate change. For me, I am honestly hoping that the world does something to change the future of half our planet – the future for women and girls – who continue to suffer the most from injustice, inequality and poverty.

Why? Because women and girls are critical to transforming the future. Without them, we are missing a huge transformative, powerful piece of the puzzle. In honor of women and girls, I look forward to attending the Social Good Summit (#2030NOW) and live reporting via twitter (@thirdeyemom). It will certainly be an exciting few days!

The photos below were all taken in June 2014 in Ethiopia during a two-week reporting trip on maternal and newborn health with the International Reporting Project. These woman and girls remind me of the personal commitment I have made to helping change the world to the way I want it to be.

Maternal and Newborn Mortality rates in developing countries are improving but not fast enough. Education is lacking as are opportunities for women and girls to start business, have a career and improve their lives. We face a critical moment in time when we can change the direction of their paths and make the world a better place for all, no matter where you live, what language you speak, how much money you have or what religion you practice. No matter if you are a man or a woman, a girl or a boy. It is up to us.

SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

September 11, 2015April 14, 2018

— 29 Comments

Remembering 9/11: In a Series of Monochromatic Photographs

“A powerful monochromatic image is composed of a gradient of a single color, and has an emphasis on texture and composition. While the images I’ve shared in this post are not entirely monochromatic, they show the power that a simple color palette can have in a photograph”. – WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge Host, Jen Hooks

September 11, 2001. Fourteen years ago today. How long it seems since that fateful terrifying day. How fast time has gone that it seems as if it was just yesterday. The images and feelings of shock, anger, horror, sadness, fear and what ifs will forever be engrained in our minds. The images and emotions are things that we will never be able to forget and will never stop seeing when we close our eyes. The fruitless human lives that were lost. Our freedom imprisoned. Our hearts never the same. Our lives forsaken.

Today, I want to honor the people whose lives were lost on that horrific day and every single day in this cruel world. The people of Syria dying in search for freedom and a better life. The endless murders and shootings of innocent human beings. All lives that are lost, everywhere on this planet due to another human being.

Will there ever be peace? Will the countless mass murders – many happening here in the United States – ever be curtailed? In a world of violence will we ever truly be free?

1 World Trade Center Tower or “The Freedom Tower” is the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, in July 2013. She looms directly behind the 9/11 Memorial.

“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways – either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength”. – Dalai Lama

Each name of a person who died on 9/11 is inscribed along the side of the memorials.

CULTURE Global Issues Humanitarian TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

September 4, 2015April 9, 2018

— 23 Comments

On Being Connected

“What I know now is that we’re all interconnected and that’s a really beautiful thing. We have links to everyone else in our lives and in the world. Different people have different journeys for different reasons. You can’t judge, but you can celebrate that there are connections everywhere”. – Jane Seymour

One of the things I love most about traveling is the connections I make around the world. Being connected to other human beings is essential to understanding the ever-changing world we live in today. As our world becomes more connected, it is critical that we understand other cultures, people, religions and beliefs. I find that the more connected I feel to my community and the world, the happier I am.

Connections can happen near or far. In fact, you don’t even have to travel to be connected to someone. You can read a blog post and connect online, you can connect with friends and strangers in your own community or you can simply pick up the phone and talk to someone. Everything you do in life is about connecting. Even stepping outside your door, makes you connect with other people. It is all a matter of paying attention to the connections we make with others and how they make us feel.

Here are some of the best connections I have made in my life. Connections that have made me who I am and what I stand for. There is always room for growth and expansion. The more I venture out into the world, whether it be physically or even through my blog the more connections I will make. It is incredible how large and how small are world has become.

Connections with family

Me and my dad at the start of the Annapurna trail in Nepal.

Connections with strangers or new friends

Me and one of our guides arriving at Barranco Camp. Mount Kilimanjaro

Holding a small child at the Kilimanjaro Orphanage Centre in Moshi, Tanzania.

In Ethiopia at Mosebo Village. June 2014

Maria. Guatemala.

Here is a 40-something year old mother holding her 10th child. She delivered this one at home like all the rest. She is at the Lie and Wait house with her 15-year-old daughter who was having complications. Otherwise her daughter would have delivered at home like she did.

Girl in red in Roatan, Honduras

Mosebo Village, Ethiopia

CULTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

Kilimanjaro hike to Barranco Camp Machame Route

August 29, 2015November 16, 2018

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Kilimanjaro: An evening at Barranco Camp

We left Lava Tower after a filling lunch and had a two-hour walk down from 15,190 feet (4629 m) to Barranco Camp at 12,960 feet (3950 m) where we would spent the night. From every angle, the summit of Kilimanjaro loomed reminding me of how much work I’d done and how much more remained.

Almost instantly, the landscape began to dramatically change from black volcanic rock to high alpine desert land. What amazed me the most about this part of the hike were the amazing trees and scrubs, some of which are endemic to Kilimanjaro and are magnificent.

The hike down was rocky and steep yet truly surreal. We stopped many times along the way to take pictures of the amazing views and highly unusual and exotic plants and scrubs. After several days on the mountain, it still astounded me how different it was the further we went up.