I haven’t been to a horse racing track since I was a little girl. If you are going to gamble, this seems the most entertaining way to do it! The racetrack is located in Tucson, AZ.
Rillito Park Racetrack
Tag Archives: photojournalism
Breakers Water Park
One of the rewards of staying in touch with former students is that you get to be a part of their life even after they’ve graduated. This weekend one such former student, Caleb Trainor, arranged for me 
and a handful of my current photography students to do some night photography at Breakers Water Park. Caleb had done some drone imagery of the park recently and the owner happened to see it, making a connection which led to official access of the grounds this weekend.
Originally constructed in 1982, Breakers Water Park provided the people of Tucson, AZ with cool, family fun for nearly 35 years. Today the park is officially closed, and while it is kept under lock and key awaiting a buyer, people still illegally enter to vandalize the property. The graffiti makes for neat photography, but I’m sure the owner does not appreciate it. As a former patron in my youth, it was 
very odd coming back to the park in its current state. Pangs of sadness were mixed with nerdy, photography exclamations like, “Oh! Those paint cans make an awesome picture!”
Remember trying to get up the ladder at the deep end of the wave pool? That was quite a feat! What are your favorite Breakers memories?
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Tucson Light Parade
Whoa! It’s seriously been since September since I last posted? My goodness! Being a teacher has really changed my day-to-day life, but in an awesome way! Sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Here are a few photos I took at a light parade in Tucson, AZ last weekend. Merry Christmas to you all!
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Tepees – The Painted Desert, AZ
More photos of the Painted Desert to come!
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Tombstone!
I’m back in Arizona and I’m not moving away! We had so much fun in Korea but it is so very nice to be back in our hometown of Tucson, AZ. Last weekend we went to Tombstone for “Wyatt Earp Days.” Here are some of my favorite photos.
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Ulleungdo, Korea’s Island Paradise
Dare I say a stay on this island is better than Jeju? I’ve been to both now, and while Jeju is unbelievably gorgeous, Ulleungdo will make you feel like you are a thousand miles away from the hustle of the “real world.”
The island is about 217 kilometers from the ferry port in Pohang (one of the terminals that services trips to Ulleungdo) and is located in the East Sea between Korea and Japan. From Pohang, expect a three-hour ferry ride out at 9:50am. This is the only departure time. Returns to Pohang are at 3:30pm daily.
We spent two nights and two days on Ulleungdo, just barely enough time to do everything we wanted to do. I suggest at least another day on the island if you can swing it. There is one road that goes almost all the way around t
he island. It takes 1.5 hours to make it to the end of the road, but not because the island is large. The road is small and meanders through scenic scapes that even a man who likes to get from point A to point B will want to stop and soak in. Multiple one lane tunnels wind themselves through the volcanic rock; you’ll have to wait your turn to go through if traffic is coming from the opposite direction. But no worries, you’re on island time here. Continue reading Ulleungdo, Korea’s Island Paradise
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Oedo Island, South Korea
Continuing from yesterday’s post about Haegeumgang (Shipgagul Cave), the main destination of our tour boat was Oedo Island. This island was purchased by a North Korean couple
who immigrated from the north around the time of the Korean War. When they first arrived they were penniless, but apparently that did not remain the case. The couple turned this island into a botanical garden – said to be the prettiest in all of South Korea – and soon it became a national tourist destination.
We arrived midday (not a particularly great time for scenic photos) because we were at the mercy of the tour schedule. Still, I wanted to post a couple photos for you to see, should you decide to make this place a stop in your future vacation plans. You’ll get 1.5 hours to peruse the place, not hardly enough in my book, but I’ve read on other blogs that for them that was plenty of time.
The below photo is the view from the observation point at the top of the island. Getting there is a super easy (and very beautiful) walk. Continue reading Oedo Island, South Korea
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Haegeumgang (Shipgagul Cave)
On the second day of vacation we headed to Haegeumgang (Shipgagul Cave) which is located on Geoje Island just off the southern coast of South Korea. Geoje Island is Korea’s second largest island following Jeju. I really wanted to see this sea cave because I’d read that the water is the color of Tide detergent and tour boats take people in an out of it with ease. An aerial view of the cave shows that it is shaped like a cross, which is what Shipgagul means.
Tours to Haegeumgang are actually just a quick stop on the way to Oedo Island, which I’ll post about tomorrow!
The inside of the cave. Check out the color of that water! Continue reading Haegeumgang (Shipgagul Cave)
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Daehan Green Tea Plantation, South Korea
The second stop on day one of our vacation was to the tea plantations in Daehan. There are literally rows after rows of green tea fields. This place is absolutely stunning! You could spend hours here soaking in the scenery. Don’t leave without buying some green tea ice cream! 
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Damyang Bamboo Garden, South Korea
Last weekend was spring break for my kiddos here in South Korea so the whole family headed out for a week-long vacay. Our first stop was the Damyang Bamboo Garden. This place is smaller than I expected, but was nonetheless beautiful. If you are planning on going, I recommend combining this garden with another stop as it won’t keep you occupied for more than 30 min to an hour. 
Below is a photo of a group of children on a field trip to the garden. In all my travels throughout Korea, I’ve never seen a group of children not dressed the same when on a field trip with a school. So cute!
Stages Photography 