As a photography hobbyist, one of my favorite things to do is create tabletop tableaus of small figures arranged in a scene I can photograph. That led to me creating tabletop tableaus where I could use the picture as the cover of my Christmas cards, such as the one above. The toy soldiers are 5 inches tall. Red felt covers the tabletop, as well as the shoebox used as a riser for the elevated row of soldiers. Add some sheets of red glitter, some lighting and you have the cover of a Holiday card.
The most popular symbol of the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos is the stylish figure La Catrina – a very tall female skeleton attired in her elegant long dress, fancy shoes and elaborate feathered hat. La Catrina’s origin runs deep from the traditions of Mexican culture that have their roots in Aztec reverence for and worship of the dead. Many believe that Catrina originated from the goddess of death worshiped by the Aztecs. It was believed that she protected and helped to usher departed relatives into the next stages of the afterlife. The above picture was taken at COLECCIÓN MEXICANA in Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas. The store carries a wide array of hand-crafted artisanal goods from all regions of Provincial Mexico, and luckily for me large, colorful likenesses of La Catrina.
The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (built 1808) is a triumphal arch located in Paris, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to celebrate his military victories. The Arc is situated between the Louvre Museum and the Tuileries Garden. It features pink marble columns and detailed reliefs of battles, and is topped by a bronze chariot drawn by four horses. Being present in this moment to take a picture of this tranquil scene was very special. The sun was below the horizon. It was the time of day photographers call the “blue hour” because of the blue tint in the atmosphere due to the sun’s absence. You can see a blue tint in the finely crushed white gravel of the walkway. It is such an idyllic and picturesque scene. People taking in their surroundings with what appears to be few cares in the world except for the present moment. Friends chatting. Couples holding hands. Tourists taking pictures. No one “dressed to impress.” No one slumped over a mobile phone. Locals and people from different cultures. All just citizens of the world enjoying a beautiful setting and beautiful moment in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Nelly Korda, as of August 1, 2026, has 19 wins on the LPGA tour, four of which are major championships. Add to that an Olympic Gold Medal. She ranks second in all-time LPGA wins trailing only Lydia Ko. Nelly has spent over 110 weeks ranked #1 in the world (not consecutive). Only three players in LPGA history have spent more weeks at #1. In 2024 she won five consecutive tournaments, one being a major, which tied an all time LPGA record. All of this and only 27 years old. Both her parents were professional tennis players. Her older sister, Jessica, preceded her on the LPGA tour, and her younger brother plays professional tennis (ranked #64 in the world). Growing up Nelly attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, which is also her hometown. I’ve seen Nelly play six times, including the Chevron Championship in 2023 where I took this picture (the Chevron is the ladies first major tournament of the year - played in Houston). This was Day 1 on the first tee. Nelly went on to with the tournament.
Le Ménagerie is a small zoo located within the Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants) in Paris. Founded in 1794, largely with animals brought from the royal zoo of the Palace of Versailles, abandoned because of the French Revolution, it is the second oldest zoological garden in the world. The Red Pandas in residence don’t date back that far — only 2003. These adorable animals are not related to the large black and white pandas people are familiar with. They are members of the raccoon family. Red pandas live in high-altitude forests of the Himalayas and mountainous terrain of Asia. I was so taken by these critters that I have an embarrassingly large number of photos!
Trivia Note: In a photo on the prior page mention was made of a plant called the Weeping Japanese Pagoda. It is highly prized in European and American landscape design. The first seeds came to Paris from China in 1747, and they came to the Jardin des Plantes, where Le Ménagerie is located and this happy red panda resides.
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