Rocky Mountain Mathematica was held in Frisco, Colorado during July 2007. Arriving a day early we had the chance to hike before the workshop. Pausing for a rest at the top of the Mt. Royal trail a butterfly alighted on me. By the way, you may notice a Movado on my left wrist. I lost that watch in a mis-step descending Atlantic Peak near Breckenridge a few days later. If you find it and return it to me (at the address on my vita -- you can find it, if you look), a monetary reward shall be yours.

During the summer of 2007 I had the chance to accompany wife on a business trip in Europe. While in the Netherlands we visited the castle ruins in Valkenburg. We happened to be there at the time of the raptor exhibition and took pictures of a beautiful owl and hawk. The narration of the exhibition was in Dutch, so I did not catch the species of the birds. The hawk appears to be a red-tailed hawk.

I have never really come down on one side the other when it comes to animal rights or the rights of gun ownership. I think most animals are delicious, but I cannot abide animal cruelty. However, I must disagree with the Hungarian policy of arming rabbits and small foxes. When guns are legal, rabbits and foxes will have guns? It will cut down on the number of postcards shoplifted from the gift shop.

On New Year's Day 2005 my wife and I were in Cozumel, Mexico participating in a kayak race. When the race was finished I cooled off in the shallow water of the lagoon, not realizing that I had misunderstood the guide's instructions not to swim in the lagoon (I thought he said not to swim in the bay because of jellyfish). After I cooled off, I saw this alligator (or is it a crocodile?) about 50 feet from where I has been.

Storks are very frequently encountered in some parts of Poland. The horse below is named Perla and belongs to my wife's family.

I was in Boulder, Colorado for a few days while my wife was attending a conference. The first day we were there we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park and saw a bachelor group of elk at Millner Pass. The picture below shows only two elk clearly, but there were seven present in total. On the last day we visited the park again and saw dozens on chipmunks begging for food at one of the parking areas.

During March of 2004 my wife and I went to Tahiti for spring break. The water was very warm and great for swimming and snorkeling. One day we took a boat out to the shark and sting ray feeding area and went swimming. The sharks in the pictures below are black-tipped reef sharks. It was quite thrilling to see these animals up this close. The sting rays are very easy to handle and touch, just don't step on them and stay clear of their tails.

Recently I have added a new cat to the family. Olivia is a black maine coon kitten.

During Spring Break I was able to go snorkeling in Shark Ray Alley near Ambergris Caye in Belize, Central America. The snorkeling guide demonstrates that nurse sharks are not aggressive.

On a recent trip to South Dakota I saw this mountain goat foraging next to the road on the back side of Mt. Rushmore.

I have a Maine Coon cat Clawed Erskine-Brown (born 06/05/1995). Maine coon cats are the most dog-like of all cats.

For the past several springs the North Carolina Zoo has hosted the traveling raptor exhibit. A group of handlers show off about a dozen species of birds of prey and even give flying demonstrations for some of them over the audience in the amphitheater. Above is a peregrine falcon. I was impressed with the details of its markings and the physical adaptations it has made to hunting. Below is a Harris hawk in flight. This particular bird seems to like to skim the heads of audience members during its flying demonstration. During the morning exhibit I turned my head just in time to be brushed by this bird as it flew to the stage. During the afternoon show I was prepared and took this picture.

Humpback whale spotted near Stallwagon Bank (near Massachusetts, USA) during 1992. It takes a great deal of patience, skill and luck to get a good picture of a whale. This is the best one I have.

On 08/12/2000 while sea kayaying and snorkeling near Turtle Arches in Maui, Hawaii I spotted this green sea turtle rising up from the sea floor to get a breath of air. This picture was taken by me with a disposable waterproof camera.