One of the first things you notice when you visit Taiwan is the classical music. Throughout the morning and again in the late afternoon and evening, you’ll hear Beethoven blasted out on tinny speakers, and it has a Pavlovian effect on the locals. When they […]
Dog Days of Taiwan – A Canine Photo Essay
As you walk the streets of Taiwan, you might think this island nation is having a massive baby boom because you’ll see proud parents pushing baby carriages everywhere you go. But if you look inside the strollers, you won’t see babies. Instead, you’ll see dogs […]
Kaohsiung: The Coolest City in Asia You’ve Never Heard Of
Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I bet you’ve never heard of this city; you can’t find it on a map, and if I didn’t just write it, you’d have no idea how to spell it. This isn’t a knock on your geography knowledge – I’d never heard of […]
Is Taiwan the Perfect Asian Country?
I’ve lived in Taiwan for three years and I have a bold declaration: Taiwan is the best country in Asia because it perfectly combines China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Taiwan is the Best of China Ninety-five percent of Taiwanese people have Chinese ancestors. As they […]
Oklahoma’s Out of Place Geography
My home state of Oklahoma sits at the southern end of the Great Plains, bridging the Midwest, Southeast, and the Southwest while resting atop Texas as a cozy hat. When people who have never visited ask me to describe my home state, I find it […]
The Wichita Mountains – The Most Beautiful Place in America You’ve Never Heard Of
Most people don’t know this, but when God made the Earth, he spilled a bit of Colorado in southwest Oklahoma. It was late on the 6th day, and he was tired, so he left it. That bit of Rocky Mountains in the Great Plains is […]
Happy Birthday America! I hope you get many more, but I’m worried.
Happy Birthday, America. It is July 4, 2022. You look a little haggard these days, but then again, you are 226. I hope you have hundreds more as a vibrant democracy, serving as a “city on a hill.” But I’m afraid your run as a […]
How Oklahoma Became the Marijuana Capital of the World.
Oklahoma, the land of God, guns, and…ganja? Visiting my home state for the first time in three years, the sheer number of medical marijuana dispensaries that cropped up in that time blew my mind. I started doing a little research, and what I found blew […]
Okie Repeat, Part II
Hilltop Cross For Medicinal Purposes Only Defunct Garage ‘Murica Murals Out of Gas Old West Bank Ameriguns Empty Calories Coke on Main Okie Repeat, Part I
Okie Repeat, Part I
I wrote in my last post that I love photographing small town Oklahoma because the towns have unique buildings and their own charm and character. However, as I photographed more places on my recent trip, I started to see patterns and similarities, some obvious, others […]
Why I Love Photographing Small Town Oklahoma
On a sunny Sunday morning, I pulled into Carmen, Oklahoma, parked my car, and started walking down the deserted Main Street. Carmen is a town of 355 people in western Oklahoma, far from any major road. I saw absolutely no signs of life as I […]
Oklahoma Encounters
I was taking photos in downtown Snyder, Oklahoma, when a man approached me and said, “If you want to learn about the history of this town, go in that store and talk to A.J. He knows everything about this place.” The man proceeded to tell […]
Planet Bell 