As with all addictions, there is a love-hate relationship that develops. You love to travel and become addicted to it but if you are even the least-bit conscious you can easily see that your impact as a tourist is more often than not, destructive. But you can’t stay home and tourism will happen. I want [...]
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Pictures of Lightning Over Taos, New Mexico – My Shot(s) of the Day – June 14, 2013
A fairly strong set of thunderstorms moved through Taos yesterday afternoon and into the ...
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White Sands National Monument – My Shot of the Day – June 6, 2013
It is one of my favorite places in New Mexico. White Sands National Monument. I ...
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No Rain – My Shot of the Day – June 4, 2013
It has just simply stopped raining. My buddy John Fleck reports that water supplies are ...
What to do about Barriles? Archaeology Travel in Panama
Below the grassy parking area where the majority of the stone artifacts were on display I crawled into a cool, tiny sandy nook. The hole at the edge of El Sitio Barilles was made into a cave by the dangling roots of bright green bamboo stands that teetered overhead. I was looking at the layer [...]
Cliff Swallows – My Shot of the Day – May 24, 2013
These gorgeous little cliff swallows were nesting in the rafters near the Anthropology Museum at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico yesterday. Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are a friendly, brave little passeriforme that builds gourd-shaped nests from mud and straw. They tuck them up under cliffs, bridges and the edges of buildings. These two let me get within [...]
Balloon Rides and Taos Mesa from Above
~ ~ ~ I know, I know. I keep coming back to photos from my hot air balloon rides but I just find the landforms fascinating when looked at from the air. Sorry if I’m boring you. As I wrote nearly a year ago: Humans had not, as far as we know, seen the Earth from [...]
Evening Rain on the Colombine Hondo Wilderness Study Area – My Shot of the Day – May 16, 2013
An evening rain storm soaks the valleys on the west face of the Colombine Hondo Wilderness Study Area just a few miles northeast of Taos right after sunset. A slew of other shots of the Colombine Hondo can be found here. What else is there to say? ##
Spring in Taos New Mexico – My Shot(S) of the Day – May 13, 2013
~ ~ ~ Besides the fabulous blue skies, the hummingbirds, and the still very chilly storms, spring in Taos New Mexico is also just fun days racing around the neighborhood with friends, finding flowers in the park and flying our kites. These two shots perfectly captured our Sunday – one of the few where we [...]
Ute Mountain, County of Taos – My Shot of the Day – May 9, 2013
Ute Mountain, located on the northern edge of the county of Taos, New Mexico, is perhaps the crown jewel of the new El Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Ute is a 10,093 foot high volcanic cone rising nearly 3,000 feet above the surrounding plain. Ute is something you can’t miss. Located about ten [...]
Ruby Throated Hummingbird – My Shot of the Day – May 6, 2013
It doesn’t seem to matter much that many of the habitat maps for the little Ruby throated hummingbird puts Taos well outside of thier range. We’ve had loads of them. The males, like this one above, showed up early and fought amongst themselves for access to the solitary feeder we put out this year. Just [...]

A Visit to the Living Light Farm
Ed Fenzl is a practical man. “I like things that are functional, easy to maintain, going to last at least five to eight years … that’s my only criteria.” The mustached former parks superintendent and landscape contractor credits much of the success of Arroyo Seco’s Living Light Farm to practical experimentation. “A lot of folks [...]
The Top Luxury Casinos around the World
Now that summer time is fast approaching, many people are making plans for their summer holiday. When making choices as to possible destinations, many people are looking for places that offer casino gambling. For some this may even be the first time they have played casino games in a land based venue. Many of these [...]
The Slave Market of Dublin
Findan was an Irishman from Leinster. The Nordmanni took his sister. Findan’s father gave him a satchel of coins and instructions that he was to go the raiders and bring her back. Joined by some friends he set out to find the Nordmanni. Unfortunately, they found him first, slaughtered his companions, clapped him in irons [...]
Arabian Sea Sunset
Last night I was going back through all the amazing photographs I took while in India last year and wondering…what should I do with them? This one stood out. At least tonight it did, when I’m having that very strong urge to travel again. I was camped up under a huge mass of reeds just [...]
Jim O’Donnell
Archaeology, beer and food have motivated author and photographer Jim O’Donnell’s twenty-five years of travel to over forty countries on five continents - and are at least partially to blame for the five languages he is sure he can stumble through. Jim is the author of “Notes for the Aurora Society”, and “Rise and Go a collection of 200+ images and short stories from Around the World as well as numerous other sordid tales, articles, half-finished novels, works in progress, essays and other scribbling. Jim is the owner and head monkey here at Around the World in Eighty Years.
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Twenty-One Beautiful Birds of Panama – Birdgasm!
March 12, 2013
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Pictures of Lightning Over Taos, New Mexico – My Shot(s) of the Day – June 14, 2013
June 14, 2013
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Spring Rainstorm Pictures – My Shot of the Day – April 1, 2013
April 1, 2013
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Arabian Sea Sunset
April 23, 2013
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Pictures of Lightning Over Taos, New Mexico – My Shot(s) of the Day – June 14, 2013
June 14, 2013
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White Sands National Monument – My Shot of the Day – June 6, 2013
June 7, 2013
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No Rain – My Shot of the Day – June 4, 2013
June 4, 2013
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What to do about Barriles? Archaeology Travel in Panama
June 3, 2013
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Jim O\'Donnell: Jordonious, Thank you for the words. In fact, I a...
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A Swiss named...: Wish I new then what I know now after reading... l...
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Jordonious: Mr. O'Donnel is a journalist. Using programs like...
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