Stay tuned…

Here is a glimpse into our latest adventure… Walking with the Maasai & Sitting with our Ancestors!

Killer Kayaking…

This journey began like most others. Decisions to be made about where to stay, how to get from point A to point B, who to contact for guiding and tracking, what to pack, etc. Yet this journey was a little different than some of the others. This journey entailed not one but two families fulfilling a dream to track and observe one of the largest and fiercest predators in all the world’s oceans – the killer whale. “Orcinus orca” translates as “from the underworld” in Latin. The Haida name for orca, keet, means “supernatural being.” Largest members of the order Cetecea and family Delphinidae, they are often referred to as killer whales. Unfortunately, due to the impact of years of commercial whaling, decades of capture...

A Different Kind of Shark Encounter…

We arrived in Mexico late in the afternoon on 8/29/12 for the specific purpose of swimming with and participating in conservation efforts of Whale Sharks – a once in a lifetime experience. The Caribbean sea off the coast of Cancun is the only known place on Earth where these magnificent creatures migrate to feed from mid-May to mid-September at the surface of the water where swimmers can view them. In the area of “blue water” that is located Northeast of Isla Mujeres there are huge groups of up to 400 whale sharks that converge to feed. Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the largest fish in the world and are gentle filter-feeders that pose no harm to humans.  They can grow up to 45 feet long and can weigh over 15 tons. In some parts of the...

Destination Uruguay!

The Aughey explorers were off once again. This time to a land far, far away…Uruguay!  When we initially told friends that we were going on vacation to Uruguay, the common response was, “Uruguay?  Really?  Why Uruguay?”  The answer is simple, because our dear friends Edi and Richard packed up and moved from Oak Ridge, Tennessee to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay earlier in the year. Uruguay is a small, conservative country with no prescribed religion. The population is just over 3.4 million or roughly that of Los Angeles.  It is an agrarian society with over 12 million cows. 11 % of the population live in the countryside and the remainder live in the coastal areas. Its people are kind, gentle and friendly.  They comprise mainly of immigrants or...

Stompin’ the Swamp…

Longing for those days out West when the Colorado Rockies or the Utah Canyons provided the backdrop for a day’s adventure, we decided it was time to once again connect with nature in a new and adventurous way, only this time in the Florida swamps! During our days at Selby Gardens, we had the distinct pleasure and honor of working with and meeting Clyde Butcher when the Gardens hosted an exhibit of his Florida landscape photography. Clyde is a world renown black and white nature photographer of 40 years and his extraordinary photographs reflect his personal relationship with the environment. Among his many accolades and awards, the Sierra Club has given him the Ansel Adams Conservation Award, which is given to a photographer who shows excellence in photography and...