Author Archives: carto

About carto

Retired software engineer who grew up in Montana, went to Montana State College in Bozeman, and moved to California to work at Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Carto's Logbook is about photography, travel and adventure; Mt. Maurice Times is tall tales mostly biographical; Carto's Library is about books I've read and liked.

Earthsea — Dragons and Wizards

Posted on August 10, 2020 by carto

Sheltering at home gives me extra time for reading— I read in English some books I first read while studying Spanish: 100 Years of Solitude, Love in the time of Cholera, Death in the Andes, etc.  Now, I’m turning to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy/Adventure, Fiction, Other, Photography, Speculative Fiction | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Flowers on Note Cards

Posted on August 1, 2020 by carto

Making Note Cards with your photos. Continue reading →

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An Exhibition of Paintings by Monet

Posted on May 31, 2019 by carto

Imagine a rainy day in San Francisco in May— What better to do than visit the de Young Museum, have lunch in the cafeteria and linger to see the blockbuster exhibition: Monet: the Late Years. From the catalog of the … Continue reading →

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Twisted — An Arizona garden in California

Posted on May 27, 2018 by carto

The restored Cactus Garden at Stanford is in full bloom this year. The twisted plants thrive in the new warmer California climate. (Click on any image below to view in full screen.) The garden is open to visitors every day … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nature, Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Thinker Waits

Posted on May 12, 2018 by carto

One of my favorite places to visit and take photos is the Cantor Art Center, home of the Rodin collection. Lets walk around the museum: Cheers, Carto Check out other WordPress bloggers favorite places, here.

Posted in Classics, History, Other, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Weathered — Church Bells in the Tower

Posted on January 17, 2018 by carto

Nothing weathers quite like bronze, and bronze church bells are no exception. This bell, exposed to the elements since installed in the 19th century, is lovely in it’s rich patina. But, if you want to see it you must climb … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Photography, Spanish, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Favorites 2017 — Transition to Winter

Posted on December 22, 2017 by carto

First, here is a photo of our flowering cherry as it transitions to winter dormancy. The second photo is the silhouette of a sparrow that is wintering in the brush at Windy Hill Preserve. Cheers and Happy Holidays, Carto Follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Transformation — Land’s End turns chilly

Posted on November 23, 2017 by carto

It’s always a pleasure to visit Land’s End where San Francisco meets the Pacific, but you never know what weather you will find. In these shots we see Summer turning to Fall when the haze and fog fill the air, … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Peek — Halloween in Palo Alto

Posted on November 2, 2017 by carto

Take a peek at this figure hiding behind a traffic cone. What’s going on? It’s all a part of Halloween in Palo Alto — four blocks were closed to traffic and most of the home owners prepared special effects (one … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystery, Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Stanford at Night

Posted on October 17, 2017 by carto

I’m taking a short course in the History of Photography at the new McMurtry Building adjacent to the Cantor Center for the Arts. The class is held in a projection room that is just off the 3rd floor roof garden. … Continue reading →

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