Photos of the Month

Click any image to enlarge Photos chosen based solely on their ability to provoke viewer reactions		“Deep Thinking.” My step mom, Jeanne, in deep contemplation of life. New Hampshire. April 2013 April Runners-Up
“Long Road Ahead.” Worker assigned to demolish debris, alone at La Libertad Park, San José, Costa Rica. March 2013 March Runners-Up		“Sucker!” Predatory bug takes down a leafhopper on a gandul bean bush in our front yard. Costa Rica. February 2013 February Runners-Up
“End of the Rainbow.” Massive rainbow stretches over Zarcero cow pastures. Costa Rica. January 2013 January Runners-Up		“Water Baby.” Ian washes Marisol. Costa Rica. December 2012 December Runners-Up
"Two Monsters in a Pod." Dion and Ian sport matching pijamas. Photo by Marisol Mayorga. November 2012 November Runners-Up		"Nursery Beach." Liberation of 350 Olive-Ridley Turtles in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. October 2012 October Runners-Up
"Winging It." Dragonfly alights on a branch at the CATIE Botanical Garden, Costa Rica. September 2012		"A Few Minutes Ago." Ian Carson Kohl Mayorga shocked by air. 10 August 2012 August Runners-Up
“Paramo Blue.” Carlos Rosero takes lookout among blue flowers in the paramo of El Cocuy National Park, Colombia. July 2012. July Runners-up		“32.” Marisol in front of the Permaculture Garden at the Municipal Library, La Union, Costa Rica. June 2012. June Runners-Up
“Spiderling.” When Spiderman was young, San Jose, Costa Rica. May 2012. May Runners-up		“Old Town.” This man opens a once-exquisite door in Old Town, Mombasa, Kenya. April 2012. April Runners-up
“Jumping Ant Rope.” Though often considered a pest, these leafcutter ants also deserve a break, Costa Rica. March 2012. March Runners-up		“Prey for Your Life.” This preying mantis would not back down from the camera, Costa Rica. February 2012. February Runners-Up
“The Pet.” Either Jay McGaffigan or the cat calls the shots here, Massachusetts. January 2012 January Runners-Up		“History Standing.” Ancient Roman Temple restored at World Heritage Evora City, Portugal. December 2011 December Runners-Up
“Think Tank.” Migo Alvarez loses his thoughts in the cup at Espino Blanco Lodge, Costa Rica. November 2011 November Runners-Up		“Flower Power.” A locust scampers up a flower in search of a new source of food, at CATIE's Botanical Garden, Costa Rica. October 2011 October Runners-Up
“Guard by the Sea.” View from the Tower of Belem overlooking the mouth of Lisbon's Tagus River. September 2011 September Runners-Up		“No Goal.” Dion makes the save, Costa Rica. August 2011 August Runners-Up
“Catermonster.” Caterpillar rises up on a post in my garden, readying the attack, Costa Rica. July 2011 July Runners-Up		“Forget Me Not.” Dion's theatre professor puts on a puppet show, Costa Rica. June 2011 June Runners-Up
“Blurred Memory.” Dion chases Marisol at Nectandra Reserve, Costa Rica. May 2011 May Runners-Up		“In Peace.” Arlington National Cemetery during Cherry Blossom Season. April 2011 April Runners-Up
“Wheat Fields Forever.” Students in my organic agriculture course survey our wheat field, Costa Rica. March 2011 March Runners-Up		“Fungal Tree.” Fungus makes its way up this tree in La Carpintera, Costa Rica. February 2011 February Runners-Up
“Spider Stalker.” Night spider prepares her deadly web in our front yard, Costa Rica. January 2011 January Runners-Up		“Tree of Life.” Canopy oak in the Dota region of Costa Rica. December 2010 December Runners-Up
“Ignorance Is Not Bliss.” Toy Convention, San José, Costa Rica. Photo taken with Marisol Mayorga November 2010 November Runners-Up		“Balkan Woman.” Zabljak, Montenegro. October 2010 October Runners-Up
“Bee Bombers.” Bees hover over flowers outside Medellin, Colombia. September 2010 September Runners-up		“Butterfly Hair.” Butterfly saves energy by hitching a human ride in Tres Rios, Costa Rica. August 2010 August Runners-Up
“Good Hands.” Cousin Bruce’s steady hands work on Dion’s young face. Massachusetts, USA.. July 2010 July Runners-Up		“Sneaky Snake.” This harmless, semi-viper mimic jumped out on Jon and his father-in-law at the Guanacaste, Costa Rica farm. June 2010 June Runners-Up
“Divine Light.” This mini-church in a village within Durmitor NP calls on divine assistance. Montenegro. May 2010 May Runners-Up		“Holy Water.” The St. John Kaveo overlooks Ohrid Lake and Galicica National Park in Ohrid, Macedonia. April 2010 April Runners-Up
“Last of Its Kind.” Only 4 Swinhoe turtles exist in the world.This one of mythological magnitude in a lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. March 2010 March Runers-Up		“Ancient Handy Crafts.” Hands of an 89-year-old Vietnamese potter, Hoi An, Vietnam. January 2010 January Runners-Up
“Dragon Warrior.” With a little help from Santa Claus, Dion Kohl becomes the Dragon Warrior, Costa Rica. December 2009 December Runners-Up		“Make Room for Mushroom.” A mushroom grows out of a neglected sign at Monte Sky, Costa Rica. November 2009 November Runners-Up
“Branching Out.” My brother-in-law, Fernando, prepared this colorful non-floral arrangement in Tres Rios, Costa Rica. October 2009		“Sonburst.” Dion, my son, stands before a complete-circle rainbow after a light rain in Costa Rica. September 2009 September Runners-Up
“You're Next.” This guard dog at a hotel in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica sends a clear message to trespassers. August 2009		“Beer Stare.” In his three years, Dion has never seen a beverage like this. Wartberg Castle, Eisenach, Germany. July 2009 July Runners-Up
“A Royal Experience.” This woman demonstrates a traditional dance in Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy. June 2009 June Runners-Up		“Hurry up snail male.” Snail has trouble keeping up with date in Podgorica, Montenegro. May 2009 May Runners-Up
“Natalia.” Natalia Barrantes stops for the camera in Tres Rios, Costa Rica. April 2009 April Runners-Up		“Under the Cucumber Sun.” This cucumber flower and baby cuke underneath intercepts mid-afternoon sun in our living room. Tres Rios, Costa Rica. March 2009
“End of the Rainbow.” Rainbow passes over our house in Costa Rica and ends in our palm tree. February 2009		“Fun Before the Storm.” Tourists pose in front of the Poas Volcano crater, one day before the 6.2 earthquake shook Costa Rica and shut the park indefinitely. January 2009
“Rocket Wedding.” Girl watches fireworks at a friend’s wedding, Atenas, Costa Rica. December 2008		“Gold Coast.” The sun radiates over Cannon Beach, Portland, Oregon, USA. November 2008
“Unveiling Your Soul.” Photo by Marisol Mayorga on display at a photography exposition in San José, Costa Rica. October 2008		“Dog Day Afternoon.” Kids play a dog’s throw away in La Carpintera, Costa Rica. September 2008
“Motorcycle Safety.” This family of four in Cameroon isn’t fond of helmets or seat belts. August 2008		“Boulder Field.” Self-portraiture in Hickory Run State Park’s Boulder Field, a National Natural Landmark. Carbon Co., Pennsylvania.July 2008
“Tidal Wave.” This sunset cloud readies to engulf a forest line in Fort Collins, Colorado. June 2008		“Elken Snow.” Elk grazes by a lake in Yellowstone National Park, by Marisol Mayorga. May 2008 (#2)
“Fountain of Youth.” Dion runs his hand through a water fountain at the Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City, Utah. May 2008 (#1)		“Over the Top.” Citrus growers in Belize are beginning to use wild peanut to recover eroded soils. Here the cover crop plant scrambles over exposed roots and washed-out gullies (see orange in background). April 2008
“Flower Child.” Dion stalks the bush at University of Georgia’s Monteverde, Costa Rica campus. March 2008		“Spider Face.” This Belizean spider’s humanly half looks up from its arse. February 2008
“I Saw It First.” Dion exhibits his handy passion for tools. Tres Rios, Costa Rica. January 2008		“First Flight.” Dion reaches for the sky over Panama Beach, Costa Rica. December 2007
“Bone Uncrushing.” This Mayan bone healer seems to take great delight practing her painful art on a colleague’s neck injury in Panajachel, Guatemala. Nov 2007		“Hum Tongue.” This hummingbird sticks his tongue out in San Ramon, Costa Rica. October 2007
“Fleeing the Photographer.” A glossy-backed thrush flees the photographer in Papallacta, Ecuador. September 2007		“Dreamworld.” Dion would seem to have found his first love; but she is not. Costa Rica. August 2007
“Total Concentration.” Marisol stops to attend son Dion while touring Shipyard Brewery in Portland, Maine. July 2007		“Volcanic Conversation.”Dion and Jorge share a few crude jokes in front of the ever elusive Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica. June 2007
Ashton Lagoon, Union Island, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, is the site of a recent project. May 2007		“Family Stomachs.” Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica. April 2007
This fully armed mosquito poses in our living room. Tres Rios, Costa Rica. March 2007		We teach our fledgling to fly in Iztaru, Costa Rica. February 2007
The beauty of remodeling is that most construction begins with destruction such as with our front door this month. January 2007		Bygone tree rises up at the Itabo Biological Reserve in southeastern Paraguay. December 2006
Dion rides his first pumpkin, Sharon, Massachusetts. November 2006		To my father’s great suprise, Dion suddenly lashes out to fingerprint his glass. New Hampshire. October 2006 See the effect on his glasses.
This tartantula pauses as Marisol pushes Dion’s carriage by in Tres Ríos, Costa Rica. September 2006		Dion and Marisol cuddle in the cold winds at Turrialba Volcano National Park, Costa Rica. August 2006
Dion, three months old on 1 August, laughs at the possibility that the Patriots won’t go all the way this season. Tres Rios, Costa Rica. July 2006		Cows lounge on the crest of a hill in Puriscal, Costa Rica as a cloud passes over. June 2006
Only a few days old and Dion is already making new friends.Tres Rios, Costa Rica. May 2006		Our cat Poe found and played with this beautiful scorpion in our bedroom in Costa Rica. We since blocked off the space beneath the door. April 2006
Self-portaiture of part of my Costa Rican family in a very tropical context. Tres Rios. March 2006		Jon (left) and Merrick Hoben tackle a snowwoman in the National Arboretum, Washington, DC. Click to see the large and complete animated version (1.2 Mb). Photos by Marisol Mayorga. Feb 2006
Marisol (right) and Sabine (left) share their prenatal babies who also share the exact same due date: 21 April. January 2006		This cat welcomed our arrival at Twin Oaks comune, Virginia. December 2005
The dawning sun crosses the Bay Bridge toward San Francisco. November 2005		Mae waits for his bath, Washington, DC. October 2005
Bull elk collects his harem at the outset of rutting season.Benezette, Pennsylvania. September 2005		A humpback of a whale’s tale off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts. July 2005
Our black cat, Mae, prepares to roam the night. Washington, DC. June 2005		This black-bellied whistling duck shows proper form at Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, Texas. May 2005
Two months in the running, our two four-month-old adopted kittens, Poe and Mae ("Ma-eh"), earn photo of the month. April 2005		These two three-month old candidates for adoption perform the arts of kittenry. Reston, Virginia. March 2005
Starlings weather a snowstorm in D.C. Photo taken from Jon and Marisol’s apartment window.February 2005		This lizard suns himself on the back of a sea lion in the Galapagos Islands where Jon and Marisol honeymooned. December 2004
Jon tests out the interactive exhibits at the Allegheny Arms & Armor Museum in Smethport, Pennsylvania. October 2004		Jon and Marisol race down the Wolf River in Wisconsin. Photo by Rory Palosky. July 2004
Entitled “Fraternity, Liberty & Equality,” Jon took this self-portrait through the eyes and hands of Fernando Mayorga. NYC. May 2004		Jon grabs the high ground over a dried up lake in Nevada. Photo by Marisol Mayorga. Took place in November for April 2004.
Jon participates in an ice-fishing adventure in Central Wisconsin. He is setting a tip-up over an ice fishing hole. Photo by Marisol Mayorga. January 2004		Jon delivering a petition of a local group in Stevens Point, WI to the state represen-tative’s desk in DC. December 2003
Marisol with a thrilling bull’s eye at Brian in Yosemite National Park. November 2003		Jon, Marisol, Brad, Emily, and Julie slowly inch across a dangerous mountain bridge in northern Wisconsin. October 2003
Jon and Marisol stand gently on sacred conservationist soil in front of Aldo Leopold’s shack in southern Wisconsin. September 2003		Jon and Marisol posture before the oceanfront leading to Komodo National Park, Indonesia. August 2003
This shoe enjoyed a long-term home in The Domes, Milawaukee, Wisconsin. 4 July 2003		In visiting the Minnesota Zoo, Marisol found her alter ego in the form of a mermaid. May 2003
This was Marisol's first Easter egg painting, although only Jon's out-of-shell performance is shown here on the right. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. April 2003.		On Brian’s first trip to Costa Rica, he photographs an orb-weaving spider.Sarapiqui Learning Center. January 2003
This was Marisol’s first pumpkin carving campaign in October 2002. Jon’s is the on the lower right and Marisol did the small one to its upper right.		Jon and Marisol visit the Smithsonian Institution in Panama April 2002. This museum was once a Manuel Noriega bar.

May 3, 2013