Amazing Whales

China Camp

     President John F. Kennedy spoke about his admiration for the Chinese and Japanese who had the daunting task of immigrating to the U.S. in the 1800’s when people were less open to accepting to others from Asia. They cultivated the soil so that others could reap the harvest that Mother Earth had to offer. The Chinese also helped to build the first railroads that connected the East to the West.

    “The Chinese and Japanese brought their gentle dreams to the West.”~J.F.K. “A Nation Of  Immigrants.” 

Hal S. Kataoka, M.A. Educational Psychology, inspirantphotography.com

     Elephants are extremely sociable animals. They have the innate ability to swim, laugh and play soccer freely. Wild elephants once freely roamed from Cambodia, Burma, and Laos to Thailand. In 1988, there were approximately 2k elephants that thrived in Thailand. When logging was banned in 1989, it devastated the elephant population. They were used to harvest the teak forests. 

     Now, they are on the endangered species list. They are interwoven into their culture and history. They were once inseparable from their legends & spiritual way of life. ~

Hal S. Kataoka, Masters Educational Psychology, inspirantphotographer.com.    

  Lesson From A Teen

     Countless people around the globe trekked to places they assumed would offer unique vantage points. Astronomers estimate this miracle only occurs every 350 years in the same longitude and latitude. Two of my closest friends fought off thousands of cars to drive to the Oregon coast. Sadly, although one is a professional photographer, he forgot to bring his camera.

A mere 30 minutes before the solar eclipse appeared, a 13-year-old called and said: “you don’t have to travel across the nation; just go to our local  library.” I grabbed my Nikon and 300 millimeter lens and rushed to meet at the library. When we arrived I felt a sense of peace when I saw about 100 people together with their children and dogs waiting for the eclipse. They were laughing and looking in awe at the sky. Some even put solar glasses on their beloved dogs.

I captured this precious shot of the sun and moon being protected by a cloud that resembled a dragon. An ancient Chinese legend states that the dragon appears during a solar eclipse to protect the universe. After I spoke about the dragon cloud, numerous patrons at the Library asked me for a copy of this photo because they did not have high-powered lenses with which to shoot the eclipse. I want to share this with the community.