Traveller, dog lover, amateur photographer (not a techie so the Nikon D5300 is usually set on "A" - not always successful but you have to have some failures to get some successes!!) ~ however I consider myself a "realistic" photographer and don't use Photoshop altho I know that for some effects those techniques are amazingl! | do tinker with PicMonkey for basic processing. . I'm a motorcycle rider, fast car driver ~ usually smiling, usually happy. Mature in years but young at heart with a wicked sense of humour.

visited 50 states (22.2%)Create your own visited map of The World

Ambition is to visit all 50 states of the USA and I completed that in 2012 with a week in Alaska. Now onto revisiting a lot of them.

Most of the photos I've posted on here are more of a travelogue as opposed to great shots but I hope to add some better ones as time goes on.

create your own personalized map of the USA

or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

"SOME FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH WHOM I SHARE MY BIRTHDAY"

•1483 - Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d. 1520)

•1632 - Maria Leopoldine of Austria, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1649)

•1651 - André Dacier, French classical scholar (d. 1722)

•1671 - Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (d. 1741)

•1766 - Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and printmaker (d. 1853)

•1773 - James Mill, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1836)

•1810 - Philip Henry Gosse, English naturalist (d. 1888)

•1812 - Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (d. 1870)

•1815 - Robert Volkmann, German composer (d. 1883)

•1820 - Nadar, French photographer (d. 1910)

•1823 - Joseph Medill, journalist and mayor of Chicago (d. 1899)

•1826 - Gustave Moreau, French painter (d. 1898)

•1849 - John William Waterhouse, British painter (d. 1917)

•1851 - Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (d. 1932)

•1861 - Stanislas de Guaita, French occultist (d. 1897)

•1884 - Walter Huston, Canadian-born actor (d. 1950)

•1886 - Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, The Last Nizam of Hyderabad state (d. 1967)

•1888 - Hans Richter, Swiss painter, film maker, graphic artist and avant-gardist (d. 1976)

•1890 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch designer of aircraft (d. 1939)

•1892 - Lowell Thomas, American travel writer (d. 1981)

•1903 - Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player (d. 1962)

•1909 - Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)

•1918 - Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president (d. 1982)

•1920 - Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, Nobel laureate

•1926 - Sergio Franchi, Italian-born singer and actor (d. 1990)

•1926 - Gil Kane, Latvian-born cartoonist (d. 2000)

•1926 - Ian Paisley, Northern Irish politician

•1927 - Gerry Mulligan, American musician (d. 1996)

•1928 - James D. Watson, American geneticist, Nobel laureate

•1929 - Joi Lansing, American model and actress (d. 1972)

•1929 - Willis Hall, English playwright and radio and television writer (d. 2005)

•1929 - André Previn, German-born composer and conductor

•1935 - Douglas Hill, Canadian-born science fiction writer (d.2007)

•1936 - Helen Berman, Dutch-Israeli visual artist

•1937 - Merle Haggard, American musician

•1937 - Peter Maivia, Samoan professional wrestler (d. 1982)

•1937 - Billy Dee Williams, American actor

•1938 - Paul Daniels, English magician

•1938 - Roy Thinnes, American actor

•1939 - André Ouellet, French Canadian politician

•1941 - Phil Austin, American comedian

•1941 - Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, American drag racer

•1947 - John Ratzenberger, American actor

•1948 - Patrika Darbo, American actress

•1949 - Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate

•1952 - Marilu Henner, American actress

•1952 - Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1992)

•1955 - Blind Mississippi Morris, American delta blues musician

•1955 - Rob Epstein, American filmmaker and journalist

•1955 - Keith Hunter Jesperson, Canadian serial killer

•1955 - Michael Rooker, American actor

•1956 - Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and administrator

•1957 - Paolo Nespoli, Italian astronaut

•1960 - Warren Haynes, American guitarist and song writer

•1960 - John Pizzarelli, American jazz guitarist, song writer, singer and bandleader

•1961 - Rory Bremner, English comedian and impressionist

•1963 - Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador

•1965 - Frank Black, American singer/songwriter

•1969 - Bison Dele, American basketball player (disappeared 2002)

•1969 - Ari Meyers, Puerto Rican-born American actress

•1969 - Paul Rudd, American actor

•1969 - Bret Boone, American baseball player

•1970 - Olaf Kölzig, South African-born ice hockey player

•1970 - Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer

•1971 - Lou Merloni, American baseball player

•1972 - Ami James, Israeli-born American tattoo artist

•1972 - Jason Hervey, American actor

•1973 - Donnie Edwards, American football player

•1975 - Zach Braff, American actor

•1975 - Hal Gill, Ice Hockey player

•1978 - Tim Hasselbeck, American football player

•1978 - Myleene Klass, British singer

•1982 - Michael Guy Chislett, Australian-American guitarist (The Academy Is...)