To the left is a personal journal that is updated often. Over here on the right side one can find the larger photo galleries. It is not updated as often, though changes do happen after major journeys and events. If you wish to use a photo seen here for any reason, kindly e-mail me and let me know (Yahoo address near bottom). The photos on the website are not very large or of very high resolution, and I may be able to send you a better version. My main camera is a Fuji Finepix S9000; the walking camera is the smaller but capable Finepix S1600. A Finepix A820 is the everyday backpack camera, as well as the one to be taken on particularly grueling mountain climbs when even the S1600 will be too much weight.

We are Michael and Deb, vegans and hikers from southwestern Ontario, Canada, where we live with our three cats Ferdinand, Gustav, and Mogollon, and Ludwig the tortoise. We have completed 31 hiking expeditions to New Mexico, finding that we cannot live without the skies, deserts and mountains of that unique place. Another favourite travel destination is London, UK (11 visits), where we enjoy making new friends, taking long walks in the city and outskirts, attending concerts in the city, and carrying out museum visits and pub pilgrimages. We have also explored the Valley of Mexico in some depth (3 visits), spent an entire summer in Madrid and Barcelona, spent two weeks in and around Copenhagen, Denmark and visited great Mid-Western cities like Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toronto and others many times. Detroit is our nearest big city, and we visit at least once a week. Lone Mountain Homestead is our attempt to share some of our adventures with relatives, friends and drop-in visitors. We also study martial arts, specifically "Iaido," the art of using a samurai sword.

Michael is retired from teaching music at Amherstburg Public School, but maintains a busy private music studio at home. When not teaching, performing, practicing piano or attending concerts in the Detroit/Windsor area, he enjoys driving a VW Touareg and Golf TDI, actively pursuing his photography hobby, practicing Iaido, and reading (as well as writing) fiction. He also loves to study maps, watch old films, observe the night sky, and work on his HO model train layout. He enjoys microbrewed beer way too much. Deb teaches Harp and Violin at home and is recently retired from teaching Grades 1-3 Language Arts, Music and Drama at APS . She is an avid lever harp performer, composer and arranger. Her works and performances have been featured in three short films for television broadcast (including England), and her original works are featured on two CDs, "strata" and "Phases of Light" (see links above). She also practicies Iaido, paints canvasses inspired by the spirit of the Southwest and enjoys a glass of red wine and the occasional pint of hoppy beer. Deb has completed four half-marathons (Detroit, Kansas City, Columbus, Ohio and The Martian in Dearborn, MI).