Summary

The website content is a personal travelogue detailing the author's experiences with places and subjects starting with the letter "B," as part of JoAnn Ryan's A to Z photo challenge.

Abstract

The author, Jerry Dwyer, shares a collection of photographs and stories from various locations and subjects, all thematically tied to the letter "B." These include visits to Bryce Canyon National Park, encounters with ancient Bristlecone Pines, a personal connection to baseball and the San Francisco Giants, a family heritage tour in Ballycopeland, Northern Ireland, a New England-Canada Fall Foliage cruise stopping in Bar Harbor, observations of barley fields in Idaho, visits to the Byodo-In Temple in Hawaii, and a tribute to the author's wife, Bennette, at Niagara Falls. The narrative is interwoven with historical facts, personal anecdotes, and the significance of each place or subject to the author's life.

Opinions

The author expresses a deep appreciation for natural beauty, as evidenced by the vivid descriptions of Bryce Canyon and the Bristlecone Pines.
Jerry Dwyer is a dedicated baseball fan, particularly of the San Francisco Giants, and has followed the team through various stadium name changes.
There is a strong sense of family history and pride, especially when discussing the Muckle ancestors in Ballycopeland and the connection to the local windmill.
The author values cultural experiences, such as those gained from visiting the Byodo-In Temple and exploring the significance of barley in Idaho's agriculture.
A profound personal connection is evident in the author's tribute to his wife, Bennette, highlighting their shared travels and experiences over 53 years of marriage.

WRITING — PHOTOGRAPHY

Bryce Canyon, Bristlecone Pine, Baseball, Ballycopeland, Bar Harbor, Barley, Byodo-In Temple, Bennette

My B list for JoAnn’s A to Z photo challenge

Bryce Canyon

We visited Bryce Canyon National Park in 1994 and again in 2005. On both visits we drove to Salt Lake City to attend Oregon-California Trails Association conventions and then stopped at some of Utah’s fantastic parks on our return trip home.

Bristlecone Pine

We went on an epic road trip in 1987 that eventually took us to a total of 16 states but before we got out of our home state we detoured to the town of Bishop (another B!) and then eastward to the White Mountains near the Nevada border just to see some of these ancient trees.

Baseball

The New York Giants relocated to San Francisco in 1958 and I have been a diehard Giants fan ever since. They play at Oracle Park these days but back in 2002 it was called AT&T Park and before that it was known as SBC Park and before that as Pac-Bell Park.

And before the days telephone companies bought each other out and changed their names the Giants played at Candlestick Park, known for its hurricane-force winds. Well, not quite hurricane-force. But a wind gust did make quite a stir during the first All-Star game of 1961. Here’s the story:

The wind knocked Stu Miller, a relief pitcher for the Giants, a few inches off balance as he started his pitch. Stu finished his pitch and the batter swung and missed. Nevertheless, a balk was called and the runners on base were allowed to move up. The runner on third eventually scored, tying the game. According to the newspapers, Miller was blown off the mound by the Candlestick winds! It was quite a story and Miller became famous.

Ballycopeland

My mother’s Muckle ancestors came to the Ards Peninsula of County Down from Scotland in the 1700s and settled in a place called Ballycopeland.

In 2002 my cousin Henry and his Geraldine led us on a tour of various family sites on the Ards Peninsula. My great grandfather Tom Muckle was born in a cottage not far from this windmill which has been restored and is now a museum.

Bar Harbor

In October 2007 we went on a New England-Canada Fall Foliage cruise. We left New York Harbor and headed for Halifax, Nova Scotia. Along the way we made stops at Boston (hey, another B!) and Bar Harbor, the largest town on Mount Desert island and the gateway to Acadia National Park.

I was especially intrigued by this colorful building right on the town’s waterfront.

Barley

We drove across southern Idaho a couple of times in the 1980s and 90s following the pioneers on their way to Oregon in the 1840s and 50s. The pioneers were following the Snake River. Potatoes are the main crop in this area of the country but you will also find fields of barley. This farmer announces to the world that his crop, once harvested, will make its way to the Coors Brewery in Colorado, two states away.

So now you know where Coors gets its barley!

Byodo-In Temple

Byodo-In is a non-practicing Buddhist temple located in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, about ten miles from Waikiki. It was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii and is a small-scale replica of the famous Byodo-In Temple in Uji, Japan. (Source: https://byodo-in.com)

We have traveled to Oahu five times in the last 50 years and on two of those five times we visited the Byodo-In temple. Sometimes you need to leave the noise of places like Waikiki and seek the beauty and serenity of places like Byodo-In.

Bennette

And now we come to my favorite B person in the world, my wife Bennette. Rarely have we been apart since we tied the knot 53 years ago. A couple of times she has flown to Guam on her own to visit relatives and I have explored portions of the Oregon Trail on my own a few times. But for the most part we have been each other’s companion on our endeavors.

We flew to Rochester, NY in 2007 and looked up a Muckle relative who lives in Yates County. We then drove to Niagara Falls and on to Toronto and then flew to New York City to catch our Fall Foliage cruise that brought us to Bar Harbor and on to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Quebec.

That’s it for my B’s. Take a gander at what other writers are coming up with as they participate in JoAnn Ryan’s A to Z challenge: Akemi Sagawa, Rhonda Carrier, Adrienne Beaumont, Osan Fernando, Dr. Preeti Singh, Vanessa Brown, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Stephanie Tolk.