Sitting on a Bench and Watching the Sunset I took this at the Post Ranch Inn one evening. I went here after my last talk at EG to spend some time relaxing. It’s not like the EG Conference was stressful or anything, but it is high-intensity. I do like having periods of high-intensity followed by periods of low-intensity. A nice sunset in the Big Sur area qualifies as one of those low-intensity events!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Hiking in Carmel Just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea is a hiking trail that goes along the coast. I went down at sunrise one morning to see what I could find. The entrance to the trail was blocked by a gate, and there was no ranger in the little box-place where rangers stand. I was bamboozled. There was no way through or around. I could have walked, but it looked like the road went on quite a ways before the parking lot.So I waited until some other guy came along to let himself in. I was parked a ways back, and so I got his attention from afar by grunting and raising my Nikon-on-tripod over my head like a sand raider -- he got the message and waved me through.- Trey RatcliffRead the entire post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Selling Flowers in South China It was a wet, humid, but cool night when I was walking through Feng Huang. It was one of those nights where you are not sure if you want to wear a sweatshirt or just something light. Wearing something heavy holds the threat of getting moist and making you more uncomfortable… wearing something light holds the threat of keeping you too cold.I saw this lady selling flowers on the side of the road.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.