Welcome to Casa Flamingo – Home of Tim O’Brien’s Literary Arts & Random Musings
Greetings to my own little piece of real estate on the edge of the ethernet! Thanks for stopping by. This is where you will see the various works of my creative soul. Please feel free to peruse the Books tab on the left for the books I have written, on the Photo Gallery tab for a few of the photos I have taken, and the Blog below for my various thoughts and musings.
Blog Posts
by Tim O'Brien
The Magnificent Iguazu Falls of Brazil & Argentina
IGUAZU FALLS, Brazil and Argentina (Jan. 15. 2013) – On her first view of Iguazu Falls, Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have whispered, “Poor Niagara,” a reference to how powerful these magnificent falls in front of her compared to what Niagara Falls has to offer.
Just for fun, I murmured the same thing when I first spotted the area known as the Devil’s Throat from the Argentinian side early on this January morning. Kathleen and I were halfway through what I am calling the “Great South American Birthday Tour of 2013,” and this was our first stop on our day-long exploration of the falls from both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides. Our personal guide, Mercio Fontes, specializes in the falls area and led us to amazing vistas AND introduced us to some new food during lunch!
Framed by lush subtropical rainforests, Iguazu Falls is the largest series of waterfalls on Planet Earth. A series of 275 different waterfalls, ranging from 197 to 300 feet tall, dump an average of 61,660 cubic feet of water over the cliffs every SECOND!
In fairness, I do need to point out that Iguazu has the second-greatest annual flow of any waterfalls in the world, second only to Niagara Falls, which has an annual average flow of 85,000 cubic feet per second. The vastness of Iguazu, its pristine location (read no tourist shops surrounding it), the number of falls (you see and hear one in every location), makes this area much more spectacular to my eyes and senses.
Iguazu was named a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and is protected by National Parks that surround it. Even though I’ve spent a great deal of face time with Niagara, I was totally impressed by the fall’s size, volume of water, strong currents and the awesome, deafening sound.
On Nov. 11, 2011, Iguazu Falls was named as one of the seven winners of the New Seven Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation.
Click here to see this magnificent work of nature!
The Tale of Paul Bunyan & Babe
RUMFORD, Maine (Sept. 14, 2012) - I have always loved the tale of Paul Bunyan and how he found Babe the Blue Ox. On our Oct. 8 episode of Ripley Radio (Ripleyoddcast.com), our contributor Chad Lewis talks about Paul’s ties to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maine. I guess all three states are proud to claim him. Here is how the Maine legend goes.
One cold winter’s night near Bangor, Maine, it was SO cold, the snow turned blue. While Paul Bunyan was in the woods he found a baby ox that was so cold that it had turned blue. Paul saved him, took him back to the camp and warmed him up. But he never lost the blue color, so Paul decided to name him Babe the Blue Ox and they became friends forever.
As I was driving through Rumford, Maine on vacation, I first spied this great statue of Paul, then as we drove up to Rite Aid, who should we see? I think the drug store sign in the background adds a great deal of flavor to the photo. Now we know.
Maine – A True Piece of Heaven
MOOSEHEAD LAKE, Maine (Sept. 13, 2012) - My wife is from Maine and I have chosen to love it and adopt it as my home state. (Sorry Ohio) Each year we make a pilgrimage back to that beautiful piece of paradise and explore different areas.
Aboard the Historic Vessel
This year, we spent nearly a week near Greenville, on Moosehead Lake, and nearly a week on the coast in Ogunquit. As a photographer, I went crazy in both areas. Below is a gallery of photos I shot when we took a 4-hour tour on board the Katahdin, a former steamer that was christened on August 20, 1914. For years, she plied the waters of this behemoth known as Moosehead Lake towing and pushing huge logs from the prolific forestry industry in the area. It is now owned and rightly operated by the Moosehead Marine Museum. It’s a neat old ship and I had fun shooting the shoreline, the various parts of the ship and I played with my fisheye and sepia settings as well. ALL ABOARD FOR THE GALLERY (AND GALLEY).
Jerry Lewis “King of Comedy” Upclose Photo Essay
NASHVILLE (July 25, 2012) - Comedy legend Jerry Lewis has been in town for most of the summer, directing the stage musical of his hit 
movie The Nutty Professor, that’s set to make its world premiere at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) on July 31. It’s the launch of the show that will be heading to Broadway in the near future. It was quite an honor that the creative team chose Nashville and TPAC from which to launch the show.
Last night, I attended the very first presentation of the production in front of a live audience and it was amazing. It will be in a “preview” mode all week. I have been lucky to have been invited to several donor parties this summer in which Jerry also attended and as I was headed out to one such reception on July 9, I knew that I would have great access to him, so I took along my trusty Nikon. I ended up sitting right in front of him and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create the following photo essay and facial study of the King Of Comedy. Hey Lady, look at these!
Friendly Seagulls are Quite Photogenic
Santa Cruz Beach, Calif. (June 29, 2012) – As I was strolling along the wharf while visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park, I walked close to a seagull sitting on a post and he didn’t move. I came back to make sure it was a real gull and it was. He wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere, so I pulled out my camera and started shooting.
Please respect that these photos were taken by and copyrighted by Tim O’Brien. Please gain permission at tim@casaflamingo.com to use or copy them. Thanks.
Chihuly Glass Exhibit Highlights Color and Texture
NASHVILLE (Summer 2010) – Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art is an amazing place in its own right, but this summer, they hosted the glasswork of Dale Chihuly and it was one of the most amazing exhibits I have ever seen – anywhere! Colorful glass objects popped up throughout the acres of gardens, many that you didn’t see until you were right on top. Seeing the glass in contrast with the greenery made the glass even more brilliant. I went several times and this photo gallery is a compilation of my favorite outdoor pieces. Shine On!
The Artistic Trashcans of the Coney Island Boardwalk
CONEY ISLAND, NY (May 2011) - As I took my annual May stroll along the wondrous boardwalk of Coney Island, New York, I found myself paying more attention to the colorful array of trash barrels lined up on the boards than the ocean or beach itself! I couldn’t resist pulling out the ole Nikon and spending an hour chronicling this unexpected view of New York’s playground! Take a look.
The High Line of New York City
NEW YORK CITY (April 2011) - What a surprise New York City’s newest city park is! Built meters above the ground on an old railroad trestle on the west side of Manhattan, this park is an amazing example of what volunteers can make happen when they get the
support and the funding! Running from the Meat Packing District to West 34th Street, THE HIGH LINE is in one a contemporary space, a garden, and reclamation at its best!
Old rails torn up and replaced with wandering pathways, super gardens and trees and a great display of public art. Some of the old rails were even reintroduced to the park! The photos in this gallery are the result of a couple strolls I took along the High Line over a couple years. The plantings change with the season of course, so it’s always a surprise! See Gallery!
Kickoff Party for Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 Musical
NASHVILLE (September 2010) - Big party for Dolly Parton and her friends in Nashville as the touring version of 9 to 5 The Musical, kicked off its first tour at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. I was invited to the pre-show party and the place was filled with Country Music Legends! I had great access to the stars! Visit the gallery and roll your cursor over the photo to ID who’s who! See the Gallery!
