The Carnton Plantation house in Franklin, Tennesseet,  as seen here from the McGavock Cemetery, was witness to one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.      Photo by Gene Korte          In the waning light of a November 1864 evening, it’s said that the Union soldiers sang hymns while Confederate bands played “Dixie.” Over five […]

The Bay of Islands is in New Zealand’s sub-tropical far north. This is the view there from the front porch of the luxurious Kimberley Lodge that overlooks the town of  Russell.    Photo by Gene Korte     New Zealand, a green and lush neighbor to the southeast of Australia in the Pacific Ocean, is […]

Aitutaki locals, some say the best dancers in this part of the world, perform in Rarotonga.         Photo by Gene Korte This Polynesian paradise of more than a dozen islands was settled about 1,500 years ago, according to local oral history. In pre-missionary days, like most of their neighbors in this part of the world, the islanders practiced cannibalism. Today […]