Fire in the Sky

Project 15 - Day 47

I am an early riser. I like the darkness and the quiet of the early morning and sometimes I get to enjoy some pretty spectacular sights with the first cup of the day. On the morning I left for SC, I awoke to this.

I almost missed it because I was too busy pouring that life blood of the morning, that I failed to notice. But once it grabbed my attention I forgot about the coffee and went for the camera.

Moments like this are fleeting, if you snooze you loose...pun intended.

Now it's confession time, the straight out of the camera picture didn't look exactly like this. Oh it was close and in my head this is what I remember of that beautiful morning so that's how I made it look. A little tweaking and voila the photograph matches the memory. I call that making good use of the tools at hand.

Multiples

Project 15 - Day 46

This is the result of taking one pot of pink impatiens and photographing it 7 times within one exposure. It is a double exposure of sorts and is achieved by setting the camera to the number of exposures desired and then clicking the shutter & turning the camera slightly after each shot.

Multiple exposures are fun to do and provide a new and interesting perspective on an old subject.

The Many Faces of a Princess

Project 15 - Day 45

Sunday morning I had a little impromptu photo shoot with our resident princess. I don't think I need to remind you that she is not fond of having her picture taken. She is a pro at averting those big blue eyes of hers. The fact that she was willing to cooperate at all was a most pleasant surprise.

At four she is not only sugar and spice and all things nice but she has a few snips, snails and puppy dog tails thrown in for good measure. Miss A is know to be tender hearted, loves all living creatures and her favorite section at the zoo is the reptile house. I know this because I spent part of Monday morning carefully inspecting each and every cage contained therein.

She loves the girly things in life (Aunt Jen Jen should be very proud), pretty dresses, jewelry, pink finger nail polish & happily ever after movies. She hates hats and her taste in shoes currently runs along the lines of lime green, sparkly flip-flops.

Independence is her middle name. She has a mind of her own and will emphatically remind you of that lest you forget. She is a good big sister. She loves her little brother. There are more hugs than bugs in their relationship.

She will break a heart or two while searching for her prince charming. But one day he will ride into her life on his trusty steed. When he does I sure hope he has a good job.

After all he's going to have a lot of pretty dresses to buy.

Gone in 60 Seconds

Project 15 - Day 44

The past two mornings my first cup of Jo has been a solitary experience. Normally that's my preference, but when I'm visiting the SC side of the family I miss sharing it with the sweet baby boy that used to reside at here. That's the way it used it to be when I would visit. Gabers & I would awaken early, while the house was still dark and a little mysterious. We would share that first cup of java along with all of our hopes and dreams.

Those days are gone now. Vanished. Gone in sixty seconds along with bottles, formula and jars of baby food. They have been replaced by an impish bundle of energy.

A little boy who never stays in one place longer than a flash of lightening. A little boy who plays and explores with the innocence and curiosity only a child can exhibit. Who has more facial expressions than I can catch with my camera. Whose mood changes in the blink of an eye from this to

this. And for no other reason than Daddy wouldn't offer him a sip of his Coke. It doesn't last long though, before you can say Grammy is a sucker all is forgotten and he is off on another adventure.

To me he will always be Gabers, my sweet baby boy. I will aways cherish my early morning memories. But now I also treasure the silence. Because as soon as those little eyes pop open after a good night's sleep the day has officially begun...for everyone.

There is no rest for the weary. I think I better pour a second cup while I can.

The Final Chapter, Literally

Project 15 - Day 43

I am a published author. No, seriously, I am a published author. I have produced a book, a 60 page, hardcover photography book. There are 16 known copies in existence. Sixteen people actually purchased my book. Of course those people are featured prominently within its pages, but who's counting?

Remember a couple of months ago when I was photographing The Kid and his senior softball teammates for a portfolio development class I was taking? (If you don't you can refresh your memory here.) Since the team did so well this season and I had all of those pictures just sitting on my hard drive, we decided to compile a book featuring Joeys' Pizza's Championship Season.

Blurb.com was used as the publisher for our little project and I have to tell you they did a fantastic job. The software is easily downloaded, and even easier to navigate. You can make adjustments if you aren't satisfied with the presets, add and delete pages to your hearts content, and move text and photos around until you are dizzy. We selected a hard cover edition with photos on the front and back covers and opted to upgrade the paper to a premium grade. It took less than 10 days from the time the book was uploaded to Blurb's web site until the day UPS delivered the little beauties.

The final project is pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself. The boys loved them. It was a fitting end to Joey's Championship Season.

If I manage to do this correctly, you can preview the book below. It won't allow me to down load the entire 60 pages for your viewing pleasure but enough for you to get the idea.

That Championship Season | BOOK INFO

I'm thinking it might reach #1 on Amazon's Best Seller list.

Sunday Stroll

Project 15 - Day 42

I Pledge Allegiant

Project 15 - Day 41

When a good friend of mine relocated to Greenville, SC a year ago, he contacted me and asked if we had discovered Allegiant Air. We had not. It didn't take long for The Kid & I to uncover the benefits of this little known gem in the low-cost carrier division of commercial airlines.

There are many benefits to flying Allegiant and none of them have anything to do with free in flight beverages and snacks or bags flying free. Those things are nonexistent on Allegiant. You do get a seat with a seat belt but that's where the frills end.

The benefits begin here: Cheap flights. Cheap, cheap flights. As in, sometimes $9.99/one way cheap flights.

I admit I had qualms about that. After all for $9.99 is there any guarantee the thing will actually get off the ground? But the doubts were pushed aside when benefit #2 was uncovered:

Cheap flights to Greenville, SC, home of the offspring of my offspring.

Not only are the flights cheap to Greenville, but they are direct. DIRECT people, do you realize what that means? Only one take-off and one landing to suffer through. No Hartsfield or Charlotte Regional to navigate. It's cheap, no-stop flying and I am all about that. While drugs are no longer required in order for me to board one of these things, the less time I spend on them the happier I am. My hair is white enough already.

And so today I pledge my allegiance to Allegiant. Cheap, non-stop flights to Greenville makes it oh so worth looking out of one of those teeny, weeny windows on the world and seeing this

Because when I do, I know that I am getting ever closer to seeing this:

and this.

And that makes this Grammy's heart take flight and soar.

See you real soon A & G, Grammy's on her way.

The Big 4 0

Project 15 - Day 40

A big standing O for me. Forty consecutive days...who'd a thunk it?

Traveling Companions

Project 15 - Day 39

I believe I mentioned a couple of posts ago that we weren't completely aware of our good fortune when we managed to score a couple of cheap nights at the Celebration Hotel. That is until we shared the news of our great deal with friends. They were not only familiar with the hotel (and quite impressed with our rate) but also very high on the town of Celebration. So much so that they invited themselves to tag along on our little adventure.

It all started a couple of years ago when we agreed to try a weekend cruise together. It worked out so well that we did it again... and again. We have even taken a couple of road trips to the Florida Keys together. To say we were delighted that they wanted to join us is an understatement.

Some people just make great travel companions and G & B are the best. We are compatible on all accounts. B & The Kid are always looking for the next great deal and G & I kick back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. They put up with my camera and G doesn't know a stranger. It works out great, when we all tire of talking he just moves on to the stranger sitting on the other side of him. Before long everyone has a new friend. Even in the theme parks it was a marriage made in heaven. G & I rode the rides while B & The Kid sat around and waited on us. (Hey Bobby, if you're out there do you remember those days?)

Now where did these guys come from?

They don't belong in this blog. They look like a couple of escapees from the zoo if you ask me. And they certainly aren't my idea of ideal travel companions. But don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks?

Back to G & B. We have enjoyed our many adventures and misadventures with these two. So much so that I think there is another trip in the planning stages. I'll be certain to keep you on top of the situation. I wouldn't want you to miss it.

Of course this is my most favorite traveling buddy of all. He pays the bills.

And he is kind of cute.

Angles & Lines - Lines & Angles

Project 15 - Day 38

I found this stairway in Celebration last week. I loved all of the angles and lines and thought it might make for an interesting image. With a little help from Nik Color Efex Pro's solariation filter I think it worked.

Angles & Lines - Lines & Angles

Celebration Time

Project 15 - Day 37

Celebration Florida, Disney's vision of small town America. What a treat it was to spend a few days relaxing in this nostalgic setting. When we booked our hotel for the visit we had no idea what we had stumbled upon. Our motivation was economy. (My personal travel agent, aka The Kid, had searched the deepest, darkest corners of the internet and come up with a whale of deal. $60/night at the Celebration Hotel which normally goes for over $200. How sweet is that?) It wasn't until we were sharing (bragging) our good fortune with friends that we found out what a gem we had uncovered.

Celebration is a planned community. All or most of the homes have front porches reminiscent of the turn of the century. Garages are located behind the homes accessible via alleyways that run parallel to the streets. By design residents are encouraged to be more visible and get to know their neighbors.

The commercial hub of the town consists of a few streets converging into a center circle. The streets are lined with small shops, and restaurants. All within a short walk or bicycle ride of home. Greenways and bike paths abound as do people utilizing this gift of good planning. The focal point of the community is the lake. Fishing piers and benches invite residents to stop and sit a spell as do the rocking chairs placed strategically along the promenade. It was evident that the plan worked as each evening we found visitors and locals walking their dogs, visiting with neighbors or just enjoying the sunset. Celebration is a Leave it to Beaver kind of place, also reminiscent of the movie Pleasantville. It is the kind of place I might like to live.

When we arrived on Sunday afternoon the main street had been turned into a small farmers market.

The stalls were filled with tempting treats such as the dried fruit pictured below. A sample of the pineapple was all I needed to keep moving...temptingly sweet and bad for the waistline, but oh so good!

The circular area protruding into the lake is a spray fountain. There was rarely a time when there weren't children shrieking with joy as they played in the interactive fountain.

There was a carriage ride through town led by these beauties.

And this tower we attempted to climb. It was late one evening after a wonderful Thai dinner. I think all of those spices got to me as I allowed myself to be enticed to the top. Fortunately for this phobic adventurer the stairs were blocked 2/3 of the way up.

And there was Doobie. Doobie is a paraplegic squirrel befriended by a caring veteran. I was chastised for missing the real photo op here. Doobie's owner is a decorated Viet Nam veteran with a mission to find other Lost Vets. I was so focused on Doobie that I failed to get the big picture. My loss.

The Celebration Hotel sits prominently on the lake. It too was a throw back to another era with it's dark wicker furnishings and old Florida charm.

As dusk settled on our first evening we were convinced we had a stumbled upon something special.

Celebration is a quiet respite in the middle of the hustle and bustle of all things Disney. I highly recommend a visit.

South Beach

Project 15 - Day 36

South Beach, Marco Island

HDR (high dynamic range) image. Seven different exposures were combined to create one perfect image.

OK, I admit it, there are no perfect images, just a perfectly good time creating them.

Happy Monday everyone.

Space Ship Earth

Project 15 - Day 35

Epcot's most celebrated landmark, my point of view.

Space Ship Earth, Epcot

Mr. Saxman

Project 15 - Day 34

Meet Matt, aka "Mr. Saxman."

We met Matt on our pub crawl at Celebration. He can really make that saxophone wail.

Being the friendly sort that we are we bought the hard working musician a beverage for his effort. On his next break he stopped by to say thanks and during the ensuing conversation we learned all sorts of things about Mat.

Things like he left his former life in New York to head south and make his mark in the music biz. I don't think it turned out quite like he had hoped but he's making it and that's a lot more than most.

We spent several hours listening to Matt make music. He made his mark on us.

Bar Scenes

Project 15 - Day 33

We returned late Wednesday evening from a wonderfully relaxing 4-day excursion to Orlando. Yes, my friends it is possible to use the words relaxing and Orlando in the same sentence, especially if you stay at a lovely boutique hotel in the little town of Celebration. More to come on that.

On Sunday evening we soaked in the night life the quiet community had to offer. Those of you who know me at all know that I am often referred to as the "one drink wonder." And while I enjoy sitting at the bar listening to good music and making new friends my attention span is limited. My mind begins to wander. If I have the good fortune to have a camera handy things like the following happen while my rowdy friends are enjoying the chaotic atmosphere.

This one isn't the best, but things improved as the night wore on. Our first stop was a lovely little Irish Pub that was managed by a Spaniard...go figure. The reason there is no Murphys or Harp on the table is that we are (ahem) watching our waistlines!

It's always good to include a little solid food along the way.

Stop number 2, also the final resting place for the evening, (remember I told you it was a small town) was a hoppin open air bar/restaurant with some pretty terrific music going on.

At one point I set the camera on the bar and just snapped and rotated. Not bad huh?

Before the night was over the musician became our new best friend.

This last one is my favorite. I love the colors and the nice soft background (boca).

It proved to be a stellar evening spent with good friends (both old and new), great entertainment and the kind of weather we've been craving for months.