Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:35:38 GMT

Round rocks in focus

Yawn! So many round rocks.

Actually, I never tire of them. I love looking for them when we’re on our walks in the woods, and I delight when I can unearth an especially flawless one. If it’s a keeper, it goes in my pack to be carried with me wherever we are going until I can get back to the shelter to add it to my collection.

I’ve taken quite a few photos like the one above, but most of them don’t turn out. Most are blurred, and I’m not sure why. (The one above is even a bit blurred.) I leave the camera on autopilot, and the lighting is generally good. I try with and without the macro setting, but still, without apparent pattern, the majority of these shots don’t turn out.

So much I don’t know.

Missouri calendar:

• With nesting completed, herons and egrets disperse.

Today in Missouri history:

• Cote Sans Dessien (hill without shape or design) was founded along the Osage River in Missouri on this date in 1808. For a time it was considered as a site for the new state''s capital, but the effort failed and the village faded into obscurity soon after. The hill is still there, but there is no evidence of the town any more.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:06:29 GMT

Ode to NYC: My Shopping Stomping Ground

Alas, the time for me to leave New York City has arrived. With a move to sunny Southern California in the works for next month, I am totally excited to explore a new city and to have access to incredible beaches and to bask in perpetual nice weather....but it''s no secret that there are a list full of things that I will dearly miss from the place I''ve called home over the past eight years. Great food, great friends....and yes, of course, great fashion.

As a tribute to one of the most stylish cities in the world, I will leave you with some of my favorite shopping haunts that I''ve frequented over the years that have helped to shape my closet from season to season. Posted by: Angie Omata      Read more     Source

Sat, 24 May 2008 23:38:57 GMT

Hopstop Helps You Negotiate the Subways

The most economical way to explore a big city is to use their local transit system. Unfortunately, people may avoid doing this, for fear that they will get lost or confused. Now, HopStop.com provides a thread through the labyrinth of the subway systems of New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC. Long Island, Metro North and New Jersey are still in beta.

The site also includes bus connections. Make sure to check out the cool itinerary feature, which shows you how to get from one destination to another. My favorite feature: The Rate It!

Read my comment about the B Line in Boston! Posted by: Lisa Marie Mercer      Read more     Source

Sat, 24 May 2008 23:32:52 GMT

Mount Fuji: Big in Japan

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, standing at 3776 metres. It's a volcano which last erupted in 1707.


© Chika

If you fancy climbing Mount Fuji, the best time is on a week day during the first two weeks in July. At this time the weather should be fair and you avoid the crowds. You're advised to climb part of the way on your first day and then sleep overnight in one of the mountain huts, rising very early the next morning to reach the summit by around 05:00 for sunrise. It's not supposed to be a really challenging climb but altitude sickness can affect some would be climbers.

If that all sounds a bit too arduous, Mount Fuji is surrounded by five lakes, the most popular of which is Lake Kawaguchi. Relaxing in the hot spring baths by the lake while admiring views of Mount Fuji sounds more alluring to me. Posted by: Karen Bryan      Read more     Source

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:29:23 GMT

Checked Baggage Fees At American Airlines

The "norm" in air travel is that, each passenger has an allowable weight for checked-in baggages for free. If you exceed that weight, you pay for the excess. That is true anywhere, in all airlines.


© alex-s


Now? Not anymore.

American Airlines is going to charge for checked baggage!

The fee for the first checked bag marks the first time that an airline will charge for a service that has always been included in the airfare.

Passengers will be charged $15 for their first piece of luggage. The airline, blaming high fuel costs, also plans other fee hikes, domestic flight cutbacks and layoffs.

What has the world become, why is this happening??? Yup. Blame it on the gas and tax!

Well....gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "traveling light", don't you think?

Shocks. Posted by: Gloria Gamat      Read more     Source

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:53:06 GMT

Canon's National Parks Digital Photo Contest

If you love outdoor photography, and you've never visited any of the USA's National Parks, then there's a treasure trove of photo opportunities waiting for you.

I took the one above in Zion National Park during early November, 2006.

I haven't been to many National Parks because I caught on to them too late in life; but the ones I've visited have provided me with all the "photo ops" I could have hoped for. Because of various medical problems, I haven't been able to get to the better parts of many parks so I know there's even more to be explored, a lot more.

Now, Canon Digital Cameras is making a trip to a National Park even more inviting by giving you a chance to enter a digital photo you took in a National Park in their, "Photography In The Parks Photo Contest", and win some great prizes.

Here's the link to the government's National Parks website.

Have fun and good luck, and remember to take a camera with you whenever possible. Look around, you'll find a picture somewhere.

Source:www.jimippolito.com Posted by: jim      Read more     Source

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:33:04 GMT

Everything Washington DC

Next to New York, the other place in the U.S. I am most interested in visiting is Washington DC.


© My Alternative Photos

Recently I have been reading two blogs about Washington DC: The DC Traveler and Starked DC.

There's nothing like reading bloggers living in the very city that they blog about. The personal accounts are fabulous, making you feel like you are being given a personal tour of their city.

Check them out, folks. Posted by: Gloria Gamat      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:33:03 GMT

Soul Beach Festival Aruba

The 8th annual Soul Beach Festival will be held in Aruba from 21 - 26 May 2008. What a location for a music festival and what a line up. Topping the bill are Wyclef Jean, Sinbadn, Ledisi and Brandon T Jackson. You can party all day and night with daytime and evening concert events and night club parties until 4am. Single concert tickets are priced at $65 or you can purchase the $180 ticket package.


© cristina.m

Aruba lies in the southern Caribbean only 15 miles from the South American coastline. It's a small island 20 miles long and 6 miles across at the widest point. Aruba has the nighest number of repeat visitors of any island in the Caribbean.

Have you attended any of the previous Soul Beach festivals? Have you visited Aruba? Posted by: Karen Bryan      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:12:43 GMT

Bangkok: First Impressions

We arrived in Bangkok in the middle of the evening. To describe it, I can only use a phrase that I have not used since the 1970s: Mind Blowing. To a Westerner, Bangkok seems like an alternate reality. I'd say that it is up there with Cairo, Luxor and Aswan as one of the most unique places in the world. It is also a budget traveler's paradise. Food, lodging and transportation are dirt cheap!

Bangkok is an almost ironic combination of the ultra ancient and the ultra modern. Its design is obviously urban, however, since the taller buildings are interspersed at visually attractive intervals, at first glance, it may also seem to be urbane. At night, if you glance out your window at the colored lights, you might think that Bangkok is a cross between Las Vegas and a movie set from the Fritz Lang movie, Metropolis.

Bangkok's first impressions can also be deceiving. As you watch the small boats sail the Chao Praya River, you might believe that the city moves at a mellow and gentle pace. This is not the case. The streets are crowded, the traffic is terrifying and the heat and pollution are unbearable. Should you skip it?

Not on you life! While you may not be able to see it all, you really need to see some of it. The trick is to balance your day so that you are not visiting all of the temples at once. More details will be featured in the days to come.

Posted by: Lisa Marie Mercer      Read more     Source

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:11:23 GMT

Dangerous Pathway

El Caminito del Rey (The King''s pathway, often shortened to El Camino del Rey) is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Alora in Spain.

The walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. Some parts of the walkway have completely collapsed and have been replaced by a beam and a metallic wire on the wall.

Many people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years. After four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way into the walkway.


(thanks Russell) Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source