To Fridays!

This morning, I merely went to my flickr account and in the search box I typed "fun".  A number of my photos came up, and here are two of them.  In case you are wondering, that is an aeronautical chart and I was doing some flight planning for a flight lesson.  That is my breakfast nook which doubles as a work station and kitty magnet (it might be the paper which is the kitty magnet).  The first photo is much better composed, the second one was chaos when kitty number two decided to join the fun.  Note that I've moved the cup of tea when the table became more crowded!

Have a fun Friday everyone!

Another church ceiling photo, and an APOLOGY!

Good morning everyone, two posts in one day - check it out.

I am posting this in response to Genie's admiration of Sainte Chappelle's jewel like ceiling.  I'd also like to use this time to apologize to all my blog readers. 

As I am usually logged in, when I do reply with comments I cannot see that I had that dreaded WORD VERIFICATION turned on!  I found out by accident when I tried to reply to Genie and was logged out. 

That word verification feature is such a pain in the arse (pardon my British-ism).  I don't know how it came to be enabled, it must be a default.  It was easy to turn off, and it makes the blog commenting experience so much easier and pleasant - take this from someone who comments a fair bit on other blogs (and sometimes refrains due to that feature, especially if I've already commented on several others that day). 

If you happen to have a blog, it's not a bad idea to check that feature out and to consider turning it off (not to be pushy or anything). 

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

Taken randomly from my flickr account today.  Just this morning someone "favorited" this photo I took of the ceiling of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi and I thought I'd share it with you.  It was taken in Assisi shortly after the New Year three years ago.  I had to add quite a bit of light in post processing.  This was in no small part due to the fact that the original was taken without flash and quite surreptitously as I walked out the door!  In the original you could see blues and greens but rather dark.

The Basilica, and in particular the ceiling, was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1997.  They managed to restore it in record time and the Basilica was reopened only two years later.



Quake in New Zealand

Yesterday (Tuesday in New Zealand) a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch - the second large quake in less than six months.  They are saying this quake is an aftershock from the last one.  News reports state that at least sixty-five people have died!  I hope they are able to rescue people trapped in the rubble and that no more people die.  I also learned this morning that the Christchurch Cathedral was severely damaged as well (photo below).  I've visited New Zealand once, about five years ago.  Christchurch is beautiful and the people are very friendly.  This is a sad sad day.

Here is the link to the New Zealand Red Cross:

http://www.redcross.org.nz/cms_display.php

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow...

This is where I will be parked tomorrow.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Wish me luck!

I just entered a photo contest sponsored by Alaska Airways.  The rules were that the photos must have been taken after Jan 1, 2010, and, must be taken in a locale where Alaska Airways flies - or the region.

Below were my choices.  The prizes are airline tickets, of course!

1.  My nephew Micah at Daytona Beach

2.  Pebble Beach Wedding

3.  Leesburg garden shed (used to be a house a very long time ago):

The cure for anything is salt water...

The cure for anything is salt water...  sweat, tears, or the sea.  Isak Dinesen. 

One of my all time favorite quotes.  I can't wait for the time when I can be doing this:

or wandering here:

Keep the faith everyone, spring is nearly here...

Wintertime fun

The National Gallery of Art has an ice rink.  Last weekend on my way to visit the museum I stopped to watch the skaters for a while.