A Tuscan Adventure!

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Our latest adventure took us to the beautiful hills of Tuscany in northern Italy. We were part of a small tour (16) which included the Tuscan towns of Florence, Cortona, Radda and Siena. We enjoyed some of the most amazing food and wine, along with the beautiful countryside, the wonderful Italian people and the very best traveling companions.

I have made three slide shows from the pictures we took while in Italy. We would love to share them with anyone interested. These slide shows are best viewed in full screen with your sound turned on.


Florence   (about 30 mins)

Tuscan Hill Towns (2)   (about 15 mins)

Tuscan Hill Towns (3)   (about 15 mins)



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Norfork, Charlottesville, Va. & North Carolina

From Paducah, we headed east to Morehead, KY, where we left the Interstate and drove the scenic Appalachian backroads of Eastern KY and West Virginia. We crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains and continued on to Norfork, VA, where we enjoyed the The Fourth of July Holiday with some good friends from Florida.

This trip included Martinsville, Norfork, Richmond, Charlottesville,VA, and Charlotte, NC. Along the way, side trips were made to various historical sites, as well as Mt Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain in The Blue Ridge Mountains and a two-lane Kentucky back road adventure home. 

This slide show is best viewed on full screen with the sound on.

Norfork, Charlottesville, Va. & North Carolina

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The Great Tennessee Air Show 5-12-11

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Digital Photo 101

Over the past year, it became apparent that I needed a better digital camera. My  old, point and shoot Sony DSC W100, as good as it is, simply has too many limitations and  shortcomings . 

My long-time  interest in amateur photography, combined with my retirement, affords me the opportunity to do the proper research and invest in a better digital  single lens camera (DSLR). I have also committed to learn how to manually use a SLR correctly.

With that in mind, and as my winter project, I recently bought a new Canon T1i and started online lessons.

In this post I am blog-testing a few of my latest photos. I should note, for a neophyte DSLR user, the dull-gray skies of winter make for challenging photography conditions. All shots were taken without a flash, using available light.

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The seagulls are in the middle of their annual winter migration thru our area, stopping to rest on the edge of the Ohio River. 

It's not easy to sleep on one foot.

Raymond Schultz Park, Paducah, KY

Ingram Towing, Paduah, KY

Tow Boat waiting for a turn at the Dam 52 lock.

Tow Boats on the Ohio River, Paducah, KY

Winter on the Ohio River

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Art Gallery

Mother and Baby Giraffe Sculptures

332 North 6th. St., Paducah, KY

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing" ~Aristotle~

“Too often. . .I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.” ~Louis L’Amour~

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