Good morning!

Just thought this was adorable - and it made me laugh out loud. So I thought it made a good morning greeting. ;)

Happy Tuesday!

Backyard flower photos

I just went out and took some photos in our backyard - we have wildflowers growing, since we haven't had time to "groom" the flower beds and lawn yet (and there's no point in doing so with the winter frosts coming in the next several weeks).

Ever since the bee sting at the beach, I'm utterly terrified of anything that flies and has a stinger. So I got some great macro flower close-ups, but then I saw a bee across the yard and jumped up to leave...then figured I could try out my camera's zoom. So the bee photos are taken from across the yard, with manual focus settings. Still turned out pretty good!

All of these photos are untouched/unedited (for now; I'm actually toying with them in a photography program I just got for my Mac!), and all the colors are real, though enhanced by the camera itself in a function called "TrueColor Fix" - which simply means the camera will pick up foliage colors and other vibrant colors in nature instead of dimming or fading them like regular photography will do.

Whatchoo think?

Vienna & Prague Calling...

I leave on Tuesday! YAY! I'm getting really excited now that I'm packing and reviewing all my itineraries...and actually able to USE Rick Steves for legitimate resource (instead of just wishful fantasy for the future).

I've got one backpack, a money belt, and the tiniest toiletry kit I've ever packed. I'm so proud.

But, I have also decided not to bring my laptop. Being brand new and close to $1,200 - I'm not going to risk it. Especially since Prague's two nicknames are City of A Thousand Spires.....and City of A Thousand Pickpockets.

However, never fear. I wouldn't dream of NOT blogging my adventures (hello!), so I have alternatives. I will ask my friend Kristin in Vienna to borrow her computer (I'm staying with her, so that shouldn't be a problem :p), and then I'm staying at a hostel in Prague, which offers free computers for an hour per day.

I also discovered that I may just be able to access wi-fi on my Blackberry - despite the phone network being disconnected, it is a wi-fi-enabled device - so if I find public/free wi-fi while I'm out and about, I can blog quick entries from my phone! Still have to confirm that, though.

But another reminder about my blogs...if you're following my Destination Anywhere: Europe blog, please remember that it is ONLY for the backpacking trip I have now postponed. So for this Vienna/Prague trip, make sure you are following/signed up for updates from my main Adventures Series blog. (Click "Join This Site" on the right-hand side, scroll down a little.)

With that said, emails will probably go delayed once I leave. If you're lucky, I'll get your email when I sign in and have free time, and I'll reply. Feel free to email me regarding my blog posts - I love the feedback! But count on my replying with a delay.

Okay, busy day tomorrow. So I'll check in when I'm in Austria!!

Cheers!

Ground Zero 10th Anniversary - missing some guests?

This is disgusting, disrespectful, appalling, and SAD. I see absolutely NO valid excuse for this.

Due to a "LACK OF ROOM," NYC Policemen and Firefighters are not invited to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero.They weren't invited that day in 2001 either. They just showed up and did their jobs.

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/responders.asp

But the politicians are invited. Because they do so much for our country.