Camera Tricks

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Travel Spirit

I haven’t experimented with my camera much or tried any tricks, but the other evening I had some inspiration, so I began moving my camera up or down as I snapped a photo looking at the trees and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome! I took about 20-30 shots and picked two from them.

I’d like to paint a picture of this first shot…

For this photo, I moved side to side. I’ll call this one “Dizzy Tree”…

I really do get dizzy if I stare too long!

I’m recovering from two days of outdoor work…moving everything off of my deck, power washing the deck, front patio and house, going to Home Depot for stain and spray paint, spray painting the patio furniture, detailing my car and staining my 70′ long deck. Whew!

Looking for the right patio furniture pieces. (sweetsnsweat.com)
A Playhouse Ready For Its Closeup (ciburbanity.com)
Banishing the White Elephant (in which I celebrate the start of spray paint season) (annebronkema.wordpress.com)
Bringing in Some Color! Lime Green Tray… (rebeccasdelightfulhome.com)
A Classic, Brick Patio Makeover by Bryn of Bryn Alexandra (ext.homedepot.com)
My Red Velvet Cane Chair (sophistikateddesigns.wordpress.com)
A Hilarious Woman Photoshopped Herself Taking Pictures with Her Cell Phone Camera into Old Photographs (gizmodo.com)
Trick Photography and Special Effects by Evan Sharboneau (thewiredalien.com)
Trick out your camera’s shutter release with a ProDot (reviews.cnet.com)

Cincinnati’s Friendly Findlay Market

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Travel Spirit

There’s a Farmers’ Market in Cincinnati called Findlay Market and I like to call it the Friendly Findlay because everyone is so nice! Located in Over-the-Rhine, it’s a 35-40 minute drive from my home, but well worth it because of all of the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. and especially the people watching and photo opportunities!

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Art in Ault Park

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Ault Park is one of the many beautiful Parks in the Cincinnati area, with frequent events, such as “Art in Ault” that I attended this past week. The work of Holly Schapker, a local artist, was on display along with complimentary wine and music!

I arrived early to take some photos. The pavilion has wonderful architecture for photographs and the gardens are beautiful!

As I passed a small group of attendees, I couldn’t restrain myself from asking to take the photo of this lovely lady and her stately Poodle!

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Flower Shopping and Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Travel Spirit

A few days ago my girlfriend Gina took me out in the Country to “Johns Flowers” to shop for flowers for our decks. It’s located in Fayetteville. I was hesitant at first to drive that far out for flowers when I could go to a Lowe’s or Home Depot 10 minutes away, but I’m so happy I did! He has a huge selection and the quality is outstanding! John is so friendly and helpful and it’s nice to support local businesses!

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Rebirth

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Spring is so full of possibilities and life! The trees grow fuller, the flowers blossom and our world turns green! Living on five acres, surrounded by trees, I often feel disconnected…as if I’m in a cocoon. I like the quiet…the sounds of nature–chirping birds, rain pattering, things growing.

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Top of the Rock

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Travel Spirit

My three-day exploration of New York City ended with a trip to the “Top of the Rock” aka 30 Rockefeller Plaza. If you remember Molly, she accompanied me and we waited in line to buy our $27 ticket to the top. I wanted to see the views before dusk and at sunset, so we timed it just right and were at the top for about 30 minutes.

This is my final shot before taking the elevator down 70 floors to the bottom. You can see the Empire State Building…

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Bicycling Through Central Park

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Travel Spirit

I highly recommend taking a guided bicycle tour of Central Park! There are lots of companies to choose from and I chose a company called Must See Central Park for a 2 hour $45 tour. The tour ended up taking 2 1/2 hours because the tour guide was very laid back. There were four others on the tour, not including the guide, which made it nice to be able to stop and take photographs a little more often. The guide informed us that there are 15 entrances to Central Park and it’s 1.5 miles long, with a 6 mile circumference.

A few other tid bits of info…the Park encompasses 6% of Manhattan; 38 million people visit the Park per year ( I wonder how they know?); there are 21 playgrounds; 24,000 trees; 9,000 benches; and the Park closes at 1am and reopens at 6am.

We saw the Conservatory Water Pond where you can rent a sailboat…

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Walking Across Brooklyn Bridge

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge seems to be a touristy thing to do. I questioned a number of native New Yorker’s about the experience, and none of them had ever done it! I had read that walking from the Brooklyn side to Manhattan was the best way to appreciate it, so I took the subway from Brooklyn into Manhattan, transferred to a train back into Brooklyn to High Street, where you find the entrance to the Bridge. You can either use Google Maps and click on the train/subway emblem for the appropriate subways/times or go to the MTA site. It’s only a mile across and the views are absolutely breathtaking!

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First Look at Central Park

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Central Park holds a certain mystique for those who have never taken a stroll along one of its many lovely paths. New York City was never on my list of “must visit” destinations, but I have to confess that I was pleasantly surprised. I felt the same way about Rome. Before visiting, I envisioned it to be somewhat dirty and more touristy than it was. Anyway, back to Central Park…after exploring the Rockefeller Center area on my second day in New York City, I had enough time and energy left before heading back to my Couchsurfing host’s home to walk 9 blocks uptown to see for myself what Central Park was like.

What’s not to love about views like this…

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Rockefeller Center in Spring

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Rockefeller Center in the Spring is beautiful! My second day in New York City started with a view of the One World Trade Center, followed by a walk through Little Italy and Chinatown and then a quick subway ride to Rockefeller Center. I stopped a man in a business suit and asked him what there was to see in the area. He told me about this area behind the Center with beautiful tulips and fountains.

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Little Italy and Chinatown

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Travel Spirit

All of the information I’ve read about New York City or heard from others recommended taking a stroll through the areas known as Little Italy and Chinatown, so for my second day in the City, I included this in the itinerary! I had good weather Karma with me…the sky was blue and the temperature in the 60’s. If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember I started my day with a view of the almost completed One World Trade Center. You can read about it here.

When I first saw Little Italy, I thought it was very colorful and there were workers in front of their respective restaurants trying to tempt passerby’s with their menus.

Luckily, I turned around and saw this amazing street art on one of the buildings! Is it a miniature “Hulk”?

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On the Way to the One World Trade Center aka Freedom Tower

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Travel Spirit

My second day in New York City began with a train ride from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the D line, exiting near City Hall, with a loose itinerary of walking to the One World Trade Center — Little Italy — Chinatown — then taking a train up to Rockefeller Center – St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Central Park.

This is what I saw on the way to the One World Trade Center. Flower pots overflowing with beautiful tulips and a small cafe…

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Bryant Park and New York City Public Library

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Bryant Park which is located behind the New York City Public Library is my favorite urban park within New York City! Although it had started lightly raining while I was exploring the area a couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed taking a few photos of the area…

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Molly took me to Gantry State Park

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Meet Molly! She’s a fellow travel blogger and had recently moved back to New York City after returning from a year of traveling the world with her husband. You can read more about her here!

She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Very generous, sweet, intelligent and pretty (inside and out)!

We originally connected online when she gave me some advice for my 35 day overland truck adventure through six countries in Africa based on her own experiences. My first day in New York, I took the train from the Times Square area over to Long Island City (In Queens across from Manhattan) so that we could meet, and she took me to Gantry State Park and her apartment, which is located nearby.

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New York City Times Square

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Travel Spirit

After coming out from the Subway, I started walking towards Times Square and didn’t really know what to expect. I knew there would be lots of lights, people and action. I thought it was one area…like a square…but as I approached the area…I realized it encompassed a few blocks.

Although I’ve been to Las Vegas…initially I was like…”Wow”! So many things to look at!