Tag Archives: Photography

Cruise Memories-Part 2

16 Dec

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

At the end one of Cruise Memories Part 1 I mentioned our active social life, meaning doctors, doctors and more doctors.

I had no idea how prophetic that statement would turn out to be. My husband developed pancreatitis which involved three procedures to clear it up.

Additionally, we drove a family member to Duke hospital in Durham, NC, a seven hour drive. Fortunately we were able to spend the night with family before repeating the seven hour drive. That was pretty rough on my husband’s strength. but we were happy to help.

Then we began another round of doctor, I mean social visits.

I am happy to say that we have ten whole days with no doctor appointments. And so, I give you, Cruise Memories Part 2

The final day of the cruise was a sea day. My plans for the day involved a trip to the Quiet Cove coffee bar and a lazy day of reading. The daughter had another idea. The Diaper Dash.

I’ve seen the race on the daily activity schedule on other cruises but it didn’t interest me. But hey, if my daughter wanted me to watch it with her, I was in. She promised it would be fun.

The race is held in the ship’s atrium. A specially made race mat is rolled out on the floor for the baby competition.

Point of order, Diaper Dash is the previous name of the event. It has since been “rebranded” but for the life of me, I can’t remember the new name.

As we waited for the event, I was stunned at the size of the gathering spectators.

The event even had an emcee who introduced each competitor complete with funny descriptions of their strengths as well as leading the cheering for the babies.

I hope the video above plays. The babies and their parents are so darn cute. I am now a Diaper Dash fan.

That evening we were treated to fireworks at sea. The fireworks were preceded by a deck party with lots of music. A crush of people went to the upper deck early to get a good viewing place. We didn’t want to be part of the crush so we held back. The husband isn’t a fan of crowds. He decided to stay in our stateroom.

It turned out that was a good strategy. The fireworks were directly overhead.

Off in the distance we could see lights from another ship. I assumed it was lingering for their guests to view the fireworks. I was wrong. To our surprise the ship in the distance began shooting off their own fireworks! It was another Disney ship.

After they finished their fireworks, our ship began. It was as if the sister ships were saluting each other.

We were in a perfect viewing area and the fireworks were spectacular. It turned out we were also in a perfect spot for going inside and grabbing an elevator before the crowds began surging in.

When we made our way back to our room, my husband said that he had a perfect viewing place during the display. The ships position placed the fireworks directly in front of our balcony.

The cruise was only 4 days but that was just right for us. Plenty of time to read, snack and enjoy delicious meals. It was fun exploring a new ship. I wouldn’t say no to another cruise on the Disney Destiny.

Christmas is only ten days away. We wish each of you the joy and blessings of Christmas. The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise

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2023 Road Trip-Part 19

24 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 19 – August 2:  

After breakfast this morning, I packed up my things and met Billy in the lobby of the motel to start today’s museum hunt.  We headed south out of Valdosta for 35 miles on US-129, across the border into Florida, to visit the Old Jail Museum located in Jasper, FL.  This museum, also known as the Hamilton County Historic Old Jail Museum, is situated in the original old 1893 two-story jail building that served as Hamilton County’s only jail until 1984.  This museum displays antique jail exhibits, artifacts, and photos to help visitors get an idea of how prisoners lived at the turn-of-the-century in rural Georgia.  The building was originally designed, as many jails were in the 1800s, to house not only prisoners but also with living quarters for the local Sheriff (Warden) and his family.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now we continued south another 20 miles on US-129 to visit the Live Oak Union Passenger Depot Museum located in Live Oak, FL.  This museum is situated in the old 1861 Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad (SF&W) freight depot and was restored in 1885 to serve Live Oak and the surrounding Suwannee County area’s expanding railroad business.  The museum displays antique railroad artifacts, photos, and memorabilia related to the influence the railroad had on the growth of this area in the mid-1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After leaving Live Oak, we headed southeast about 25 miles on US-90 to just west of Lake City, FL where we picked up I-75 and turned south.  We had gone about 35 miles south on I-75 when ‘nature’ called, and we pulled into the nearest Rest Stop.  After that refreshing stop (we needed some exercise), we noticed this sign for the Snake Wall, and checked it out.  It turns out that it is an inclined walkway that is described as “A unique piece of functional art (curving 325’ long) that successfully combines protection of the surrounding ecosystem and the roadway” and also provides access to the Payne Prairie Overlook.  An impressive design, and it gets your blood pumping at a good rate, all at the same time (sorry, but the info marker was weathered).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now it was another 45 miles south on I-75 to visit the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing located just south of Ocala, FL.  I had visited this museum on another road trip, but Billy hadn’t been there, and he wanted to see all the racing machines.  We spent a long time looking at the 90+ drag racing machines and another 50+ beautifully restored antique cars in the Antique Car building.  WOW!  What a collection!  We learned that they race R/C model drag racing machines at the museum once each month, and Billy and I are planning to visit that event as soon as we

can.  Sounds like a lot of fun.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving that amazing museum, we continued south on I-75 another 15 miles to visit the Florida Carriage Museum in Weirsdale, FL and the Florida Pioneer Village in Dade City, FL but they were both closed.  So, continuing another 35 miles south on I-75 we visited the Mission Base Museum & MOSI located just west of Thonotosassa, FL.  This hugh facility Is a scientific playground for all ages, with 100+ hands-on activities including the Mission Moon Base Lunar Colony, VR Simulator and a planetarium.  It was obvious from the number of kids in the lobby that school was out, at least for this bunch.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

 

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 15

27 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites                                                    

Day 15 – July 29: 

 After Breakfast this morning, I packed up my things and headed east out of Little Rock on I-40 for 30 minutes to visit the Lonoke County Museum in Lonoke, AR but they were closed.  So, I continued east on I-40 for another 45 minutes to visit the Central Delta Railroad Museum located in Brinkley, AR.  This museum is housed in the restored 1912 Union Railroad Depot and displays antique railroad artifacts and memorabilia related to the influence of the railroad on the Monroe County area over the years, dating from the early 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Continuing east on I-40 for another 25 miles, I visited the St. Francis County Museum located in Forest City, AR.  This museum has recently been moved into the Historic 1906 Rush-Gates house and displays artifacts from Dr. J. O. Rush, such as his medical clinic, a Native American room, including many pre-historic items from Dr. Rush’s collection, a parlor room, and a ’Hall of Schools’ room depicting the evolution of the St. Francis County education system over the years.  Other display rooms include a genealogy room and a railroad room.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Now it was another 45-minute drive east on I-40, across the famous Mississippi River (the border), to visit the Metal Museum located adjacent to De Soto Park in Memphis, TN.  I had visited Memphis on another road trip, but most of the museums I had visited on that trip revolved around Elvis Presley and the Country Music Industry.  I found that the Metal Museum is very unusual and is dedicated to the art of ornamental metal design.  The museum displays a wide range of metal artwork ranging from jewelry to weathervanes, swords, unique BBQ devices, and many others.  The museum offers visitors an opportunity to watch a blacksmith at work forging metal artwork of all types.  His creative ability is simply amazing!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

It was just a few blocks drive from the Metal Museum to where I visited the Edge Motor Museum located in downtown Memphis.  This museum displays a variety of some 25+ sport and muscle cars dating from a 1913 Ford T Runabout, that tell the story of the American Sport Car from the prospective of their historical and cultural significance.  

The cars come from different sources, and the selection is rotated from time to time as other cars become available for display.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Over a couple of streets from the Edge Motor Museum I visited the Fire Museum of Memphis.  This museum is situated in the restored 1910 Fire House #1 and displays fire engines, firefighting equipment, and memorabilia dating from the late 1800s.  A unique ‘Fire Simulation Room’ demonstrates how residential fires can start and how the local fire departments fight and control those fires.  Interactive firefighting stations are available for the education of persons of all ages.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

My plan was to visit the PT Boats Museum located in Germantown on my way out of Memphis, but they were closed.  Bummer!  I had been looking forward to that museum as I love the WWII version of ‘David vs. Goliath’ with the small plywood PT Boat up against the giant Japanese Battleship.  Oh well, maybe next time I’m in the area.  So, now it was southeast on US-72 another 10 miles to visit the Morton Museum of Collierville History located in Collierville, TN.  This small museum displays antique artifacts and memorabilia related to the Bellevue Female College that operated in Collierville from 1872–1904 and the many lives that this educational institution touched over the years.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

On my way out of Collierville, I stopped to take a photo of the Battle of Collierville historical marker.  The marker describes one of the bloodiest Civil War Battles, for control of Collierville’s Union Supply Base, to take place in Shelby County during that war. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Continuing east on US-72 for about an hour, I crossed the border into Mississippi and wanted to tour the Cocoa Cola Bottling plant located in Corinth, MS but there were no tours today.   So, not to be discouraged, I drove over to visit the Historic Corinth Depot (also known as the Corinth Crossroads Museum) there in Corinth.  This museum is housed in the third railroad depot to be built on this site (1st -1857, 2nd -1912 & 3rd-1960), and displays antique railroad artifacts and many Civil War memorabilia related to the fight for control of this strategic railroad crossroad during historic that war.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

It was almost time to head for the motel for the evening, there in Corinth, so I gave Greta (My Garmin) the address.  But on the way I spotted the local Cracker Barrel and stopped for a plate of their Crusted Fried Pork Chop with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and one of their famous biscuits with butter and honey for dessert.  Yummmm!  I can’t eat all that food at one sitting.  That means there was plenty left over for another delicious meal tomorrow evening.

Photo Credit: 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/pork+chops+greenbean+cass arole+potatos+gravy  

By the time I got to the motel, there in Corinth, I was ready to relax and I recorded today’s activities.  No TV tonight, as I was tired and ready for a good night’s sleep.  So, ZZZZ….. 

—–To Be Continued—– 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Exploring Night Photography

10 Mar

Melody Hendrix

A Time to Live

Successful and rewarding photography is a lifetime of  learning as with any hobbies or career. With every new morsel of enlightenment comes excitement in taking that knowledge and being creative with it. Once you learn a new technique, you can’t wait to put it in motion.

One weekend my dear friend Pat and I stayed a few days in near St Augustine right on the beach. It was a quiet beach with a pier in the distance not too far away. As photographers, Pat and I are used to getting up hours before sunrise. We love to capture beautiful Florida sunrises. On our first morning, we woke up about 4 am. Pat tells me she has been taking classes on low light and night photography.  She encouraged me to walk down to the beach to practice what she has learned. I thought it was a little eerie, but agreed. When we walk out the back door of the hotel, it was pitch black. There were no lights at all on the beach and we needed a flash light to find our way down to the water. At this point I thought my dear friend had lost her mind. She thinks we are going to take pictures in the dark, where there is no light at all. 

There was a little light coming from the pier in the distance and twilight was about an hour away. In-spite of my hesitation, she was excited about this venture and encouraged me to follow her lead. So I did.

We walked to the waters edge, and put our cameras on our tripods. She explained the camera settings to me and I complied. We must set up our cameras to take a very long exposure. This means that unlike our eyes that see light, the camera collects light. So once the shutter button is pressed, the camera keeps collecting the ambient light until there is enough to make an image. 

So I pointed my camera towards the pier, made sure my tripod was firmly pressed in the sand and I pushed the shutter button. I heard it open the shutter, then I waited……. and waited….. and waited. I thought something was wrong, nothing was happening. Then at last, I heard the click of the shutter closing. Then I waited and waited for the image to come up on the lcd screen. 

Finally the image appeared and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This is the picture I saw. Not only did the scene appear, the color of the twilight was beyond my expectations. The cobalt blue of twilight is the most beautiful color. You can slightly see it with your eyes, but when the camera collects it, it is deep and intense. This is one of my favorite pictures, and one of my favorite photography experiences.   

MelodyWelcome! I’m so glad you stopped in to visit. I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
What a beautiful world we live in. We all have that in common. Natural beauty is everywhere, but sometimes we are not connected until we see a picture, taken just right, that makes it really come into focus and be admired. My passion is to make a connection between the lens and your soul. Photography is my passion.
 
My photography passion began when my Father handed me his old Ricohflex box camera when I was 12.  It was love at first sight. I still have it. My hand was never empty of a camera since.
 
 
I am a native Floridian. I am so lucky to call it home. I was born in Orlando BF (before Disney). My family moved to the Winter Park area when I was very young. Central Florida was so simple and quaint at that time. I wandered the streets barefoot with my friends, never worrying that something bad could ever happen. My Mom used to pick the sand-spurs out of my feet. I still go barefoot. It grounds me to earth and connects me to nature.
 
I have extensively explored Florida and its diverse beauty. So much to see and so little time. I would love for you to join me in my travels through the images I have taken. I wish you could hear the sounds, smell the fragrance and feel the breath of it. But for now we must be content with exploring with our eyes and only imagine the rest.
 
Thank you for your interest.

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Beauty and Pleasure

15 May

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

 

 

God created the flowers to bring beauty to the earth and pleasure to us.

 

 

Each flower is unique and some are very beautiful as a single bloom but many times it is more beautiful to see them put together as a bouquet or arrangement. That can be a lovely parallel to how we each come together and complement the strengths, weaknesses, gifting and needs of each other.

 

Together we are more powerful, more complete, although individually we are also beautiful in our own way.

 

 

Do you ever feel insignificant, like God wouldn’t pick you from His garden? He doesn’t see one gifting or personality or appearance as better than another. None of us is less important to Him. We are all supposed to be different. And we are pleasing to Him if we fulfill the specific call and purpose He created us to be. We are only to be ourselves, not like someone else.

 

 

Whatever type God created you to be, it is not just for us to keep to ourselves but our beauty, our aroma, our gifting are to be used for the benefit of those around us. Just as in the bouquet, each of us is important to the whole. Even those who feel small or insignificant have a role to play.

 

 

I saw these little flowers, I had never seen before,
They were so small and delicate, a hundred-maybe more,
I had to smile when seeing them, and wipe away my tears,
You always give me flowers, Lord. At least, you have for years.
Anne Peterson

 

 

 

Consider the wonderful works of God.  Job 37:14

 

 

 

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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The Abstract World

27 Feb

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

 

I wasn’t sure what I was going to blog about next. I thought and thought about it.  The next morning I was to go on a morning shoot to Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.

My friend and I set out to do some abstract photography of the buildings and water reflections. This is a new thing for us and an exciting one. So I decided that I would share this new interest with you. I have always loved abstract photography, but it is something that you have to be focused to see and do. You have to re-program your eyes to see differently. And we were ready.

Buildings

All photography works on an instinctive and subconscious level, but more-so with abstracts. When we look at these types of images we don’t necessarily have a rational response. The images are suggestive, sometimes shunning the logical and expected. They are mystifying rather than explanatory, unusual, quirky, idiosyncratic. Their uniqueness makes them very powerful and can engage our imagination very quickly.

The ocean/beach horizon at twilight.

Abstract photography is based on the photographers eye. We’re looking to capture something in a way that it would not usually be seen. Looking for the details, the patterns, the lines, the form, shape and colors that complete a subject and utilizing those key features to make an engaging image.

Sun lit palmetto leaf.

 

To capture an image in nature as an abstract, you don’t need any special equipment – just a camera, and the most importantly, your own imagination. What matters most is that your photograph reveals an eye-pleasing image, whether you can identify the actual subject or not. In fact it usually doesn’t have a subject. Only pleasing aspects that both calm and stimulate your mind.

Reflection in the water of a building.

If you want to try something different – the challenge of making something new out of something familiar couldn’t be better. Take an ordinary, everyday object in your home or yard and turn it into something of wonder and beauty.
Flower
You’ll never run out of subject matter. Imagine the possibilities – everything around you is potential material. You’ll uncover a whole new world. I love taking everyday objects and transforming them into something completely different and unrecognisable. It’s a great challenge to go beyond what we see and create an alternative view of the world.
Surface texture and color of an outdoor pottery flower pot.

 

There are no clear rules to abstract photography. The object of the photo may or may not be recognizable. Abstract images may contain a small portion of an object or multiple objects. An abstract will often concentrate on a limited area of a subject that reveals a shape, pattern, form, color or texture. Movement can also create abstract images, such as rushing water or the wind blowing a flower.

Tree landscape – the camera was moved up and down while the shutter was open. 

 

Beach waves at twilight. the camera was moved back and forth horizontally while the shutter was open.

 

In the next weeks to come I will talk about abstracts in detail. I will try to help you see. This is a rewarding type of photography because you can simply use your phone or any camera. There are no rules and once you get the hang of it, it can be come an obsession. Next week “How to look at things differently and zero in on another world.

 

The bow of a boat and it’s reflection.

 

 

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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My Most Meaningful Picture

22 Nov

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

Everyone has a favorite meaningful photo that brings back memories. I have plenty I love of family and friends, but taking this picture was the most exciting I have ever experienced. Here is the story.
My friend Pat and I are picture taking addicts. We love learning new abilities and tricks. We woke about 4 am from our hotel on St Augustine beach one summer morning. She says we should just go out and take our cameras to the beach. As we walked towards the water, I realized it was totally dark. I could barely see my hands in front of my face. I told her we were crazy to be doing this. As we got to the very calm waters, she said she had learned some things about night photography. We stood in the shallows and put our cameras on our tripods and after some adjustments to the camera, I pressed the shutter button. I waited…. and waited…. and wondered if something was wrong because I wasn’t hearing the shutter close. Then finally it finished taking the picture. It took a while to show up on the screen, but when it did, I screamed with delight.
This picture is what I saw. Now keep in mind it was still totally dark. How could this be? This was the beginning of my love for night photography. You see, the light, know matter how dim, keeps collecting on the sensor until it has enough to expose the magnificent cobalt blue sky and the wonderful silhouette of the pier. The water and waves smoothed out by its continuous recorded movement. You can see the birth of a new day and the landscape you would miss forever if it wasn’t for the beloved instrument called a camera.

St Augustine Beach

St Augustine Beach

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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For the Love of Photography

15 Nov

A Life to Live

Melody Hendrix

Sometimes I arrive just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter.
Ansel Adams
 
You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world. Oprah
 
Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.  Mark Ribound
 
We take pictures as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone. Unknown
 
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving, what you have caught on film that is captured forever…..It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.  Aaron Siskind
for-love-of-phography-copy

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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