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2 New Albums – Fort Miles and Lewes, DE

Michael — Sun, 15 May 2011 03:32:52 +0000

I just uploaded two new albums to the Photos section. They may not be as glamorous or stunning as photos of Alaska or Las Vegas, but some of the photos hold a special interest due to a tie to my family. While visiting a friend in Lewes, DE, we took some time to explore downtown Lewes including the waterfront and a historic churchyard cemetery. Those photos can be found in the Lewes album.

We also visited Fort Miles, a historic Army base at in what is now Cape Henlopen State Park. The fort consists of 15 observation towers (11 in Delaware, 4 in New Jersey), 10 gun batteries and other support structures such as barracks, etc. It was built during World War II to defend the mouth of the Delaware Bay from German ships and u-boats that might want to do harm to the vital ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia.

This facility holds a special interest for me because the people who assesed incoming vessels and decided whether the Army should blow them out of the water were US Navy sailors. One of those sailors on watch in Fire Control Tower #9 was my grandfather. While visiting Cape Henlopen we were lucky enough to be there on a day when the facilities were open for tours. We climbed tower #7 and toured gun battery 519. We also watched as renactors acted out a battle with the Germans that thankfully never really took place at Fort Miles. These photos can be found in the Fort Miles album.

Las Vegas Photos Now Online

Michael — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:18:39 +0000

When you think of Las Vegas, you usually think of gambling, drinking and general debauchery. Before heading there for a long weekend, I researched and found some fun things to do that didn’t involve getting drunk and passing out in the Bellagio fountains. It was supposed to rain on Saturday and Sunday so we ran around on Thursday night and Friday trying to do as much as possible. The only rain (and a little snow) that we got was during the night, but it’s a good thing we got an early start because we barely finished my checklist of places to see before it was time to fly home on Monday!

My photos from the trip are now online in the Photos section of the site.

Twitter Updates for Week Ending 2010-09-25

Michael — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 07:59:00 +0000

Because the airlines haven’t turned flying into a miserable enough experience already? http://bit.ly/b1Jtft #

Alaska Photos

Michael — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:18:19 +0000

At long last, I’ve posted the photos from my trip to Alaska. For those of you who don’t know, I spent a week travelling by cruise ship from Vancouver, BC to Seward, AK followed by a week on land ending up in Fairbanks, AK. Some of our stops included Ketchikan, Juneau, Hoonah, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali National Park and Ruth Glacier. We also spent Canada Day in vancouver prior to leaving and spent one day in Seattle, WA on the way home.

I took over 4,700 photos. Of those, I kept 1,300. About 600 are posted on my website. Click here to view them. I hope you enjoy looking at them a much as I enjoyed taking them!

Twitter Updates for Week Ending 2010-06-12

Michael — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:59:00 +0000

Just watched @BillGates on @kingsthings. Very classy response when Larry asked what he thought of Steve Jobs. Good interview all around. #
People whose Twitter links make you go to their Facebook page before the real link are just plain annoying. No need for the extra clicks. #
I’ve only been to my own office 2 hours out of the last 3 weeks. Good to finally be back! #
Finally a nice day after weeks of a heat wave and a tornado watch. 66 degress and beautiful clear skies. #
Just got an e-mail from @googlemaps telling me they removed a bogus street in my neighborhood because I reported it. How cool is that? #
Just drove through a 3 mile long swarm of lightning bugs. Strangest thing I ‘ve ever seen. #

Twitter Updates for Week Ending 2010-05-29

Michael — Sun, 30 May 2010 03:59:00 +0000

RT @KYWNewsradio: “Activist Wants Time Limit on Makeshift Memorials http://easyuri.com/ad3db"; – How about not making them in the 1st place? #
D’oh! I accidentally turned off the air conditioner before I left for work on the hottest day of the year. It is HOT in here! #
After 2 weeks, 6 Naval bases, 4 Hampton Inns and 1100 miles, I’m finally back home. Bring on the 3 day weekend! #

Twitter Updates for Week Ending 2010-05-22

Michael — Sun, 23 May 2010 03:59:00 +0000

A sailor just came to my door to deliver luggage. That was really random. It also wasn’t my luggage. #
Best Google Doodle EVER today. Play Pac-Man right on the page with no Flash required. Happy 30th Pac-Man! #
My week in Newport, RI was extremely productive. Actually got more done than I had intended for a change. #
I just stumbled upon a soapbox derby. Cool to see they still do that sort of thing. Americana at its best. #

Yankee Candle Village Fall Festival Photos

Michael — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:17:04 +0000

When you hear Yanke Candle you think candles, obviously. But Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, MA makes you realize what a huge empire this compnay has built. You could (and we did) spend the better part of a day wandering through the many sections of the village. The slightly imperfect candles of the discount room are a great deal at half off. OK, so maybe you don’t want an Apple Cider scented candle that red on one side and pitch black on the other, but a tangerine candle that’s filled just a tiny bit too high is a great deal!

My personal favorite was the Bavarian room. $6000 giant German stein anyone? And who wouldn’t love the Black Forrest room where it snows all year long?

The Fall Decorations and events of the Fall Festival made it that much more fun. As usual I took plenty of photos. You can see them right here.

Mount Snow Oktoberfest Trip Photos

Michael — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:08:41 +0000

Mount Snow is a ski resort in Vermont, but before the ski season starts German beer, food, music and events take over. I am, of course, describing Oktoberfest. They also had an arts & crafts show and scenic ski lift rides to the top of the mountain. Despite rain on Saturday, Sunday turned out to be a very nice cold day. As expected, the Fall foliage was impressive to say the least. It also gave me a chance to really test out my new camera. It turns out that shooting photos while hanging on for dear life to the ski lift isn’t easy. But that’s what a love for photography and a terrible fear of heights will get you!

The photos are posted in my Photos section.

Orange County Choppers Photos & more

Michael — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:42:04 +0000

I just added 2 new albums to my Photos section. The first is from Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, NY. You probably recognize the name from the Discovery show American Chopper. I stopped by the Teutels new “world headquarters” on the way to Vermont last week. They have a retail store which is fairly over-priced, but I did shell out for a keychain anyway. The best part of it is the bikes that are on display. They have many of the theme bikes they built on the show on display. There’s also a viewing area where you can see into the shop area.

I also added a small album of photos from the Bordentown, NJ Cranberry festival. Thrown in with that album are also a few shots from the Blackwood Pumpkin Festival in Gloucester Township and my backyard all from the same day.

Another important note… these are the first photos I’ve posted that were taken with my new Nikon D90!

Check out them all out here.

Twitter Updates for Week Ending 2009-10-17

Michael — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:59:00 +0000

What I learned at Oktoberfest… No one can dance while holding a full stein of beer like a German can! #
Just saw someone pushing a shopping cart through a restaurant. That’s what I call classy. #
This Hampton Inn has 19 electric outlets in the room. Don’t even need my power strip. Finally a hotel that understands the modern traveler. #
Was hoping the Merritt Parkway would have colorful Fall foliage today. Instead it had an accident & big traffic jam. You win some/lose some. #

Photos from Newport Trip

Michael — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:13:19 +0000

I was scheduled to be in Newport for a week on business but the trip wound up being unexpectedly extended into a second week. I used the opportunity to do a little bit of sightseeing on the weekend. Besides walking about 10 miles, I took tours of two mansions (The Breakers & Marble House), toured the Breaker’s stables & carriage house, walked part of the Cliff Walk and did some shopping. If you have to unexpectedly get stuck somewhere, Newport is a good choice!

Check out the photos here.

Western Maryland & West Virginia photos

Michael — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:46:49 +0000

I just added 3 new photo albums. They are all from my trip to Western Maryland and West Virginia. We visited the Spruce Forest Artisan Village & Penn Alps restaurant. The bulk of our trip was spent in Frostburg & Cumberland, where we took a ride on the Western maryland Scenic Railroad. On the way home we spent 2 days in Charles Town and Harper’s Ferry. It was a fun couple of days. It was nice to send time in some very old, very small towns for a change and Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park is one of the most interesting NPS sites I’ve been to.

Jacksonville Photos

Michael — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:00:28 +0000

I finally posted my photos from my week in Jacksonville, Florida. As i say on the photo album page, I spent most of the week indoors at a conference, but did get outside to take a few quick photos.

Check them out here.

Twitter Updates for Week Ending 2009-05-09

Michael — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Sitting on the runway at PHL. Pilot doesn’t know how many planes are in line in front of us but says it “looks like a lot.” Gotta love air travel! #

New Haven Photos

Michael — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:42:10 +0000

I just posted some photos taken on a weekend in New Haven Connecticut. We stayed in New Haven and made side trips to Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods and Olde Mistick Village. Our room at the Omni had a spectacular view of the Yale University campus.

On the Fourth of July, we stopped at Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria for lunch. They originated New Haven style pizza. That was fun. We also tried to go to Louis Lunch, but they were closed for the holiday, so we didn’t get to taste a burger from the place that allegedly invented the hamburger.

Enjoy the photos right here.

Gulf Coast Trip Photos

Michael — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:47:18 +0000

Last month I was lucky enough to get to spend some time in the Florida panhandle. We also took a side trip to Biloxi, Mississippi with a stop in Mobile, Alabama. I’ve finally gone throught the hundreds of photos I took and put some of them online.

Some of the highlights are the beaches of Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Panama City Beach, dolphins in Destin, my cousin’s house in Shalimar, the casinos of Biloxi and much more!

View the photos right here!

Jack Hanna Show Photos

Michael — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:53:53 +0000

You might remember that I went to a Christmas show at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, PA at the end of last year. We went back last week to see Jack Hanna and his menagerie of wild animals. The show was fantastic. It was a lot of fun to see him in person after watching him on TV for so many years. Afterwards, we went shopping at the Tanger and Rockvale Outlets.

We had dinner at a fantastic restaurant called The Family Cupboard. I’ll mention some more about that in a future post. Maybe a little review.

The only bad part of the day is that my father couldn’t have been with us. He would have loved the show. He’s the one who taught me most everything I know about animals. Nature shows were his favorite.

The photos can be viewed right here.

Newport RI Photos

Michael — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:06:55 +0000

I was in Newport Rhode Island on business recently. While I was there, the Newport Winter Festival was going on. It was the weather was beautiful for the two weeks that I was there. Of course, on the one day that I had free (the day I travelled home) there was an ice storm and the skies were gray at best. But I made the most of it and went out and did the tourist stuff and took a bunch of photos.

Check them out here.

Lancaster Christmas Show Photos

Michael — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:51:01 +0000

After a very difficult few months, I’m finally trying to start getting caught up with things. That includes updating my site. I just posted some photos that I took when we took my grandfather to the annual Christmas show at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, PA. It was a christmas gift to him from my Mom & Dad.

This particular place holds a special meaning to him and me because the threatre is on the property where there once existed The Willows Motel that he and my grandmother used to take me to when I was little. The covered bridge on their property is what started my love of covered bridges.

Check out he photos right here.

Ask a gas pump for directions

Michael — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:45:10 +0000

Back “in the old days” when you were lost you’d stop at a gas station and ask the attendant for directions. Here in New Jersey we still have the luxury of having an attendant come to our car when we pull in, but in the rest of the states where they have self-serve gas, you’d be hard pressed to find an attendant. You swipe your card, pump your gas and go.

Luckily, getting lost isn’t much of a problem now that we have GPS, cell phones and Google Maps. But now things have gone full circle. If you leave home and forget to map your route first, you can pull into a gas station and ask the pump for directions thanks to an internet connection and Google Maps.

Mystic Seaport and Spring Flower Photos

Michael — Tue, 08 May 2007 04:12:20 +0000

I added several new albums to the photos section of the site. Some of the highlights include the photos from my trip to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, spring flowers from our yard and a few animals that were spotted in and over our yard. I also threw in a set of fireplace photos that I took during the winter but never got a chance to post until now.

You may also notice that the total number of albums has increased by a few. There’s nothing else new, but decomissioned the Flora and Fauna album and distributed its photos into various albums since it was becoming a dumping ground.

Google Maps gets new feature

Michael — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 21:14:06 +0000

I’ve mentioned Google Maps before, but I thought I’d point out that they just added a “hybrid” feature where you can overlay maps and satellite images. I’ve been saying they should add this. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought so because they finally did it.

Hey hey, I saw a Monkee

Michael — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 16:13:27 +0000

What did I do with my weekend? Well, part of it was spent in Rhode Island at a Davy Jones (from the Monkees) concert at Misquamicut Beach. It was definately a small town event, but that was a large part of what made it fun!

Also at the concert was Pete Best, a man who no one has heard of, but was the original Beatles drummer.

They had an opening act, but he’s not worth metnioning here. The other opening act was “The Beach Bums” which was a local group that seems to be an extenion of the Misquamicut Business Association. They were good. They should have been the official opening act instead of the other not so good guy:-)

I took a ton of photos which will be online at some point possibly, but until then here’s one…