January 25, 2009
Photo of the Day - Great Falls
Great Falls, Paterson, New Jersey, January, 2009. I made my first visit to Great Falls in Paterson this weekend and it definitely won't be my last! It would have been an incredible sight in any season to see the water spilling over the falls of the second highest waterfall on the East Coast but it was an even more beautiful and awesome sight with the falls half frozen. I could have spent all day there taking photos!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2008
Photo of the Day - Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2008
Photo of the Day - Big Blocks
Fort McClary, Kittery, Maine, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
July 01, 2008
Photo of the Day - Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
Posted by silverdsl at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2008
Photo of the Day - Cape May
The Abbey, Cape May, NJ, July, 2007.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2008
Photo of the Day - Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach, Oregon, 2006. Another place I'd love to go back to especially right now since they're experiencing a minus tide, so there are lots of tide pools that are exposed!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2008
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Aruba, 2005. Not a special photo by any means but I sure would love to be on a Caribbean beach - or any beach - right about now!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2008
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, 2004. It's been way too long since I've been in Maine, especially in Ogunquit. I'd really love to walk on the beach at sunrise, wonder at the beauty of it all and take some more photos like this. Then again, there's so many places I'd love to go to where it's beautiful all the time.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
June 06, 2008
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, NV, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)
May 14, 2008
Photo of the Day - Oregon
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 2006. Wish I knew which mountains those were in the distance.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2008
Photo of the Day - Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park, NJ, April, 2008. I could have sat there all day and watched the waves!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2008
Photo of the Day - Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, April, 2008. It was a beautiful day out today so we took a ride down to the Jersey Shore. First we stopped off at Mt. Mitchell Scenic Overlook in Atlantic Highlands to see the view of Sandy Hook and in the distance, Manhattan. Then we had lunch at Klein's Fish Market in Belmar where we enjoyed a very yummy lunch outside. After that we continued down the shore to Island Beach State Park, the biggest stretch of undeveloped barrier beach in New Jersey. It's truly gorgeous there and even more so with the wind kicking up the waves like was the case today. I wish I lived closer so that I could visit there more often. It was a great day for sure!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2008
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. So calm at sunrise. I would love to go back to Ogunquit.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
March 04, 2008
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, NJ, 2007. I really wish I was in a rocking chair on a porch on a warm summer's day...
Posted by silverdsl at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2008
Photo of the Day - Peter Sheilds Inn
Peter Shields Inn, Cape May, NJ, Sept. 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2008
Photo of the Day
Somewhere near Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2007
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cannon Beach
Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, Oregon, September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
November 25, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cape Cod
Chatham, MA, August, 2007
Posted by silverdsl at 09:40 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2007
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunguit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cape Cod
Chatham, MA, August, 2007.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2007
Photo of the Day - Space Needle
Space Needle, Seattle, Washington, September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
October 03, 2007
Photo of the Day - Epcot
Epcot, Walt Disney World, Florida, January, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2007
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cape Porpoise
Cape Porpoise, Maine. July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2007
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2007
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2007
Photo of the Day - Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, May, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
May 14, 2007
Gateway National Recreation Area Gets Poor Mark From Advocacy Group
Not only did Jim and I got to Island Beach State Park on Saturday, but we also went to Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, NJ. What a difference between the two parks! One would think that a park managed by the National Parks Service would be nicer than a state park, but that wasn't the case. Although we didn't spend much time exploring Gateway since we had been there before, neither of us thought it was as beautiful or peaceful as Island Beach. Gateway seemed much like any other ocean beach, whereas Island Beach was an almost pristine wonder.
The National Parks Conservation Association agrees that Gateway needs improvements. In fact they said that it's in the worst condition of any national park due to chemical and noise pollution, as well as staffing and financial issues. In addition, many of the former military buildings in the park are on the verge of collapse. The report said,
“There are no resource management plans for cultural resources, existing plans do not adequately address natural resource concerns, and interpretive plans are outdated. Most importantly, the park needs an updated general management plan and resource stewardship plan to guide natural and cultural resource management.”
It seems as if the NPS is content to have Gateway, at least the part located in Sandy Hook, be nothing more than a summer destination for beach-goers as opposed to taking care of the natural and cultural resources. That's unfortunate, particularly considering the oldest continuously operating lighthouse is located in Gateway, as well as Fort Wadsworth which dates back to prior to the revolutionary war, so there's other things that could draw visitors besides the beach. What also could end up happening is that if the NPS doesn't take better care of Gateway, the beaches, which are the prime reason most to go the Sandy Hook part of Gateway, will deteriorate too.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2007
Photo of the Day - Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park, Seaside Park, NJ, May, 2007. Wow! I've always loved the Jersey shore, but I had no idea there was such a gem of a park on the NJ shore until yesterday when Jim and I took a trip to Island Beach State Park. It's absolutely beautiful there! The park is a 10-mile barrier beach just south of Seaside Heights, that's one of the few remaining areas on the shore that's undeveloped. I love the ocean to begin with, but I really feel in love with the beach there - the water was so blue-green and the beach so clean. It's amazing that this park is so close to the craziness of the over-developed boardwalk of Seaside Heights with it's games and rides. Overall, we had a great day yesterday driving down the shore in Jim's father's convertible!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
May 06, 2007
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia. July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
April 29, 2007
Photo of the Day - Mt. Hood
Mt. Hood. Oregon. September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2007
Photo of the Day - Nubble Lighthouse
Cape Neddick, Nubble Lighthouse, York, Maine. 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2007
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2007
Photo of the Day - Infrared Oregon
Oregon Coast. September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2007
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Aruba, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2007
Photo of the Day - Multnomah Falls
Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2007
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
February 28, 2007
Photo of the Day - Paulinskill Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, New Jersey. Spring, 2006. I really want to make another trip out to the viaduct once it gets warmer out.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2007
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Aruba, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2007
Photo of the Day - Waterloo Village
Waterloo Village, Stanhope, New Jersey, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2007
Photo of the Day
Somewhere over Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
January 31, 2007
Photo of the Day - The Abbey
The Abbey, Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2007
Photo of the Day -Oregon Coast
Cannon Beach, Oregon. September, 2006. There's probably lots of cool stuff to find on this beach!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse
Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse, York, Maine. July, 2005. One of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine, if not on the East Coast. I've certainly taken plenty of photos of it through the years!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
Photo of the Day - Ecola State Park
Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, Oregon. September, 2006. I've seen doing a lot of reading today about some of the areas in Oregon that we visited. But that's usually the way it works - I visit some place and then I become fascinated by it, and want to learn as much about the history of the area as possible.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2007
Photo of the Day - Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2007
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jeykll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2007
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005. It appears that I'll be going to Cape May at least once this year. Yay!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2006
Photo of the Day - Georgia
Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2006
Photo of the Day - Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine, July, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2006
Photo of the Day - B&W WDW
Spaceship Earth, Epcot, Walt Disney World, January, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cape May
The Mainstay Inn, Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005. I've always wanted to stay in this Inn.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Mt Hood
Mt Hood, Oregon, October, 2006. Somewhere up there those three climbers are still lost in the midst of some brutal winter weather.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:27 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:57 PM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Acadia Path
Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine. July, 2002.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2006
Photo of the Day - Iced Over
High Point State Park, New Jersey. January, 2005. As much as I dislike the cold, ice, snow and the winter in general, ice storms like this one are kind of cool because of the way the trees look afterwards. Especially when it's a whole forest filled with iced over trees.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2006
Photo of the Day - Oregon Mountain
Oregon, October, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2006
Photo of the Day - Horton House
Horton House Ruins, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2006
Photo of the Day -
Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington. September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia. September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2006
Photo of the Day - Infrared Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast, September, 2006. The fog rolls in over the water on the Northern Oregon Coast.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:48 PM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2006
Photo of the Day - Infrared Old Westbury Gardens
Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury, New York.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
October 30, 2006
Photo of the Day - Infrared Cape Hatteras LIghthouse
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. July, 2003.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2006
Photo of the Day - Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, September, 2006. I never get tired of looking at photos of Crater Lake. I just wish there was some way of truly capturing how immense and incredible it is!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Splash!
Somewhere on the South Jersey Shore, August, 2006. Jim and I drove up the Jersey shore on our way home from Cape May over the summer. We ran into a huge storm with wind and torrential downpours. The result was some flooding and pretty huge waves crashing to shore in some areas.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2006
Photo of the Day - Maine Coast
Maine. July, 2005. Oh, how I wish I was in Maine by the ocean... though it's probably super-cold there right about now!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia. July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:53 PM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2006
Photo of the Day - Dusty Road
Arikok National Park, Aruba. September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2006
Photo of the Day - Infrared Pumice Desert
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2006
Photo of the Day - Crater Lake Reflection
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. September, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
October 05, 2006
Photo of the Day - Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. September, 2006. Crater Lake National Park was amazing! I've never seen anything like it - the lake was so vast, the water so incredibly blue, everywhere we turned we saw a beautiful sight. Words, and even photos, can't do justice to how unbelievable Crater Lake was! It took us five hours each way to get there, but it was definitely worth it!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2006
Photo of the Day - Mt Hood
Mt. Hood, Oregon, October, 2006. We were only at the lodge at the base of Mt. Hood but I've never been this close to a mountain of the size of Mt. Hood before. It was a pretty amazing sight to see! What's incredible is that there's skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Hood pretty much all year long, even in the summer.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2006
Photo of the Day - Georgia Sunset
Sea Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
I'll be on vacation in Oregon for the next week, so unless anything major happens, there likely won't be any entries here other than possibly some photos of the day until I get back. But I hope to come back with some decent images from Portland, Crater Lake National Park and the Oregon Coast!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:02 PM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2006
Photo of the Day - Distant Mountains
Distant Mountain Range, Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2006
Photo of the Day - Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Here?
Morning Star Villa, Cape May, New Jersey, 2005. I used to think this was a newer construction but I believe I read recently that this is actually a building that dates back 100's of years. It's right across the street from the ocean, and right next door to where Jim and I got married, in a quieter part of town. It's all condos, which naturally go for big money since they're right on the beach. I'd love to live at the Morning Star Villa - I've never seen what it looks like on the inside, but the outside is lovely and it would be awesome to wake up every day with a view of the waves crashing to shore.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2006
Photo of the Day - Aruba Ruins
Arikok National Park, Aruba, October, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2006
Photo of the Day - WDW's Version of China
Epcot Center, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, January, 2004. It looks like China, but it's not, it's only the Chinese pavilion in Epcot. Probably the closest I'll ever come to China!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, August, 2006. I really need to start taking notes about which houses and B&Bs I'm taking photos of and on what street, because I find when I look back at the photos it's hard to remember which some are. What I love about this one, besides the purple color, is that there's that nice big porch, but also that enclosed area on the right. Plus the pretty flowers in front. I wish I had a house like that!
Posted by silverdsl at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Pink in Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, August, 2006. Yeah, that's a pink house! Had a great time in Cape May this weekend. The weather wasn't the greatest - it was cloudy for most of the weekend. But there wasn't much rain and we had fun relaxing at the Bed & Breakfast that we stayed at, exploring the area, shopping and eating at some yummy restaurants.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005. I'll be here for the next couple of days.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2006
Photo of the Day - Jeykll Island
Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2006
Place of the Day - Anniversary Narrows
I haven't done one of these entries for a long time but I recently did a search for some information on Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, which isn't far from Las Vegas, and I came across some information about a slot canyon nearby called Anniversary Narrows. It's in the Muddy Mountains, which I believe VoF is also part of. Apparently there are also some mines nearby and some other cool rock formations. I wish I knew that it was there when I visited Las Vegas last year because it looks like a really beautiful area!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Empire State Building
Empire State Building from The Top of the Rock, New York, New York, November, 2005. Incredible how much the haze from all the pollution effects how a photo comes out.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2006
Photo of the Day - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cactus
Aruba, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Georgia Coast
St. Simon's Island, Georgia. July, 2006. The trees look a lot like the divi-divi trees we saw on Aruba.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia. July, 2006. We had an outstanding vacation overall but walking around on Driftwood Beach was definitely one of the highlights! The driftwood trees were twisted in all sorts of cool ways, almost like sculpture.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2006
Photo of the Day - Waterloo Village
Waterloo Village, Stanhope, New Jersey, May, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:29 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2006
Photo of the Day - Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, May, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove, New Jersey, 2002.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2006
Photo of the Day - Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, May, 2006. Jim and I went back to Grounds for Sculpture yesterday to explore and we had a great time! Grounds for Sculpture is a 35-acre sculpture park and there are many very cool sculptures there. Some where you least expect them! What's really neat is that a lot of thought was put into the landscaping and the placement of the sculptures so that everything "fits," for want of a better word. Really a very fun place to go!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2006
Photo of the Day - Pretty House in Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:19 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2006
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Aruba, October, 2005. How I wish I was on the beach in Aruba!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2006
Photo of the Day - Big Thunder Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. January, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:40 PM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2006
Photo of the Day - Camden, Maine
Camden, Maine, July, 2002. I really want to go back to Maine! Southern Maine is getting flooded with rain right now, I hope the damage is limited to people and property.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2006
Photo of the Day - BW Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, April, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
May 09, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2006
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Arikok National Park, Aruba, October, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2006
Photo of the Day - Stairs to Nowhere
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
May 02, 2006
Photo of the Day - Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, April, 2006. Not the greatest photo in the world but it gives a good sense of how huge the Viaduct is.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 30, 2006
Photo of the Day - Paulinskill Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, April, 2006. Jim and I took a ride out to the Paulinskill Viaduct today. I wanted to get out there before all the leaves were on the trees, which would make it hard to take photos of the viaduct as it's out in the middle of the woods and also before there were too many bugs. In addition, NJ Transit may one day in the next couple of years starting running trains over the viaduct again which would make it a lot less accessible than it is now. Today was the perfect day to go as it was really nice out - not too hot and not too cool, but also there wasn't a cloud in the sky. So we had a great time exploring, though we didn't end up going all the way to the top, and taking photos, some of which will end up in this blog this week.
It's really hard to capture just how huge the viaduct is - it's really quite a sight seeing it rise over the treetops!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cinderella's Castle
Cinderella's Castle, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, January, 2004. Cinderella's Castle has a slightly different look when it's back-lit.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2006
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2006
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Arikok National Park, Aruba. October, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2006
Photo of the Day - Infrared Ogunquit
Ogunguit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2006
Photo of the Day - Epcot
Epcot, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, January, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2006
Rat's - Hamilton, New Jersey
Last night we went out to celebrate my Mother's 60th birthday which was a couple of weeks ago. Since it was a milestone birthday we wanted to go to someplace extra-special so we decided to head down to Rat's, a Franch influenced restaurant on the grounds of the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. The original plan was to spend some time before dinner looking at all the wonderful sculptures but it was raining so instead we opted to relax in the lounge in Rat's having drinks and enjoying the fine decor.
Once we sat down to dinner we were immediately impressed by the service and as it turned out we were in store for one of the better meals that we've every had. Everything from start to finish was absolutely delicious! The menu which changes periodically was unusual and had everything from game to vegetarian selections. I opted to start with Smoked salmon and goat cheese parcels with truffled beet salad which was like heaven for me because if there's two foods that I adore it's smoked salmon and goat cheese. I never would have thought that those two would go together but in this case they most certainly did! I would have been perfectly happy having a second serving of that and making it a full meal!
What was nice was that there was no rush between when the appetizers were brought out and when the main dishes were served. I'm sure that some would take issue with that and feel that the pace was too slow but it gave us a chance to digest the appetizers, have some of the yummy bread baked in their bakery and enjoy some wine. For the main course I got seared scallops with Anson Mills polenta, endive braised in balsamic and arugula salad with raisin caper sauce. Probably the best scallops I've ever had! The raisin caper sauce was so delicious as was the polenta. I wasn't able to finish it all but it was outstanding!
There was barely room for dessert but we had to have something since everything else had been so good. So we had a plate of artisanal cheeses. We were abe to choose five different cheeses from a long list. I wasn't able to eat too much of it but I absolutely loved the Saint Andre triple cream brie - very yummy!
Afterwards it wasn't raining too much and the sculptures are lit up at night so we took a short walk around. Even at night the sculptures are impressive. We all agreed that we would have to make a return trip to Rat's sooner rather than later and hopefully on a day when it's not raining.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2006
Photo of the Day - Central Park
Central Park, Manhattan, New York, from Top of the Roc. November, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2006
Photo of the Day - Under the Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey. 2004
Posted by silverdsl at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005. I'm very much looking forward to my next visit to Cape May now that it's warmer out.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2006
Photo of the Day - Nevada Mists
Mists over the mountains near Hoover Dam, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2006
Photo of the Day - Setting Sun...
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2006
Photo of the Day - Old House
Kennebunk, Maine, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2006
Photo of the Day - Sunset
Aruba, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Photo of the Day - Arikok National Park, Aruba
Arikok National Park, Aruba, October, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2006
Scientists Find "Lost World" in Indonesia
Hard to believe but there actually are undiscoverd places in the world, where humans haven't yet been. But it's true. A team of American, Indonesian and Australian scientists have discovered a "lost world" of two million acres of rainforest in the Foja Mountains, in the Indonesian province of Papua. What's so incredible is that it appears that humans have never set foot in this area until this team of scientists found it. There are no signs of civilization what-so-ever and some of the animals that the team came across had no fear of humans, presumably because they had never seen them before. There are two clans that live relatively nearby but the total amount of people in the area is only several hundred and food in the areas around the mountains is apparently so plentiful that there has never been any need for them to go into the mountains. So far the scientists have found twenty new species of frogs, four new types of butterflies, several kinds of palms and have encountered a number of rare birds and animals. It sounds like a fascinating place.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:59 PM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2006
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
Place of the Day - Fort McKavett, Texas
Fort McKavett State Historical Site has been open as a park to the public since 1968. Established in 1852, the fort was built to protect settlers and travelers on the Upper El Paso Road. Originally called Camp San Saba, it was renamed after Capt. Henry McKavett who died in battle in 1846. Abandoned once in 1859, it was re-enhabited in 1868 but abandoned again, this time for good in 1883. The site currently contains 25 restored buildings, some of which are ruins, and other that are roofed and furnished. The park holds living history events but a huge draw for visitors to the park is something that has nothing to do with the Fort - wildflowers that bloom from late March through May.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2006
Place of the Day - Kruse Rhododendron State Park
This sounds like a nice place to visit on a warm spring or summer day for a walk through the forest. Kruse Rhododendron State Park is located on 317 acres next to Salt Point State Park, 20-miles north of Jenner, California. Of course by the name it's obvious that the park is filled with Rhododendron, which are in full bloom in May, but there are also forests filled with redwoods and firs. The land was originally part of the Kruse family ranch which dated back to the 1880's. In 1933, the land was donated to the State of Califonia in honor of the father in the family who was a founder of a bank in San Francisco. Apparently all the Rhododendrons, which can be seen by visitors as they walk through five-times of trails, came about as a result of regrowth after a large fire.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Lake Mead
Lake Mead, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. July, 2003.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2006
Photo of the Day - Paulinskill Viaduct
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
Place of the Day - Isabella Lake, California
Located near the Sequoia National Forest, Isabella Lake is one of California's largest reservoirs, covering more than 11,000 acres. Isabella Lake is a popular destination for boating, wind surfing, water skiiing, swimming, camping, hunting, fishing and hiking. The lake was formed in 1953 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built dams across two forks of the Kern River. It caught my eye on the page of the map that I turned to because there's all this green that makes up the Sequoia National Forest only broken up by this large blue splotch that represented the Lake.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:29 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2006
Place of the Day - Presque Isle State Park
Strangely based on the Google search that I did there appears to be many Presque Isles throughout the country but the one that I was looking for information on is the Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania, in Lake Erie. Presque Isle features a state park that covers most of the island with 18-miles of trails and is open for day use year round. There are sandy beaches for use in the summer time and plenty of room for cross-country skiiing in the winter. Over four million people a year visit Presque Island but they don't just hike, nature-watch and sunbathe. There is also a lighthouse on Presque Isle that dates back to 1872. Presque Isle is called Pennsylvania's only seashore and it definitely looks like a pretty place to visit.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2006
Place of the Day - Caverns of Sonora
The Caverns of Sonora are located outside of Sonora, Texas in Sutton County. 150 feet underground, 90% of the formations are still actively growing. Though it is smaller than the well-known Calsbad Caverns, it sounds like the formations are pretty impressive. The photos of the Butterfly formation are especially cool looking because it literally does look like the rocks are covered with butterflys.
How the cave was first discovered isn't entirely known though it is thought that a hunter's dog ran into the cave around the turn of the century and that's the first time it was noticed. However, it wasn't explored at all until the 20's when two children with candles explored a short distance inside. It wasn't until the 50's that the owners of the ranch that the cave is located on had it professionally explored. In 1960 it was opened to the public.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2006
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas at Night
Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
Place of the Day - Cinder Cone Lava Beds
I just turned to a page at random in my topo map of Southern California and picked the first thing that caught my eye - the Cinder Cone Lava Beds. Apparently the Cinder Cone Lava Beds are in the midde of the Mojave National Preserve. There are other lava beds in the Mojave but this particular group totals about 30 in number and is a result of relatively "recent" volcanic activity. I put recent in quotes because 1,000 years ago really isn't all that recent. The Cinder Cone Lava Beds are spread out and not easily accessible from a paved road so I imagine they aren't as well visited as other lava beds in the preserve.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2006
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Aruba, October, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
Place of the Day - Window Rock, Arizona
Near the New Mexico/Arizona border, Window Rock is the Capitol and adminstrative center for the Navajo Nation. There is literally a window rock in Window Rock as it gets it's name from a hole in a 200-foot sandstone hill. I found a good photo of the window rock and it reminds me a little of a natural arch or some of the formations at Valley of the Sun State Park in Nevada. Naturally there are many other places to visit in the area related to the Navajo Nation.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2006
Photo of the Day - Harbor
Kittery, Maine. July, 2005. A view of a harbor near Fort McClary in Kittery, Maine.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:48 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2006
Place of the Day - Rainbow Bridge National Mounument
Image courtesy of the National Park Service.
The National Park Service has a great feature on their website and that's an archive of public domain images for all the national parks and national mounuments. Naturally the image quality of many of them aren't great but it's good to have a place where I can go for images that I can use when I want to talk about one of the many beautiful areas that the NPS is in charge of. I've always been fascinated by natural bridges so when I saw a photo today of Rainbow Bridge National Mounument and found out that it's the world's largest natural bridge I was very intrigued! Located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which contains Lake Powell, Rainbow Bridge is a sacred area to the Navajo Indians on whose reservation the bridge is located.
It's no easy matter to get to the bridge. Those who want to go must take either a 50-mile boat ride on Lake Powell or use a 14-mile trail accessible via foot or horseback. Those who hike must have a permit from the Navajo Reservation as well. I'd love to go see Rainbow Bridge but it sounds like it's a bit of a journey though there is a boat dock nearby to make it fairly easy to go via boat.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
January 06, 2006
Place of the Day: Rock Islands of Palau
Photo credit: Wu/Minden via Webshots.
As usual I really try to avoid using other people's photos in this space out of respect to most photographer's wishes not to have their photos used all over creation without credit. But since this photo is a screensaver on webshots, meaning that countless people including myself have downloaded it, I figure it's not so bad to use it here. This is the kind of shot that is very eye-catching to me - it's a beautiful, natural locale surrounded by water that appears to be very undeveloped. I immediately wanted to know more about where these islands were.
Much to my surprise since I stopped watching the show quite a few seasons ago, the rock islands of Palau were the site of last year's edition of Survivor. When Survivor: Palau was filmed in late 2004 the show was required to get permission from the Koror State Government and also work with Koror State Rangers to ensure that during filming they neither damaged anything nor left any trace of their presence on the islands, which are near Indonesia, in the Pacific Ocean.
Naturally, the rock islands of Palau feature many beautiful sights to photograph as photographer Dan Heller did when he spent two weeks there. His site features some beautiful photos of his time there as well as shots from other places around the world where he's been.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2006
Place of the Day - Pine Island, Florida
So I pulled out a map and opened to a random page and looked up the first place that caught my eye - Pine Island Florida. Not surprising that an island got my attention because I'm often drawn to places and things that involve water. At any rate, Pine Island is off of the West Coast of Florida near Captivia Island. Naturally one might assume that an island must have a lot of beaches but not Pine Island. Instead Pine Island is ringed by mangrove trees. The lack of sandy beaches is probably what has contributed to it remaining as rural as it apparently is. So what is there to do on Pine Island? Fishing, boating, wildlife spotting, bird watching (25 pairs of bald eagles make Pine Island their home) and relaxing. Apparently there are manatees, sea otters and dolphins that hang out in the waters around Pine Island - I would love to see a manatee in the wild some day!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2006
Place of the Day - Lake Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
I saw a photo of the Lake Palace at Udiapur in Rajasthan, India, the reason being that this huge palace isn't just near a lake, it's in the lake - completely. The palace was built on a small island in the middle of the lake way back in 1746 as the summer residence of a royal family. However, it's since been converted to an 80-room, five-star hotel. Of course as a five-star hotel everything is very fancy, and I imagine staying in one of the suites is a particularly incredible experience.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2006
Place of the Day - Goodsprings, Nevada
So this year I might try adding a new feature to my blog and that's to do a periodic, if not daily, "Place of the Day" entries. I've always been interested in the history, background and in general information about various places that I encounter or catch my attention. A lot of times I just look at a map, pick out a town, park or place at random and Google it to see what I can find. I've come across a lot of really fascinating information about all sorts of places that way. Or I might visit a place and want to find out more about something there or just the area in general.
So tonight I pulled out my Nevada Atlas and Gazetteer and looked at the map of the area around Las Vegas. A town called Goodsprings caught my attention because there's a lot of mines in the mountains in that area. What I discovered is that Goodsprings is a semi-ghost town. I wish I had known when we visited Las Vegas last year because it seems like it would have been an interesting place to check out. In any event, Goodsprings is named after a cattle farmer, Joseph Good who had a ranch in the area. Later it became a mining town, which is no surprise considering how many mines are in the area but apparently that changed after World War I. But before then the mines produced more than $31 million in gold, lead and zinc. Currently there are some residents left in Goodsprings and the saloon is still in operation as it has been since 1913.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. The photos that I took that morning on Marginal Way were some of my best sunrise photos that I took anywhere with the possible exception of one morning in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Sometimes it's not the colors in the sky per say but the other elements. An extreme low tide that morning really made for some nice shots.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2005
Photo of the Day - Holiday Lights
Time Warner Center, New York, New York, December, 2005. I meant to post this before the holidays but better late than never right? A while back Jim and I visited the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. The shops and restaurants inside were very high-end so I don't think we'll be able to afford much there though it was fun to look around. What was really cool was the way it was decorated for the holidays. Those big stars in my photo changed colors and it looked really awesome especially after dark. I wish I had been able to take more photos but the battery in my camera ran out. I was lucky I was even able to get this one!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2005
Collapsed Natural Bridge Not Aruba's Only One
For years one of Aruba's biggest natural landmarks was the large Natural Bridge that was a major tourist attraction on the wilder, mostly undeveloped side of the island. But earlier this year in the early morning hours, the bridge collapsed leaving nothing but a pile of rock and coral as seen above. But this natural bridge wasn't the only natural bridge on Aruba. In fact there's a less scenic one that sits right next to the newly collapsed bridge. In addition, there are another five natural bridges along the same stretch of Aruba's coastline some of them so infrequently visited that even locals don't know of their existance.
When we visited Aruba we stumbled upon one of these lesser known natural bridges as we were exploring in our jeep. As seen below it's a pretty small bridge in comparision to the one that collapsed but never having seen one up close before it was still pretty impressive to me. I just wish I had been aware of the existance of the other bridges before we went to Aruba because I would probably have tried to find them. It's really fascinating to me to see the effects of erosion caused by wind and water on rock and coral.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2005
Photo of the Day - Infrared Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, 2003. Today I discovered an old card full of infrared digital photos from a trip to Ogunquit, Maine from a few years ago. Looking at those photos it reminded me of how much I used to like taking infrared photos - I'm going to have to start playing around with talking those kinds of photos again.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Outer Banks
Outer Banks, North Carolina, 2003.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2005
Photo of the Day - Camden Hill State Park
Camden Hills State Park, Camden, Maine, July, 2002.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2005
Photo of the Day - Aruba Sunset
Aruba, October, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2005
Photo of the Day - Top of the Rock
From Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Center, New York, New York, November, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2005
Photo of the Day - Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Brrrrrrrrrrrr...
High Point State Park, High Point, New Jersey, January, 2005. It's starting to get cold out the deeper into November we get. But luckily not this cold... yet.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2005
Photo of the Day - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. January, 2005
Posted by silverdsl at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2005
Photo of the Day - Fishing in Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Fishing at sunrise.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2005
Tourists Return to New Orleans
New Orleans To Officially Re-Open to Tourists January 1
On one hand the survival and revival of New Orleans is very much dependent on tourism but on the other hand it seems too soon for tourists to be returning to New Orleans. Just this morning I was reading about the massive piles of garbage, much of it toxic that's lying all over the city, not to mention how much remains to be cleaned up and fixed. So it seems to me despite the fact that much of the French Quarter that's so popular with tourists was spared and is beginning to reopen, it might be a little premature for people to put New Orleans at the top of their list of places to visit on vacation. I think there's a sensitivity factor to keep in mind, not just the practicalities of much of the city still being devestated by the effects of the hurricane. There are countless people in New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast who are still struggling to put their lives back together. That's not something that should be part of a tourist side-show. There will be a time for tourists to return to New Orleans and they will be welcomed with open arms but I think that time might be a few months from now at the earliest.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)
Abandoned Namibia
It's highly unlikely that I'll ever visit Namibia which is a shame given my love of abandoned places. Kolmanskop in Namibia was once an active town with a casino and well-known theater. More than that was the diamond deposits in the area. Between 1911 and 1914 five million carats of diamonds were found in the Kolmanskop area. Unfortunately water became scarce and by 1956 the diamonds were pretty scarce too. So the town was abandoned and the desert began to take over. Today the town features sand dunes in some of the buildings and it looks like a pretty interesting place to do some photography.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:07 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Hudson River School Art Trail
Views That Inspired Hudson River School Artists
This sounds pretty interesting. There's a new guide to the Hudson River School Art Trail which highlights seven sites in a 15-mile radius in the Hudson River Valley area that inspired some of the artists in the Hudson River School. Some of the trails sound like they involve lengthy hikes but others seem pretty accessible and I think it would be neat to see the same views that those artists saw as they were painting their pictures. Jim and I are always looking for places to go on the weekends and it sounds like this might be one to investigate.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2005
Photo of the Day - Outer Banks
Outer Banks, North Carolina, 2003. I hope the Outer Banks and the rest of the area is managing well with Hurricane Orphelia.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2005
Photo of the Day
Cape Porpoise, Maine, July, 2004.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2005
Photo of the Day - Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, 2004. I haven't gotten to go to the Viaduct at all this year so far and I miss it. Maybe in the fall when the leaves are turning color it would be neat to go there. I just want to make sure that I get at least one more visit to the viaduct before NJ Transit makes it impossible to go up top.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas at Night
Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005. Wish I was there...
Posted by silverdsl at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Mansion Shell
Fort Williams Park, Portland, Maine, July, 2005. This was a pretty neat place to take photos. It's the shell of an old mansion that once stood on the grounds of Fort Williams Park. Obviously it's been abandoned for many years but there is a theatre group that apparently uses it as the set for periodic Shakespearan plays during the summer so the ruins are maintained somewhat.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)
Can You Imagine Living in a Cave?
If you live in a giant cave in a mountain in Purple Cloud, China it might not be so bad. In Middle Cave there are modern amenities such as electricity and a telephone. They stull use a communal outhouse and collect water for drinking and cook over firewood but the people who live in that cave have computers, satellite TV, refrigerators and a phone. Which makes quite a contrast between old and new ways of living. Apparently a businessman in Minneapolis helped donate the money for the electrical system. Inhabinants of the cave live in one of 18-thatched bamboo houses which have no roofs to let in more light. There's even a school in the cave that is attended by 150 children, including some from outside of the cave. A very different way of living than most people in this country are familiar with.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. Have I mentioned recently how much I want to go back to Las Vegas and specifically to Valley of Fire State Park?
So much to blog about, so little time...
Posted by silverdsl at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
World's Biggest Aquarium To Open in Atlanta
Will Feature Exotic Creatures Never Displayed in U.S.
Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, spend $200 million to build a giant aquarium as a gift to the people of Atlanta and it sounds like it will be a very cool place when finished in the fall. For the first time outside of Asia an aquarium will have whale sharks that grow to be 40-50 feet which are some of the world's largest sea creatures. There will also be beluga whales rescued from an amusement park in Mexico City, octopuses and of course any number of exotic fish. But they won't just have exhibits of sea life. The aquarium has also hired noted chef Wolfgang Puck to be the official caterer. I've eaten at one of his restaurants and it featured very yummy and creative food. I wonder if he'll have an all-seafood menu?
Posted by silverdsl at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
Photo of the Day - Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine, July, 2005. Yes, another photo from my trip to Maine last month. I have so many I could post but I'm trying to alternate with some that aren't from Maine too. At any rate, I've long wanted to see this lighthouse in person and I'm so glad I finally got up there! The park that it's in, Fort Williams Park, is really, really nice! I just wish it had been a bit cooler because it would have made it a little easier to explore some of the trails.
I'm currently reading a book about the history of the Portland Head Light and apparently Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a frequent visitor because he grew up in Portland. During his visit he would sit on a favorite rock (sounds like me!) and collect his thoughts. In 1850 he published a poem, "The Lighthouse" no doubt inspired by the Portland Head Light. It's too long to post the entire poem but here's one part I like:
Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same
Year after year, through all the silent night
Burns on forevermore that quenchless flame,
Shines on that inextinguishable light!
And more than 100 years later the Portland Head Light continues to shine on.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2005
Photo of the Day - Lone Lobster Boat
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Yes, yet another photo from Maine. I only got up for sunrise once while I was in Maine this year but I did go out to take photos in the early morning light just about every morning since the light is best for photography purposes in the early morning as the sun is rising and in the evening at twilight. But you never know exactly what the conditions are going to be like, particularly near the ocean when things can change very quickly. So at first when I was out there that morning it was completely sunny with mostly blue skies. Then the sea fog started rolling in and before too long it was misty all over, but especially just off shore. I thought this one lone lobster boat out setting pots or picking them up looked kind of cool on the still water with nothing but fog in front of it.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2005
Surprise! That's a Giant Waterfall!
400-Foot Waterfall Found in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Stories like this are so cool to me. Unbeknownst to all but a few, sitting in a remote corner of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Whiskeytown, California, is a huge waterfall almost 400-feet tall that most people had no idea really existed. Park officials had heard rumors about it for years but no one had actually saw it in person to know whether it was a true tale or not. Turns out it was.
Russ Weatherbee, a wildlife biologist in the park, was looking at some old maps when he saw a reference to Whiskeytown Falls. So he went looking for it but since the map was more than a mile off he wasn't able to locate it. But two years ago he was looking at a set of global systems imaging maps when he saw something that looked like white water that dropped sharply in altitude. Since that time only a few people have traveled to the falls but there will soon be many more visitors since the park is clearing a path that hikers will be able to use to get directly to the waterfalls.
I think it's really facinating to think that there are probably other cool natural wonders hidden away, waiting to be discovered in the remote wilderness somewhere.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2005
Archeologists Look For Clues to Village That Once Stood Where Central Park Is
Clues Sought in Pre-Central Park Village
Apparently before Central Park in New York City was established in the 1850's there were more than 1,600 people who lived in the area, including about 260 poor blacks, Irish immigrants and others in a settlement called Seneca Village in an area around Central Park West and the Great Lawn. So now archeologists are using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to see if they can find any buried objects underground that might give clues to life in Seneca Village. GPR works well in areas like Central Park because it is non-invasive so archeologists can evaluate the site then decide whether or not it's worth it to do a dig.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Cape Elizabeth Considers Charging Fee for Fort Williams Park
Portland Head Light, Popular Tourist Destination Located Inside
One of the highlights of my trip to Maine was our visit to Fort Williams Park in Portland. Not only is the Portland Head Light, one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine, if not the entire country, in the park but there is also an old fort and the remains of an abandoned mansion to explore. It was beautiful weather, though a little hot, the day we were there and we spent all morning walking around the park seeing the various sights. Of course we weren't alone. There were many others enjoying the fine views and annually the park has over one million visitors.
There is no admission or parking fee to use the park and the local officials are thinking about changing that to help pay for operations and maintainence costs which total over $150,000. They have a variety of plans in mind but based on the setup of the entrance I don't think it would be feasible to put in a booth to collect an admission fee without having traffic backup onto the local roads. But charging for parking via the use of self-service "pay and display" machines where people would have to put money in a machine and display a ticket in the window of their car seems like it might work. They've also thought about an honor system where they charge admission but people are trusted to put that money in a box. That's what they do at Fort McClary in Kittery. I always put money in but I've seen others who don't so I'm not sure how successful that would be.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2005
Photo of the Day - Perkins Cove
Perkins Cover, Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Early morning light on the boats all lined up and ready to go in Perkin's Cove.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2005
Photo of the Day - Marginal Way at Sunrise
Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. It wasn't as dramatic of a sunrise as last year but I did wake up one morning to take photos at sunrise while I was up in Maine. Actually I think of all the times I've woken up to take photos at sunrise this particular time featured the least impressive sunrise. But I don't think it will be easy to find anything that will compare to some of the photos I took one morning at sunrise last summer during that ultra low-tide. Still, I managed to find plenty of things to take photos of this year!
Posted by silverdsl at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Photo of the Day - Marginal Way
Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Just a simple, no-frills shot of Marginal Way. I bet it's even boiling hot up there right now like it is here.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2005
Photo of the Day - Through the Window
Fort McClary, Kittery, Maine, July, 2005. Aside from being fascinated with taking photos of stairs, I'm also fond of taking photos of doors and windows. I guess it's the idea of what lies beyond and how a photo might envoke that which I find so enticing. So while I was at Fort McClary I took a bunch of window pics, more than a few of which will probably follow this photo into this blog.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2005
Gypsy Sweethearts in Ogunquit
I also ate dinner at Gypsy Sweethearts in Ogunquit, Maine just like the woman who wrote this restaurant review. And it really was a great meal, probably one of our best while my Mom and I were in Maine. The service was excellent, the food was outstanding and the decor of the restaurant was really nice as well. I had pasta with lobster in it as well as a yummy goat cheese salad. No dessert though since I didn't have any room by the time I finished the rest of the delicious meal. In my previous two visits I had never ate at Gypsy Sweethearts but I definitely will go again the next time I'm in Ogunquit.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2005
Photo of the Day - Stairs
Fort McClary, Kittery, Maine, July, 2005. I don't know why but I've always been fascinated by taking photos of stairs. Perhaps it's because they are symmetrical and I like patterns. Or perhaps it's because a good picture of stairs make you wonder where they go or who might have walked on them. So I came across these stone steps at Fort McClary, I couldn't help but take a photo of them.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2005
Photo of the Day - Harbor View
Kittery, Maine, July, 2005. A harbor view as seen from Fort McClary. The big stone blocks were leftovers from when one of the forts on the site were being built.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)
Stratosphere Considers Expanding
62% of Revenues Come From Activities Other Than Gaming
Apparently the Stratosphere, located in Las Vegas at the Northern most end of the strip, is thinking about expanding by adding more rooms and a convention center. I imagine they're probably looking to do everything they can to lure visitors because they're definitely in an inconvienent location as compared to other casinos, many of which are clustered very close to each other. The other problem that the Stratosphere faces, in addition to how much of a hike it is to get there, is that the neighborhood around the hotel and casino isn't the greatest. It looks worn-down and definitely not as well-taken care of or as upscale as other parts of the strip. I'm not surprised that more of their revenue comes from attractions other than gambling considering how much they publicize the rides at the top of the Stratosphere and also the view from the observation deck. So a lot of people are probably going there for reasons other than gambling, particularly if they have families. I am surprised to learn that the same is true of other hotel/casinos, that more of their revenue comes from non-gambling activities.
I enjoyed visiting the Stratosphere even though it was a cloudy day. Going there was on my list of things to do when I went to Las Vegas because I wanted to see the view from the top and I wasn't disappointed. Even on a cloudy day it was still very impressive. The food wasn't anything memorable in the revolving restaurant but I really loved sitting there and getting to see far and wide in all directions all around Las Vegas while we were eating. I'm sure it would be even more impressive on a sunny day or at night. I don't think I would stay there if I went back to Las Vegas in spite of the cheap hotel rates, but I would definitely go back to go up to the observation deck up top.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2005
Photo of the Day - Nubble Lighthouse
Nubble Lighthouse, York, Maine, July, 2005. This is a view of one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine, the Nubble Lighthouse in York, as seen from a distance from York Beach. Each year I go up to Maine I visit the Nubble Lighthouse, even if only briefly. I had an outstanding time in Maine and of course I came back with lots and lots of photos, some of which... okay, lots of which will end up in this blog.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2005
Photo of the Day - Marginal Way Benches
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. Another one I took at sunrise on Marginal Way. Hopefully a week from now I'll be sitting on one of those benches!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
July 06, 2005
Photo of the Day - Marginal Way at Sunrise
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. I'm going to Maine! I'm going to Maine! Hopefully when I'm there next week I will wake up early enough at least once for some sunrise photos on Marginal Way!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2005
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005. Just a random photo of The Stratosphere taken from the car as we were driving away on our first day in Las Vegas. We went up to the top of The Stratosphere and had lunch in the revolving restuarant up there, then went to the observation deck outside. There really are some incredible views up there! I just wish it had been a sunny day.
But I post this as a way for me to mention that since I've been blogging about so many Las Vegas related topics and posting so many photos from my trip that I created a Las Vegas category in case anyone is interested in reading everything that I've said on that topic, much like I have categories for Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, Photography, etc... I also created a category for Maine since I post a bunch about that beautiful state as well.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:37 PM | Comments (0)
Wildfire Burning in Red Rock Canyon
One of Several Fires Burning in Nevada
It's not a huge fire by any means compared to what firefighters are fighting elsewhere but there's a 25-acre wildfire burning in the mountains of Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas that was apparently sparked by lightning. The article doesn't give much details as to exactly what area the fire is in but the scenic road in Red Rock Canyon is closed so it must be fairly close to where Jim and I were when we visited Red Rock Canyon since we drove around the entire road. It truly is beautiful there and I hope the fire doesn't do much damage.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:46 PM | Comments (0)
Museum of Lighthouse History Recieves Rare Artifacts
Donations Came From Couple in Pennsylvania
In the previous entry I mentioned the Museum of Lighthouse History that I've been to in Wells, Maine. It's not a huge museum but it's filled with a lot of very interesting artifacts from lighthouses of all kinds. Judi and Tom Kearny have donated items to the museum in the past and now they've donated a number of items included a U. S. Lighthouse Establishment District Inspector’s Stop Watch and some rare documents. The stopwatch is a rare item that was used to time the flashes and rotation of the light in the lighthouses. The Kearnys are lovers of lighthouse history who have committed to helping to keep lighthouse artifacts out of the hands of private collectors so that they can be enjoyed by the public in venues such as the Museum of Lighthouse History. Which is a good thing because it means that lighthouse fans like me can visit the museum and see these things.
The Museum of Lighthouse History is right next door to the Lighthouse Depot in Wells, Maine. The Lighthouse Depot is a gigantic store that sells every kind of imaginable item related to lighthouses that's ever been made. A very fun place to browse for sure. There are items with lighthouses on them that I would never have thought existed if not for visiting the Lighthouse Depot. What I really love is that they have a whole room of books related to lighthouses. And not just the lighthouses of Maine either. There is a section for lighthouses in every part of the country and all over the world both fiction and non-fiction. I like the non-fiction books the best, particularly the ones about the life of lighthouse keepers and their families. Each time I'm in the area I make sure to stop in and pick up a couple of books and I'm sure this year will be no different.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)
New Lighthouse Museum in Maine
I think some version or another of this museum has been around for awhile but an expansive new Maine Lighthouse Museum will be opening this weekend in Rockland, Maine. A few years ago I visited Rockland with my parents and it's a really nice little town with some cute stores and a big art museum. Given how popular anything to do with lighthouses are, this new museum should be pretty popular. I know I would love to visit, especially since there's a great view of the Rockland harbor from the property on which the museum is on. Another item of note is that the gift shop there will be run by the Lighthouse Depot in Wells, Maine which has another lighthouse museum, The Museum of Lighthouse History, next door to their huge store on route 1.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Las Vegas Centennial Cake Not Free After All
Somehow the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration Committee thought that that the humongous cake, measuring 102 feet long, 52 feet wide and 20 inches high and weighing over 130,000 pounds, that they served to thousands of people as part of the Centennial Celebration was a donation from Sara Lee. Not so fast, says the spokesperson from Sara Lee who indicated that the only agreement was to deliver it at a discount. So the committee will have to pay $95,000 for the cake. Which given that the retail value of the cake is $250,000 is still a substantial discount, especially considering the cake had to be baked in North Carolina and then shipped to Las Vegas which was probably no easy task. Seems like that's a pretty big misunderstanding for the committee to think they're getting it for free and Sara Lee expecting to be paid $95,000.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:19 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2005
Cape May Lighthouse
Lighthouse Casts Spell Over Cape May Point
Whenever I go to Cape May I like to try and visit the Cape May Lighthouse and a lot of other people do too. The view from the top is absolutely gorgeous! It's possible to see 360 degrees in every direction and on clear days that's very far! I haven't been able to go to the top as often as I might like because it is a steep and difficult climb up all the stairs which is particularly hard to do in the summer heat, which is when I'm most often in the Cape May area. But it's worth the effort and maybe at some point in the near future I'll be able to go up there again. But the lighthouse itself is really awesome to see, even from the ground.
I really love lighthouses. Even though all of the ones in the United States are unmanned and the their usefulness is increasingly going away due to technological advances like GPS, they are still fascinating to me. Aside from often being very picturesque so I always love taking photos around lighthouses, I also really enjoy reading books about lighthouse keepers and their families. Since some lighthouses are in the middle of the ocean or otherwise in difficult to reach areas, the lighthouse keepers were often stranded there for long periods of time. They also faced many hardships and it's incredible what conditions they sometimes had to put up with, particularly during storms. But lighthouse keepers and their families saved many lives back in the day when lighthouses were still manned.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2005
Photo of the Day - Hudson River
Stony Point Battlefield, Stony Point, NY, June, 2005. A view of the vast Hudson River from between the trees.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2005
Photo of the Day - Stony Point Lighthouse
Stony Point Lighthouse, Stony Point, New York, June, 2005. Yesterday Jim and I took a ride up Route 9W along the west side of the Hudson River. Periodically we'll just take rides to areas that's we've wanted to check out just to see what we come across. So we came across the Stony Point Battlefield and Lighthouse overlooking the Hudson River. The lighthouse sits on a peninsula that was the site of a battle during the revolutionary war on July 15-16, 1779. Now it's a historic site with awesome views of the Hudson River. It's almost hard to believe that one is looking at a river, the Hudson is so immense. I suspect the battlefield doesn't get many visitors and it was pretty quiet when we were there with only a few other people. Which was cool because we were able to hear all sorts of sounds from the river and also from the wildlife in the woods. A very nice place to visit for a little while.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Not Enough People Riding Las Vegas Monorail
Unless more people start riding the $650 million Las Vegas monorail that transports visitors up and down the strip, the fare to ride may be increased from $3 to $3.85 due to lower than expected ridership and higher than expected costs. Based on what I saw when I was in Vegas in January, I'd say they will need a lot of luck to get more riders. Signage for the monorail was poor to non-existant so it was almost impossible for me to figure out where the monorail stations were. In addition the monorail doesn't seem to be in a highly visible spot so out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Another problem is that in Vegas valet parking is free. So it's very easy to go from one casino to another if a visitor has a car. During the peak busy times during the warm months I'm sure it's not as convienent to drive everywhere like Jim and I did in January but it seems like it's probably easier than it is in cities like New York where parking anywhere costs an arm and a leg. I would also think that with so many forms of entertainment, restaurants and gambling available in a small area, some visitors may choose to not go very far up or down the strip from where they are staying, unless their hotel is located off the strip. So while a monorail seems like a good idea to have in Vegas I think they are going to need to do a lot of work to promote it to get more people to ride.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2005
Photo of the Day - Rio
Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005. A shot of the Rio Hotel and Casino at night. I might have posted this one I'm not sure. But I was thinking about how awesome the view is from the top of the Rio. There's a cool bar up there with some very yummy exotic drinks. Apparently the Rio is an all-suites hotel so I wouldn't mind staying there in a future visit to Las Vegas. It was really hard to take a photo that does justice to how cool the neon that lights the Rio up looks at night.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
Mystery Graves in Yellowstone National Park Puzzle National Park Service
What is thought to be two graves are located in Yellowstone National Park near the park's new Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center. However, the National Park Service knows little about them. A few years ago a retired park service worker had told them that his grandfather had told him that they were the graves of two people who were buried under a sheet of metal. But no one, even the park's historian, can find any information about who they might be. It's thought if there really are people buried there that the graves date to the 1880's. At some point they may dig in the spot to find out if the area really does contain two graves but for now they are just asking for the public's help to see if anyone might have any information that might be useful to them.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:01 PM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2005
New Jersey Shore Towns Try to Entice More Visitors
Last summer was a bit of an off-season for many of the Jersey shore towns so in the hopes of warding off the same problem this season, Cape May County and much of the rest of New Jersey is kicking off a campaign to try and convince people to choose New Jersey for vacation instead of places like the Outer Banks or Virginia Beach. Personally I love the Jersey shore, particularly places like Cape May that are on the quieter side. But a lot of times people think of New Jersey as nothing more than the oil tanks and big factories they see from the Jersey turnpike. I'd say it's unfortunate that not more people have discovered and come to appreciate the areas of natural beauty in New Jersey like I have but it's not really a bad thing because it means that a lot of the places that Jim and I like to go to aren't spoiled by a ton of visitors trampling everything.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2005
Dead Sea Dying
For Dead Sea, a Slow and Seemingly Inexorable Death
This is an interesting article about how the Dead Sea is evaporating to such a degree that huge mudflats with hundreds of sinkholes are threatening to collapse roads and buildings near Israel's border with Jordan and have destroyed some of the plant and wildlife reserves that were on the shores of the Dead Sea. Over the past 50 years the water level has dropped 80 feet and the sea has shrunk by a third. In the next 20 years it's expected that the sea will drop another 20 feet. A lot of the reason for this is that the Jordan River has gone dry but naturally development and industry of various types has also played a role.
When I went to Israel back in 1990, one of the places that we visited was the Dead Sea. It's a very popular tourist destination not just because it's the lowest point on earth but also because it's the saltiest body of water anywhere too. That means that people float like no where else. The water is very warm too so many people really enjoy taking a dip there. Personally I didn't enjoy it because the water stung like crazy because of the high salt and mineral content. Maybe next week I'll see if I can find some of the photos I took in Isreal, scan and post a few.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:29 PM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2005
Photography - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)
April 29, 2005
Photo of the Day - Inside Spaceship Earth
Epcot, Walt Disney World, Florida, January, 2004. I've been enjoying looking through my photos from Walt Disney World recently. This is one from inside of Spaceship Earth which remains one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World despite the fact that the ride is outdated. To a lot of people it's probably boring but I guess it's always been a ride that I've rode so I have a lot of memories of it. I remember being very impressed with it as a child.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2005
Wynn Las Vegas Casino Opens
Luxury, Luxury and More Luxury
So the eagarly anticipated Wynn Casino opened in Las Vegas just after midnight last night to huge crowds. In fact some people waited for more than three hours to get in for a first peek at the hotel and casino that Wynn spent $2.7 billion building. Of course the entire complex is lavishly decorated both inside and out and features 18 resturants, theaters and a bunch of expensive designer stores, including a Ferrari dealership. I think there's also a golf course on the property as well. Wynn was very secretive about photos of the interior and if I remember correctly up until this point Vanity Fair had an exclusive on the first photos of what the hotel and casino looks like on the inside. I'll be interested in reading some reviews of what people think of the Wynn to see if it lives up to the hype.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2005
Photo of the Day - Mickeys
Epcot, Walt Disney World, Florida. Jan. 2004. It's Mickey! Or more precisely multiple Mickeys! At Walt Disney World they spend a lot of time arranging everything, even the toys just so that there are plenty of photo ops to be had of all the toys standing at attention.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2005
Two Die in Narrow Utah Slot Canyon
Canyoneering Dangerous Even for the Well-Prepared
Often I read stories about those who venture into the outdoors to do some exploring or hiking and run into trouble because they get in over their heads due to being ill-prepared for the conditions they are going to encounter. But in this case it appears that the two students from Brigham Young University who lost their lives in Choprock Canyon, a narrow slot canyon, in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, were prepared as they were wearing wetsuits to protect them from the cold, both in the air and in any bodies of water they might have to navigate. Yet they still lost their lives and the cause is thought to be a combination of hypothermia and drowning as their bodies were found in a deep pool of water in the canyon that gets as narrow as 18 inches in some places. The one thing that these two didn't do which made the jobs of the rescuers who were called to find them after they didn't return as expected from a two-day hike was that they hadn't registered their plans with the Bureau of Land Management Field Office nearby.
Last month I had written of another incident of a man who was trapped for days in another slot canyon. This canyon is probably even more extreme in terms of conditions because based on the description it is even narrower and isn't as frequently explored as some other canyons. The more remote and less visited one of these places is the greater the danger as if one runs into trouble there isn't anyone around to help. In the above article it's noted that once you get into some of these slot canyons it can be impossible to get out without following it all the way through to the end which also heightens the danger level. In addition, sometimes a wet suit isn't enough protection against the cold and that may have been what happened to these two students.
Slot canyons are often beautiful and fascinating places but they can also be deadly places unfortunately.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Bellagio Foutains
Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005. To go with my previous entry this is a shot of the Bellagio fountains. I really thought I had taken some other shots of the fountains but thus far I can't seem to find them.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
Behind the Scenes of the Bellagio Fountains
This is a neat article all about the inner workings of the fountains outside the Bellagio. I'll have to post a photo later of the fountains but essentially it's a show of dancing water and light set to music. Some might say what's the big deal but it's very impressive, especially at night. When we stayed at the Aladdin our room looked out at the fountains and it was quite some sight to be able to see them go off. Even better was seeing the show from up close.
The above article is filled with all sorts of interesting information about the inner workings of the fountains such as that it takes 36 engineers to put everything together. In addition, the fountains and the lake that they are in don't draw from the city water supply. Instead they use well water and in case of a fire in any of the nearby casinos water can be pumped from there by firefighters. Another interesting tidbit is that once everything has been coordinated and programmed there is one show operator who controls everything. All he or she has to do is pull up a show on a computer screen and press play. The computer system then controls everything. It's pretty incredibly really how it all works.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2005
Arrows Restaurant to Open in Perkins Cove
Will Open in Space Formerly Occupied by Hurricane's
Arrows, a very good restaurant has announced that they will be opening a new restaurant in Perkins Cove, where Hurricane's used to be. I had a feeling such prime real estate wouldn't be empty for long. Arrows is a fancy restaurant that Jim and I haven't tried on any of our excursions to Ogunquit as of yet. But the new restaurant will be more casual so I suspect we would be more likely to end up there than at the original Arrows. They've expanded the space that Hurricane's was in and once it opens in June, the restaurant sounds like it will bring some added life to an already busy Perkins Cove.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2005
Photo of the Day - Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park, January, 2005. I'd really love to do the helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon again and also visit the Grand Canyon more extensively. It's funny how much I loved that helicopter ride considering I don't enjoy thrill rides. But it was so cool to see all the sights from above. And of course seeing the Grand Canyon was awesome. I just wish I had gotten to see more of it. With a wide-angle lens would be good too!
Those people in this photo are a couple from Germany I think it was who were on the helicopter with us. It's amazing how tiny they look in comparison to the huge walls of the canyon. It really is incredible how immense the canyon is!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
April 15, 2005
New Coastal Trail in Wiscasset, Maine
Not really too much to say about this one, particularly since I'm not familar with the Wiscasset area but it always gives me a little thrill to hear about coastal trails because I love walking along the coastline. And I especially like the coast of Maine.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
MGM Mirage to Build New Casino In Las Vegas
Two Soaring Towers to Be Located on the Strip
MGM Mirage has hired a well-known architect to design a new 4,000 room hotel/casino which will eventually be located on the strip between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo, both properties owned by MGM Mirage, as part of a $4.7 billion project. Yes, that's billion. Apparently both towers of this hotel/casino, which they would like to open in 2009, will be made entirely of glass to give guests great views of the strips and the desert around Vegas. I can only imagine how extravagant it will be. Yet another sign of how much money flows in and out of those casinos that another large hotel/casino will be built there.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
April 09, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. January, 2005. This isn't actually what I wanted to post as a photo of the day but since I've never been to Arches National Park this will have to do as the stone of the formations at Valley of Fire is similar to those of some of the arches at Arches National Park. I've seen some photos from Arches National Park over the past few weeks which I've absolutely loved and it's just really made me want to go there even more than previously. Which was a lot to begin with!
I might have mentioned in a previous entry on Valley of Fire but the red of those formations is caused by iron levels in the stone.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine. July, 2004. Another shot from the abnormally low tide at sunrise. Oh, did I have to get up early to get these shots!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
Hurricane Restaurant to Close Ogunquit Location
Will Concentrate on Kennebunkport Location
For fourteen years, the Hurricane Restaurant had a location in Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine. But now due to not being able to afford a new lease they will be closing that location and concentrating all their efforts on their Kennepunkport restaurant. That's a shame because Jim and I really enjoyed eating at the restaurant in Perkins Cove. I remember we had a window seat looking out over the ocean and it was beautiful. The food was excellent as well. However, it was a smaller restaurant than the one in Kennebunkport, which we also dined at, so I imagine the profits might not be quite as much as from that location in Dock Square. I wouldn't be surprised to see them open a new Hurricane restaurant somewhere else as both locations were extremely popular.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2005
Photo of the Day - Mountains
On the way back from the Grand Canyons, somewhere in Nevada, January, 2005. I don't think I uploaded this one before. I guess to people who live in mountainous areas this isn't anything too special but to me who has never seen mountain views up close, I was amazed by everything I saw as I looked out the window of the helicopter on the way to and the way back from the Grand Canyon. I'd love to see even bigger mountains that I did in the Las Vegas area!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit Buoy
Lone Buoy, Off the Ogunquit, Maine coast. I took a bunch of photos like this on our boat ride from Perkins Cove to the Nubble Lighthouse. Each lobster fisherman is assigned a different unique color scheme which is registered with the state. They also each have particular areas where they can set their traps and they are extremely territorial. Apparently it's not unusual for there to be incidents between lobstermen who think that someone is encroaching on their territory.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. January, 2005. The cool thing about Valley of Fire State Park is how all the rock formations were so unique. Erosion has shaped them in so many different ways. I think I could spend days there photographing. And the same rock formation would look completely different from all different angles and at different times of day as the light changes. Also different seasons would bring some interesting changes. It probably doesn't snow there often but if it ever does that might make for really cool shots. After a rain storm would make for different photos than when it hadn't rained for a long time. And so on and so on. I just wish I actually lived near there so I could go and take photos in all these different scenarios.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Waves crashing onto the shore in Ocean Grove. I haven't been back since I went to Ocean Grove with Jim and his family a few years ago but it was really nice in Ocean Grove. We had a good time just relaxing and hanging out at the inn but I also really enjoyed taking pictures on the beach there. Maybe someday we'll go back.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Perkins Cove
Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine. July, 2004. Well, I came across two batches of photos from Ogunquit from last summer. So now I have a new group of photos to use for photo of the day that I had pretty much forgotten about. This is a shot of the harbor in Perkins Cove in Ogunquit. Perkins Cove is a small little village that is part of Ogunquit that has all sorts of restaurants and stores. One end of Marginal Way ends in Perkins Cove too. All the boat tours in Ogunquit also leave from Perkins Cove.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. I think I posted at least one other photo a while back that I took this particular morning in Ogunquit. I woke up at sunrise to take pictures and I found that it was an extreme low tide so the water had gone quite a ways out. The patterns in the sand that the water had left as it retreated were fascinating, particularly as the light from the rising sun shone on it. So I took a bunch of photos. Perhaps I will make this week's theme for Photo of the Day photos that I took that morning.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
Photo of the Day - Nubble Lighthouse
Nubble Lighthouse, York, Maine. I really, really, really want to go back to Maine. I don't know if it will be possible this summer but it's just so beautiful there. The Nubble Lighthouse is one of the most photographed, painted and portrayed lighthouses of any of them and I certainly added to that with how many photos I took of it!
Posted by silverdsl at 12:21 AM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2005
Photo of the Day - Cape Porpoise
Cape Porpoise, Maine, July 3, 2004. Another place that I would love to go back to. Cape Porpoise is a tiny fishing village just outside of Kennebunkport in Maine. There's a great restaurant right on the dock that Jim, me and his mother went to when we were there. Definitely a very awesome meal. There was an extreme low tide when we were there and the waitress told us that she had never seen the tide be so low or so high when it came back in. It was quite a sight to see though it's not apparent in this photo. But overall Cape Porpoise is a very relaxing place to be because it's so quiet. I think that most tourists pass it right over in their haste to explore Kennebunkport which is fine by me, and I'm sure for those that live there, because it means that it will stay quiet.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. I wish I was back in Las Vegas! I've been hearing a lot of talk about Las Vegas the past week or so because Nascar comes to Las Vegas this weekend. Already some of the drivers are there going out and partying. If I were there aside from pigging out in all the yummy restaurants and going to any Nascar related events, I'd go spend lots of time in Valley of Fire State Park taking photos of all these neat-o rock formations. I'd like to either go there at sunrise or be there for sunset when the light would probably make these formations look even cooler.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ocean Grove at Sunrise
Ocean Grove, New Jersey, 2002. Nothing like waves crashing to shore on the beach at sunrise.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - Cool Clouds
Clouds over Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005. Sunny, cloudy, sunny, cloudy, rainy, sunny. The weather just couldn't make up it's mind when we were in Red Rock Canyon. I wish it had been sunny the whole time, especially since it was a little chilly when it was cloudy, but the mixed conditions meant that I could take this shot of the clouds at one point. The clouds seem so swirly and my eye was drawn to the sky to take this photo.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:27 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2005
Photo of the Day - Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam. January, 2005. Here's a view of the Hoover Dam from above, taken from the helicopter on our way to the Grand Canyon. It was really tough to get any shots of the Hoover Dam because as soon I composed the shot and focused, the helicopter was changing direction. It was really cool to see it from above after we had visited and walked on it a couple of days earlier.
The tan ring that is visible over the water marks how low the water level in Lake Mead has dropped.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:53 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2005
Photo of the Day - Desert
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. Not much to say about this one other than it was really, really awesome taking photos in Red Rock Canyon and the surronding area. As I think I've mentioned more than a time or two in this blog!
Posted by silverdsl at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2005
Photo of the Day - Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Jan. 2005. I wish I could have done justice to how cool the reflection off the Manadalay Bay Casino looked but by the time we drove by up close it was getting pretty cloudy out. But even without a lot of sun this casino still looked cool. Every casino does such a great job of making their buildings look impressive both up close and from far away.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2005
Photo of the Day - Camden Harbor
Camden, Maine, 2002. Camden, Maine has a very well-known harbor which as one might imagine is the center of virtually everything in town. There are lots of great restaurants around the harbor area and a bunch of neat stores too. Many boats of all shapes and sizes, from all over the place make stops in Camden as one can tell from the photo. When I was up in Camden with my parents we took a ride on a sail boat our of the Camden harbor and up the coast which was fun and very relaxing. It's very cold here right now and I'm sure it's even colder up in Maine but looking at this photo of Camden in the summer makes me feel just a bit warmer.
One neat thing, at least to me, is that there is a webcam of the Camden harbor that I find interesting to take a peek at periodically. It can be found here: http://www.villagesoup.com/webcams/CamdenHarborCam.cfm. Probably not much going on in the Winter though!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2005
Photo of the Day - Desert and Mountains
On the road to Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. I made Jim pull over so I could take a couple of photos as we approached Red Rock Canyon. I was just so amazed by everything I was seeing that I had to take some pictures. There just aren't any views like that in New York or New Jersey!
All those clouds came rolling in gradually as we made our way to Red Rock Canyon and then as we drove through. It made for some interesting pictures. At times the clouds just swallowed up the mountains. But when it was sunny that bi-colored mountain just looked so cool!
All this time I've been saying that I had never been in the desert before yet I completely forgot that I was in Israel and was very definitely in the desert there. It was so long ago, when I was in high school, that it's easy to forget. Everything was so rushed on that trip too so it was hard to take a lot of things in. Oh, how I wish I had a good camera when I was there!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2005
Photo of the Day - Cape May Lighthouse
Cape May, New Jersey, 2001. Just to break up all the Las Vegas photos, here's one of the Cape May Lighthouse. I remember climbing up there and since it was a hot day it was quite some walk up all those stairs. But it was a very nice view from the top and I'd like to go up there again. It would just have to be on a cooler day for sure!
The Cape May Lighthouse is one that had to be moved from it's original location due to erosion problems. And it's a good thing that was done as that spot is now under water.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2005
Photo of the Day - Paris Las Vegas
Paris-Las Vegas Casino, Las Vegas, NV, January, 2005. Here's a shot of the Effiel Tower replica at Paris-Las Vegas Casino. It's a nice looking casino both inside and out and Jim and I spent one night there eating in a absolutely delicious restaurant, Ortanique which features Caribbean influenced food. From what we could tell it looked like there were a lot of great restaurants there including a few nice French ones. We also went up to the top of the Effiel Tower there at night and the view was amazing!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2005
Photo of the Day - From Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. This is one of the rock formations I was especially fond of in VoF State Park. It's like a mini arch and it was pretty neat looking though this photos doesn't really do it justice. Unfortunately I saw it when we were short on time and couldn't spend too much time taking photos of it because we had to leave for the long drive back to Vegas. There aren't arches in VoF State Park like there are in Arches National Park but there are a few smaller ones and they are neat to see. It's pretty cool the way erosion has worked it magic on the rocks in VoF.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2005
Photo of the Day - Over Lake Mead
Lake Mead from the air. Jan, 2005. So as one might imagine a lot of the photos of the day for a while are going to be shots from our Las Vegas trip. I'll throw some other stuff in there to mix it up but I got to take a lot of photos that excited me so I'll be putting some up here in the blog.
This one was taken from the helicopter on the way to the Grand Canyon. It's of Lake Mead which is huge! I knew it was huge and it looked huge when we were at the Hoover Dam but from the air one can really see how big it actually is. It also made for some awesome photos. Those islands in the Lake? In a lot of cases those are actually mountain tops to mountains that were covered when the Lake was filled! Yeah, that's a lot of water!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2005
Las Vegas Day Seven
Well, we're back! We got back to New Jersey a few hours ago. I never got around to doing an entry yesterday because we were so busy doing all sorts of fun stuff so I figured I would throw something up now.
We started the day by going over to cheer on Michael Waltrip as he ran the marathon. The funny thing was that we almost didn't see him but all his hair blowing in the wind was how we knew it was him as he approached. Michael ended up finishing in just under four hours which was a personal best for him. He really should be proud of himself for how well he did! And to raise money for such a good cause too.
Then Jim and I decided to take a ride to Valley of Fire State Park. It was a bit of a long trip but I'm so glad that we went! It was yet another amazing place with all these neato, huge red rock formations. The ride there and back was filled with some pretty cool views too.
(photo by Jim) Then last night was the Hootie and the Blowfish concert. I really wasn't expecting much since I'm not a big Hootie fan but it was actually a really, really great concert! Something very unexpected happened at the concert also which I'll have to post about in the next few days. It was a really fun night for sure!
Posted by silverdsl at 12:29 AM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2005
Las Vegas Day Six
Today was definitely a Michael Waltrip day! I saw him three times today - at the 5K, at an autograph signing and at a Meet & Greet. He really is great with his fans! The details of the day will have to wait as I'm really tired right now but the above photo is from the autograph signing.
Me with Michael. This was from the Meet & Greet. Jim and I also got a photo taken with both of us with Michael and Kyle Petty. I haven't seen how it came out yet as we won't be picking it up until tomorrow but I suspect it might come out kind of funny and not in a good way as I got taken by surprise in that photo. So luckily Michael was nice enough to pose for another photo with me.
After the Meet & Greet, Jim and I went out to eat at a really good restaurant in the Paris casino. After dinner we went up to the top of their version of the Effiel Tower. I wasn't sure it would be worth the price of admission but the views were incredible from up there!
Posted by silverdsl at 01:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2005
Las Vegas Day Five
Bright and early we got up this morning and headed out to take our helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. We got really lucky because it was nice and sunny in the morning and almost as soon as we got back it got really cloudy. Right now it's raining pretty hard here. But the Grand Canyon trip was amazing and it's definitely the highlight of the trip so far.
Not only did we get to see the Grand Canyon but we also got to see Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam from up above as well. So that made for some really cool photos. It was a bit tricky taking photos from a moving helicopter though! I'd see something and by the time I got focused we were by it. There was also the glare on the glass to contend with. But some of the shots came out neat.
We got to land inside the Grand Canyon on land that belongs to an Indian Reservation, which virtually all it's income comes from these landings. After we landed we got out and walked around for about a half hour. It was just incredible to see the massive walls of the canyon up close. Just seeing a small taste of the Grand Canyon makes me want to go back and explore much more of it.
Everywhere we looked out the helicopter there were some amazing sights of the Grand Canyon, the mountains, the desert, Lake Mead and Las Vegas. I will definitely remember this for a very long time! When I get back I'll have to post some more photos because there were so many awesome sights.
The only unfortunate thing is that we had to miss the tour of Orleans Racing and Las Vegas Motorspeedway that the group went on this morning. It was unavoidable because this was the only time we could take the helicopter ride since it was rescheduled from Wednesday. Even though the group got to very briefly see Brendan Gaughan at Orleans Racing, I think the helicopter ride ended up being something even more memorable than the tour of Orleans Racing would have been.
Then this afternoon we went outlet shopping and then out to eat at the sushi place that we like at the Aladdin.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2005
Las Vegas Day Four
Today the weather cleared up somewhat - yay! So Jim and I took a ride out to Red Rock Canyon, about an hour away from Las Vegas. It was so amazing! I've never seen mountains like we saw in Red Rock Canyon. It was incredible. Now I know it's not anything like the Rocky Mountains or places like that but these mountains still looked pretty huge to me!
Seeing the desert was pretty neat too. I was surprised by how much greenery there actually was. Apparently there's more rain in that area of the desert than there is elsewhere so it can support a lot more than it might somewhere that they only get an inch or two of rain. It was pretty cool to see cacti that were native rather than growing in a pot!
There were still plenty of clouds today unfortunately but the 13-mile scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon was still beautiful anyway. Scenes like this were what we saw all around us.
In the desert after a lot of rain there is always the risk of flash floods. There were several places where it was also very obvious that floods had done quite a bit of damage. After all the rain yesterday there must have been some flooding since we came to this area where water was flowing across the road and there was plenty of standing water elsewhere.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)
More From Las Vegas
So here's one of the shots that I took of the strip from the Voodoo Lounge on top of Rio last night. This picture can't do justice to how beautiful and amazing it was to see everything all around in every single direction all lit up. Not just the strip but streetlights and houses every which way that I turned went far into the distance. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.
In spite of the rain, we decided that we would head out to the Hoover Dam because Jim has always wanted to see it and it really wasn't too far of a drive to get there. Unfortunately I forgot to change lenses before I walked over the dam so I didn't have quite as wide of a shot as I would have liked so it's hard to show just how massive the dam actually is. It's incredible to think of how much work and how much mountain and earth was moved to create this dam. We didn't take the tour because we didn't have time but just walking around on top of the dam was quite a sight!
The ride to the Hoover Dam was pretty interesting too. Of course it would have been nicer if it wasn't raining but it was still pretty cool to see the desert and especially all the mountians. It's so different from the way it is in New Jersey that's for sure! There are some mountains out our way but not anything like these.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:04 AM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Las Vegas Day Three
It's been beautiful weather in Las Vegas for a while but of course now that we're here it's pretty much supossed to rain for a good part of the week. We already had to cancel the Grand Canyon helicopter tour we were going to take today and hopefully we can fit it in early on Friday morning, when it might be clear for at least part of the day. I also wanted to go to Red Rock Canyon and that's kind of in doubt since it's supossed to rain all day today and much of tomorrow too. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will clear up at some point so we can head out there.
We switched over from the Aladdin to the Orleans a little while ago. The Orleans is definitely not the Aladdin, where they paid a lot of attention to detail and making sure things were pretty much immaculate. But the room is nice and big and we've got a view of the strip which should look really awesome at night all lit up. I'm really glad we decided to rent the car so we can get back and forth between here and the strip fairly easily.
Last night we went to the Rio to the Voodoo Lounge which is on the 52nd floor. There is an amazing view from up there of the whole strip which was unbelievable to see. If I get a chance later on I'm going to download some of those pics and maybe throw one or two of those up here if they came out okay. I got a very yummy drink there, a Voodoo Doll, made of bananna and stawberry liquior.
Tonight we're going to see Cirque de Soleil's "O" at The Bellagio which I've heard is amazing so I'm really looking forward to that.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2005
Yummy Stuff
So far Jim and I have eaten in a bunch of different places in Las Vegas. I'm all screwed up in terms of when I get hungry because of the time change so that's a problem but hopefully that will straighten out soon. Thus far my favorite meal has been the sushi we had late last night as a snack at the sushi bar here in The Aladdin. The smoked salmon in the Philadelphia Roll was some of the freshest and best I've ever tasted. I could have eaten it all night! Otherwise the other really yummy thing that I had was a Pina Colada at a casual burger place in the Desert Passage. One of the best Pina Coladas I've ever had and I hope I can get another one before we leave. We've tried a couple of restaurants that were recommended but those didn't live up to the hype so I won't waste time blogging about those now.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
Las Vegas Day Two
So today we traveled up and down the strip checking out all the different casinos. It's absolutely unbelievable how huge each one is! Every casino and hotel is so spread out with so much inside - stores, restaurants, theaters, hotel rooms, conference centers and of course the casinos. One of the most impressive in terms of the attention to detail in terms of the theme was The Venetian, a piece of which is pictured above. Great care is taken to make visitors feel like they really are in Venice with Gondola rides through a canal and all. The only thing is that I couldn't help but think of Epcot in Walt Disney World and the Italian area there because much of the architecture and stature were extremely similar.
The Luxor was another cool casino. Jim wasn't too impressed with it but I've always been intrigued by Egypt and the pyramids since I was a little girl. So I thought the Luxor was pretty neat. The only thing is it was very dark inside and I've heard the rooms are that way as well so I'm not sure I would enjoy staying there though.
Of course all of the casinos have fancy restaurants, bars and nightclubs. I took this particular photo outside a seafood resturant where the bottles were embedded in a see-through wall that water flowed through. The photo isn't that clear but I thought it was kind of neat.
There was no way for us to see every casino but so far the one that I thought was the nicest was the Bellagio which we went to last night. That's the fanciest and most expensive one on the strip and everything there is very well taken care of. The fountain show there is amazing too and at some point I'll have to post some photos of that too. As for the one I liked the least I'm not sure but I didn't think The Mirage lived up to the hype in that a lot of books said how nice it was and how much there was to see there.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
Las Vegas Day One
Yes, we did make it to Las Vegas! And we're already having a great time though we are very tired. It's only 9:30 p.m. out here but we're still on East Coast time which has us all messed up.
So we got to Newark Airport bright and early at 6:30 a.m. to make sure we were there early enough to catch our 9:15 a.m. flight. Luckily, while there were a few weather related problems due to ice, we only left about a half hour late which wasn't too bad considering what a huge storm there was over the weekend. The flight wasn't bad though I started to get very restless by hour four of five.
The first thing we did after we picked up our rental car was head to the Aladdin. We ended up with a truly awesome room! The above shot is the view from our room. So we can see the fountain show at the Bellagio across the street right from the room which is so cool. This is a really huge room and the bathroom is bigger than my bedroom at home! It's too bad that we're only staying here two nights but we wouldn't be able to afford it for longer than that. We'll enjoy it while we're here that's for sure!
After we relaxed for a bit we headed up to the Stratosphere where we ate lunch at Top of the World which is a rotating restaurant all the way at the top. The view from up there is amazing! Unfortunately while it's warm in Las Vegas, at least compared to the way it is in New York, it's cloudy so the pics aren't as good as they might be on a sunny day. But it was still pretty neat to see the view of all of Las Vegas from the top of the Stratosphere.
Then tonight we've been walking around the various casinos and checking out the sights. There is so much to see and do, much more than we'll be able to see. I'm looking forward to tomorrow because we're going to try and visit as many of the casinos on the strip as possible.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2005
Just in Time for Our Trip to Las Vegas
Judge Throws Out Lap Dance Law
A Nevada judge threw out a law making it illegal for strippers to fondle or caress their customers during lap dances, saying that it's too vague. So at least for now, until Las Vegas can enact a more specific law, which I'm sure they will do quickly, strippers can no longer be arrested for "fondling" their customers. I wonder if all the strip clubs in Las Vegas are suddenly going to see even more business than usual because of this?
That's really the only aspect of strippers that bothers me - the physical touching. I don't mind if Jim goes to strip clubs and looks at the strippers but more than that wouldn't really go over too well with me. But there are a lot of women who don't even like it when their significant others look at other women, strippers or otherwise. I think it's human nature for both men and women to admire those that they find attractive and I wouldn't expect that to stop just because someone is in a relationship or married. Of course acting on it is a different story but looking doesn't bother me.
Posted by silverdsl at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - Outer Banks Wave
Outer Banks, North Carolina, 2003. This is a photo of a wave at sunset down in the Outer Banks. I just thought it was kind of neat how the light of the setting sun was reflecting off of the wave. I was actually surprised by the waves in the Outer Banks because at least where we were they were a little smaller than I imagined they would be. For some reason having heard talk of rip tides and other hazards of swimming in the Outer Banks I figured the waves would be a lot bigger and rougher than they were. Other parts of the Outer Banks surely have bigger waves as there is much surfing and other water sports but it seemed relatively calm, at least from the beach, where we were.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:52 PM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004. These chairs were on a nice big lawn that had a wonderful view of the ocean and Marginal Way. I would love to be sitting on those chairs in the warm summer sun, than be here in snowy New Jersey. Of course it's probably even colder and snowier up there right now than it is here!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2005
More Than a Dozen Bed & Breakfasts in Cape May for Sale
Owners Cite Taxes, Cultural Shifts as Reasons for Selling
This is a troubling trend. At least 14 bed & breakfasts are for sale in Cape May and any number of those are expected to be converted into condos rather than continue as b&bs. Some of the owners cited factors such as the added taxes on hotels in New Jersey that guests don't want to pay, that Cape May isn't as tourist friendly as it used to be, and that increasingly many guests, particularly younger ones, don't like staying at B&Bs because they don't have as many amentities and don't appreciate the history of the old Victorian B&Bs.
Well, Jim and I love going to Cape May and staying in Bed and Breakfasts. I had noticed that there were any number of B&Bs on the market over the past year or so and I just figured it was just coincidence that so many were being sold. But apparently that isn't the case. I would hate to see the day when there aren't many B&Bs left in Cape May because that is exactly one reason why that town is so wonderful and charming.
That some guests don't want to pay the added expenses isn't something unique to staying at a B&B. Any hotel stay in New Jersey requires paying those added taxes. It's cited as an extra $35-40. Well, if $35-40 is a deal-breaker when it comes to going on vacation perhaps those folks shouldn't be going on vacation in the first place. Not that I want to spend extra money when I go away but I understand that there are taxes to be paid and expenses here and there that I can't get away from. I'm not going to skip going to Las Vegas because Jim and I will have to pay taxes on our hotel stay or plane ticket so why would people not come to Cape May because they have to pay taxes on their room?
As for the issue of Cape May not being as tourist friendly as it once was, I've never seen any hint of that and I've been going to Cape May since I was pretty young. There is the issue of the beach tags in that it used to be that all the motels and B&Bs could get buy a supply of beach tags to give to their guests which they (the B&Bs) could use all summer. Now Cape May requires guests to get their own individual beach tags which is an additional fee. I completely support this change. There is increased revenue to be made from guests having to purchase beach tags and that money is used to make improvements to the beaches and do work on other projects. Some also feel that there isn't enough touristy activities in Cape May but that is exactly why we like going to Cape May. There is no boardwalk and it's not the typical Jersey shore town. I would hate to see the beauty of Cape May spoiled by it becoming just like any other town on the shore.
Staying at a B&B isn't for everyone but we love it. From the beauty of the Victorian furnishings and the uniqueness of the rooms to the delicious breakfasts in the mornings. It's always such a wonderful experience. Not every B&B has TVs or full amentities like a Hilton but there are many that do have some of these things. It is those B&Bs that put in TVs or other amenities that will continue to survive and be successful. B&B owners need to be able to be flexible and adjust to the changing needs of their guests. What worked ten years ago might not work today. If most guests want cable TV or to not share a bathroom, then the B&B owners need to find a way to make those things happen, while still keeping with the philosophy of a B&B. Of course there will be some things that just won't be possible to do but sometimes it is necessary to make changes.
The one thing that B&B owners can't do much about are guests that don't appreciate the history of the places they are staying in and Cape May itself. I love the history of Cape May and I read everything I can on that subject. But a lot of people just don't care about things like that. Unfortunately that's something that's unlikely to change either. A lot of folks aren't interested in what came before, only what is happening in the here and now and only what effects them. Sad to say but that might be the ultimate downfall of Cape May, not any of these other issues. Because if you don't have people who appreciate the history of the town they will see no reason not to tear down some of the old Victorian houses and build huge hotels in their place. Which means that Cape May will lose what makes it so unique.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
When We Need a Break From the Chaos of the Strip...
While Jim and I are in Las Vegas I'm hoping that we can take a trip to Red Rock Canyon. It's about a half hour from the strip in Las Vegas and it's supossed to be really nice. There's a 13-mile scenic drive with pullouts for photo-taking so hopefully we will be able to do that. We're going to be seeing lots of sights in Las Vegas but I'd like to see some of the natural sights as well as all the neon ones. Of course we do have the trip to the Grand Canyon but I'd like to see Red Rock as well since we'll be so close. It'll just be a matter of figuring out what day to go and if we have time.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ice
High Point State Park, Sussex, NJ, January, 2005. It was so cool to see all the patterns the icy tree branches made as they froze in place. What was also cool was how super-quiet it was there since we were in the middle of the woods and there were very few people and cars around.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:38 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2005
Photo of the Day - Ice
High Point State Park, Sussex, New Jersey, January, 2005. Yesterday Jim and I took a drive through Western New Jersey over to a nice little town in Pennsylvania, Milford, which has lots of cool craft and antique stores. On our way back we decided to stop off in High Point State Park, which as one can tell from the name is the highest point in the area, at 1,803 feet above sea level. It's possible to see Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey from the mounument up top.
Last week there was a storm which dumped mostly rain on Long Island and Eastern New Jersey. But up by High Point it was apparently a major ice storm. So every tree, bush, shrub and piece of grass was coated in a thick covering of ice. Which made for some really neat photos. I had been thinking that it would have been better if it was a sunny day but then I realized that if it was then the ice would probably have been melting and also the reflections of the sun off all the ice might have made it hard to take pics.
I've seen the result of ice storms before but I don't think I've ever seen ice this thick on everything before. I guess because of how high the elevation is there, it made for perfect conditions for the ice storm to cover everything entirely and then not melt off as easily as it might at a lower elevation. I could probably have spent all day taking photos there but unfortunately time was extremely limited. But I did get some and I think this week will be "ice" week in my blog.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2005
Photo of the Day - Another From the Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, November, 2002. Here's another shot of the viaduct taken as we were walking down from the top. It's actually a bit of a climb to get up there and tricky to get down as it's a steep incline but luckily there's a path on one side that makes it a bit easier. It's unfortunate that photos really can't do the viaduct justice as even with a wide angle lens it would be hard to fully capture how long and high the viaduct is and how it looms over everything nearby.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:29 PM | Comments (1)
January 06, 2005
Photo of the Day 2 - View From The Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, April, 2004. This is the view from the top of the viaduct. In the distance is the Delaware Water Gap. Notthe greatest photo but it gives a sense of how high the viaduct is and how far one can see from the top of it.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - On Top of the Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, April, 2004. This is what it looks like on top of the Viaduct. After the viaduct was abandoned the railroad ties were taken out so all that's left is dirt and gravel. As you can see many of the railings are gone and the remaining ones are all rusted so they don't offer much protection. The viaduct has been abandoned so long that there are even trees growing up there.
In this photo you can see a dirt biker making his way across the viaduct. Riding along the old rail trails is very popular for both dirt bikers and ATV'ers and they go super-fast so caution is needed when one approaches.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)
Concern Over Marginal Way Repairs
No one but me and Jim will probably care about this but it's my blog so I'm going to talk about what ever I want! At any rate, up in Ogunquit, Maine there is a path that winds along the coastline between Oqunquit and Perkins Cove. I've talked about it before and probably posted a couple of pictures from it. At any rate, Marginal Way has been there for decades and gets very heavy foot traffic, in addition to being exposed to various natural forces. So of course things can fall into disrepair and this winter when Marginal Way isn't used much there is a project to repair erosion-related issues in the Little Beach area. And apparently there is some concern over how the contractor who is working on the project might be causing some damage.
Little Beach is actually the most unattractive part of Marginal Way to me. It's a little cove with a beach area that a lot of people like to go to since it's away from the main beach in Ogunquit. The thing is that the road comes right up to Little Beach and the concrete steps leading down, as well as all the people and the lifeguard stand take away from the beauty of Marginal Way in my opinion. I suspect a lot of people go no further than Little Beach unless they are walking to Perkins Cove (most seem to take the trolley), given how much fewer people there are on the path at times as compared to the first section of Marginal Way, though it's always far from deserted. If they don't go further they are definitely missing out!
Marginal Way is really beautiful and I'm glad that Ogunquit spends the money to make sure that it stays in good shape. At some point I'll have to post some more photos from Marginal Way here.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2005
Photo of the Day - Viaduct Arch
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, 2002. Here's a close-up of one of the arches of the viaduct. You can just make out if you look closely enough that there's graffitti inside the arches way up high. If one knows the way in, it's possible to climb through the arches, high above the ground. There's an access point at one end and there's also a hole on top where the tracks used to be that one can climb into. I've never been into the viaduct as I've heard it can be a tricky walk-through and I'm pretty clumsy and I have no desire to fall 150 feet down. I get nervous enough when I'm up top near the edge since the railing is missing in many places up there!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2005
Photo of the Day - Viaduct Graffitti
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, November, 2002. That the viaduct is hidden in the woods is one of the things that makes it so cool but one drawback is that it makes it an easy and attractive target for vandals. So there are countless places where graffitti artists have practiced their craft. In some places there has been an effort to paint over it but for the most part it's a losing battle because the viaduct isn't under constant watch.
Of course the relatively remote location, without any houses nearby means that it's a place for kids to congregate and get into mischief. Every time that we visit the viaduct there are signs of parties and it's not unusual to see stuff shattered on the ground that has been thrown off the top. There are even a few shattered and rusted remains of cars that met their end via a trip off the viaduct.
There are plenty of rumors that satanists use the viaduct as a meeting place but I've never seen any signs of that other than some satanic graffitti that is most likely the work of teenagers. There are also rumors that there are bodies of workers who lost their lives building the viaduct buried in the concrete of the structure giving rise to ghost stories. But in all the places that I've looked and everything that I've read on the viaduct there is nothing to substantiate that.
We did see one strange thing, on our last visit. By the edge of the river, under the viaduct, there was a shrine to deceased fisherman. We actually couldn't take a close look at it since the bugs were too intense by the water but later I found a photo of the shrine at someone's website. I suspect that this person didn't lose their life at the viaduct but perhaps that was a favorite fishing spot. Each time we go to the viaduct there's always something new to see but that was one of the most unexpected.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2005
Photo of the Day - Paulinskill Viaduct
Paulinskill Viaduct, Hainsburg, New Jersey, April, 2004. The Paulinskill Viaduct is a place that I love to go. There is something about this immense and mostly abandoned structure, hidden away in the woods, that I love. Built in 1909, the Viaduct featured seven arches, that march through the woods and above the Paulinskill River. The Viaduct was part of the Erie-Lackawanna line and was in active use through the 60's. It is possible that at some point in the future trains will run over the viaduct once more as NJ Transit is contemplating a plan for a rail line that would go into Pennsylvania over the viaduct.
At the time of when it was built I think this viaduct was one of the largest concrete viaducts in the world. So I post the above photo to show just how large this viaduct is. That's me looking so tiny underneath the viaduct and that's Jim's car parked at the side. It's very hard to take photos that do the viaduct justice because of how big it is and it was even harder the day that photo was taken since I was having some camera problems. But I like how tiny me and the car look underneath the viaduct. It's really incredible that something so large is not seen at all from Route 80 where hundreds of cars pass by each day.
I first discovered the Paulinskill Viaduct via Weird New Jersey which featured it as a weird abandoned place in New Jersey. Of course that magazine being what it is, they focused on many of the rumors, myths and ghost stories that surround the place. So Jim and I thought it would be a cool place to check out and we've been back three or four times since. I think we're definitely due to make a return trip!
I think this week will be viaduct week on my blog and I will post some photos and talk about some of the various things to be seen on and around the viaduct.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2004
Photo of the Day - Ogunquit
Ogunquit, Maine. July, 2004. In a discussion about the horrible disaster of a few days ago the subject of abnormally high and low tides came up. Which reminded me of Ogunquit because when we were up there over the summer they were experiencing abnormally high and low tides. In fact the tides were so extreme that even long-time locals were amazed. One morning I walked along Marginal Way taking photos at sunrise and at that time it was low tide. The tide had gone way, way, way out to the point where areas that were always underwater were exposed. So this is a photo of what was exposed. It was very cool to see the patterns left on the sand from the retreating water. I took lots of photos because it was so neat looking.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2004
Five National Parks I Really, Really Want to Visit
I love National Parks. They are usually some of the most beautiful places in the country. Only thing is that I haven't been to many in person though I've admired many wonderful photographs that have been taken in national parks. So while I'd love to visit as many national parks as possible here's the top five that I really want to go to:
1. Yellowstone: I've always been fascinated by the geysers and the hot springs of Yellowstone. Just such an unusual place. But Yellowstone has much more than that. There are beautiful waterfalls and lots of wildlife as well. Year round Yellowstone is a beautiful place and I'm really anxious to go there some day.
2. Grand Canyon: It's incredibly amazing to me how vast the Grand Canyon is and that it was formed by erosion. The Grand Canyon is so vast that there are probably still areas that are relatively unexplored. I will be visiting the Grand Canyon briefly next month and I can't wait!
3. Arches: The Arches in this park created by erosion are really beautiful. Unfortunately a lot of them can only be reached by a long hike and it can get very hot out there but someday maybe I'll get to see some of the Arches.
4. Yosemite: The rock formations and waterfalls of Yosemite are really gorgeous.
5. Canyonlands: Another national park where many of the features were formed by erosion. Also another place which seems so unique and beautiful.
What's interesting is that as much as I love the ocean and I always want to go places by the ocean, not one of these places is on the coast.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:34 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2004
Photo of the Day - Epcot
Epcot, Walt Disney World, Florida. January, 2004. I love Epcot! From the World Showcase to Innoventions to Journey into Imagination I love everything about Epcot and it's my favorite theme park that is part of Walt Disney World. When I went this past January I had a great time with my cousin and her friends, as well as seeing Melissa and Sean, but as I think I already mentioned once before in this blog, I loved taking photos of everything around me in Walt Disney World, but particularly in Epcot. There's just so much to see and Disney does a great job of making everything very photogenic.
My favorite ride at Epcot is Spaceship Earth. It's dated now as compared to when it was first built and it's no thrill ride but there's something about it that I've always loved. Maybe I just remember riding it as a child so I have fond memories of it. I also love taking photos of the ball, both during the day and when it's lit up at night.
The other thing I love about Epcot is the food at the restaurants in the World Showcase. Of course it's all Americanized to a degree but it's neat to have a variety of food from different countries to be able to try. My favorite restaurant is the Norweign one which is an all-you-can-eat buffet. They've changed it slightly in that the cold foods are still buffet style but you have to order the hot foods though you can have as much as you want of anything you want. I absoluely love the food there and my mouth is watering thinking of all the high-quality yummy smoked fish and meatballs and pasta I had when I ate there. I was the only person by myself and I'm so tiny so they were probably laughing at seeing me at a buffet but I definitely chowed down on the food there! Yum!
Maybe I'll make this week's Photo of the Day have a Disney theme. I took so many photos on that trip that I could do a Disney Photo of the Day probably every day for the next couple of years!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2004
Photo of the Day - Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park, Maine. 2002. I wish I was there right now! I love the Maine coast as I've mentioned before and Acadia is particularly beautiful. I was there with my parents as a child and my Mom and I took a day trip there when we were on vacation in Camden further down the coast. It was probably a three hour ride each way to Acadia but I was insistant that if I was that close I was going. I'm so glad that I did! It was a boiling hot day but I had such a great time. Everywhere we turned we saw something scenic and beautiful. One day I want to go back when I have the time to really explore a lot more of the park.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2004
Scientists Flood Grand Canyon to Restore Beaches
The construction of the Glen Canyon Dam way upstream from the Grand Canyon had a tremendous effect on the canyon and there have been many who have bemoaned the lowered water level as very detrimental. So today scientists flooded the Grand Canyon to restore beaches and save some plant and fish species that have struggled or disappeared all together without the sediment-filled water that once flowed through the Grand Canyon. There will also be some experiments conducted and it will be interesting to see what the results of those are.
What I'm reminded of with this story is that at one time the area behind the Glen Canyon Dam wasn't flooded. A number of months ago I read an article about how the water level has been getting lower in Glen Canyon exposing some extraordinary sections of the canyon area that had been underwater since the canyon area was flooded 40-years ago. I wonder if there are any websites which show some before and after pictures of what this area looked like? It would also be interesting to see some pictures through the years of how various areas of the Grand Canyon has changed.
This article also makes me really look forward to January when Jim and I will make a brief visit to the Grand Canyon as a day trip as part of our trip to Las Vegas. I can't wait to see what the Grand Canyon looks like in person!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2004
Photo of the Day
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks, North Carolina, July, 2003. This is an infrared shot of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Jim and I went down to the Outer Banks in the summer of 2003 and one of the things I really enjoyed was seeing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse since I'm a bit of a lighthouse fanatic. It was pretty cool to see in person. I would have liked to have climb to the top but aside from it being a boiling hot day the wait to get in was several hours long so we opted not to do it.
This morning Jim and I watched a show on one of the high definition channels that had been filmed back in 1998 about the raging debate over whether or not the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse should be moved from it's original location to a location futher back from the ocean. Many were opposed to the move but it ended up happening so that the lighthouse wouldn't fall victim to erosion as the ocean was moving closer and closer. I remember when they were actually moving the lighthouse, a process which took 23 days, because they had a webcam set-up and it was pretty interesting to check it out from time to time. More information about the lighthouse move can be found here: Moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
It's pretty amazing to think that they were able to move such a huge structure that had been in one spot for so long and get it to a new location where it looks like it's always been there.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2004
Arches National Park
Photo by the National Park Service.
Arches National Park is located in Utah and it's known for... you guessed it - Arches. Erosion and various other natural processes have shaped the sandstone in the park for thousands of years and currently the park has the most natural arches of any place in the world.
There are many National Parks that I would like to go visit but this one is definitely near the top of my list. The arches are just so amazing to me. Maybe it's because I collect gems and minerals so finding the arches so fascinating is just one more extention of that. But whatever the reason I love to see photos from this park and I hope that one day I will get the opportunity to take some of my own.
A lot of the cool photos there are taken at the crack of dawn. Jim would just love being dragged along on a hike to an arch that early in the morning! LOL!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2004
Drought Uncovers Memories of Nebraska Town
Lemoyne, Nebraska was once a bustling town in Nebraska until the 1940's when that state forced everyone out from there and a few other neighboring towns so that the area could be flooded behind a dam as part of a state water project. Every so often a bad drought will drain the level of the lake so low that the towns beneath are uncovered and such is the case now when the lake is only at 75% capacity.
In the article a former resident talks about returning to give tours of the usually submerged town where he once used to live. It must be pretty surreal to see the way it is now and picture the way it once was. Apparently people find artifacts left behind by the people who used to live there which is pretty interesting considering they date back to the 1940's. I guess it's considered junk by most people but once they were in someone's house or business before they were forced out.
Candlewood Lake in Connecticut, near where I grew up has a similar story. There were roads and houses and many other things on the land that the state wanted to flood for their water project and those people were also forced out. The level of Candlewood Lake will surely never drop enough to uncover what's beneath but scuba drivers sometimes try to seek out the remaining structures down below the murky water. Every time I'm out on Gail and Steve's boat or drive by Candlewood Lake I always think of what's down there and what the area looked like before it was flooded.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2004
Photo of the Day
Camden, Maine. August, 2002. In 2002 I was lucky enough to get to go to Maine twice, once with Jim to Ogunquit and once with my parents to the Camden/Lincolnville area. Camden is known for it's harbor and there are lots of gorgeous boats docked there. So while we were there we took a ride on a big sail boat up the coast a little bit. I like taking close-ups of things and the way this rope was coiled on the boat caught my eye.
I actually had another Maine photo that I wanted to use tonight but I decided to add it to my list of photos that I want to use as "Photo of the Day" in the near future when I'm not so tired and I have more time since they're all ones that I want to write more than a paragraph or two about. I have a huge event at work going on right now that we've been working like dogs for the past few weeks and now that it's here I'm working 15-16 hour days until it's over. I'm very happy it will be over after Saturday!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2004
Photo of the Day
The Mainstay Inn. Cape May, New Jersey. May, 2004. As some people reading this might know, I love Cape May on the Jersey shore. It's a beautiful Victorian town full of lots of bed and breakfasts and yummy restaurants.
Every time I go to Cape May I walk around town checking out some of my favorite spots. There are a few streets I love to walk down because every house whether it's a private residence or bed & breakfast is absolutely gorgeous. Though I've never stayed there The Mainstay Inn looks like one of the nicest to me. There is so much attention to detail outside and from what I've seen of the photos inside as well. I'm hoping that one day I can stay there though it is on the pricey side.
The main building of the Mainstay dates back to 1872 and was built as a private gambling club. In the 1890's gambling was outlawed and the Mainstay was a private house from then until 1949 when it was opened as a summer guest house. In 1976 it was purchased by new owners who renovated it and opened it as a bed & breakfast. In April of this year ownership changed hands once again but the Mainstay continues on as a b&b.
Even though I've been to Cape May a bunch of times and seen a lot of the same places over and over I never get tired of taking photos in Cape May. I'm always trying to get shots that capture the Victorian character of the town. I don't know if it's that so many of the structures are so old or that they are so pretty but I'm just so fascinated by the town.
As I mentioned above, another great thing about Cape May are all the delicious restaurants. The Washington Inn, considered by many to be one of the best restaurants in New Jersey is a good one with an expansive wine list. Tisha's and Freda's, both featuring creative menus, are also excellent. Aleathea's in the Inn of Cape May is one I like to go to for lunch. At lunchtime it's pretty casual and I enjoy eating out on the porch, right across the street from the beach.
Just a really fun place to go.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:19 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2004
Photo of the Day
Walt Disney World, 1998. I've been to Walt Disney World in Florida twice now. I loved going there each time! There are lots of cool rides, I loved a lot of the places we went to eat at and this most recent time I had a great time with my cousin. But I also love going to Walt Disney World to take pictures.
The above photo was taken when I went in 1998 and it's of a small bronze statue of one of the characters that is outside of Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. There are a whole bunch of these little statues there and for statues they seem to have a lot of personality! Both times I went I was able to take some cool shots of the statues and they were especially interesting in black and white.
I'll probably end up posting plenty of photos from Walt Disney World as Photo of the Day, especially since I took so many when I went with my cousin this past January. The first day and a half that I was down there Liz was at her conference so that left me with plenty of time to wander on my own. And I definitely made good use of my time!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2004
Photo of the Day
Ocean Grove, NJ. 2002. Jim and I went to Ocean Grove on the Jersey Shore with Jim's sister, her husband, Jim's Mom and his grandmother. Jim's Mom used to live in Bradley Beach a few towns over before she moved to upstate New York and has always liked Ocean Grove. OG is like a scaled down version of Cape May with some Victorian houses and bed & breakfasts. It was founded as a Methodist retreat and there is still a very heavy Methodist presence in town.
We stayed two blocks from the beach so I got up each morning at sunrise to take pictures. There was a pier nearby as well and I was fascinated by the waves crashing to shore under the pier. I could have stood there all day watching. I was also suprised by how big the waves were there, though really I shouldn't have been since there is some surfing done on the Jersey shore, particularly in South Jersey.
I would love to go back to Ocean Grove. It's a cute little town and we had a good time there. But the reason I want to go back is to take more pictures under that pier. It's amazing sometimes I just fall in love with places I've taken pictues of and I can't get them out of my head like this pier from two years ago. Or the rock on Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine which is deserving of it's own entry in the future.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2004
Photo of the Day
Nags Head, Outer Banks, July, 2003. I love the ocean. There's something about the endless waves and their power that has always drawn me. I can spend hours watching the waves crash onto shore. But as I mentioned in another entry I also love walking the shore, picking up stones, shells and if I'm lucky some sea glass. There are some beaches where nothing much washes up but there are others that are filled with all kinds of cool stuff that's been tossed and tumbled by the waves until it finally washes up on shore.
When I was 8 or 9 I went with my parents to Nova Scotia in Canada. It wasn't one of our better vacations but one of the highlights was finding what appears to be a rock with a fossil on it while we were on a sand bar. My father went through a period in which he liked to fly kites and this particular sand bar was known as a good place to fly kites because of the winds. The only catch was that you had to be very aware of the tides otherwise you'd get stranded by the advancing water.
So my father was really into flying his kite as my Mom and I explored and suddenly we noticed that tide was coming in... super-fast. We were rushing to gather our stuff and get off the sand bar as quickly as we could when a grey flat rock caught my eye. So I grabbed it just before the advancing water could cover it and immediately noticed what looked like a fossil of some sort of shrimp-like creature tail and all. I took it home of course and eventually took it to a gem & mineral show to see if anyone knew what it was. No one could say for certain what it was but they agreed that there was a good chance it actually a fossil of something. That was just the most awesome thing to me that I found something like that!
I still have that rock. From time to time I look at it and hope that one day I will find something else as cool as that washed up on shore. Unfortunately, on my trip to the Outer Banks I didn't find anything too interesting on the beach but Jim and I had fun there.
The other highlight of the Nova Scotia trip was our visit to Oak Island where legend has it there is buried treasure. I'll have to discuss Oak Island in a future entry because that's an interesting place.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2004
Photo of the Day
Sunset over the Webhannet River in Wells, Maine. July, 2004. Jim and I were driving back to Ogunquit from meeting his Mom for dinner in Cape Porpoise (she was also on vacation in Maine) and we decided to take a ride though Wells just to see what it was like. Definitely not as nice as Ogunquit but we were in the right time at the right place so I could take this sunset shot.
I have a feeling a lot of my Maine photos will be showing up here. I love Maine, particularly the Maine coast, and if I lived closer I would probably be up there every summer.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)