AMERICA 2017: The Overview with Bob and Peggy in GA

Remember that I said our October trip to America was in three basic parts, of which I shared the first week with Ted and Jane in Connecticut last post.  This week I'm sharing our shorter time with Bob and Peggy, from late Sunday to early Thursday in the middle of the following two weeks.  In other words, only 3 full days.

What Astrid and I posted on Facebook was short and sweet but I'm also filling in some of the blanks:

That Monday we drove approximately 60 miles to Warm Springs, GA,

to visit Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House and museum.

(FB post)

FDR was the 32nd President of the USA, from 1933 to his death in 1945 (my birth year).

Because of his polio at age 39, he found the warm springs in GA therapeutic,

after which he founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938,

leading to the development of polio vaccines.

Even though I had non-paralytic polio 7 years later, I feel I owe much to him!

For those of you wondering, Franklin was the 5th cousin of Teddy Roosevelt,

the 26th President of the USA, from 1901-1909. 

Later that afternoon we drove the short distance from Warm Springs to Pine Mountain, GA,

to spend the rest of the day, an overnight, and the following day at Callaway Gardens.

(FB post)

I had visited the gardens way back when Bill and I were married and took my mom and dad there.

That was eons ago but I have no clue when (after we moved to GA in 1987?).

The memory hung on long enough to make me want to go back and have Astrid see it with me.

What I most remembered about the place was the Butterfly Center,

so that late afternoon, after getting settled in our hotel, we went there first.

And now you see Bob and Peggy waiting patiently while we took photos.

Here's what Astrid put up on FB...and she nailed it.

Since coming back home, I've found a few of my own.

And yes, the two top-left are "doing it."  :)


Look what Bob captured!  Don't you wonder what the butterfly was thinking?!

After the Butterfly Center, we drove to the Chapel and the stream nearby.

Too bad for us, the chapel wasn't open, but we enjoyed the environment.

We then went back to the hotel to eat Peggy's picnic supper before calling it a day.

For breakfast the next day we had a Southern Georgia spread to which we couldn't say NO.

Then it was back to exploring.

We had seen the log cabin on arrival but this time stopped to check it out.

Then it was back to the gardens where butterflies were plentiful outside...

as were the bees, making us very happy campers.

Thank God for the butterflies and bees!  We need them.

Even though it was off-season in October, there was plenty to see of the gardens.

There was no way to be disappointed.

Our last hurrah before driving back home was the Birds of Prey show.

Well worth the time and energy as well as a nice good-bye.

Back at Bob and Peggy's the next day, Astrid and I took a walk-about, as we do each year.

(FB post)
Oh, and a last day of relaxing with good friends and food!

THANK YOU, Bob and Peggy (and Roscoe), for making these times so special each year.
So, where will we visit with you the next time!

An Old Dog's New Tricks

Before anything else, Prayers for Norway! My heart goes out to our old and new friends there....

Ironically, this is the image I had queued for my Shutterchance blog today before last Friday's tragic attacks occurred. I ponder such things in my heart. This is the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.
God have mercy on us all!

**********

It's been like an albatross around my neck for over a year now, after purchasing my 100mm macro lens in Novemeber of 2009, just before moving across the Big Pond.

So, at the beginning of this year, 2011, I made the commitment: learn to use it "or else" by the end of this year!

Now that half the year is over, I'm finally starting the learning curve on all the settings:

• Full vs. .5m vs. .3-.5m?
• Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus?
• Aperture Priority vs. what?
• High vs. low aperture?
• Single vs. multi-focus points?
• Tripod vs. hand-held?
  
• Etc., etc.

I started off a week ago and every day learned something new. Oh, and Victoria over at A Photography Addict's Showcase gave me inspiration and tips. THANK YOU, Victoria.

This was my first attempt, here inside our apartment.
NO WIND! Very important.
I started out with a tripod and a single-point focus on that one left 'eye'.
I was feeling cross-eyed after multiple attempts.
As Victoria said, I need to know what effect I want!

One sunny day on my walk, I decided to try hand-held shots outside, in spite of our almost constant wind. I was not gonna let this thing control me. I wanted to control IT!

I was excited to think I had found a bumble bee.
WRONG! Victoria told me it's a hoverfly...another learning curve.


At least this one didn't fly away!

Then on Saturday morning Astrid and I were invited for koffie over at Thelma and Siem's. Thelma is an Indonesian woman living here in The Netherlands since 1960. Dutch Siem met her in 1964, they fell in love and have been married now for 46 years! Astrid and Thelma used to play tennis together and have remained in contact.

Lucky for me, they have a HUGE garden with every kind of flower and bush imaginable. Talk about a macro-lens paradise. EXCEPT FOR THE WIND. I LOVE the wind here in this country but when it come to outdoor macro shots, it's my enemy. Still, after 304 images, I was able to narrow them down to 30 okay/decent shots...for my learning curve, that is. Here are some of them:

Even after the link from Victoria about hoverflies vs. bees, I still don't know if this was a bee.
It sure seemed different from all the hoverflies I saw, but...who knows!


But these for sure are hoverflies. Hundreds of them everywhere.


And one dragonfly to end the day.
[click on any image to enlarge]


Hanging on for dear life midst all the wind!


I was such a happy camper in Thelma and Siem's garden!
And the good news is that we will go back again and again, just as we've done before.

In the meantime, I'll keep practicing to figure out what it is I want with macro shots. That may be as much of the learning curve as anything else?!

**********

Now that the Tour de France is done and over with for another year, HURRAH to Cadel Evans from Australia for pulling the whole thing off. HURRAH also to the Schleck brothers from Luxemburg who came in 2nd and 3rd. It was a 'first' for Australia and a 'first' for two brothers! Pretty exciting stuff...and yes, true to form, I cried like a baby at the end. (sigh)

Emily

Years and years ago (1988?), I met a little girl in Dublin who said, when she found out I was from America, "I have a friend named Emily who lives in America. Do you know her?"

No, I didn't know THAT Emily. But the other one...

...well, first the context. We're both now in Atlanta, so I don't want to confuse you. But within walking distance of our Amsterdam apartment is this building with that light-blue, painted panel running across it's mid-section (click to enlarge).
This is what it says:

Not too long ago, my sister, Ruth, had a post about the shortage of honey bees because of global warming. It's almost as if Emily knew.

She is one Emily I really wish I could say I knew! Don't you?!

**********

Now switch gears. I arrived home on Wednesday and Donica arrived home yesterday afternoon. Withing a few short hours, we were at Atlanta's Chastain Ampitheater for a Cyndi Lauper concert last night! Can you believe that Donica! Neither one of us knows that we're too old for this yet. HA!

Today I'm writing this at the Honda dealership while my car is getting it's 60K-mile maintenance. From here I go to pick up Nicholas for an overnight. WE MISS HIM! Tomorrow we celebrate my birthday at Amy's, with Mark included. Sunday we celebrate Father's Day at Donica's mom's (step-dad) just before I take Donica to the airport for a week of business in Barcelona. Yup. This is her 3rd trip in a row where she has come home only for the weekend. Man!

I'll stay home this time...getting ready for our annual trip to Michigan for the 4th. But more on that later.

In the meantime, have a great weekend with Emily-style revery! I have lots of blogrolling to do and will find you soon, I hope.