Equinox 2009 Cruise

These are a few photos from my current cruise. Today is our last day at sea before arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Europe. I will be writing up my journal very soon and will also add my photos to my regular photography web site, so stay tuned.

Monica

At Dulles airport

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Poblet Monastery near Tarragona Spain.

Camel ride on Lanzarote

Lanzarote



Cartagena

Ostia Antica

Trastevere, Rome

The Roman Colosseum

Photograph sold!

I sold another photograph! This is of Montefioralle, Italy, which is located close to Florence. It's a beautiful small hill-top village above Greve in Chianti. It's a steep walk to the top but worth it for the views and quaintness of the village.

Oia, Greece

I sold this beautiful photo of Oia, Greece to a co-worker. He had been eying it for quite a while. Oia is a small town on the island of Santorini, which is one of my favorite Greek islands.

A Walk Through Time

Here's an article I wrote for Italian Notebook:

A Walk Through Time

New Purchase from Competitive Cameras

Back on July 17th, I ordered the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens from Adorama. I've purchased from them in the past with great results. Their prices are competitive and shipping is prompt. However, I had been emailing Adorama every two weeks since I placed the order to get status. I kept getting the same comments that because it's a popular lens, it was still on back order. I was given figures on how many people ordered the lens: 1000+ then 800+, then 600+ (about 2 weeks ago).

Yesterday it was "700+" Huh?? I want this lens for my trip in November. Since they didn't know when I would get mine, I went back to searching for other companies to purchase from. Many of the others also had the lens on back order (Amazon, B&H, etc).

By chance I found one persons comment on Flicker (dated 26 Aug) stating he purchased the lens from Competitive Cameras out of Dallas, TX, which he highly recommended. I called the store and voila! they had the lens in stock! Bunches of them. I ordered the lens and expect delivery next week. The price of the lens was the same as Adorama: $199.95 (shipping $14 vs. Adorama $6.95). This lens is so popular that other companies are charging $250, such as Amazon and Walmart! Talk about price gouging.

I googled the company name and there are lots of positive feedback, as well as a few negative comments about some of the employees being brusque. They weren't with me. I talked to the first person who answered my questions (price, warranty, availability) and forwarded me to the next person who was also very nice and helpful and who took my order. I was told they are the "Authorized Nikon and Canon Dealer in Texas, if not the South/Southwest."

I am expecting delivery on the 10th of September, so I will edit this posting when I receive the lens. I am happy to have found this company!

9/13/09: Here are some photos I took this morning with my new lens. I'm very happy with it!




You can see the rest on my photography web site: Click here.

Roman Photograph Sold!

My friends Mark and Carolyn purchased one of my photographs. I took this photo early in the morning at the Roman Forum, which there was only one other person enjoying the scenery.

Equinox Pre-Cruise Get Together

Sunday, 9 August 2009, was one hot and humid day. The temperature rose to the high 90’s with the heat index hitting 100.

Inside my house with the a/c running non-stop, I hosted a pre-cruise get together. We’re all sailing on the Celebrity Equinox in the fall, which sails from Rome, Italy to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A 14-night transatlantic, we will stop in Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cartagena, Lanzarote, and Tenerife, followed by 6 hopefully-smooth days at sea.

This is the inaugural crossing of the Equinox, which recently left the dry docks. “The new ship will sail its maiden voyage roundtrip from Southampton on July 31, 2009; it'll cruise an eight-night Norwegian Fjords itinerary, calling in Stavanger, Flam, Geiranger and Oslo. The first cruise will be followed by a 10-night "Best of Europe" itinerary, calling in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar en route to Rome. The ship will then sail a series of 13- and 14-night "Ancient Empires" cruises from Rome, featuring two new ports of call: Haifa and Ashdod, Israel. These voyages also include an overnight stay in Egypt's Alexandria.” (Celebrity Equinox Review - Countdown to Launch. M Paloti. Retrieved 11 August 2009 from http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=382).

All of us a great time, enjoyed some delicious foods, and even had an "AA" session in the family room where we all took turns introducing ourselves. There were lots of laughs, as we talked about past sailings, where we lived, and how much we are looking forward to getting onboard this beautiful ship.

Photo:
Back Row: Glenn, Susan, Caryn, Wally, Carolyn, Terry, Pat, Mark, Mark, Barry, Michael, Lorraine
Middle: Carol, Rich, Bonnie, Marilyn, Skip, MaryRuth, JR, Mary, Sherry, Linda, Nessa, Monica, Tony
Front: Sharon, Janet, Kathi

Vermont Photos

I spent a few nights with friends in Burlington, Vermont last month. Burlington is a fun city with great restaurants, bars & cafes, and sights to see. Here are my photos.

With my friends Kim and Steve