pierces

Sunday morning found us off the coast of Southern California waiting for the ship to complete its 12-hour 26-mile journey from San Pedro to our first stop at Catalina Island. The title “A Welcome Sight” isn’t a cynical observation that the world didn’t end overnight, but rather joy at watching the sun rising over the ocean from the deck of a cruise ship. Despite her modest spending in the casino, Kim was offered a “free” cruise from the Celebrity Cruises Blue Chip casino club, and we took them up on it. Even though we had to cough up a few hundred bucks for port charges, taxes and gratuities, it was still pretty cheap for a 7-day cruise. We hung out, ate, napped and spent a week in the company of our very best friends...each other. A Welcome Sight Dave

Solstice Sunrise (Taken from the Celebrity Solstice, not the Summer/Winter astronomical event). Click to view animation Dave

With a few exceptions, I have found the 24mm end of my 24mm-105mm standard zoom (full-frame) wide enough for Alaska. I have found that things like glaciers are the only things too wide for a single shot but when a super-wide is used, the magnificent wall of ice gets reduced to a thin white line at the minimum distance between the ship and the subject. A panorama works better IMHO. A wider view works in town sometimes and definitely on the ship, but lately I just use the phone for that. That's my 4¢... Hope it helped. Here's a link to my cruise galleries. You can find Alaska trips with photo info there. https://pptphoto.com/galleries/Travel/Cruising/index.html Dave

The darned thing came up again today. A good sign. Dave

Pictures taken between Monday, January 23 and Sunday, January 29. Did you know that every picture you take reduces the average cost per picture for the device you use to capture pictures? Take some photos! Fight inflation! Rules: See above That's it. This isn't a contest. All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising). Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize. The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays. Post one. Post many. Up to you. Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

Quebec. Dave

Bora Bora from the Mercury. Dave

Thank you. 🙂 Just never, ever ask me to sing... Dave

Pictures taken between Monday, January 16 and Sunday, January 22. Holy cow! There are only fifty weeks left in the year. Take some photos and share them before 2023 is gone forever! Rules: See above That's it. This isn't a contest. All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising). Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize. The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays. Post one. Post many. Up to you. Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

It's the second week of 2023 and the busy holiday season has finally ended with Christmas put away. Week two was very rainy and cabin fever or something made Kim rearrange the living room and we suddenly needed a table between the recliners. A moment on Amazon to order the hairpin legs and quick trip to Lowe’s for a nice 2”x8”x8’ variegated redwood board provided the raw materials. Saturday morning found me transforming the board into a slab with tablet slots and sanding it after the glue dried. Sunday was spent adding the tablet pockets, several coats of lacquer (with some XBox time in between coats) and mounting the legs. By late afternoon the garage had birthed a new piece of furniture. The 2023 DIY season has begun. Two-Day Table Dave

Akureyri, Iceland. We had two inches of snow on the top deck sailing in. Dave

North Seattle marina Dave

Coco Cay from the Allure Dave

Every year since 2012, I have made a digital book of all the PAW photos from the year. Every once in a while, I take one down from the shelf and look through it. It's nice to have these little paper time machines. What do you do with your notable pictures? I know Justin (Zackiedawg) has an extensive PBase site, but what about the rest of you? Share! Here's a link to the two-page spreads of my 2022 book: PAW 2022 (pptphoto.com) Dave

Pictures taken between Monday, January 9 and Sunday, January 15. The shine on the shiny new year won't last forever. Grab your camera and share what you thinks makes this year shine. Rules: See above That's it. This isn't a contest. All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising). Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize. The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays. Post one. Post many. Up to you. Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

Son Dan has referred to a few of our gifts we have given him over the years as "something I didn't know I wanted until I got it". This Christmas, friends Ron and Peri got me a destination tracking map of the world that I would never have looked for or bought if I stumbled upon it. It really is something I didn't know I wanted until I got it. For thirty years, Kim and I have made cruising our primary vacation activity. The time spent this week pushing tiny pins into a map reminded us of all the places we have visited, many of them multiple times. It also reminded us that there are still places we want to see and sent us to the internet to research dates and prices for some of them. A few pins will be revisited this year, but next year... Past and Future Dave

Turnabout is fair.... Mazatlan Dave