Photo double-take

Last fall, we decided to walk through an outdoor art show near our apartment.  The streets were lined with food vendors, local artists trying to sell their prints and creative art and even a guy yelling to promote a Medieval revival "battle" that was going to take place around the corner.  We did not attend the fight ... but we did step into the tent of a local photographer (whose name I never thought to remember at the time).  Looking back, I wish I had. 

Anyway, her work was a myriad of photos taken from trips all over the world -- some near, some far.  They were OK photos, nothing too spectaclar, except for one.  On a canvas about 30 X 40" or so, was a photo of a long rickety pier that was roped off as too dangerous for pedestrians, overlooking a tropical blue ocean, sandy beach and white puffy clouds.  I was blown away.  Not by the beauty, but because I knew I had taken the *exact* same photo from the *exact* same spot not even a month earlier.  I had to ask this woman where this was taken.

It turns out it was true!  She'd stayed at the exact resort we stayed at in Mexico on our honeymoon, only she was there a few years before.  El Dorado Royale.  Talk about a small world.  I stood in nearly the exact same place in the sand to take an identical photo from the same point of view as did the legit photographer.  I (someone who has always dreamed of becoming a photographer someday) was in awe of the situation. 

Her canvas print was for sale for almost $500 that day, and that got me thinking ... why can't I sell my travel photos too?  I personally thought my photo was taken on a nicer day, so the quality was even better than hers ... I had to check out how much it would cost to get a photo blown up to that size canvas.

There is another photo I took in East Hampton on a stormy day at the beach in April.  The beauty of the natural setting on such an ominous day was breathtaking, so I just had to snap a few pictures.  To my surprise they turned out awesome.

My husband chose his favorite, and I had it blown up on and stretched on a canvas to surprise him for Christmas.  Now, my photo is a focal point in our living room -- a conversation piece -- my work!  To think, that photographer in the tent was selling hers for $500, and I had mine blown up and stretched for ... let's just say ... less than that (wink).

The plan for our Hawaii trip is to bring a good camera along to take some great photos.  Maybe some day I'll be able to sell my stuff too.  That'd be a dream come true!  In the meantime, my canvas print is a constant reminder that my dream could be realized some day.  But first I need to travel and actually take the photos ... and that I'm completely fine with!

6 Points From Bronze

We're back from Columbus, and I'm sad to report that a) we didn't even place in the Olympics; b) we brought the cloudy/gloomy weather back with us and; c) we were only 6 points away from earning bronze.  Boo.

That's OK though, we still had a great time dressing up like Team America.  I rocked the Hockey event and my teammates were great at Luge and Speed Skating, and we had lots of fun competing.  I must admit though, my favorite part of the night was walking up the street to Taco Bell at 1am and standing in the drive through line, hoping that someone would order food for us.  A jeep actually came to our rescue!  And thank goodness ... we couldn't stand out there in our cut-off jean shorts much longer in the freezing cold temps. 

The next day we decided to try out a new (old) place for lunch called The Olde Mohawk.  Surprisingly, my French Dip sandwich was super tastey.  It was kind of closer to being a Philly Cheesesteak, but it had the au jous, so that's what really counts!  They had some good beers on tap too.  If you're ever in German Village in Columbus, give it a try.  You won't be disappointed.

Winter AlcohOlympics : U-S-A! U-S-A!

Well folks ... as it turns out, the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver aren't the only sporting event taking place this weekend.  No Sirree, looks like the husband and I will be roadtripping to shiney Columbus, Ohio for a night of brutal AlcohOlympic battle!  Our powerful team of four has claimed good old USA as our country of origin, and although our tolerance is much lower these days, our game experience and courage will prove superior than that of our feeble opponents.

OK, I don't know about all that ... but it will surely be an awesome night of game-playing, costume-wearing and visiting with friends we haven't seen in quite some time!  Also, Columbus probably misses us.  It's been a few months since we've been there, so we're due for a visit. 

When you're watching curling, ice dancing and skiing this weekend on ABC, you can rest assured that I'll be singing along to "I'm a Real American" and chanting "U-S-A!" in between beer chugs and ping pong ball tosses. 

Either that, or hungover from doing all of the those things ...

Happiest States: Hawaii Moves into First Place

Yep, I like happiness ... I can't wait to go to Maui in May!!!!

47. Ohio
sheesh. get me outta here!

Read about it here:
http://www.livescience.com/culture/states-well-being-happy-100216.html

Urgent Flight Update

I received an email today with the subject, "Urgent Flight Change" for our Maui trip in May. Immediately, my heart starts beating a little faster and butterflies takeover my stomach. What if it's cancelled or it's at a time when we can't make it?! I open the message, and they've literally changed our flight arrival time from 4:48 p.m. to 4:49 p.m. Really???

That's a lot of anxiety for a 1 minute change. Thanks for the heads up Expedia, but I hereby give you a 15-minute window in which you are not obligated to inform me that there's an urgent flight change. Thanks!

Travel Channel = Ghost Channel

Since when did the Travel Channel become the ghost channel?  I mean, not that I mind ... I've always been into ghost shows, starting with Are You Afraid of the Dark on SNICK back in the '90s.  From there, I've always had a fascination for sci-fi / folklore / paranormal phenomenon-type TV shows. 

But back to Travel Channel ... At any given time of day (it used to be just late-night), you can find a mini-marathon of Ghost Adventures, hosted by the channel's resident frat "nothin' scares me" tough guy.  I like to tell myself that I watch the show for nothing more than to make fun of the guy, which is true ... but I'm actually starting to get hooked to the history and travel aspects of it.  Plus, there are ghost stories involved, which I love. 

The team travels to a different "haunted" location each episode.  Whether it's an abandoned insane assylum, a prison, an ammunition factory or a house that was once part of the underground railroad, the team gets "locked down" in the building all night where they seek out paranormal experiences.  They do their research first by discussing the building's history with local experts and by investigating any deaths that may have occurred there.  They determine which rooms are the most likely to produce any activity through the night in hopes of documenting a response from or sighting of an "intelligent" spirit, as opposed to a residual one.  They mark these places with an "X" during the day, and place a camera on the spot through the night.  There's a lot of hype and a LOT of ghost "taunting".  This is where it gets entertaining. 

The 3 guys use elementary "ghost hunting" devices, not even strong enough to get a solid reading on thermal changes or a distinct voice recording.  Armed with these devices that often lose power as a result of ghosts "sucking" their energy ... the guys taunt the ghosts using historical references and objects that might urge a response.  Yeah, they hear noises, and occasionally get goose bumps, but they never get actual proof.

I suppose it's tough to document paranormal experiences, but you'd think that on the Travel Channel, which should probably have a substantial budget for show-making, they could get them some better equipment.  Either way, you're left wanting more.

The history and ghost stories are more frightening and intriguing than the "findings" they collect, but nonetheless, even with my strong fascination for all things paranormal, you won't find me "locked down" in a supposedly haunted building anytime soon.  I'll just stick with watching the shows on TV and making fun of them so I don't get too scared to sleep at night.

East Hampton Roadtrip

While I'm thinking about it, I'd like to share a little story with you.  To this day, I believe that part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike must be cursed ... at least when I drive it.  It all started a couple years ago when we took a trip to Connecticut on a snowy December weekend to visit our friend, Dan.  He'd lived in CT for about a year at that point and we had yet to see his new place.  On the drive, I don't think the roads could have been any worse.  Seriously.  The tires barely ever gripped the road at all.  Instead, it was a constant game of slip and slide -- the ice version.  I was scared for my life for 5 hours straight!  Talk about a relief when pulling into a driveway.  We definitely need some beers after that adventure.  We'd escaped the wrath of the PA toll road unscathed that time.  But I swear, it still had it in for us ...

This time it was summer.  September 2008 was an especially long summer for me and my then-fiance, Adam.  He was working at HealthSouth in Las Vegas for a physical therapy clinical all summer and we had already been long distance for nearly 2 years.  Any time together was welcomed and highly anticipated, so you can only imagine how excited we were when our family friends invited us to use their beach house in East Hampton, NY for a week! 

Now, if you've ever been to East Hampton, you know that summer weekends are full of life, celebrity sitings, good shopping, bike-riding and beach fun.  At this point in the summer (after the novelty of heat had warn off), it promised to be less crowded and more relaxing than anything.

We were off on our roadtrip from Cleveland, OH to East Hampton by route through New York City via the Long Island Expressway.  But in order to get that far, you have to survive the dreaded Pennsylvania Turnpike -- not an easy feat.

It was midday as sun shone through the puffy white clouds, temperatures hovering right around a perfect 77 degrees as we zoomed our way through PA.  All was going well until we curved around one fateful bend near the DuBois exit, only about 2 hours from where we started.  Before I knew it, my newish black Mazda 3 was skidding across the highway on a thick iron rod scrap piece of some sort.  By the time my brakes screeched to a halt, I could feel that my car was in agony.  With metal scraping on the pavement and sparks in my rearview, I noticed there were several cars, pickup trucks and a semi pulled over on the shoulder.  Apparently, the scrap piece had fallen off the semi and a few other cars hit it as well.  Not a good way to start our roadtrip to paradise.

We ended up in DuBois, and thank goodness for the GPS.  It pointed us in the right direction to town, where we happened to find dozens of autobody shops.  It's almost as if this town only existed to help us that day, which turned out to be a blessing.  We decided that we needed a few expert opinions before we drove any further, so we stopped into a few shops.  Per the mechanics, we knew my poor car would be out of commission for at least a week for repairs.  It needed a completely new bottom!  The gas tank was dented a gallon and a half's worth, the crossbeams between the tires were bent an inch and a half (causing my tires to invert), and all of the heating shields were destroyed.  At this point I'm crying.  Not only because my car is broken and the mechanics are saying we're lucky to be alive, but also because I thought our much-anticipated East Hampton trip would have to be postponed.

After nearly 3 hours stressing over insurance coverage, weighing our options, and ultimately getting the go ahead to keep driving from 3 separate mechanics, we were back enroute toward East Hampton, with a little apprehension, of course.

Thankfully, we made it to the beach house safely and ended up having the time of our lives!

East Hampton has a way of making me relax.  Just being there transports me into a different time.  It's shabby chic beach style is so refreshing that it always inspires me to do something great.  Write a beach readworthy novel, travel to Europe, learn a new language, or take up painting ... it never fails.  I'm inspired, awed, humbled, and refreshed.

The beachscapes are utterly breathtaking, the skies are serene, the history is jam-packed and the food/shopping and bike paths are unbeatable!  You've never seen hedges around houses until you see the hedges around these mansions.  They are literally as tall as a house.  It's definitely a sight worth seeing someday.

If you ever do happen to travel to East Hampton, be sure to shop at the Citarella, stop in for a drink or appetizer at Rowdy Hall (our favorite local rugby bar), and take a bike ride to our favorite beach, Egypt Beach down Old Beach Lane.  There are some beautiful landscapes and mansions to be seen along the way, and exploring by bike is always a must-do.

We hope to travel to the Hamptons again this summer if we can find a few days to spare.  Except this time, I won't be the one driving.  The Pennsylvania Turnpike will always be my nemesis (insert fist shake here).  :)