30k feet and 1000 miles away

Woke up to people bustling about my room at 6:30AM EST. Much too early for my personal taste. Got in the car and drove an hour to Tampa International Airport. The ride was uneventful but it was dreary outside threatening to rain the whole way up. Once we finally arrived at the terminal I let the wonderful TSA officer know that I have had a hip replacement and need to go through the special machine. No big deal just don't touch my junk! We boarded the plane around 9:40AM EST.

The a snap flying over the Howard Franklin Bridge. 10:00AM EST

ADD moment "OOOOOO pretty clouds!" 11:50AM EST

Finally we landed safe and sound in Beautiful sunny Pittsburgh PA. Just as the children behind my girlfriend and I stopped whining and kicking the backs of our seat. 12:00PM EST

After another 2+ hours I arrived at my destination, Johnstown PA. Photos of my Grandparents garden when I have time to edit them. Stay tuned. 

Mark

P.S. I love my little Canon G10. Great pictures, small form factor, unobtrusive, plane friendly!

Look what the mailman brought me.

Vigorous testing will ensue. Stay tuned. 

Todays Happenings......

     Today my significan other and I went to the International Mall in Tampa, Fl. She was in need of a new dress for the upcoming wedding we are attending (I refused to let her wear the same clothes she normally wears to work.) At her work she is obligated to wear 70%-80% black as their uniform and myself being a color addict is growing tired of the lack of personality that black white and grey put forth.
     We found a really awesome steel blue white and silver dress that fit her really well and I agreed to buy it before seeing the price tag. Fortunately it wasn't ungodly expensive. After finding that gem we went down to the mens department to find myself a tie that would match her newly acquired dress. There were a few in the running but nothing just right. (I have come to the realization that I am extremely picky with my ties.)
     After we walked around the actual "mall" mall I begged her to let me explore the Sony store and got some insider info on the Alpha series from the manager ITs always nice to be able to completely nerd out about camera gear and techniques with other human beings. There are very few people within my circle of friends who will indulge me.
     The Mont Blanc store was the last stop of the day I needed to pick up some more ink. This past semester sucked my trusty pen dry. I ended up getting a new roller ball refill and also picked up a new color ink for my fountain pens. Midnight Blue. I looks like a mix of blue, purple, and black its a bit darker than my usual color Royal Blue but it looks very professional and nice on paper.

Gearing up for a fun expedition to PA. (HDR followup)

My cousin is getting married and I will be attending the wedding, however, secretly im going to use this as an excuse to go on  a photo adventure. I already have many things lined up for the 5 days I will be there. The most exciting of which would be the Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Im not expecting to get any new or revolutionary pictures while at these historic landmarks but I will certainly have a "I was there here is proof" moment/archive.

Following up on my last entry here are a couple HDR panorama shots I took while visiting Anna Maria Island in Bradenton, Fl. 

click for larger view

This one was taken in Sarasota, Fl at the Ringling Bridge. 

click for larger view

Still exploring the technique. I have read much and understand theoretically but when I end up setting up the tripod and actually getting down to business theory doesn't always apply. 

Giraffe at the state fair in Tampa, Fl

click for larger view