02-28-2005, 06:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Home Semi-Sweet Home...It's Good to be Back!
If you've been wondering where I've been hiding, the answer was Scotland for one week, Rome for another week, and another week fighting to get caught back up. Historically I announce when I'm leaving on this site, but given that both my wife and I were leaving our house empty for two weeks, it didn't seem like a good security precaution to announce I was leaving. :-) Ashley and I spent a week in Scotland, staying at a villa in a resort 45 minutes outside Edinburgh. We spent the week relaxing, eating, and taking wonderful day trips with Craig from Capercaillie Tours. I had my trusty Canon Digital Rebel with me, my 4 GB Kingston CompactFlash card, my problematic Fujistu P5010D, and my Pocket PC...which I'm sad to say I didn't load up with vacation and travel-related software. ;-)
Scotland was beautiful - I couldn't get over the landscapes! Even the simplest tree and hilltop had so much character, it was a thrill to photograph everything I could. I shot around 800 pictures and kept 400 or so...I think another weeding pass is in order. Rome was beautiful as well, but in different ways - the architecture was wonderful, the buildings were stunning, but it was the opposite of Scotland in many ways: more people, more noise, less clean. Great food, great history, and equally shutter-bug worthy: I shot around 800 photos and kept 500 (though I'm still sorting and deleting). Below you'll find a selection of my pictures and the rather rough post-vacation road of reality...but it's good to be back!
We arrived home a week ago Friday, and after a blissful sleep on Friday night (there's nothing better than sleeping in your own bed is there?) my wife became concerned on Saturday that she had a problem with her leg. After consulting with a doctor over the phone they suggested we go to the nearest hospital have it checked for a blood clot. Those can be serious things, so we spent the afternoon in the hospital along with most of Sunday morning waiting for the test results. They came back negative, so we're in the clear, and Sunday night I felt like some Chinese food. That resulted in some of the worst food poisoning I've ever had, which decimated me for all of Monday and left me weak as a babe on Tuesday and most of Wednesday. So much for getting back on track quickly! My email messages weren't answering themselves, so I've been trying to get caught up - but there are still a lot left! If I owe you a response, I'll try to get to you as soon as possible.
It's great to be home and working on the sites I know and love! :mrgreen:
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02-28-2005, 06:12 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,183
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I don't see any photos of Edinburgh - did you make it there? If not, here's some pictures I took a few years ago to help publicise a conference I was running ...
http://www.tomorrows-key.com/EuroTAAC/index2.asp
[edit] Oh wait - that's the 1PM cannon isn't it?
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02-28-2005, 06:14 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 67
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I've done both Scotland and Rome, but it was a little easier from Landstuhl, Germany.
I think I took exactly the same pictures from Rome. And I have a few highland cow pictures from Scotland. Glad you had fun. Hope they were both a little warmer than here.
The lighted Colloseum looks great! I think we saw the Trevi fountain about 20 times in our week there. And we probably at Gellato about 20 times, too. Thank goodness for all the walking or I would be pretty fat.
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02-28-2005, 06:16 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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I used to know a Scottish kid who had hair that looked exactly like that cows. :lol:
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02-28-2005, 06:31 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,051
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V-E-R-Y relieved to hear that everything is OK with your wife. Welcome back.
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02-28-2005, 06:33 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 813
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Weird, I was over in Rome a couple of weeks ago and took virtually the exact same pictures as you including the ceilings in the Vatican museum. It is also worth that cramped staircase to get a shot from the top of St. Peter's Basilica!
I love your shot of Mons Meg as well on Edinburgh castle - was that luck or a quick camera burst??
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02-28-2005, 06:45 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 355
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You were gone???? 
Seriously, I did sort of notice you hadn't been posting in the last week or so, but I just assumed you were busy on some new project - writing a book, starting a new site, editing video.......
Great photos - I would LOVE to visit Scotland (my grandparents are from there), and your photos just reinforce that desire!
Glad you got home safe, sorry to hear that your first few days were as bad as they were - I hope that didn't take any of the polish off of the trip. I'll be looking forward to all of the tutorials you are no doubt frantically working on for DMT, showing us how you sort, clean up and 'tweak' your photos. (not that they would need any cleaning, of course :wink: )
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02-28-2005, 06:50 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 178
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Re: Home Semi-Sweet Home...It's Good to be Back!
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Ashley and I spent a week in Scotland, staying at a villa in a resort 45 minutes outside Edinburgh.
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Villa?? Scotland has villa's?? I think if you call a Scotman's home a villa he will give you a 'Glasgow Kiss' (a headbutt).
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02-28-2005, 06:52 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by SteveHoward999
Oh wait - that's the 1PM cannon isn't it?
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Sort of - when we were at Edinburgh Castle they were doing a 21 gun salute to celebrate, I believe, the anniversary of the queen's ascension to the throne...or something like that. ;-) It took me about 10 tries to get that picture at exactly the right moment.
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02-28-2005, 06:55 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Andy Whiteford
It is also worth that cramped staircase to get a shot from the top of St. Peter's Basilica!...I love your shot of Mons Meg as well on Edinburgh castle - was that luck or a quick camera burst??
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Indeed, the staircase was CRAZY - the view was breathtaking...literally, as it was so windy I couldn't breathe while I was taking pictures. ;-) The photo of the canon took about 10 tries to capture the right moment. Thank goodness for the fast shutter speed on the Rebel! :mrgreen:
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