vasenka

Everyone has a digital camera these days...but great photos are sometimes a matter of luck...or being in the right place at the right time... Of course there is artistic "theory" and having an "eye" for the art of photography... But sometimes creating that "post card" shot is not as interesting as the random photo...the unintended or even "mistaken" photo... I call it "accidental art".... Anyone can reproduce a post card photo with today's equipment...I do it all the time. But taking composition to the next level...ignoring the "rules"...and creating the shot that no one else would think of... That is the hard part... That is were the real pay off is...in the unexpected...the "shockingly" mundane...even the "ugly"...that is where the next great photo comes from... Do you have any photos like that...?

Great Photography... Feel free to expand on your world view...and travel experiences.

Here is the 2010 edition from the NYTs...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/travel/13affordableski.html?ref=travel

Going to Africa with Kids...? FT chimes in on this issue...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9b6ee724-e515-11de-9a25-00144feab49a.html

Think of a "Pueblo" as a very small Indian Reservation... Most "Reservations" in the Southwest are large...like the Navaho Reservation in Northern Arizona... Pueblos, on the other hand, are almost like "city states"... yet they have all the legal standing of the larger reservation.

Santa Fe New Mexico is the center of Southwestern Arts Culture in America... Santa Fe has been a destination for artists and crafters for decades. The unique "light" in Santa Fe is often sighted as the reason so many artists locate in Santa Fe. With a dry climate...and long visas to a rolling distant horizon...the rising and setting sun sends intensely horizontal light against white buildings and abode brick uniquely found in this part of New Mexico... There is "something about" New Mexico light that is not quite explainable...! Downtown Santa Fe has a large gallery district...with many restaurants, cafes and bookstores...making it a perfect place to shop for Southwestern Art and accessories...

Santa Fe is the center of Native American Pueblo Culture... Visiting the various Pueblos that surround Santa Fe is like stepping back into the 18th or 19th Century... A Must See! The most famous Pueblo is at Taos...just north of Santa Fe... Taos has many large abode lodges and buildings...there will be a "camera fee" at Taos...but other Pueblos strictly forbid photography. Pueblo pots and "rugs" are highly sought after by tourists...and are rather expensive. Each Pueblo has it's own "style" so it's easy to tell where something was made by its "look"...

If you are gripped by an intense desire to buy a "cowboy hat"...while in the American Southwest ... Remember, how you will look in NYC or London later on. Are you really into making a "fashion statement...?" If so...go for it!

A Hexagonal Prism...? But Kafka hated math...
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/platcol.htm

Every resort mentioned has its map available as a printable Pdf file...great for arm chair skiers...or real day planning....

Nice page on ski resorts from NYTs...last winters report but still lots of good info...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/travel/escapes/skiguides.html?_r=1

Prague Metro Map:
http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/prague_pages/sights_metro.htm

To find Kafka's Grave in Prague take the "Green Line" also called the "A" line... The Metro stop you want is "Zelivskeho" ...Exit here... The Jewish Cemetery is immediately in view...just across the street. The Cemetery is closed on Saturday and may be closed in the late afternoon...There is a caretakers building...and an older section...on the walls are many memorials to victims of the Nazi death camps... This is a side trip worth making when you are in Prague...

When you exit the Metro Station...the Jewish Cemetery is immediately in view...just on the right...across the street.

Just follow the signs...the route is very well marked.

Kafka's grave stone is a six sided column...quite different than the other grave stones in the cemetery.

Finding Kafka's Grave at the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague

LOST VEGAS? Las Vegas is constantly changing...even in the current difficult economy. But there has been an effort to preserve some of the "Old Vegas" neon. These old signs are being preserved and displayed... The old "Jetsons" Vegas of the 1960's may be gone...but it has not been forgotten... Here the clown from the old Boardwalk Casino, now gone.

LOST VEGAS? Las Vegas is constantly changing...even in the current difficult economy. But there has been an effort to preserve some of the "Old Vegas" neon. These old signs are being preserved and displayed... The old "Jetsons" Vegas of the 1960's may be gone...but it has not been forgotten...

LOST VEGAS? Las Vegas is constantly changing...even in the current difficult economy. But there has been an effort to preserve some of the "Old Vegas" neon. These old signs are being preserved and displayed... The old "Jetsons" Vegas of the 1960's may be gone...but it has not been forgotten...

LOST VEGAS? Las Vegas is constantly changing...even in the current difficult economy. But there has been an effort to preserve some of the "Old Vegas" neon. These old signs are being preserved and displayed... The old "Jetsons" Vegas of the 1960's may be gone...but it has not been forgotten...

LOST VEGAS? Las Vegas is constantly changing...even in the current difficult economy. But there has been an effort to preserve some of the "Old Vegas" neon. These old signs are being preserved and displayed... The old "Jetsons" Vegas of the 1960's may be gone...but it has not been forgotten...