Birthday day trip!

It was Drew's birthday, and it was a perfect day. We took a leisurely ride to Seaside. The day could not have been more beautiful.

Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival 2014

It's a great festival, but I never buy anything. I do, on the other hand, take people watching to a whole new level. It is fun. And a beautiful day to do it.

Beach observations

Went out to the beach. Just to enjoy the sea breeze. I meandered up the boardwalk and took some shoots in and around a beach bar before the afternoon crowd arrived.

...door swinging open and closed on rusty hinges, first disclosing darkness, then hiding it, then disclosing it again.
.•*♥ Stephen King, 11/22/63

Coming...going

The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind.
.•*♥ E.B. White

Nikki. Being Nikki.

Unsure. Quizcal. A bit worried.

Impish. Giggly. Smirk. Up to no good. 

Thoughtful. All-knowing. "Instead, you come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married..."

Yep. That's my girl. Always so expressive.

New Orleans 2014 - a cool walk in the morning

Last morning. Wonderfully cool. But it was heating up rapidly. Really really enjoyed the breeze and stroll through this most marvelous town.

The last set of pictures will freak you out. It is a shot of the same thing. So, you have been warned.

New Orleans 2014 - World War II Museum

This day involved a tour of the World War II Museum. I can't say I was overly excited to go, but mildly interested. As it turned out, I'm glad I went. The movie, Beyond All Boundaries, was simply excellent. It has you completely immersed in the story. And the narrator is Tom Hanks. Gave a wonderful background to the war. And I learned so much about a war that I thought I already knew about. So, it was worth the trip and I'm glad we went.

I do have to say that I was fascinated by the details. The daily things that the war involved. Diary's. Candy. Shaving razors. It gave such a human touch to the whole nastiness of war. There was even one strip of a torn flag that a soldier left his station to save. He didn't tell anyone about it till years later.

But I started taking pictures as soon as I woke up. The first photo here was from our hotel window. Most people would say 'yuck', but I loved it! Then I took some pictures on the walk to the museum, and took pictures later that day as we strolled about.

New Orleans 2014 - the zoo day

We took a little vacation to New Orleans. Mostly it was hot. Except the last morning, it was divine. Divenely cool with a bit of a breeze.

Anyway, our first day there was the Audubon Zoo. Sadly, it left us a bit depressed. I think we are no longer zoo people. Some of the conditions of the animals left us next to tears. What comes for mind to me is the cheetahs, boars and some of the larger animals. Not enough room. Simply not enough room. They are bored and without purpose. Pacing. Endlessly pacing.

As I post the images, I'm not putting my favorites first, but simply going in chronological order. I'll let you find the favorites for yourself.

But, here is the zoo. And we finished off the day with a walk through New Orleans.