Up Close and Personal

I started this post last week and got distracted but I have just a little more to share about our big trip. I have decided that if we commit to our decision to stay childless than we will be taking a big vacation every 2 years. We'll do some kind of long weekend trip on the off years but every other year we'll plan some kind of big adventure for a few weeks. As long as we can afford it I think it is good for us to get out and explore.

On this trip there was a lot of up close and personal time. We spent a lot of time just the 2 of us which was nice. We also had to stand in a lot of lines up close with people from all over. The most close quarters by far though had to be the Atlantis submarine ride we took in Cozumel. It was Mike's choice of excursion for the day. I am a bit claustrophobic but it was a once in a lifetime experience so I went with it. We were luckily on the end of the row but there were 48 people packed into 2 single rows. Here is a shot I took from my seat of the confined space. We went over 100 feet below the ocean into a coral reef protected park. It was the most blue and clear water you can imagine. We saw fish large and small, a few sting rays, and one diver which was funny. Most of my pictures came out blue and blurry but the diver shot was kind of interesting. We were down there for almost an hour and at least one person got a little too relaxed and made it quite uncomfortable for the rest of us. Yes, there is no where for that smell to go down there.

I also got to know my Macro setting much better. I've had this camera for almost a year now but I am just starting to feel comfortable with it. I really want to take a digital photography class this fall but in the meantime I'm just playing at it. I really love the top flower shot that I took on a nice leisurely walk through New Orleans Garden District. These bottom two I took in Cozumel when I was walking around on my own. There was a garden right in the middle of the pier that was surrounding by cheesy shops. I had spent about 15 minutes taking pictures when a shop owner asked if I wanted him to take a picture of me and I said the flowers were much prettier. He then started chatting me up so I left the flowers and the Pier behind after that. That is the last of the vacation stories and pictures that I'll bore you with!