Taiwan 17

Taiwan 16

I did a double take upon seeing this for the first time, as it looks exactly like the furnaces used to burn the dead bodies at the concentration camps during WWII. It's actual use in Taiwan is to burn money for those already gone, to use in the afterlife...

Taiwan 15

Taiwan 14

This was taken from almost the exact same spot, only pointed in another direction over the wall.

Taiwan 13

When my mother-in-law passed away her ashes were placed in this huge building halfway up a mountain top near Taipei. Surrounding this building was a graveyard of sorts, part of which you see through the openings of this wall...

Taiwan 12

This was taken on what was called the "Love River". Not having a tripod, had to place the 3800 on a pillar and use the timer function to keep the camera steady.

Taiwan 11

The ceiling of the entrance to a temple in Gaoshung. (Don't know if I'm spelling any of the town names right...)

Taiwan 10

I forget the name of these flowers, but they were all over the place. The door to our little cabin is seen in the background...

Taiwan 09

The bed and breakfast was like a little compound, an enclave up in a hill somewhere, that was beautifully landscaped with exotic flowers and plants everywhere. They even grew their own coffee beans for the morning brew.

As was usually the case, I was up before everyone else and had an opportunity to snap some pics at sunrise, including this one.

Taiwan 08

This is a sign for the bed and breakfast in which we stayed for some days on the outskirts of Taidong. It was a wonderful little retreat in a nice area...

Taiwan 07

As we made our way around the eastern side of the Island, I was amazed that there were mountain vistas that rivaled even Colorado. This was taken in the vicinity of Hualien.

Taiwan 06

Taiwan 05

Taiwan 04

Temples in Taiwan are neat places to take pictures. Occasionally I would get fussed at, but usually it was worth the effort...

Taiwan 03

Taken with the 3800 because artificial light was involved, this is in the city of (?)

Taiwan 02

Outside of the hotel there was this display with a fountain of bubbles rising between two panes of glass. It was dark enough to keep the shutter open in the 3800 for a quarter-second... enough to create some blur in the pathway of the bubbles as they rose.

Taiwan 01

As this blog has been maintained for more than a year now, I discovered that it is more fulfilling to post these pictures thematically rather than the relatively haphazard method of posting favorites from a given year. Thus, for the next six months or so I'll be posting one per day based on experiences...a trip hear, a wedding there, etc. I've slowed way down on this hobby - that is, now I'm not taking pictures with near the passion and dedication as in the past. Nevertheless, there is more than enough material to post one a day for at least a year. Then, if it picks up again, I'll continue beyond that time.

I guess there are at least two reasons for the stagnation - one being that creativity waxes and wanes just like most other things in life. Another reason is that I've moved beyond the point-and-shoot experience, but cannot in good conscience purchase the gear needed to move on to SLR - at least at the level desired - with braces, college, band instruments, and other family priorities (which come way in front of this hobby). I told a friend the other night that a good year to pick it up would be 2012, Lord willing, as that would make it one new camera for every five years. That might be enough time to hold out for the full-frame experience. We'll see.

This first posting of the Taiwan series is from a trip that we took in late May-early June of 2007. I still had both cameras at that time - the Finepix 3800 and 7000 - as I had not yet given the 3800 to my nephew. The strategy was to use the 7000 for outdoor shots and the 3800 for indoor shots, as the color balance in indoor situations never failed for the older model.

I've been to Taiwan four times. The first was to ask her father for my now-wife's hand in marriage. The next two times were to visit family, and this last trip was the first in which we dedicated significant time visiting tourist destinations. We encircled the entire island, discovering a treasure of unique experiences...and loads of good shots for even an amateur such as myself.

This last trip was also the first time we'd stayed in a hotel during our stay in the country, at least for most of the almost-three-week trip. As soon as we stepped in for the first night in Taipei I was intrigued by the glass that separated the restroom from the sleeping room. I moved a bouquet of plastic roses next to the glass from within the restroom and snapped it from the other side with the trusty ol' 3800.

During the next morning in Taipei we experienced one of the greatest ironies of the entire trip. The restaurant in which we ate had a cook standing by to fix breakfast made-to-order, right there on the spot. They were the best western omelettes I'd ever eaten!

From 2005 - Woodlands Fountain

The last of 2005 favorites, this was taken in The Woodlands along the waterway near the mall.

From 2005 - Museum Sundial

Taken in Houston, at the Museum of Natural Science. The shadow of that ball falls on the correct time, etched in a sundial on the cement below.

That museum is one of the best ever visited. We plan to become members and spend a little more time learning among the exhibits that pass through. One of the best nature photo opportunities in town is at the butterfly museum, if you have the patience and get there early enough.

From 2005 - Flower Macro

Silky smooth...that little 3800 did a fine job.

From 2005 - Bottle Sculpture

Now on to finish favorites from '05. Taken in San Marcos, Texas, this bottle sculpture was located in a park.

New York Graveyard with Snow 02

...a shot in the other direction.

New York Graveyard with Snow 01

On December 2, 2007, I rolled into New York City just as the first snow of the season fell. It was great, and naturally I went crazy with the camera...the 3800.

This is a shot of the church that is across the street from where the Towers once stood - the one that's been there since the 1700's. So at this location there was not only a graveyard with snow on the stones, but a place ripe with history. For 20 minutes I lingered and snapped, not even realizing that my fingers were getting more numb by the minute. As I've said before, the cold normally bothers me, but not when I'm taking pictures.

Houston Fall Foliage 11

This is the last of the Houston Fall Foliage series, taken from the Prairie Street bridge, right next to the downtown aquarium.

I learned a lesson on this shoot, and that is to open it up a little and let a little more light do its work.

Houston Fall Foliage 10

Another shot of the Preston Street bridge...

Houston Fall Foliage 09

Houston Fall Foliage 08

Houston Fall Foliage 07

The Preston Street bridge can be seen in the background of this shot...

Houston Fall Foliage 06

Houston is really a beautiful city, as exemplified here. Aside from what has been seen in these posts, it's a fine city in many other areas as well...featuring a robust business environment and infrastructures that manage to stay "ahead of the curve". This is not a political blog, but I will take the time this morning to bid farewell to Bill White, a very good mayor.

Houston Fall Foliage 05

Most of the photos in this shoot were way underexposed, and all had to be considerably lightened. Unfortunately, that produces noise. In light of all that (no pun intended), most were salvageable.

Houston Fall Foliage 04

In a climate like Houston's it is possible to see the colors of spring, fall and winter all in one place...