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These are the same artificial flowers seen with the cake in an earlier posting, this time using a nearby couch as a background...

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One thing we were introduced to a couple of years ago, during our first visit to Topsail, was this concept of sea glass. When something made of glass breaks and ends up in the sand for a long time, the waves provide the movement necessary to scour the surface, removing the hard edges and creating a textured surface. Once found, they can be used as decorative trinkets, as seen here...

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These were on the deck and steps leading to the beach. It was quite windy, so was necessary to use the battery-powered variety of candles. When these are turned on the "flame" looks surprisingly realistic, as it actually flickers.

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These guys were from the house next door.

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Just a couple more exteriors before moving indoors for more decorations. These don't have anything to do with the wedding, but were taken the same day...

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During the proceedings, a normal beach life was on display in the background. Couples walked by, pelicans flew overhead, and kids followed the time-honored tradition of excavating the shoreline for treasures to carry home.

For a short time the family next door turned their chairs to join us in savoring the moment...

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...and this is Ryan, laying out a line in the sand to guide the bride and groom as they "walk the aisle".

This is the young man to whom I gave the 3800 as his first camera. I didn't know what had become of it, figuring that it had broken by now and he moved on to bigger and better things. But in fact, not only is it still in service, but recently he won a place in a state-wide photo contest using ole' trusty.

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Our nephews were very willing helpers when it came time to set things up for the big ceremony. This is Chase, laying out the sand where the preacher will be standing...

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The shells, naturally, were made of white chocolate.

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These flowers were poking up off of the coffee table...

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This is one of the most creative cake designs I've seen...the sand is made of crumbled graham crackers.

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Some of the kids had trouble getting their shells to reach the water, but suppose that didn't dilute the effectiveness...

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After the I do's and rings and everything it is a North Carolina tradition to go to the water's edge and throw a shell into the water. About a minute after this shot was taken of the bride and groom, we were all lined up to chunk our shells into the surf, as can be seen in the next posting...

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Topsail Wedding 01

We went back to Topsail this past weekend, where my sister got married on the beach. If this shot looks a little overexposed, it is...I discovered after the whole thing was over that the ISO on the 7000 was set manually on 400. As a result, all of the outdoor shots are a bit too bright.

No worries...perhaps a little Photoshop action can compensate, and salvage the package that will be sent to my sister and her new husband.

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When we got to the beach house I noticed this tree, and had been keeping an eye out for an opportunity like this for some days. Finally, on the last day of our trip, this sunset presented the opportunity.

The tree is located right in the middle of a trailer park, so had to clone out a number of telephone wires and poles, the tops of many of the trailers, and a sign that covered about a fifth of the lower left portion. The most difficult part was removing two wires that had crossed in the middle of the sun; keeping the exact color gradation was tedious work, but worth the effort...

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Last night we were choosing pictures to include as part of my sister's card. This was taken directly in front of the beach house, back in June of '08. To simplify the composition some pelicans and people were cloned out of the water.

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This one was taken for the sheer interest...something you don't see every day. There is a similar system in New York City for cars, though on a smaller scale.

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This would have been a bit better with more depth of field, but I wasn't close enough to the reeds at the time to make that happen...

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During our stay we made the short hop to Wilmington, N.C., where they have an aquarium/museum. My daughter is looking through the vertebral column of a whale. The focus point landed in the wrong place - about halfway through the column instead of her eyes - but the unsharp mask could take care of that.

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We went into Surf City one day, where this was captured. They have a pretty good museum there that captures the historical significance of the area, as it was used as a missile testing facility during WWII.

This was not one of the vehicles used during that era...

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A couple of years ago the family (minus our son) went to Topsail Island, North Carolina. We will be going again this week, this time for my sister's wedding. These are the pictures from the '08 trip, to get me in the mood to be back at the beach...

Hilton Sillouette

This and the previous posting were taken at the Hilton, next to the George R. Brown Convention Center, back in May of '06. Houston's downtown is a place I'd like to spend a day or two just for the purpose of taking pictures. One of these days I'll get my brother Mike to tag along, as he loves to explore downtown Houston.
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Things are developing in the photography front here at the house. This past week was a particularly rough one at work, and my wife ordered me to go ahead and order a nice SLR to shift my focus (no pun intended) away from those troubles at least while here at home. Oh well, I guess I must. As a compromise I've backed down from the Nikon D700 and instead will be purchasing a D300s. Now it's just a matter of lens choice...not a cheapy kit job but something more middle-of-the-road, a work horse that can be slapped on and forgotten.

Houston Hilton

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A bit of color to top off the Renaissance postings. Being there is truly unique, and I'd recommend it to anyone. From a photographer's point of view it's a bonanza - full of color, culture, and a dash of the bizarre...

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One of the statues that rings the stadium...

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This is the top of a wedding chapel.

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We were all watching the jousting show when I got distracted and wondered off taking pictures. This pond is right next to the stadium; the wood that you see is part of the mechanics that operate a huge swing that is off to the right.

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It would be easy to go in and remove the lines in the sign, correct the color fringe around the lettering, and blacken the black. Maybe another day...