I was going to post a couple of more shots from the cruise we took in mid January, but things have really picked up at work and I havn't been able to be here much.  So, I'm going to go ahead and skip the last couple of pics and post the shot that was my favorite of the trip, now.

On the second day of the cruise, we were sailing past the coast of Cuba.  It was fairly early in the morning not too long after sunrise.  I saw the cloud formation and figured that the sun was going to break through and do something special.  Sure enough.  I took this shot from our balcony.  The land mass on the Horizon is Cuba.

Hope you like the shot.  Thanks for looking.

 Sunrise Over Cuba 1  

Here are a few more of the pics I captured on the cruise we took in mid January.  For those who didn't see my first post, the ship we were on was the Independence of the Seas . 

One of the neat things about the "Independence" is that the Promenade Deck (Deck 5) is open 4 decks high for approximately 5 to 600 feet (maybe longer)  through the middle of the ship.  Walking the Promenade is like walking down a city street.  There are restaurants, lounges, bars, gift shops, etc... all along both sides of the walk. 

The windows above the Promenade are guest cabins that look toward the open interior of the Promenade Deck.  The crew members of the ship put on one heck of a parade on this deck on the first night of the cruise not to mention an awesome street dance and show, that was a great time on the 4th or 5th night. 

Lighted Bridge at one end of the Promenade that changes color every few minutes. It spans the stairwell that leads to the 4th deck and casino.

I went up to the 8th deck to get a better shot of the Promenade.

Promenade from the 8th Deck

Here's a couple of the snack shops along the promenade.

 Sorrento's Pizza 

 Ben and Jerry's

Ok, that's it for this post.  A few more shots to come in a couple of days and then my favorite shot of the cruise for the last post.  

In mid January, the wife and I decided to take a little boat ride.  Here's the boat.

 Independence of the Seas 

Pretty good size boat, huh?  Until 2008, it was the world's largest cruise ship.  It weighs in at 160,000 tons.  To put it in perspective, the Titanic weighed 45,000 tons.  The Independence has since been surpassed in size by this one.

 Oasis of the Seas

The Oasis is gigantic.  I don't know how you get 220,000 tons of steel to float but here's proof that it's possible.  Oh, btw:  No need to critique the Oasis shot.  Both shots were taken with a point and shoot Canon.  But the Oasis was taken at 5 in the morning with the camera sitting on the rail of the Independence as we sailed past at Port Everglades, Fla.  So, it's a little blurred due to low light and movement.  I just thought you'd like to see this monster.

I've got a few more shots to post and I'll save the one shot that I think is best for last. 

This was my favorite for 2009.

 Arrow Rock Inn 

Merry Chistmas from the Ozarks.  Wishing you all a happy, healthy and wealthy holiday.

 Christmas Eve Sailboat 

Another still life.  Thanks for lookin...

 Sunny Morning Vase 

It was cold so I stayed in this morning and shot this.

 Short and Stout 

SG mentioned in the Subscriber's Forum that things have been really slow here at Photographica.  Not many new posts.  Especially from long time members.  So, I not only dared but double dog dared members (everyone here included) to post something new in the next couple of days.  And myself being one of the worst offenders, I'm not immune.  So, here's a shot I took last night and uploaded today on my own dare.  :)

Be critical and tell me how I could have done it better. 

  Cloudy Moon Shot 

Ok, here is the same shot from my story yesterday.  I took your advice and actually just removed most of the auto correct that Picassa did.  ( I guess a person shouldn't trust the auto correct feature too much ).  Mr. Q, I cropped it square and a little closer, also.  Oh and PTL...you said you wanted to try a moon shot of your own....well, tonight is the night if you have a clear sky.  Full Moon tonight!  Thanks for looking.

 Full Moon Reworked 

Ok, since I've seen several people shootin the moon lately, I thought I'd try it myself.  I took the settings that NB gave us and then did some trial and error.  I've only got a 200 mm lense, so I also took her advice and cropped the cr@p out of it even more.  I left a little negative space, though.  What do you think?

 Full Moon 

This one is just for the humor of it.  It was taken with a cell phone camera so it's a little fuzzy but I thought you would get a kick out of it.  I can't claim credit for the shot either.  It was taken by my cohort (Mitch) out of the passenger side window of my truck.  I think he did a nice job for the camera that he had.  What do you think?

As you probably know, country folk love their race cars and adore their farm animals.  But rarely do you see the two in the same venue. 

Hope this shot makes you smile.

 Race Cars and Farm Animals 

Hi all.  Sorry I havn't been on lately.  Just havn't had time.  Life does get busy, huh?

I was having breakfast a couple of mornings ago and was suddenly inspired by the way the morning light was coming through our dining room window and in particular, the effect the natural light was having on this  Red Vase.  I grabbed my camera and was nearly late for work trying to get this shot.  I'm sure the boss would have understood....not.

Hope you like.

Hope you like red because that's all the wagon painter had left.

 Red Wagon Wheel 1 

 Red Wagon Wheel 2 

The Saturday before last, we spent the day at Historic Arrow Rock, Missouri.  What a great little town to visit!  We had lunch at Arrow Rock Station, attended a play at the Lyceum Theater, strolled around town and in the process, I got this image from inside the the oldest continuous operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River.  Huston Tavern was built in 1834 and still serves up great meals today.  I loved the light in this room which was just off of the main dining room.

 Huston Tavern