Travel Photography, AI, And Photo Editing

“The journey is the reward,” it’s been said.  A sentiment to which I heartily agree.

In April, 2024, I took the longest trip in terms of duration that I’ve taken since I was in college.  It could also have been the longest trip in terms of miles too, but I’m not going to attempt to measure.  I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to travel where I’ve wanted to go, and usually when I’ve wanted.  Now that I’m retired, this is truer than ever.

My recent trip lasted four weeks and took me to the lands Down Under:  New Zealand and Australia.  If there is one negative thing to say about the trip it would be that it wasn’t long enough!  I made good use of the Pin Traveler app, and learned how to deal with its quirks and design issues early on.  I created a trip in the app and then logged each (major) stop.  This is a screen shot of the trip as shown in the app:

“Pinned” places on NZ/AUS trip

There are quite a few “pins” on this map!  I counted 21 stops in 28 days.  It was quite a journey.  Well worth the 24 hours flying time it took to get there (28 to return!).

For the second time in as many trips, I opted to leave my Nikon camera at home and to use my iPhone 14 Pro as my only camera.  It was not an easy choice to make, but in my opinion, the camera capabilities of Apple’s smartphones are good for all but the most demanding professional.  I’m not yet ready to forego my DSLR yet, but I’m happy with a number of the photos I took with the phone, so even though a part of me regrets not taking the larger camera, I don’t think I missed getting any shot I wanted to take.

And since taking a “grab shot” with a phone is easier than with a camera slung around one’s neck as one is navigating a rain forest trail or trekking along with a group among city streets, maybe there’s a photo or two I couldn’t have taken otherwise.  We’ll never know.

What makes this whole topic even easier is the current level of astounding technology in the photo editing field.  I’m a bit of a software junkie, so I have purchased subscriptions to what I consider to be the three top photo editing programs available today:  Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom, ON1 Photo RAW 2024, and Luminar NEO.  I wish I could say that one stands head and shoulders above the rest, but this is a red-hot, highly competitive market right now, and each is attempting to outdo the others with features and capabilities.  AI (artificial intelligence, in case you’ve been in a coma for the past decade or so) has found its way into photo editing software and the results are quite remarkable!

Having been in the tech field for the bulk of my career, I have no illusions as to what it is, what it can (or can’t) do, and I don’t fear it becoming self-aware like the HAL 9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

After settling in from my trip, I downloaded the photos I took from my phone to my computer and decided to see what I could do with my recently updated apps.  Since ON1 had just released a major update, I thought I would give it a try.  I was impressed!  With just three or four clicks using the built-in AI, I was able to add vibrance and clarity to photos that were otherwise drab and uninteresting.  To accomplish this earlier would have meant making many changes and adjustments.  Since I’m not prepared to go into a major before-and-after comparison, let me just say that this software is making it much easier to achieve standout photos than before.  Of course, there is always the down side:  To say that “Photographs don’t lie” is now a false statement.  Photos can most certainly lie.  That they’ve been able to do this for decades isn’t the issue.  That now almost anyone can make a photo into something it isn’t or wasn’t is.

Well, no article about photography, editing or AI would be complete without some examples, would it?  So, here I present some finished photos from my recent trip.  All taken with my iPhone.

World Famous UNESCO site, the Sydney, Australia Opera House

Sydney, Australia at night.

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. A UNESCO World Heritage Site

I’m still editing photos — both from this trip and others.  Now that I’m retired, I can take as much time to render passable images as I please.  I may even post some of them here!

Off To OZ And Other Ruminations

Next week I will embark on what I think may be the longest vacation trip I’ve taken since reaching adulthood.  Taking my ninth Road Scholar trip, I am flying to New Zealand for two weeks, and then on to Australia for another two.  This is a trip I’ve long wanted to take, and it will also mark the sixth continent that I’ve stepped foot on.  That leaves only Antarctica, and I’m not highly motivated to visit there, although I hear it’s fascinating.  Well, one trip at a time, yes?

Given my penchant for traveling light, I’m carefully considering what to pack.  I’ll check one bag, carry on another, and keep my laptop and electronic devices close at hand.  It’s just beginning Autumn south of the Equator, so I need to make sure I have appropriate gear for cool, but not cold weather.  It’s mildly warmer in Australia, but I think what works in one locale should work in the other.  Lightweight, easy-dry pants and shirts, with perhaps a parka and a hat will suffice.  Choosing them is the task that I’m facing.

Well, all of this wouldn’t be worthy of a blog post, so I’m adding some additional content.

My father once kept a map of the world on the wall of his home office, and he’d place a pin on every country or city that he’d visited.  It was an impressive display!  I’ve tried to follow suit, but using modern technology, instead.  For a number of years, the travel site Tripadvisor had a feature where you could search the globe and mark every place you’d visited. It would then provide statistics, such as how many countries, states, cities, etc.  I had quite a list, but it’s all but gone now.  If Tripadvisor still has it, they’ve hidden it well.  I couldn’t find it the last time I looked.

Two years ago, during the early stages on my wonderful Greek Island Odyssey (also a Road Scholar adventure) I happened upon an iPhone app called “Pin Traveler.”  I downloaded it and began logging the islands, cities and sites during that trip.  It was such a great replacement for the Tripadvisor online-only experience that I bought the Lifetime Membership!  I don’t recall the actual price, but it was something like $30 US.

Pin Traveler Map of Greek Trip

The pins mark each place in Greece and Turkey I visited.

Recently I was reminded of this app when I received an email from the developers announcing some new features and updates.  I was delighted, as I do not like applications that become “abandon-ware.”

Now for the down side.  I have difficulty at times navigating the user interface.  It’s easy to “drop a pin” and add comments.  The app will locate (using the Google API) the city or place, but I’ve had a very difficult time gathering the locations into “trips.”  The above screen, for example, is in my mind a single trip (my Greek Odyssey), but each element (Pin) seems to appear as a single trip instead of a segment.  I haven’t found a way to back fill these individual pins into a single “Trip” entity.  Perhaps that’s coming in an update?  I’ve written to the developers, so we’ll see what happens.

In any event, I’m hoping for this upcoming trip I can “pre-heat” the journey by creating a trip and then adding the pins as I drop them to it.  Even if isn’t possible (or at least obvious), I will still have a record of the places I’ve been, and more pins and statistics I can share with those who may be interested.

 

A Week of Retirement

October 17, 2023 was my last day at work.  Following the end of the normal workday, I was honored with a dinner by my local colleagues (and was presented with gift cards for $500 at Guitar Center!).  And then my retired life began.

It’s now been a week.  There are many books and tales of how people adjust to retirement.  Perhaps the most apparent to me is the ease of not having to adhere to a daily schedule.  Oh, for sure there are places and times that I must still conform to, such as helping pack food for students, church services and activities, and the recovery meetings I attend.  But each morning as I open my eyes, the first thing my eyes alight on is the clock, and my first thought is, “I don’t have to get up just yet.”  I do anyway, because I’m now awake, but there is no pressure to do so.

I must learn to concern myself less with financial issues.  One of the first tasks I undertook without needing to care about the time was to take my Mercedes in for what I thought was going to be a simple five minute fastener replacement.  Nope.  It turns out the loose fastener is due to my front bumper coming loose.  I need a new front bumper.  Sigh.  So now almost immediately I’m faced with an unexpected expense (Mercedeses aren’t cheap to maintain).  The two sides of my mind say, “Oh, boy, this is gonna hurt.” and “You’ve got the money.  Be glad it happened now and not ten years into your retirement.”  These are new thoughts, brought on by the knowledge I do not have a regular paycheck to refill my bank account.

Health coverage is another new facet to my retired life.  My employer paid 100% of my health coverage and now I have to navigate the confusing waters of Medicare and its multiple “parts.”  I have already confirmed my enrollment in Medicare Part A, but I’ve had to request a “replacement” card since I don’t recall ever receiving the original.  And I need that in order to apply for Part B.  The government says I should receive it within the month.  A month!

Still, I have a long-anticipated trip to Peru looming.  I paid for it while I still was earning a paycheck, so I’m not fretting the payment, and simply looking forward to my first adventure without having to set an out-of-office auto-reply on my email.

Finally, I’m making sure I still get my exercise.  The weather recently made it easy to just sit on the couch reading, but my upcoming trip will be physically taxing, and I’m so used to moving my body that I am resuming walking and running.  I went for a nice three mile walk yesterday, once again cognizant that I didn’t have to be anywhere (home) at any specific time.  The weather was early Autumn wonderful, so I explored some new paths in my continuing knowledge of the community in which I live.  I love that we have trails and paths.  One day perhaps, I’ll have walked, run or biked them all!

Life In The Real World

It’s hard for me to believe that just over 50 years ago, I departed the campus of the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany to begin my life as an adult.  Sadly, no web sites dedicated to the Munich Campus exists, other than a mention in Wikipedia about McGraw Kaserne.

U. of Md. Munich Campus logo

U. of Md. Munich Campus logo

Yesterday (Sunday, March 26, 2023) I attended a multi-year reunion of Munich Campus attendees.  I thought I might be one of the older ones there, but I was surprised to find most of the folks gathering were students there during the 1960s!  And there were quite a few from the 1980s.  In fact, only one other 1970s-era attendee was there.

There is a sense of shared experience among those who attended the Munich Campus.  I felt right at home with the people (about 40) despite not having attended with any of them.  All of us have Oktoberfest memories, student pranks, dormitory escapades, instructor stories, and the relationships we formed and in many case, retain today.

Having attended a number of high school reunions, I scratch my head at times in wonderment that some people somehow seem to live in the past, considering their high school years the best times of their life.  High school was not that for me, but I do confess that my days in Munich were filled with awe and amazement.  I loved living abroad, learning another language, and, in all honesty, being irresponsible.  The only requirement placed upon me and others was to get passing grades.  We could smoke, drink, stay out all night, sleep in, and carouse in ways only college students are capable. For all intents and purposes, we were adults (there is no drinking age in most European countries) without adult responsibilities.  I have many fond memories of exploring, partying, jamming and sightseeing, all while maintaining a Dean’s List grade point average!

Munich was only a two year experience, sad to say.  In many ways, it almost a dream-like existence.  Having decided I wanted to continue my college studies, I had to find a college that would accept me and let me achieve my baccalaureate.  Some of the colleges I looked into would have required me to add an additional year to my studies, but I was eager to graduate, so I transferred to the University of Maryland’s home campus in College Park, Maryland.  Where the experience was turned on its head.

I won’t delve into how life in or near College Park was 180° different.  My life as and adult started when I arrived and U. of Md. informed me that

  1. They didn’t consider me an in-state student, despite having attended two years at the school.  A remote campus apparently does not qualify as in-state.  Therefore, no dorm room!
  2. It also meant I would have to pay out-of-state tuition.

I needed to establish residency by a) finding and renting an apartment off campus, and b) getting a job.  This helped pay for the apartment as I fulfilled the qualification requirements for in-state tuition.  As a result, I became somewhat of an “outsider” because I didn’t live on campus and have a social experience with other students.  Instead, I now had the responsibilities of working a job, paying rent, buying and cooking my own food, and getting to know my neighbors, most of whom were not students!

Thus it was that I couldn’t wait to receive my degree.  After establishing residency, I re-enrolled and dedicated myself to fulfilling the requirements for graduation.  Once I had diploma in hand, I just continued to work the job I’d taken, and “officially” entered the “real world.”  The reunion yesterday was a pleasant memory bubble, but I can’t relive it, and really don’t want to.  The real world, with all its flaws, is better approached head-on, and with full knowledge it isn’t “days of wine and roses.”

Down Time

Several times during the past few weeks I’ve thought of adding a new post, but then I get a case of “writer’s block” and come up blank with ideas.  Life recently has been much in the wash-rinse-repeat cycle, with work, guitar playing, exercising and similar routine activities.  So, what to write about?

Politics has become a horror show.  Watching the news and listening to opinion givers makes me feel like the world has become madder than ever.  If that’s even possible!

Fortunately, and it couldn’t come at a better time, I have a long weekend coming, where I will spend time in the Adirondacks with a group of some 200 men in a retreat, where we will sing, pray, talk, share, exercise and commune together, getting back in touch with our humanity and our relationship with God.

The Lake Champion Men’s Retreat Weekend is an activity created by an organization called Priority One, which is a ministry that ranges along the entire U. S. east coast.  The weekend takes place on a Young Life camp located near Glen Spey, New York.  The camp is now vacant, with school back in session, so the bunkhouses can provide accommodations for some 300 men.

(The video above may not be available after the weekend is over).

I attended my first Lake Champion weekend over ten years ago.  I didn’t know what to expect the first time, but it was such a refreshing and affirming time that I now look forward to it!  COVID affected it, like it did everything else, and I’m led to believe attendance won’t be like it used to be, but I’m going with six or seven guys from church, so we’ll have some fellowship together (we’ll be in the same bunkhouse) as well as meeting new guys (and re-acquainting ourselves with others).  Good food, good fellowship, great entertainment, and time away from technology and the worries of this ever-maddening world.  Relief!

Pics Are Coming…

I have just completed what I think is the longest (in terms of duration) vacation of my adulthood.  Eighteen days aboard a smallish cruise ship, stopping each day at a new Greek island (and a couple of forays into Turkey as well).  As I’ve been telling folks, “Three weeks traveling, and three months of curating the photos!”

Detail from The Erechtheum, Acropolis, Athens, Greece

So, this is the first sample.  Combining three cameras (Nikon D7500, FujiFilm Finepix D45 and iPhone 12 Mini) I shot nearly 1,100 photos.  I will likely be adding the cream of the crop as I go on.

One thing I’m contemplating is creating an album on my Smugmug account of just photos I took of the marvelous little alleys and walkways that are ubiquitous on the Greek isles.  “Μονοπάτι” is one of the words in Greek for “path” (the Greek language is unique and marvelously expressive — no wonder Biblical translations abound — so there could be other words better suited.  For now, I’m going to use “Monopati,’ which translates literally to “one step path.”  Stay tuned!

And Off We Go!

Not to my surprise, I made the deal to acquire the Taylor Builders Edition 652ce. When Chuck Levin’s gave me a good price, and saved me the 6% sales tax by shipping it (three days from purchase to delivery), the deal was done.  A new set of strings included, and it’s now sitting within arm’s reach and I’m enjoying the sounds of a 12-string again.

Taylor 652ce

Taylor Builders Edition 652ce 12-string guitar

And now on to my next adventure.

Yep, another of my “bucket list” voyages.  Greece has appealed to me since I attended college in Munich, but it seemed distant and unworkable in so many ways.  In 2018, I started to plan a trip, but events in Turkey (which is included in the journey) warned against travel there, so I wound up going to Costa Rica instead.  Definitely not a loss, as Costa Rica will remain in my memory as one of the world’s nicest locations!

Nineteen days.  I think this may be the longest vacation I have taken in my adult life.  In the past I’ve found myself growing restless to return after 7-10 days, but somehow I feel this trip will be different.  For starters, there are full days of flying, so that reduces the time on the ground (or the sea, as it were).

The ship is the Aegean Odyssey, a 350-passenger cruise ship that is all Road Scholar.  This is the general itinerary:

  • Day 3: Athens, Greece
  • Day 4: Mykonos, Greece
  • Day 5: Mykonos, Greece
  • Day 6: Kusadasi, Turkey
  • Day 7: Kos, Greece
  • Day 8: Santorini, Greece
  • Day 9: Santorini, Greece
  • Day 10: Syros, Greece
  • Day 11: Athens, Greece
  • Day 12: Athens, Greece
  • Day 13: Heraklion, Greece
  • Day 15: Marmaris, Turkey
  • Day 16: Rhodes, Greece
  • Day 17: Mykonos, Greece
  • Day 18: Monemvasia, Greece
    • Greek Easter Saturday, Monemvasia
    • Greek Easter Sunday, Athens
  • Day 19: Disembarkation, Program Concludes

Of course, the above only touches on the places.  There will be times at sea, lectures (but not of the boring type) and free time to explore, shop and sightsee.  With me, that last means taking photographs!  Yes, that’s always one of my primary goals everywhere I go.

I just thought of my father, who also enjoyed taking photos.  This was before digital, so he liked taking slide photographs and putting them into slide shows.  I have most, if not all, of this slides, and in all truthfulness, have never gone through them.  I don’t know if he thought he was leaving a legacy, but I have no such intentions.  I take the photos because I like to view them!

Now begins the list.  I have several packing lists, and I’ll need to start considering things like electric adapters, proper clothing, passport (and vaccination records — grrr), electronics and so on.  I’ve done this so many times, and yet it always seems to raise my stress level a bit; I want to make sure I have everything I need, and don’t want to over-pack at the same time.

I’d better get to it!

Vacationing, 2021 Style

I am constantly being reminded of how much things have changed since I was younger.

Indeed, I remember flying as a kid, and having a meal on a tray served to me, accompanied by metal utensils, all as part of my ticket.  Flight attendants were called stewardesses and were glamorous and professional.  Airplanes had smoking sections, and one could actually walk up to the gate, show a boarding pass and enter the airplane.

Well, that’s all gone.  And so is carefree vacation travel, it seems.

I have returned from my trip to four of California’s national parks, and while I had an extremely enjoyable time, the reminders that today’s reality is far removed from the past were everywhere.

I have taken to mentioning the “triple-whammy” that affected this trip:  COVID-19, heat and wildfires.

Arriving in Fresno, I learned that the area (the central valley of California) had been experiencing a record-setting 66 straight days of 100°+ temperatures.  The heat and lack of rainfall or mountain water runoff has resulted in drought and wildfires.  A look at the map here suggests the entire Pacific northwest is ablaze (the map in the link is updated continuously).  The rampant fires had two immediate effects:  A smoky haze over the valley (which, I was told, could affect the taste of crops), and the closure of all of California’s national forests.

But once I got into the higher elevations, the sky was clear, strikingly blue, and the parks were tremendous!  But COVID-19 had wreaked havoc on the park workers.  Visitor centers were closed, as were restaurants and a number of facilities.  Earlier closures had caused the workforce to find work elsewhere, and the slow re-opening of the parks found jobs unfilled.  In Yosemite, for example, only the hotels (the Wawona and the Ahwanee) had open restaurants, and the Yosemite Lodge’s eatery was the only other dining choice.

The Ahwahnee Hotel

Ahwahnee Hotel. Built in 1926 at a cost of $1.25 million.

Still, it was the scenery I was after, and scenery I got!  Having visited Yosemite in the winter of 2015, it was quite a change to see it in summer.  The Tunnel View was spectacular, despite that lack of water in Bridalveil Falls.

Tunnel View, Yosemite NP

The famous Tunnel View scene, entering Yosemite National Park, with El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls

The giant Sequoia trees were impressive, even though I found photographing them a challenge (maybe different lenses might have helped?).  Some of the oldest living organisms on the planet, hardy and majestic.

General Sherman Giant Sequoia

It took 32 of us humans to circle the trunk of the General Sherman, estimated to be 2,500 years old.

Kings Canyon reminded me of a lesser-known Yosemite.  The granite formations were similar, and some of the scenery every bit as lovely.

Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon

But Death Valley was the place I wanted to visit most.  Zabriskie Point, in particular.  I remember having a (vinyl) record album of the soundtrack of Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 film of the same name.

Zabriskie Point Soundtrack

Album cover for Zabriskie Point soundtrack

I never saw the movie (it can’t be found online today!) but the music was early Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and John Fahey.  For some reason, images of Zabriskie Point have always appealed to me.  I wanted to see for myself.

Our bus descended down from the heights, and I saw the elevation markers dropping: 8,000 feet, 7,000 feet, 6,000 feet…

Before the trip was done, I found myself at -282 feet.  The lowest elevation point in the United States, only about twenty miles from Zabriskie Point.  Choosing one photo out of the many I took was quite a challenge.  I may change my mind, but here it is:

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley NP, CA.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley NP, CA.

The author at Badwater Basin.  Sunglasses, wide-brimmed hat required!

Badwater Basin, Death Valley NP, CA.

Badwater Basin, Death Valley. The lowest elevation (282 feet below sea level) in the U. S.

Suffice it to say, it was HOT.  Some people say that it’s not so bad due to the absence of humidity.  Still, it was HOT.

Furnace Creek (Death Valley) Visitor Center.  At noon.

Furnace Creek (Death Valley) Visitor Center. At noon.

Another notch on the scenic vacation belt!

A Return To (Almost) Normal

A week from now I hope to be traveling through some of America’s national parks again. There was a PBS series a few years ago by Ken Burns, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”

Video formats for Ken Burns'

Ken Burns’ “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” available for purchase in various formats.

I couldn’t agree more.  I’ve written before (I think) that on my 60th birthday I drove to Great Falls Park and purchased a lifetime senior pass.

NPS Lifetime Senior Pass

National Parks Lifetime Senior Pass for 60+

I still maintain that was the best birthday present I could have given myself!

The COVID pandemic caused innumerable lockdowns and travel restrictions.  Cruise lines halted operations, and getting into and out of countries became a game of chance.  The nastiness isn’t over yet, but there seems to be some semblance of normalcy returning.

I said, “Some.”  I have been alerted that I will need to wear a face diaper (mask) during my air travels, and when required in public areas.  My trip will take me to California, so I can expect to have to wear the darn thing a lot, despite being fully vaccinated.  I don’t like it, but I’m not going to let it be a deal-killer, because my travel bug has bitten me, and I must go.

This will be my seventh Road Scholar trip.  A few months ago, I saw that the company had once again started their in-person study tours (like everyone else, they had gone to Zoom during the lockdowns).  The trip is titled, “Four Jewels” and encompasses Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Death Valley.  Believe it or not, it was the Death Valley mention that sold me!

Road Scholar Image: Death Valley

Road Scholar image: Death Valley

I have already begun my preparations.  I’m making sure my camera is fully charged, I have plenty of storage (a 32GB SD card has done me well on other photo trips), I bought a new pair of 5.11 Decoy Convertible pants (lightweight, SPF 50+, packable) and am deciding what apparel I need (weather in the parks can go from hot to cold in the span of hours).  But that’s part of the fun!

I expect to have photos and observations to post here upon my return.  Stay tuned.

A Throwback Vacation

When my father retired to Sarasota, Florida in the late 1980s, he quickly grew tired of the summer weather there and began spending summers in North Carolina.  Beech Mountain is just across the Tennessee border, in the northwest corner of the state, off the Blue Ridge Parkway and nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountain range.  Every year, he’d rent a house or chalet and spend six or eight weeks relishing the milder summer weather.

Map of North Carolina

Boone is 17 miles southeast of Beech Mountain

It turns out Beech Mountain is a day’s drive from Northern Virginia.  I would routinely spend a week visiting with my dad, taking my daughter at times, and we’d enjoy the food, the sights, the attractions and the free lodging!  Dad passed away in 2005.  I don’t recall how many years it had been since he’d made the trip, so it became just a memory.

Along comes COVID.  The cruises and airlines are shut down and after a year of working from home, I felt the need to get away.  Besides, I have so much vacation time built up, I need to burn some.  What could I do?  I’d been to Davis, WV just a year or so ago, so that didn’t appeal to me.  Then it hit me:  I could drive to Beech Mountain and do like dad.  I went online and found a nice small place that was available and rented it for a week.

My fortunes have been good:  Memorial Day is still a week away, so the summer tourist season hasn’t been in full swing, yet.  I spent a day exploring Grandfather Mountain, and another roaming around Boone and Blowing Rock.  The latter so named because of its interesting rock formation when the wind from below seems to blow upwards!

It’s kind of like Old Home Week.  Many of the places I knew are still there; the venerable Fred’s General Mercantile is still the center of town, and Fred Pfohl is still owner and proprietor.

Fred's General Mercantile

South entrance to Fred’s

The Alpen Inn and the ski resort are still there, as is the Famous Brick Oven Pizza.

Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria

Still serving after 25 years

It’s been so long since I was last here, visits to Grandfather Mountain and Blowing Rock were like seeing them for the first time.  Both have seen major improvements.

View From Grandfather Mountain

View from near the pinnacle

Exactly one mile above sea level

It’s been a good week.  I stopped at the Edelweiss restaurant on the way and had a bountiful Schweinshaxe and then found the little condo I’d rented to be perfectly suited to my needs.  Comforts of home, with a view to match.

Perfect as a home base, and perfect as a “home away from home.”  I’m glad I made the trip!