Me for Monday

Here's a little bit of me for your Monday.  I took this back in July of 2009 while in Vidalia, Georgia.

Exif information
Model	Canon EOS 20D
Original date	2009:07:23 4:33 PM
Exposure time	1/4 sec
Focal length	18mm
F-Stop	f/3.5
ISO speed	ISO-100
Exposure Bias	0

Another Nice Mess

While I was in Georgia we passed through a small town called Harlem.  For some reason that name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't figure out why until I saw the sign that explained that it was the birthplace of Oliver Hardy.  At this point I got very excited and began to explain to the woman I was traveling with that there was a Laurel and Hardy museum somewhere in town, and that if we passed it we would have no choice but to stop.  As we passed downtown and began to enter a primarily residential neighborhood my hope that we would see the museum began to fade.

Just past the main downtown area I finally saw a sign for the museum.  I quickly pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my camera, and ran around to the front of the building for some pictures.  I didn't get to go in because it was already closed for the day, but I'm glad I got to see it.

I remember the first time I ever saw a Laurel and Hardy movie.  It was at my Grandparents on my Mom's side's house and I was pretty young.  It was the classic Flying Deuces.  I don't think I knew exactly what it was at the time, but I knew it was funny.  I still remember the scene from my first viewing, where Laurel and Hardy are preparing to jump into a river which, unbeknownst to them, is the new home from an escaped shark.  Being very young, and
not knowing anything about how TV and scheduling worked, I kept wanting to watch it every time I went to their house for quite a while after that.

I watched this movie again a couple weekends ago, along with another classic of theirs, and I can say with the utmost confidence that Laurel and Hardy stand the test of time.  Their movies are as funny today as they were when they were made.  It’s a shame that most people these days have no idea who Laurel and Hardy are.  I’ll spare you all my rant about kids these days and how they don’t know about the classics like Lauren and Hardy, but suffice it to say, my future kids will watch a Laurel and Hardy movie or two, whether they want to or not.

Madison Square Fountain

Sure, everyone has heard of Madison Square Garden, but this the Madison Square Fountain.  Pretty clever right; I just made it up.

But seriously, I took this photograph in Madison, Georgia when I was down there for work.  Madison has a nice little historic downtown area with some shops and restaurants where we had dinner.  I did a little exploring just north of the main downtown and found this little square that was partially under construction.  I left the construction part out of the picture because it was boring; they were just pouring some concrete or something and doing some landscaping.  I enjoyed the fountain and the evening sky though.  When the place is finished it will probably look pretty nice, but at this time, the part under construction was uninteresting.  As you can see from the photograph, it was a nice night.  The days down there were extremely hot, but it had cooled down enough to make it a comfortable evening to be outside taking pictures.  The only problem was the mosquitoes; I got back to the hotel with quite a few bites.  I think it was worth it though for the pictures I got that night.

This is another photograph I combined from two HDR photographs to get a wider perspective on the scene.  I first shot the fountain and the lower part of the sky, and then tilted my camera upwards slightly to capture more of the sky.  I really like square shaped photographs for a lot of subjects, so that was what I was going for when I took these.

I just bought another new piece of equipment for my camera, but more on that later...

Vidalia Onions

I recently had the chance to travel to Georgia on business, and for part of the trip stayed in Vidalia, Georgia, birthplace of the Vidalia Onion. My hotel happened to be right next door to the Vidalia Onion Factory and Gift Shop, your one stop shop for all things onion. Before I go too far, let me explain that this "factory" is what I would call a southern factory, which in terms of the rest of the US, is more of a warehouse. Splitting hairs, I know, but I feel it necessary to be precise.

This was a very enjoyable trip, and having recently acquired an excellent travel bag for my camera, I brought it along. This photograph is (obviously) of the Vidalia Onion Factory. I learned a few things on this trip, the most notable being that people in southeast Georgia are some of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever encountered. I have examples to back these claims, so if you want to hear them, just ask.

While this photograph may not be one of my best technically, I wanted to share it on here. My hope is that my collection of photographs can be considered travel photography, so I wanted to share something from my travels. That's not to say I don't have more from this trip, so check back soon to see more from my Georgia trip; I found some pretty interesting places.