Review of Worldwide Photo Walk

Worldwide Photo Walk

 Saturday, October 7 was the Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk.  This walk sponsored by Kelby One had over 21 thousand participants on 985 walks throughout the world.  As I looked at the map I noted that just over half of the participants were in North America and the rest of the walks were scattered throughout the world.  The stated purpose of the walk is for photographers to go out on a walk, shoot photographs and have fun with other photographers.

The walk will have a contest at the end where everyone is asked to submit one photo from the walk.  The photo at the top of the page is my submission.

Supporting Charity

The participants of the walk are encouraged to donate to The Springs of Hope, a Kenya orphanage.  The organization feeds, houses, educates and empowers young orphans.

View of Barge going down Missouri River

Walk in St. Charles Missouri

The walk that I participated in took place in the historic downtown and the riverfront area of St. Charles.  A group of us (about 15) met at 8:45 Saturday morning at the old train depot on the riverfront.  We were given a bit of guidance from the leader of the walk and then we all gathered for a group photo.
After the group photo we broke into smaller groups and began our walk. The group I was in walked down the riverfront for about a half a mile, talking, laughing and stopping to photograph interesting sites.  

After a while we turned up from the river for a stop at a farmer's market.

Next we followed the itinerary for the walk and walked a block up from the river to historic Main street in St. Charles.

Main Street is a delightful area with cobblestones streets and lots of wonderful old buildings that are turned in to shops and restaurants.  It can get quite busy on a weekend afternoon, but since we were there in the morning the crowds were slim and we were able to get some good shots.  The next photos are the sidewalks and shops along Main Street.

Changing Decor for the Seasons

It is early fall when we are taking our walk and the shop owners have decorated for the season.

Taking a Rest

Our walk lasted just over 2 hours.  Here are a few of the group stopping for a rest on some bundles of hay.  After the walk several of the participants stopped at a local restaurant to enjoy some good food and discuss photography.  It was a fun morning that I enjoyed thoroughly.

Photography Books

I enjoy reading photography books to get ideas from other photographers and to hone my photography skills.  I have found Scott Kelby's digital photography books to be very helpful.  Here is a book he now has with the best of the other books.

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Review of Favorite Banana Bread Recipe

Bread for Fall Menus

When the weather turns cool my thoughts turn to baking and baking breads is one of my favorite fall activities.  I have tried many recipes over the years and have combined different recipes to come up with tastes my husband and I enjoy.  

Banana Bread

It seems like we always have bananas that have gotten a little too ripe and when we do I use them for banana bread.

• Tip: If I can't bake that day, I peel the bananas and put them in a freezer bag to freeze for later use. When I'm ready to use them I just sit them out for a few minutes and add them to the recipe.

I have tried many different recipes over the years and have combined several to come up with the recipe below, which is my favorite.  The secret ingredient in this recipe is the sour cream, which helps to keep the bread moist and delicious.

Recipe for Favorite Banana Bread

 

Start with: 2 mashed bananas, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs well beaten.  Mix together.

Mix together 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 t baking pwd, 1 t baking soda, 
and 1/2  t salt.

Mix together wet and dry ingredients.  Fold in one half cup of one of the following:
    your favorite nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, or dried cranberries.

Pour into 1 sprayed bread pan.
Bake 325 degrees for 1 hour.
Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Adding Extra Ingredients

I particularly like adding nuts to my banana bread, but I have found it is also delicious with chocolate chips and cranberries.  Experiment with your favorite additions to create new taste sensations.  I have also combined nuts and chocolate chips and that  produces a delicious bread.

Recipe Card

Below is the recipe on a card you can purchase from Zazzle by clicking on the link.

Favorite Banana Bread Recipe Postcard
by mbgphoto

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Review of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

 

In the 1800's the Rockland harbor was one of the busiest on the mid coast of Maine.  A thriving limestone industry along with shipbuilding and fishing made this harbor essential for the mid Maine economy.  In order to protect the harbor between 1881 and 1899 a long granite breakwater was built.  In 1902 a lighthouse on the end of the breakwater was put into operation.  The tower of the lighthouse is 25 feet tall and it is attached to a keeper's house.  The light of the lighthouse flashes white every 5 seconds and in foggy weather a fog signal puts out one blast every 15 seconds.

Long Rocky Walk to Lighthouse

Rocky Walk to Light

As you can see in the photo above the breakwater is made of chunks of granite.  On the day we visited there were several people walking down the breakwater to see the lighthouse at the end.  After walking about a quarter of the way, I decided the long walk with my camera equipment was a bit treacherous so I stopped put on my long lenses and photographed from a distance.  I also took several shots from the shore. One of the photos from the shore captures Owls Head lighthouse in the distance. Click on the link below the photo to read more about Owls Head lighthouse.

Owls Head Lighthouse

Today the lighthouse is still an active aid  to navigation.  You can visit the lighthouse by walking the 7/8 of a mile down the granite breakwater. Here is a photo of the lighthouse taken from the shore.

Ledges by the Bay

 

The motel that we stayed at was about a mile from the lighthouse and we had a wonderful view of another small bay adjoining the Rockland harbor.  The photos below show the view from our room.  It was exciting to watch the beautiful colors of the sunrise and sunset and to see the clipper ships sail past our view.

Zazzle Products from my Photos

Rockport Maine Harbor
by mbgphoto

Owls Head Maine Card
by lighthouseenthusiast

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