Cruise – La Romana Dominican Republic and Altos de Chavon

The second stop on our cruise was La Romana on the southern side of the Dominican Republic.  The tour we took there went to Altos de Chavon, an village/compound of artists. Altos de Chavon Amphitheater

This was an amphitheater.  We were told that there were regular performances here. There were lots of flowering trees and plants, and there were more butterflies that I an have ever seen before.  This is a Gulf Fritillary.

Gulf fritillary butterfly

The buildings were all stone and adobe.  I was struck by the contrast of materials – wood, stone, adobe, metal – and textures and lines in this wall.

Altos de Chavon

 

Cruise – Grand Turk Island

We took a cruise last week.  The ship sailed out of Fort Lauderdale, and the first stop was Grand Turk Island.  This is a picture of ship from the dock.

Carnival Conquest at the beach

It was a small island that didn’t have very much.  We took a tour in an open truck-like vehicle.  It took us through town and out to the North end of the island.  There we visited a “beach.” It wasn’t a swimming beach so much as a rocky inlet.  But, the shore was littered with sea shells, and everyone collected them.  I got this pic.

Grand Turk Beach

From there, we visited a lighthouse.

Grand Turk Lighthouse

The lighthouse overlooked a rocky shore.  There was a zip line place there, but, I was able to remove most of the clutter in photoshop and ended up with a nice seascape.

Grand Turk Seascape

A Trip to Huntsville

My friend’s funeral in Snook was on Wednesday, but I had to drive to Huntsville for a meeting on Friday.  I decided to take a different route than I normally do, and I found two places that were worth stopping and getting pictures of.

Huntsville Trip  001

This was ahold gas station along the road. And, this was an old house in Kosse.

Huntsville Trip  002

More from Snook Trip

As I was coming into Caldwell in Burleson County, I saw this farm.

Snook Trip  006

I was beginning to think I was on a real lucky streak with all these places, but, in Caldwell, I found this house.

Snook Trip  007

That old oak tree was so spectacular, I had to include it in the picture, but the house itself had such character, I had to get it alone.

Snook Trip  008

With that, I really thought I was done for the day.  But, as I was driving through Cameron, I got this last shot.

Snook Trip  009

Coming Home From Snook – Hwy 36 Cabin

I was feeling great after my friend’s funeral because I got some new images I really liked, but as I was driving home, I started seeing other things that I really liked.

Snook Trip  005

This was on Hwy 36, and the framing was so perfect, I had to take advantage of it. Then, I used a longer lens to isolate the old car.

Snook Trip  004

A Trip to Snook

A close friend who lived in Snook died.  I drove over there to attend the funeral.  It was in a small country church outside of town, but to find the church I had to start in town.  When I got to the center of Snook, I was glad I threw my cameras in the car. There were buildings there that I new I had to take pictures of.  So, after the funeral and reception, I went back into town and got these pictures.

Snook Trip  001

This was an old barn in the center town. Snook obviously had a strong Czech heritage, and it was apparent in the sign on this barn.

Snook Trip  002

This was the old grocery an market in downtown. Then, on the way out of town, I saw this old farm.

Snook Trip  003

New Orleans – Houston AMTRAK Station

The AMCA met in New Orleans.  As always, a good time was had by all. We took the train out of Houston.  Next to the AMTRAK station in Houston is the Jefferson David Hospital.  This is an old historic hospital dating back to the end of the Civil War. I am not sure what it is used for today, but there was activity in it and cars in the lot.  I kind of liked the concept of posing the anatomical model in the window.

New Orleans  001.jpg

This is the skyline of Houston from behind the AMTRAK Station.New Orleans  002.jpg