Mission St. David, AZ

Another one of our stops on our great Arizona Adventure was St. David.  We visited the Holy Trinity Monastery.  What a beautiful place.  There are lovely gardens and a fountain.

The grounds are beautiful and there was a lovely pond with a little island with a statue of the Virgin Mary.

We walked through the small grave yard that is on the grounds.  It had peaceful yet rustic quality.

For more information about this beautiful Mission click on the link below.
http://www.holytrinitymonastery.org/
Many Thanks to good friend, Kay, who suggested we visit this lovely place.
This article about cloud formations will help you plan your next photo shoot or hiking trip.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Predicting-Weather-with-Clouds/
Today's Thought For The Day:
"When nothing is sure, everything is possible." Margaret Drabble
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359
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Bisbee

After our visit to Organ Pipe National Monument we drove East on Highway 86.  When we got to Tucson we got on the Interstate 10 East to Benson, Arizona to visit our friends, Lance & Kay.

We had a fun Western style dinner at the Triangle T Ranch.  It is a Dude Ranch & RV Park with a great Restaurant & Bar.  This would be a great place for a family vacation.  They offer lessons in shooting from your horse which is a lot like Barrel Racing only you are shooting at balloons on a set course.  For more information on the Triangle T Ranch click on the link below.
http://azretreatcenter.com/

We had a great visit to Bisbee Arizona.  Bisbee is an old mining town with a lot of history. They offer tours of the Queen Mine.  It is a quirky town with many well preserved buildings dating back to 1902.

There are a lot of cool Art Galleries and Antique stores to explore.   I was able to find a vintage  Brownie camera which is probably from the 40's.  It will be the start of my Antique camera collection.

Now that the summer travel season is here, here are some great tips for Travel Photography.
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/travel-photography-tips-14257
Today's Thought For The Day:
"Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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Organ Pipe National Monument

It is summer and we are off on more adventures.  Our first stop was  Organ Pipe National Monument in Southern Arizona.  This is a very magical place to visit.  There are miles and miles of Saguaro & Pipe Organ Cactus as well as many other desert plants.  There are so many different shapes that remind you of sculptures.  It is natures Art Gallery.

We took a 19 mile drive that loops through the park.  It took us about 2 hours and we had lots of photo ops along the way.  The road is mostly gravel and many spots were very rough so leave your fancy car at home.
We saw many different varieties of Cactus which some were new to me including the Chain Cactus.  We saw beautiful mountain views as well as desert landscapes that you would expect.

Here is a link to National Park Service's web page for the Pipe Organ National Monument:
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm
The first night we stayed at an RV Park in Why, Arizona called Hichiwan.  It is just a few miles from Pipe Organ National Monument.  The park was nearly empty which gave us a lot of privacy.   We had a visit from some Wild Burros which was a treat.  They have learned how to turn on the water in the park so you have to keep the handles inside.  The other treat was a nice sunset that night and great meal courtesy of my Hubby.

Today's Thought For The Day:
"Everyone has two sides, good and evil.  How you treat me determines which side you will see."  Anonymous
Next stop is Benson, Arizona.  Stay tuned!
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Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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May Musings

Happy Saturday everyone.  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.  It has been a while since my last blog post.  I have been busy with my travel clients as well as hosting our guest, my sister in law, Sheila.
We took a trip over to the old Route 66 in Kingman and then on to the Hackberry General Store in Hackberry, Arizona.   We were joined by a large group from Germany who were doing a Motorcycle Tour on Route 66.    For more information about Hackberry click on the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackberry,_Arizona
Here is a link to the Hackberry General Store website:
http://hackberrygeneralstore.com/

If that gets you inspired to go out and photograph some abandoned buidings or ghost towns, this article will give you some pointers on how to get the best shots.
http://www.unique-photography-concepts.com/ghost-towns.html
After shooting some photos and doing some shopping we drove back to Kingman then up the the mountain to the Hualapai Mountain Resort for lunch.  Because of the elevation the terrain quickly changes and it looks like you are in the mountains of Colorado.  We had a lovely lunch and enjoyed the cooler weather up there.  For more information check out the link below:
http://www.hmresort.net/

We are starting to get ready for our summer road trip.  My husband fired up our smoker this week.  He did smoked sausage, chicken, ribs & pulled pork.  I made homemade backed beans and lasagna..  We then portion it all out and use our Food Saver to package it up and freeze it.  That way we have easy meals when we are traveling in our motor home.  Our plan is to first go down to Tucson and do some sight seeing and connect up with some friends who live near there.  We will then head Northeast to Colorado to visit some friends there and then on to Minnesota to attend our Granddaughter's Graduation party and visit with friends and family.  After that we are not sure what direction we will go but we are thinking maybe out to Seattle and go down the coast.  Stay tuned for more details as the summer goes on.
If you are planning your own summer road trip, this article will help you plan it out and give you some photography tips as well.
http://www.thecoolist.com/making-memories-how-to-photograph-the-ultimate-summer-road-trip/
The Thought For The Day is:
"All of life is an experiment.  The more the better."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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Spring Has Sprung

Happy Friday to you all.  My husband and I are busy getting the house ready for my Sister In Law's visit.  She is flying into Vegas from Minneapolis.  I am looking forward to a fun week with her.
Take a look at the new ship, Quantum Of The Seas,
 that Royal Caribbean is building.  It will feature the first of it's kind Virtual Balcony cabins which are an inside cabins with real time views of the ocean and the ports.  Very innovative idea.  The Quantum Of The Seas will debut in November of 2014.  It's sister ship the Anthem  will follow in 2015.
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/quantumoftheseas/?cid=ps_agt_ggl_1642

With Spring finally here it is time to start thinking about those summer vacations.  Here is a list of the Top Ten Beaches in Florida from our friends at The Travel Channel.
http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/beaches/photos/top-10-florida-beaches?refcd=n-def&nl=TCN_042413_subfeat1link3&sni_mid=75263&sni_rid=75263.411.880187&c32={C29AEB17-8FA9-4D01-BE8D-FD3116504E34}

Here is an article that will help you get better wildlife pictures.  This will help you the next time you visit a zoo or animal sanctuary.  These tips will work for Pet Photography as well.
http://www.photographyblogger.net/7-tips-for-better-wildlife-photography/
Here is some shameless promotion for my Artist Cousin, Pam Sims.
http://www.nelsonstar.com/entertainment/198344511.html
Here is another Photography Blog that I would recommend by my Facebook friend Valerie.
http://valeriejardin.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/photo-gear-and-books-that-i-love/
Here is today's Thought For The Day:
"It feels good to hear someone say Take care but it feels so much better to hear some one say I will take care of you"  courtesy of Positive Outlooks.
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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Road Trip To Idaho

Day 1-We got up at O Dark 100 (early) and drove East through Kingman, AZ and then took 93 North past Hoover Dam to Boulder City, NV.   We stopped at the Coffee Cup for breakfast.  We found out about this place on one of the episodes of Diners, Drive Ins & Dives.  It is famous for it's Green Sauce  so we had to try it on our omelet and it was wonderful as promised.   Here is a link to their website:
http://www.worldfamouscoffeecup.com/
We spent the night in Ogden, UT.
Day 2- We got up early, again, and headed North towards Kellog, ID.  We saw a sign on a Junkyard that said "We Have Everything You Want, If We Can Find It.", too funny!   We passed by snow capped mountains ranches.  After we passed through Pocatello, ID we drove through plains that turned into rolling hills.  Once we got into Montana we were back into the beautiful snowcapped mountains.  We got to Kellog in the afternoon so my husband had time to trade in our gas guzzling suburban for a more fuel efficient GMC Pickup Truck.  We had a nice dinner and got to see some of the town of Kellog, ID whose claim to fame is that it is the home of the world's longest Gondola.  It looks like it is a very popular ski destination.

Day 3-We slept in and started on our journey back.  We took mostly the same route back except for a scenic drive on Montana 93 South through the Bitterroot National Forest.  We drove along the Bitterroot River with beautiful mountain views.  There were remnants of a recent Forest Fire along the way.  We turned off on Montana 43 over the Chief Joseph Pass to the little town of Wisdom, Montana.  We had a fabulous lunch at the Crossroads Bar & Grill.  We drove through the Big Hole Valley back to I 15.  We spent the night in Idaho Falls, ID.  For more information on the Crossroads check out this article:
http://www.thecrossingbarandgrill.com/history/
Day 4-We headed South back through Utah with it's red rock formations. We reached Las Vegas late afternoon.  We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Viva Zapata on Craig & I 15 and then settled in for the night.  For more information on Viva Zapata check out their website;
http://vivazapatasrestaurant.com/

Day 5-We checked out of our hotel and took a tour through The Neon Boneyard Park.  It was a walk down Memory Lane for us.  We had lunch at The Texas de Brazil Steakhouse which is all you can eat so we were stuffed!  Here is link to their website:
http://www.texasdebrazil.com/

We made at stop at Sam's Club and drove back through the desert home.
Today's Thought For The Day:
"It is folly for him to rule over others who cannot govern himself."  Publius Syrus.
 Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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Posing Tips For Family Portraits

With Easter coming up, I thought I would devote this blog to helping you get better pictures at your family gathering.  Below is a picture of some of my Grandkids taken last December.

One of the advantages to being in a camera club is the opportunity to learn from other club members.   Below are some tips from my Photography friend, Mark Freier.  Thank you Mark!

So the sister is bringing her family for a group shot. She sends a "by the way" saying she would also like you to do her daughter's graduation pictures at the same time (great).

What are some of the things you need to ask:

How many are going to be in the group photo? It is important. If she said there are going to be 5, then you can picture in your mind how you are going to pose them. You can look on the Internet for group pictures of that number. Be careful, because if one doesn't show up, that changes the arrangement. If 6 show up, that is even worse.

The big day is here:

They start to arrive. You may want to have some coffee for them or something for them to do while they wait for the others to arrive.  With the technical part out of the way, you can relax and get that group shot that will make everyone happy (except for the sister because she didn't smile on any pictures). It happens!!

You are happy with what you have, and it took less than 10 minutes because you were prepared.
If you want more tips for photographing groups of people check out this article from our friends at Picture Correct.
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/tips-for-taking-family-portraits/
 Today's Thought For The Day:
"We can only know others by ourselves."  by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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