Shoot Four - "Good Sport Kate!"

Vietnam. . . As noted by Milt, Elaine, Michelle, Peyton, Jim, and Joani! As a few mentioned, our President was in Vietnam this past week! I kinda had advance notice so I made sure Vietnam was the country of the week!

"Good Sport Kate"

Well, my romp through Europe has come to a close on my Top Shots for 2015. Oh, trust me, I could have gone on for another three years with them!

There is a gentleman who is a member of my camera club who offers to bring in a model for us to practice shooting. This is Kate and about ten of us met up with Jeff (HDP's resident pro photographer) and Kate (the model) at the Ames Mansion in Easton. With a variety of locations within the grounds and  several wardrobe changes (Jeff brings a changing tent for his models), we were off and clicking!

As you can see from here, she was willing to assume any pose - even lying on the ground, perched in a tree, donning roller skates to provide us with movement, etc. You can understand why I called her, "Good Sport Kate!"  

Getting Older?

"A diplomat is one who always remembers
a woman's birthday -
but never remembers her age."
   ~ Robert Frost

   

Where in the World?

Here are some interesting facts about various countries of the world. Just where would I be?

German is the official language but other local languages include Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish and Polish.

It is a landlocked country that is bordered by eight countries, Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Hungary and Slovakia to the east.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, it was one of the great powers of Europe under the Habsburg

As of 2013, this country has twenty Nobel Prize laureates including seven in Physiology or Medicine, five in Chemistry, three in Physics and Economist Friedrich Hayek.

Also, it is home to some of the most famous classical music composers the world has ever seen including Joseph Haydn, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Anton Bruckner, Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

(Ed. Note: Too easy, I think!!!)

Interesting Thought. . .

Don't take yourself so seriously. . .
no one else does!

Leaving on a humorous note, I hope!

A whale swims all day, 

only eats fish, 

drinks water. . .

but is still fat!

(Between the last week's tortoise and this week's whale, why exercise???)

Shoot Three - "La Pieta"

Morocco! Different clues helped different people - for me it was the Kasbah. I think the only safe way to see this world famous site - is at Walt Disney World!!! So Michelle, Elaine, Joani, Peyton, Jim, and Milt were present and accounted for!

"La Pieta"

Michelangelo makes a second appearance on my 2015 Top Shots with his sculpture, "La Pieta!" His previous posting was "Madonna and Child" which was featured on my Belgium listing.

While walking and clicking my way through St. Peter's Basilica, I came upon a small crowd of people standing and staring - it was "La Pieta!" A weird calm came over me as I took my camera away from my eye and looked. I must have shot this sculpture at least a dozen times. You have my pick of the bunch here. 

Coincidence time as my daughter is in St. Peter's while I type this morning. She is off to Tuscany to teach a painting workshop there!

In St. Peter's there were some many photo ops - the many altars scattered around the interior; the bright eye-catching stained glass windows holding up the walls; the paintings in the many openings of the ceiling; and the artwork throughout! Alas, no Pope Francis to show here!

Getting Older?

"Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; 

it's the knowledge that he's married to their grandmother!"

    ~ G. Norman Collie  
   

Where in the World?

Here are some interesting facts about various countries of the world. Just where would I be?

There are over 92 million people living here as of July 2013.

The currency is called the dong.

It is the largest exporter of cashew nuts and black pepper in the world with one-third of the global production. The country is also the second largest exporter of rice behind Thailand.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in but other sports of interest include table tennis, volleyball, badminton, tennis, and martial arts.

Interesting Fact. . .

Zero is the only number 
that cannot be represented by Roman numerals!

Leaving on a humorous note, I hope!

A rabbit runs and hops and only lives 15 years, 

while a tortoise doesn't run, 

does mostly nothing, yet. . .

lives for 150 years!!!

Shoot Three - "The Louvre"

Belgium - as in waffles, beers, chocolates! Well done Peyton, Milt, Elaine, Mike Di., Joani, Michelle, and Doris!

"Winged Victory"

Similar to Versailles, where does one begin to see what's in this larger than life art museum? We focused on three major works of art and then wandered through the hallways to see its vast array of offerings!

Oh, the Big Three were the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory! Finding them in this huge museum was not a problem - just look for the crowds! Wherever they gathered, there had to be a masterpiece!

Getting Older?

"You can live to be 100 if. . .
 you give up all the things that make you 
want to live to be 100."
  
~ Woody Allen  
   

Where in the World?

Here are some interesting facts about various countries of the world. Just where would I be?

It is about the same size as the state of California.

Has over 32 million people living as of July 2013.

Its capital city is Rabat, but not its largest city.

Their official languages are Berber and Arabic.

For currency they use the Dirham.

Many of its cities commonly have mosques with beautiful towers called minarets, market areas called bazaars, old medieval sections called medinas and old fortresses called kasbahs.

Its most popular sport is football (soccer), its national team became the first African and Arab country to make to the 2nd round of a World Cup when they did so in 1986.

The university called al-Qarawiyin was founded in the city of Fes in 859 as a madrasa (an Arabic educational institution) and is considered by some to be the oldest university in the world.

Interesting Fact. . .

Experience is something you don't get until 
just after you need it. 
~ Unknown.

Leaving on a humorous note, I hope!

Just grant me the senility

to forget the people I never liked,

the good fortune to remember the ones I do, and

the eyesight to tell the difference.

Shoot Three - "Versailles"

Ireland - land of my Kennedy roots! Peyton, Jim, Mike Di., Michelle, Elaine, Milt, and Joani added their bit of Blarney to this week's location - thanks!

"Versailles Amphitheater"

Versailles was one impressive royal chateau! This amphitheater was the place to be as live performances were staged on a regular basis. I could only imagine the nobility present for these events. Then they boarded their carriages for the trek back to Paris.

Nearly five million visit the castle each year - I think many of them were here the day I was there! We did not get to see Marie Antoinette's villa as the day was winding down and we still had a train (no fancy carriage for us) back to Paris to catch.

Getting Older?

"I don't know how you feel about old age ... 
but in my case I didn't even see it coming.  
It hit me from the rear!"

   ~ Phyllis Diller

Where in the World?

Here are some interesting facts about various countries of the world. Just where would I be?

It shares a land border with 4 countries including France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Has a population of 10.5 million people (10,444,268) as of July 2013.

Nearly all its citizens live in cities, the country has an urban population of over 97%.

It is world-famous for beer. There are over 1100 varieties of beers made here.

Also it is world-famous for chocolate. Praline chocolates were invented by Jean Neuhaus in 1912. Today, it is the world's number one exporter of chocolate, with 220,000 tonnes of chocolate produced per year and shops in its international airport are said to sell the most chocolate in the world.

Also world-famous for waffles. French fries are believed to have been invented here and not France.

It has more comic makers per square km than any other country in the world. Famous comic book series to come out of here include, The Adventures of Tintin, The Smurfs and Asterix.

Interesting Fact. . .

Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, 
that is why it is found in some medicines.

Leaving on a humorous note, I hope!

All I ask is a chance to prove 
that money can't make me happy!

Shoot Three - "Paris - Opera Garnier"

Finland! We did have a couple of ringers in this response group - Jim has family in Finland while Elaine remembers playing "pesapallo" as helping her understand baseball. Others who were in on the "Finnish Line' were Peyton, Michelle, Joani, Doris, and Mike Di.

"Opera Staircase"

All marble! This main staircase was an architectural masterpiece! The variety of colors, the symmetry, the curved shaping and its size! If in Paris, a tour of the Opera Garnier is a must! And, the marble didn't stop there - it was everywhere.

Getting Older?

"True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."

   ~ Kurt Vonnegut 

Where in the World?

Here are some interesting facts about various countries of the world. Just where would I be?

There are over 4.75 million people living here as of July 2013.

Famous writers include Jonathan Swift - "Gulliver's Travels," Bram Stoker - "Dracula" and James Joyce - "Ulysses".

Hurling remains one of the most popular sports in the country.

At the Olympics, boxing is its most successful sport.

In 2002 it was the first country in the world to have an environmental tax for plastic shopping bags and in 2004 it was the first to introduce a public smoking ban.

Interesting Fact. . .

A human brain has a capacity to store 
5 times as much information as 
Wikipedia! 

Leaving on a humorous note, I hope!

   What if there were 

no hypothetical questions?