Virginia Breeze

, originally uploaded by Davidlind.

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Beth and I both enjoyed this sailboat.  Blue is a favorite color for both of us.  Doesn’t this look like a lot of fun?  One person can run things and I bet it goes fast under the right conditions. I will add a few NextGen photos of sailboats here this evening.  They are a cheerful island in a sea of gray photos I took this past weekend.  I’m so sick of looking at most of them.   Everything is gray and white.   I thought maybe the camera was busted after looking at them awhile.  But occasionally a colorful bathing suit or sail will pop up in a photo.

First, the D40 is twice as sensitive to light as the D40x and D80. (The D40’s ISO defaults to ISO 200 instead of the less sensitive ISO 100, making for sharper photos in any light.)

Second, the D40 is far more flexible with flash in daylight. The maximum shutter speed of every Nikon other than the D40 when used with flash is only 1/250 second, while the D40 easily shoots at 1/500 with flash with no loss of performance.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

It’s pretty interesting stuff ( I thought my D70 defaulted to ISO 200).  He has without question guided me towards a lens that has been just amazing in terms of taking photos thru a wide range of distances with amazing clarity.

It’s a miracle! I bought mine in November 2005 and love it. It’s replaced an entire bag of lenses. All I bring anywhere is my 18-200mm, and maybe my 12-24mm for 99% of everything I shoot.

It’s small, fun, flexible, sharp and fast. VR, instant auto/manual focus override and macro and zooming all work perfectly. This lens is too much fun!–Ken Rockwell

He is talking about the Nikon 18-200mm  VR

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htmI

You can save a lot of money reading this guy.  I swear.  Eventually I will get a Nikon D700 most probably.  But right now I still have too much to learn to plunk down 2500 bucks for a camera.   Although I did spend that much for a computer a few years ago (it’s all about conditioning).    And  televisions can easily cost that much these days.   But some of these cameras are heavy.  And this one ( the D40) is supposed to be very light.  I saw a couple of guys at the beach this weekend with some very heavy cameras and lenses sitting on a tripod.  I’m just not ready to go there yet.  i want to travel light and (hopefully) capture more just by being in the right place at the right time.

It’s midweek boys and girls.  And here we are still pursuing our dreams!  I hope.  Some of us are just trying to survive and that’s not nearly as much fun.   My heartfelt condolences to those of us who are doing that.

I used to do that back in the late 1970′2 and early 80’s.   I was in my late 20’s and early 30’s back then.  Can you remember a time in your life that was particularly difficult?  Did you ever just look around at people passing and ENVY  *ALL* of them?

You just knew that they all had a much better life than you did.

I used to do that in some of my weaker moments.   And then I used to meditate during other  times.  I remember meditating one time for about three hours.  And after about that length of time I suddenly realized I wasn’t breathing anymore.  I was in some kind of pure energy state. It was a pretty amazing experience.  I was engulfed in blissful happiness.   And then, of course, I started breathing again.  The realization brought me back to earth.   But it was meditation that helped me make some good decisions and survive those times.  I also managed to care for two small children who are now happy and fully functional adults.  We will be going up to see my daughter in October.

She lives in Leesburg, Virginia.  For those of you who don’t know Virginia  Leesburg is a wealthy suburb of Washington DC.    When my precious daughter  was a little girl she had psoriasis that just took over her body.  It got in her scalp.  It was awful.   I used to take her down to MCV to see this really cool doctor.  He would make her laugh with his wide eyed stares.   And then he would prescribe all these steroids and tar-based ointments.

And then we would go back to our humble little apartment and pray they would work.

But my daughter is a lovely grown woman now with three beautiful children and a wonderful husband who has an office overlooking the White House. And the coolest thing about him is that when he walks in the door after work around six pm he is laughing and ready to be with his wife and children.

Life is very funny sometimes.   I hope I can learn to meditate  again and maybe even stop breathing for awhile.   I’m pretty sure that is the way to samadhi.  Or heaven for those of us who are not familiar with that term.

I hope I can find the way back there before I die.

God really did take care of us during those times.  And he still does even if I don’t try and visit with Him the way I used to do.

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Do you visit with Him?  Does he take care of you?

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Dawn Rapture

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The good things begin

When we go beyond the words

Music is the train

That takes us there

Or love

Or a photo that touches the heart

Poetry can do it

Or a twenty mile run

So many ways

We want to go

We need to go.

Sitting here reading these words

Imagine you are standing

Behind yourself

Watching yourself

Reading this

In the place beyond the words.

I have heard from Ron Dubin, Bernie Kaspers and Robin Easton today.  All three lifted my heart and made me appreciate what blogging has done for my mind and my soul this past year.  These are real friends who I have never met and probably never will meet.  (Except that Ron and I are going to go see the Nationals play in DC someday).

Each one  of them means more to me than thousands of readers who just pass by and are recorded in the stats.  I am not saying they are not important too.  But on a day when Google tried to screw me up these three  helped a lot just by being who they are.

You know what I am saying.  Here is something from an email Robin wrote.  I don’t think she will mind if I post it because she is planning to use it herself in a post.  This is just a small part.  I went into some kind of  hypnotic state when I was reading it.  It is so cool.

“Also remember that even if 100 million people drink and drink a LOT, surprisingly it still doesn’t mean it’s healthy.  Or not killing people.  LOL  X million people smoke cigarettes EVERY day, some all day long, but that doesn’t mean it’s not killing people left right and center….and yet as a species we still do it.  I invite you back into LIFE; you deserve LIFE.  We all do. I invite you to be FULLY David. You are an amazingly talented writer…EXCELLENT….you are an incredible photographer…BEAUTIFUL art.  You have years and years of your life in front of you.  If you are 60, which I think you said you are….then you are only 6 years older than me.  You have, if you want it, a whole new adventure in front of you.  Reach out and grab it. I invite you to explore life and LIVE the dreams in your heart….that your heart is begging you to live.”

_Robin Easton

http://nakedineden.com/

Being physically healthy is going to be so cool.

Here is something for my three blogging buddies.  I hope they enjoy it.  It’s a romantic song and that may not seem entirely appropriate but it’s also a song about universal love and understanding.

And it’s also very beautiful.  Like so many of the things they do.

Yes I know
My love, that you and i
Are together briefly
For just a few moments
In silence
As we look out of our windows
And listen
To the sky
And to a world
Thats awakening
And the night is already far away
Already, far away

Look at this world
Spinning with us
Even in the dark
Look at this world
Spinning for us
Giving us hope and some
Sun, sun sun

My love, you are you my love
I hear your voice,
And I listen to the sea.
It sounds just like your breathing
And all the love you want to give me
This love
That is there, hidden
Hidden among the waves
All the waves in the world
Just like a boat that….

Look at this world
Spinning with us
Even in the dark
Look at this world
Spinning for us
Giving us hope,
And some sun, sun, sun,
Some sun, sun, sun.

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AsianTiger01you really hit it out of the ball park when you created this video.  And Andrea you are a god among men.

When I listen to this right before the chorus my soul tries to burst free.   It’s a great song.

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