There and Back Again by D.A.Webb

Most countries publish vaccination requirements for visiting travelers. These requirements not only vary by country, but also by traveler's country of origin, previously visited countries and date of entry.  To help sort out the confusion, we solicited University of Louisville Global Health Center-Travel Clinic for assistance. It was a quick visit which produced a customized 208 page document summarizing each country's requirements, a list of required vaccinations, an International Certificate of Vaccination booklet to record vaccinations and recommended best practices to insure healthy travel abroad.  By December embarkation, all required vaccination sequences will have been completed for a total of a dozen shots.  In summary, the above is just a pain in the arm (actually 12).

This artistic image characterized by its dreamy glow, soft focus, swirly background and vivid colors was obviously based on reality but then something happened. Was it 'Shopped' by an aspiring artist? Could it have been rendered by an AI program? Actually these unique characteristics were created by a vintage lens adapted for use on modern digital cameras. To make things more interesting, the lens was also modified to accentuate the very optical flaws designers worked hard to minimize. Optical imperfections make images interesting and rarely exist in today's optically sanitized lens designs. In our quest for technical perfection, have modern lenses lost the very characteristics that differentiates them?  Given the rising demand for 'flawed' vintage lenses on modern mirrorless cameras, is a market developing to remanufacture these vintage classics? Let's begin examining the world of vintage lenses with the Helios 44m 58mm f2.0 lens and the industry's ongoin...

Ultimate World Cruise When first hearing about our trip, folks often ask about cruise duration, destinations and other related information regarding ship, crew and passengers.  You may find the following  Ultimate World Cruise  facts interesting. Embarkation: Dec 10, 2023 in Miami, Florida Debarkation: Sep 10, 2024 in Miami, Florida Cruise Length: 275 Days Distance: 65,000 Nautical Miles Seas: 7 Continents: 7 Countries: 60+ Destinations: 150+  (View on Google Maps) Ship Information Serenade of the Seas  is a member of Royal Caribbean 's fourth smallest ship classification.  Although amenities will never match those of larger ships, Serenade's smaller stature is perfect for accessing the world's smaller ports.  More importantly, with fewer passengers, debarkations are much quicker especially at the 22  Ultimate World Cruise  ports requiring tenders. Name: Serenade of the Seas Maiden Voyage: Aug 25, 2003 Length: 965 feet Width: 106 feet Draft: ...

Our existing passports were current, well used and trip ready. As planning progressed, it soon became obvious more stamps, stickers and visas might be necessary than our passports could accommodate. Reluctantly we surrendered our passports to the 'Department of State' for the new and improved 52 page 'large book' version. Weeks passed and still no passports. Apparently international travel is prospering as the Department of State's passport backlog kept growing exponentially. This probably would not be an issue for departure, but might delay our visa applications. Luckily the new 'large book' passports arrived and visa applications are underway.

CONTENT WARNING: The following post contains excessive technical material non-geeks may find boring. Restating the mission statement defined earlier. My goal is to capture and share these moments, thoughts and experiences with nothing but old fashioned words and still images. With that said, now is the perfect time to discuss why the Fujifilm ecosystem and X-T5 were packed for this trip. If you are expecting detailed specifications and technical comparisons between different manufacturer's equipment you are going to be disappointed.  That is the approach commonly taken by the professional YouTube photographers.  Reviews and recommendations presented here are very subjective and focus on producing a predetermined outcome.  Achieving a specific goal usually requires a unique set of features.  Therefore, equipment selection is based on a required feature set to produce the desired outcome rather than purchasing the latest and greatest equipment based on detailed sp...