Another View of Sarajevsko Groblje Bare

Between my earlier photo, and this, maybe you can get a feel for the scale of it.

Bare Cemetery - Sarajevo

Via the "Way Back" Machine

From June of 2006, the early days of my digital camera, what sunrise used to look like...

Volcan Pacaya - Guatamala City

Sunrise

From a couple weeks ago. The color only lasted a minute or two, time enough to get my camera, turn off the alarm, open the door and take one shot.

Sarajevo SunriseNovember 2008

Reflection

St. Joseph's and Sarajevo Streets - Unitic Towers, SarajevoNovember 2008

You First Read It Here

not that I take any joy in being right, or first in this case, (it is actually sad) but over the past couple days I've seen this theme repeated in the general and business press:
Bailouts: $7 trillion and rising

Almost 2 months ago, the millions of avid readers of my blog read it HERE first.

More Snow

It is dumping down snow tonight. Walking the dogs, it really didn't feel that cold. I took some more cell phone camera shots. I find it hard to hold steady to get a sharp photo.

Snow at Night - Veliki Park, SarajevoNovember 2008

At The Other End Of Madness

My "good" camera is a Canon EOS-5D. a model that came out 3 years ago. After 3 years, it is finally being replaced with the 5DII which should be available any day now. 3 years is a VERY long lifetime in the universe of DSLR cameras. Quite frankly, I don't need a 5DII (probably didn't need a 5D:) The limitations and any general suckiness of my photography can't be blamed on my camera as it is rarely, if ever, the weak link.

In the meantime, I have this new cell phone for work that has a camera. I've taken to messing with it while I walk the dogs at night. Below are a few of my creations. On one hand, they probably won't be mistaken for high art from a high end camera, but on the other, I find the camera and the results interesting...

Shadow - Self PortraitNovember 2008



Pine Tree with Snow - Veliki Park, SarajevoNovember 2008



Tree Branches - Veliki Park, SarajevoNovember 2008



Tombstones at Night - Veliki Park, SarajevoNovember 2008

This Year's First Snow

Both these photos were taken today from the warm comforts of my apartment...although it is not nearly as cold as it looks :)


The Foothills of Trebević - SarajevoNovember 2008



Veliki Park Trees - SarajevoNovember 2008

The Wave

I continue to organize and process older photos...

Wave - Destin, FloridaNovember 2007

Last Year

Nature's ScribblesSea Oats - Destin, Florida 2007

Jeff Takes People Pictures Too

They are a very small percentage of what I take, and I'm not particularly good at it (especially not good using flash), but occasionally I end up quite pleased with some of my informal, non-posed portraits.

Elesa Remembers What it is Like to Have Little OnesCzech Republic, Spring 2008

Shazam!

From a little over a year ago. Everytime I've seen this statue, I expect to see lightning flying from his finger tips...

Grgur Ninski - Split, Croatia

Sunday Drive

Today was a beautiful day and we went for a little drive out towards Tuzla. We had pleasant lunch at a restaurant overlooking the town in the valley below...

Bosnian Countryside

Looking...

Out the Window - Somewhere Over the U.S.September 2007

At Least It Can Make For Beautiful Sunsets...

...pollution that is :(

I was up at the Bijela Tabija (White Bastion) once again with visitors a few days back. Sky wasn't so clear this time, the smog had pretty much taken over.

Afternoon Smog - Sarajevo

Vintgar Gorge

Just a couple miles or so outside of Bled, is the beautiful Vintgar Gorge (Soteska Vintgar). This time of year it proved to be a beautiful walk, and being a Monday after the normal vacation season, there were few other visitors.

Flowing Toward Sunshine - Vintgar Gorge, Slovenia




A Splash of Color - Vintgar Gorge, Slovenia

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Just spent a beautiful weekend at Bled, Slovenia. The weather was near perfect, the fall colors were gorgeous...and the company was fine too! So putting politics and banking aside, back to photographs.

Bled Island, Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary, with Bled Castle in the background



Blejski Otok, Cerkev Marijinega Vnebovzetja, Blejski Grad

More..."No Photoshop Required"

This could be funny if it wasn't about to cost each and every U.S citizen about $23,000...$7 trillion true cost of bail out divided by 300 million citizens (approximate population of U.S.) and greatly prolonging the downturn in the stock market, housing prices and general economy.

Section 503 of the bill the Senate is about to vote on:
SEC. 503. EXEMPTION FROM EXCISE TAX FOR CERTAIN WOODEN ARROWS DESIGNED FOR USE BY CHILDREN.
blah
blah
blah

I'd post all the other stupid pork here (basically the entire 500, 600 and 700 sections which start at page 261 and go to the end) and some of the glaring loopholes in "taxpayer protections" (the first 261 pages:) but then I'd have to add a tag in the blog for depressing. I'd also like to encourage others to read the Senate's 451 page "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008". I can pretty much guarantee that your senator hasn't read it. I doubt the House Representative's read their version. It was light stupid summer reading of only 110 pages...it skipped the part about toy arrows :)

...even the Exxon Valdez made the bill....I thought we had our fill of that in "Waterworld".

Srebrenica

Last Sunday, Elesa and I went on a tour to the "Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery to Genocide Victims" with a number of other Americans. It was a gloomy damp day (a lot of those the past few weeks) that fit the mood of the place.

Grave Markers for the Identified Victims RemainsSrebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery to Genocide Victims



Names of the VictimsSrebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery to Genocide Victims

Are You Smarter Than a...

Wall Street CEO?
My bet is that you are. Everyone I know certainly is.

Here is my argument. Would you pay two times the sticker price of something at the store?...say eggs, just because you are friends with the salesman and have known him a long time and because eggs used to be a lot more expensive? Would you pay two times the sticker price on Sunday afternoon when you knew the eggs would be going on sale for 1/2 price on Monday morning? (effectively paying 4 times the price?).

Well that is EXACTLY what Bank of America did a week ago Sunday. BoA agreed to buy Merrill Lynch for twice the price you, I or anyone else (if we had the money) could have bought it for the prior Friday afternoon. The price BoA agreed to buy Merrill Lynch for was likely 4 times or more what anyone with a pulse could have bought it for the following Monday morning (if BoA hadn't announced the plans to buy on Sunday).

That is the level of stupidity that Congress (both Democrat and Republican) and the Executive Branch (primarily Hank Paulson, Secretary of Treasury and President Bush) want to support and encourage with their latest "bailout" plan. The math, the concepts etc. really aren't as complicated as Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, Barney Frank and others are trying to lead people to believe. Anyone who earns more than they spend, maybe has a loan that they make payments on, can easily grasp where these guys went awry.

I could rant about the bailouts for hours on end. Instead, I called my Representative in Congress as well as the two Senators from my state to lodge my complaint. Unless you feel that you need to be saddled with another $40,000 or so of debt, and that these idiots deserve to continue to make $50 million dollars at year at your expense, I suggest you do the same....pst "pass it on".

Members of the House of Reprehensibles (BTW...all are up for reelection in November) can be found HERE

Your State's two Seniletors can be found HERE

too bad I don't have 100,000+ hits a day like Barry does...

-end rant

Who Would You Vote For?

Like the U.S.A., Bosnia is also in the midst of an election cycle. They definitely have a different idea of what makes someone electable though. From looking at the numerous posters around town, the focus seems to be on serious, mean and ugly...do NOT smile.

Vote Jeff !!! - Sarajevo

Boulevard of Broken Things

Along Evlogi Georgiev (Евлоги Георгиев) Boulevard is a collection of what I can only describe as "deconstruction art". Sculptures constructed of what appear to me to be pieces of old buildings, walls, staircases etc. Most of it seemed pretty bland, but the idea struck me as interesting. I wasn't very creative with my photography of if either though...in retrospect, my photos are also a little bland.

"Deconstruction" Art - Sofia, Bulgaria




Shells - Sofia





Stairway to Nowhere - Sofia





Man in the Room - Sofia




More "Deconstruction Art" - Sofia

Samokov Monastery

Metoh - Maiden's Monastery or Convent...shroud or veil, it gets pretty confusing and what it is called will depend on the translation. The Bulgarian Monastery web site's page for Samokov is HERE. where they call it “The Shroud of God’s Mother” but it you search on Samokov, you will find other names. Whatever it is called, there was this cute little old orthodox nun that just talked up a storm with some of the people I was with.

This first photo was taken through a sheer curtain, the little room and her little garden were too small to hold us all.

Orthodox Nun - Samokov Monastery, Bulgaria



She was very proud of her garden (and rightfully so)

Orthodox Nun - Samokov Monastery



Their grounds were beautiful, flowers, vegetable gardens, grapes, benches, just a peaceful place. The church was pretty neat too.


Flowers - Samokov Monastery




Flowers - Samokov Monastery

Sofia Texture

The first couple are obvious....bark has texture..

Bark - Vitosha, Bulgaria



Birch - Samokov (Самоков), Bulgaria



But the lady in the breakfast room at the hotel thought I was a little strange when shortly after finishing my coffee and breakfast, I came hustling back. I was lugging my big white 70-200 2.8L lens to take this photo before the sun moved.

Back Lit Curtain




Supposedly the oldest building in Sofia, St George Rotunda hides in what is primarily a service courtyard at the Sheraton hotel.

St George Rotunda (Ротонда Свети Георги / Rotonda Sveti Georgi) - Sofia



Not far away from the St George Rotunda is the Church of St Petka of the Saddlemakers (Tsurkva Sveta Petka Samardjiiska). It hides in the below grade median of the multi-lane highway the runs past the side of the Sheraton.

St Petka of the Saddlemakers - Sofia




Also not far from the Sheraton, but right out in front of everything...the road has to curve around it, is the Holy Sunday Church. The stones look like petrified sponge or something.

Holy Sunday Church (Tsurkva Sveta Nedelya)

No Photoshop Required

This is stuff you can't make up...
From our automobile insurance policy (for the car overseas) under section VIII. "Exclusions"
We will not pay for
3. Loss due to or as a consequence of:
b. discharge of any nuclear weapon (even if accidental);

dang! I thought I would have been covered!

Vitosha (Витоша)

Sofia has heaps of parks and open space. Vitosha mountain and national park to the south, South Park that runs from the south all the way to the heart of the city, and the mall-like Bulgaria Square in front of the National Palace of Culture (NDK)

Lone Flute PlayerNDK with Vitosha Looming in the Distance - Sofia. Bulgaria



Mountain Stream - Vitosha, Bulgaria

Rorschach Ink Blot Test

I was fooling around and just couldn't help myself...
(You might want to click on the photo to see the larger version)

Rorschach - What Do You See?

The Fog is a Little Early This Year

Out of Season, Idle Ski Lifts - Jahorina

Sarajevo Sunset

Looking west over Sarajevo from Bijela Tabija...

Sunset, 28 August 2008 - Sarajevo

Fountain - Bulgaria Square, Sofia

The fountain in Bulgaria Square in front of the NDK (National Palace of Culture/Национален дворец на културата/Natsionalen dvorets na kulturata)...in the time I was there, it didn't always have water...

The Fountain in Bulgaria Square




Sparkling Fountain

Postcards From Summer Travels

Still recovering from a long summer (that isn't quite over yet).
Here are a couple of "post card shots" from some of my travels this summer.


What is Art? Graffiti vs. CommunismMonument to the Bulgarian State - Sofia, BulgariaPametnik na Balgarskata Darzhava




Church of the Holy Seven - Sofia, BulgariaTsurkva Sveti Sedmochislentsi

summer vacation

If you haven't figured it out by the lack of posts, I"m taking some time off... so if you just have to see photos, you can see what is playing on some of the digital photo frames in our family. After receiving one as a Christmas present a couple years ago from my kids. we all enjoyed it so much that we gave one to both my parents and Elesa's....the last load of a card for theirs can be found at my photobucket site, HERE.

Fresh Water

On the nicer side...if you go up in the mountains far enough, you can still drink the water where it comes out of the side of a mountain. Along the road from Kakanj to Ponijeri, there are a number of water stops where fresh drinkable water is available at the side of the road.

However, out in the boonies, the issue remains land mines. In the past few weeks a number of people have blown themselves up wandering off the beaten path...one was apparently hunting mushrooms, two more were chopping wood, and just Saturday I believe two mine clearing workers were killed in an accident.

WARNING - Don't wander off the road if you are not familiar with the area.


Fresh Spring - Ponijeri, Bosnia

The Real Miljacka River

A continuation of my earlier rant. These were taken at the same time as the photos in this earlier post and are the "comes later" photos I promised at the time....here is what most photos DON"T show.

Every visitor we've had, pretty much any foreigner I've talked to here, says something along these lines at some point..."This would be such a beautiful country except for the litter everywhere."


The Miljacka River Garbage Dump - Sarajevo



Umbrella Left for Dead - Miljacka River, Sarajevo