"La Quebrada Cliff Divers"

03/08/08

The first stop on our cruise after two days at sea, was Acapulco. We took a bus tour and saw the cliff divers. What a sight they were to see! We only got to watch four or so of them dive, so I had to shoot fast. I used my 75-300mm zoom and shot from a prime spot up above the cliffs. These are a couple of my favorites.




"Everyday, La Quebrada becomes the stage for daring locals who risk their lives, jumping from a height of more than 110 feet. The show, which has been going on since the 1930s, starts with the divers climbing the natural clefts in the cliff walls to reach the highest point. From there they jump, never forgetting to cross themselves, and say a little prayer in the sanctuary first."
Each dive must be carefully timed. The ebb and flow of the tide makes these dives extremely dangerous.



The younger boys start diving around age 8 from lower levels on the cliffs. I'm glad none of these are my children. Wow! Nowadays, most of these divers are professionals who also take part in competitions and demonstrations worldwide. This show ends with a majestic dive at night, lit by torches.

The bigger these photos are, the better I like them. You can see them larger on my website, Just click HERE . I welcome your comments!

"Flight to Santa Catalina Island" (for lunch)

03/02/08

Before the cruise, we stayed with some friends of my mom's for several days. This is their private plane. We flew to Catalina Island for lunch, the second day of our stay. It was strange to see them pull the plane out of the hanger that just looked like an oversized garage. We all piled in and the check off sheet was read to the pilot as we taxied out to the runway. I sat where that first window is just behind the opened door.

As we approached the island, we began looking for the bison that still reside there since they were placed there for a movie years ago.
We also looked for the runway. The "landing strip" was pointed out to us and I'm like, "We're landing where? On that...bandaid? Lord, I might be seeing ya soon!" (this was not verbal, only my private thoughts, mind you.) I will admit I was nervous about the landing. As you can see, there isn't much room on either end for a mistake. Yikes!
Fortunately, our pilot was a flight instructor for many years and is quite an awesome pilot. That would have been nice information to have BEFORE we went on the flight! LOL And, thankfully, it was not the pilot's time to go. (don't know if you all know that joke)

This is the shoreline on the west side of the island. It was a very hazy day, and the wing was blocking my view, so it was difficult to get good shots free of window reflections, part of the wing or something else in the shot, but I did manage to get this shot where you can just see how blue and clear the water is. My circular polarizing filter helped to capture that and cut down on the haze a bit.

I know it's just off the coast of Southern California, but I can now say that I've "flown overseas" (get it, over seas? haha) in my photographic travels.

"Easter Blessings!"

Today is a wonderful day because today we celebrate the risen Savior and an empty tomb!

God Bless you and Happy Easter, everyone!

"Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

This is quite a busy time of year for Irish Dancers. Our girls just finished their St. Pat's Day performances. Two hectic, fun-filled days! Here's a picture of them at one of the first performances. I'm glad I got this photo when they were still fresh. Boy, were they exhausted by the end of the two days. I was too, and I didn't even dance. Of course, I was still suffering from jet-lag, but I survived. We all did! We had a great time with our friends, making people happy with our Irish tunes and step dance.

Whether you're truly Irish in heritage as we are, or just a little Irish at heart, we hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Blessings:

"Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live each day as if it were your last."
"May your home always be too small to hold all your friends."

An Irish Prayer:

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer."

"Picture Preview"

I am only just beginning to sort through all of the images I took on my recent cruise. This is an image from the beach at Zihuatanejo. That big ship is ours, the Carnival Spirit. Stay tuned, there's more to come...