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Our 4th-of-July week in Muskegon flew by in a blur of family time, graduation celebrating, grilling, pine cone collecting, and kayaking.

So, here are just a few random images from the week. The yummy ice cream from Whippi Dip. The decadent deep-fried Twinkie from the Muskegon art fair. A bird nest in a hanging fern at Jeff’s parents’ house. The drive-in hot dog diner–Dogs and Suds. And (of course) the requisite Independence Day fireworks shots over Muskegon Lake.

And yes, here is the previously mentioned “hummingbird pee” shot. And no, I don’t really believe it is in-fact hummingbird pee. But SOMETHING shot through the frame in a very dramatic way. I have about 50-60 other shots with just the hummingbird….snooze. So, let me stick with my version of the story.

Venice’s grand Piazza San Marco is a blur of motion during the day. Crowded with people and pigeons…seemingly of equal numbers at times.

Most guide books will either 1) focus heavily on San Marco or 2) tell you to avoid this “tourist trap”. Well both of these are so totally wrong. Venice is much more than San Marco, but to miss it is to miss something unique in the world.

What I enjoy most about San Marco is how its mood changes with the time of day and the weather. Fortunately, most paths across Venice pass near or through San Marco, which give you the chance to pass through (quickly if you like) and see what mood the square is in.

I was editing this photo from a gallery window in Venice this evening, and it reminded me of our evening trip to the deli.

Let me start by reminding folks that I’m a proud carnivore, but I prefer to ignore the origins of the “constructed” meats I consume. For example, American sausages are usually A-OK, because the ingredients are not readily apparent.

But tonight at the deli…excuse me…the gourmet deli…we ran across a few items that threw me: “blood and tongue sausage” (“perfectly seasoned” read the label) and “Bavarian Headcheese” containing identifiable pork tongue in gelatin.

Not necessary 🙂

So, I am cleansing my palate with our favorite tiramisu from Venice: Ristorante Rosa Rossa.

After a normal day of Whippi Dip and some yard work planting daylilies, we pulled out a couple dozen trays of Jeff’s dad’s slides full of family memories and images of Vietnam. After fighting with a cranky slide projector, we sat for a few hours laughing at bad faishions, remembering Christmas presents past, and telling stories of relatives long gone.

I had done this very same ritual in Richmond with my family on my last visit. The ritual made me think. In the digital camera age, will we have the ‘bad’ or ’embarrassing’ or ‘accidental’ images to show the next generation? Or will our electronic picture boxes be only those images that we didn’t delete and re-shoot a half dozen times until it was just right.

And what about those helpful notations (‘Sunrise over hog yard – Aug 1962.’) that help you remember a place oe names. Who takes the time to rename all those ‘IMG-5362’ file names?

As I have been pulling up images from college, I chuckle at the bad hair and the high white socks and the geeky poses. But these go hand in hand with my fond memories.

You know, some days are just relaxing without being eventful. And of course, the addicted blogger must…fill…the…void! Today was sunny and warm and uneventful. There was more kayaking and Whippi Dip and eating on the deck…but nothing to write about.

Our best topic today was around a photo I took of a hummingbird feeding. I used the continuous mode to try and catch the essence of the hummingbird. In one frame, there is a yellow streak that shoots across 2/3 of the shot. Until my parents can tell me otherwise, we have dubbed this the hummingbird peeing shot.

Talk about a slow news day!