>>>CTP: We're going to see a lot a remembrances and celebration as the year ensues. So I thought I'd ask.......................

Where were you?

UK friends: WW II 3 Sept 1939
US friends: Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941
US and UK friends, D-Day 6 June 1944
US and UK friends, V.E Day 8 May 1945
US and UK Friends, V.J. Day 2 Sept 1945


>>>CTP: I'll start it off.
WW Ii 3 Sept 1939 I was four years old and living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 3 Sept 1939. My Grandfather's company had sent him from Durham ,NC to Southern Ontario to build hosiery mills along the U.S/Canadian boarder.

Dec 7th, 1941 evening was spent lying on the floor of grandpa's new Plymouth travelling and listening to the News and scared stiff expecting the Japanese would be waiting for us when we reached my grandparent's home in Woodstock, Ont.

The rest of the war, D day, V.E and VJ day, of course I was older, but most of that time was hoping Dad would return, from Europe, safely, collecting metal and paper for what ever they did with that stfuf to "defeat Hitler" I do recall a poem, in a neighborhood Drug store window posted on VJ day about the recent late President Roosevelt: "He Labored far into the night, He saw the dawn But was denied the light".

Seems like yesterday, now!..............................C

How much do we notice as we go through a day?????
Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America.
If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was heading for Washington, DC back on 9/11.
She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him.
Lisa recalled this story: "I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students.
As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment.
Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. The class was completely quiet.
We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.
Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

Hi, my name is Richg55. 25 years ago I had one of the first Videography studios in New Jersey shooing strictly Video events, and became a member of the South Jersey PPA. After @ 5 years in business I burned out real fast. I had 8 shooters and I guess I grew WAY to fast. I Left the business and went into financial planning and had a wonderfully successful business for the past 18 years. Last March I was diagnosed with a rare deadly form of Leukemia. I decided to spend my days spending time with my children and 8 grandchildren. I'm having a blast learning all the NEW still and am studying constantly, especially because I'm housebound. I finally got out and started shooting the kids sports, basketball,soccer,indoor baseball. After my first outing I realize how much work I need. But I'm loving it! Looking forward to picking all your brains and hopefully also being a contributor toy the site. I absolutely love the past month getting to know the people who post regularly. No specific questions today, Just wanted to say HI!!

My wife and I are going to northern Scotland for 12 days. A major purpose of the trip is to get pictures of birds, especially sea birds like Puffins and Gannets. Currently I have a Nikon D7000 and a AF-S Nikkor 70-300 mm 4.5-5.6 lens. My tripod is a Manfrotto 190X PRO4 with a 128RC head (tilt and pan). It is likely that we will be on boats in open water for some of the time. I have had good luck so far with bird pics on land and can hand hold the lens there. But I am concerned with showing up in Scotland with inadequate equipment and missing my chance at probably once in a lifetime pictures. What do the rest of you think? I would like to avoid spending more than $2000 but that depends on what limitations that imposes.