I have been restoring old WWII photos from my FIL. There are a lot of spots. Using LR5, I am finding that the program slows, and sometimes even hangs (program not responding) for up to 2 minutes before I can continue. I cleaned out old footprints, and rebooted, with no change. If I switch to a different picture, I get normal processing speed. If I then go back to the problem photo, the spot remover will not keep up with the cursor. It takes 30 seconds or more to change from fit view to 2:1. Cursor movement is jerky.
I exported the half finished image, and re-imported it, and the speed was fine. It is not a corruption of the program, but associated with individual photos.
Are you limited to how many edits you can make before the program gets balky? Anyone have another fix for this?

What you see in LightRoom is a preview only. When you open the Develop section, Lightroom builds a 1:! preview. Your original is unchanged. Depending on your settings, the 1:1 is deleted after a time. However, it is a lightroom file that cannot be used by other programs unless you export into a different extension format. As was stated earlier, look at the size of any one of your .jpg or RAW file photos. Then look at the size of the files you save in lightroom. The difference in size is due to the fact that lightroom is saving the metadata for your changes, not the entire picture.

You will be able to open the .jpg or tiff in Explorer, but then compare it to your lightroom preview. They will borbably be different. Unless you export your finished edits, you have only previews within LR. If you cannot open your finished product outside of LR, you do not have 3 copies of the PP image.

Great shots! Were they taken in NJ? If so, what area?

Unless you have something else in mind in Maine, you might also consider Provincetown on Cape Cod. Stellwagen Bank is a National Marine preserve between Cape Cod & Boston. The ridge causes an upwelling and results in lots of food for the whales. The Dolphin Fleet is connected to a research/rescue group on the Cape. End of April, early May is when the whales return. If you are early enough in the spring, the crowds are missing, and the B&B prices are still out-of-season rates. Ask about discounts, like AAA.
I have had whales come right up to the boat to look us over. Very weird wondering who is really in the zoo. They are free to leave,and we are behind the bars on the ship.

Welcome to UHH. You might look at the Canon SX50. It is a bridge camera that has many characteristics of a DSLR. Since the SX60 came out, there have been sales on the SX50. One member reported that Walmart had one for $214. You may also consider refurbished gear. B&H Photo, Adaorama, KEH or Cameta are all reliable and have good prices. KEH is good for refurbished. These are not the same as used. They have generally been overhauled and inspected by the factory, but may be sold without a box. They are rated by quality on the site.
My suggestion is to listen to all the recommendations, then go to a camera store or Best Buy and handle the ones you are considering. Take an SD card and ask if you can take pictures. Take shots of the salesman, the camera display and a sign across the store. Then compare them. I agree with the comment about feel. Some will feel natural and some awkward. You will not use it much if it doesn't feel right.
Ignore the hype about the preference for Canon or Nikon. There are some differences which you can get from review sites. Here, we all have our preference and defend it, sometimes to the point of absurdity.
There is a lot of choice out there, and you should be able to find the right camera for the right price. Just do your research. Remember to have fun. That is why we are here.

KEH is a reliable company that sells refurbished products (as well as used) They rate them based on condition. The condition is often a little better than the rating. You can save a few bucks.
www.KEH.com
B&H and Adaorama also sell used & refurbished. Some people spend most of their GAS budget on refurbished products. More bang for the buck.

You noted that you shot film. What brand did you use and do you have lenses from that camera? IF you can use the same lenses, it may be a factor.
A good entry point is a bridge camera. The Canon SX60 was just released, so you may be able to find a deal on the SX50. Good learning camera without a huge outlay of cash. I have a Canon 70D & 3Ti, and still bought an sx50. It has its uses over better grade cameras sometimes. That makes it a good starting point, until it becomes your backup.

heard of 40 and tried 28

1. Agree with the comment "you can't have too much RAM or memory
2. Dell can be configured with Windows 7.
3.AVAST or AVG are highly rated anit-virus.(And FREE!) Norton & McAfee are both blotware: that is they install with so much other crap that they slow your computer down.

The debate between PC & Mac is as contentious as that between Canon & Nikon. I suggest you read reviews and decide for yourself. Much will depend on your intended uses.

Radio Shack has a spray corrosion cleaner for electronics.

Dell can be configured any way you want on their site. The other brand with a good reputation is Toshiba. HP was once good but no longer has the reliability.

What is the advantage of a tablet?

Speed. You can miss a shot putting on a different lens while the bridge camera has it all together. Many of the same capabilities, not all, but much faster to use.