MyVirginiaMemory.com

MyVirginiaMemory.com gives vacationers in that state the opportunity to send real postcards to friends and family directly from their website and, not only that, including their own photo. These are hard-copy postcards delivered straight to the recipients mailbox. There’s and emailed digital version option as well.

The Virginia tourism website is commemorating the 40th anniversary of Virginia is for Lovers with this promotion (limit 5 per person).  Simply

• upload your photo (or choose from their gallery)
• enter the message, recipient’s address and details
• the save and send

Visit the website of My Virginia Memory at MyVirginiaMemory.com

There is also an opportunity to wind a free Virginia vacation. See www.Virginia.org/40

The sunken gardens at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia

Ross Fountain at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia

…Rob

The crowd is  friendly and fun, and at least in our experience, always seems to made up of a mixture of “regulars”, tourists, and Islanders who are home for a summer visit. We have been there on beautiful clear evenings, and in the rain. There is a sheltered grandstand to sit in if it is wet, but on most evenings it is a pleasure to be outside in the bleachers, or just standing along the track.

For photographers, there is lots of color and action. Fans can get right up to the rail, very close to the action. Be sure to take a lens cleaner should you get too close, especially in wet weather! I made this image in August, 2008.

If you are headed down to the the Island, give the Raceway a try. It may become a highlight of your vacation trip as well.

Murray McComb

L'Eglise St-Alphonse-de-Ligouri in Chapeau, Quebec.

On a weekend trip to Pembroke, Ontario  I took the opportunity to do some kite aerial photography (KAP) in nearby Chapeau, Quebec. Chapeau is on Allumette Island (L’Isle-aux-Allumettes), a 22 km x 12 km island in the Ottawa River.  When you drive onto the island from the Quebec mainland side (over the bridge you see in the distance in the above photograph), the church on the hill is quite imposing.

Chapeau, Quebec.

Here is a photo I took from the bridge on a trip through this way last autumn. I made a mental note that the church and surrounding community and river valley would be a potential subject for aerial photography.  The objective of this session was to work from the back of the church. Not only is there  a large schoolyard, park and cemetery at the back which gives ample space for launching aerial equipment, but by shooting from a rear perspective you can also include the river valley, bridge and the community of Chapeau in the shots. It might also be quite interesting to shoot aerial shots of the front of the church, and I may go at a future time to scope that out in terms of feasibility of using kite aerial photography.

L'Eglise St-Alphonse-de-Ligouri in Chapeau, Quebec.

The church is called L’Eglise St-Alphonse-de-Ligouri. This photo is from the west and includes a large portion of the town of Chapeau. In the background is the downstream section of the north channel of the Ottawa River and the Province of Quebec on the left. Chapeau and Allumette Island are also part of Quebec. About 140 km in the direction you are viewing, but on the Ontario side, is the city of Ottawa.

I include a few more images below of the Church and community.

L'Eglise St-Alphonse-de-Ligouri in Chapeau, Quebec.

The bridge across the north channel. Allumette Island and part of Chapeau is in the foreground.

Below is  a view of the cemetery where I stood to take a number of the other images. This was roughly my location for the distant aerial shot at the top of the article. It is spring so the grass is still brown and the trees are leafless.

The cemetery behind the Church. One of the bumps on the lawn is me, not a grave marker. Follow the kite line down to just above the shadow of the tree on the right.

…Rob Huntley

“Jazz up your Friday nights at the Desert Botanical Garden’s spring concert series. Enjoy evenings surrounded by desert beauty and the sounds of the Valley’s premier jazz musicians. Fabulous Food Fine Catering & Events provides a chef-attended food station featuring weekly specials for an additional charge. The Patio Café will also be open with food for purchase from the daily café menu. Cash bar and wine tastings are available with the opportunity to purchase wine by the bottle.”

You can order tickets online and view the full line-up of artists at:

http://www.dbg.org/index.php/plan/calendar/springconcerts

The Festival started in 1948 and since then has flourished. It now attracts more than 300,000 people each year. The festival is a non-profit organization and this year sponsorship is derived from four main sources: Progress Energy, My Rewards, Wachovia Bank, and the Hilton Wilmington Riverside.

Office Information:
5725 Oleander Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 3275
Wilmington, NC 28406
phone: (910) 794-4650
fax: (910) 794-4651
info@ncazaleafestival.org

Source: North Carolina Azalea Festival website: http://ncazaleafestival.org/

At the Davis County Event Center there are Friday and Saturday programs which include:

• workshops
• artists
• booths
• vendors
• food

The event is open to people of all ages and birding experience. There is also an annual Dutch oven dinner on Saturday with keynote speaker Scott Weidensaul, an author and naturalist.

The entire program can be viewed at:

http://www.greatsaltlakebirdfest.com

To enter the contest you need a hand-held GPS, a mode of transportation, and a camera. You can head off blindly or download a document with GPS coordinates of some of the places that the contest organizers have visited.

Submit your photo entry online of a picture taken along one of the state’s nine scenic byways. Throughout the year 4 winners will be selected. Check the photo contest website for information on prizes and rules.

Source: Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Travel and Tourism Division

http://www.visitnebraska.gov/

Fresh home-grown strawberries are the cause behind the family-oriented celebrations. Enjoy strawberry pancakes, strawberry wine, strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry crepes, strawberry slush, strawberry schaum torte, chocolate-covered strawberries and strawberry ice cream.

Washington Avenue is closed to traffic to make way for several art fairs, the 9th Annual Plein Air Painting Competition, and an art auction which includes works from the competition. Cedarburg’s nine block Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places with unique restaurants and charming shops.

Music will be in the air, featuring top forty, bluegrass and rock and roll. There will also be strawberry contests (strawberry shortcake eating, strawberry bubblegum blowing and the berry bob) and a festival kid’s corner including a paintable mural, kids performance stage, magicians, clowns and face painting.

If that’s not enough, join in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Ozaukee County’s “Berry Big” 5K Run/Walk/Roll. Board a tractor hayride shuttle to visit the Marketplace for shopping or tour Historic Cedarburg .

For more information go to:

http://www.cedarburgfestivals.org/strawberryfestival.html

Background:

Garden at Blue Heron Pond Farm, Queen Anne's County Tour (April 25)

Homeowners in five Maryland counties and Baltimore City are preparing their houses and gardens for the annual non-profit Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage which kicks off in April.

Visitors from all over the region will be able to take walking tours of some of the most beautiful properties and landmarks in Maryland.

Mt. Felix, Harford County Tour (May 3)

Tours take place on four consecutive spring weekends. This year’s line-up features:
Queen Anne’s County (April 25), St. Mary’s County (May 2), Harford County (May 3), Homeland in Baltimore City (May 9), Bay Ridge in Anne Arundel County (May 16) and Western Run and Worthington Valleys in Baltimore County (May 17).

Garden and Lake at Tashiding, Baltimore County Tour (May 17)

The Pilgrimage is the original house and garden tour in the state.

The Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage (MHGP), now in its 72nd year, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of architecturally significant properties in the State of Maryland.

Proceeds from tour ticket sales support designated preservation projects in each host community. Last year’s Pilgrimage raised more than $110,000 to benefit these projects.

Tour Details - Detailed itineraries are posted at www.mhgp.org

Source: Media Advisory from Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage