halloween cruise/ Magic: October 28th-nov..4th 2006

[awoltoday]

So, we voted on custom bracelets... What is going to be on the bracelets? What color will they be?

 

[princessh]

So, we voted on custom bracelets... What is going to be on the bracelets? What color will they be?

I hope to have the proof from Reminderband soon. Once I get it, I will post it on the website. The bracelet will be neon green with black debossing ) so the writing stands out). I requested it to say Halloween on the Disney Magic 2006 with a pumpkin image in front of the wording and a cruise ship image at the end of the wording. The sales erp indicated that the wording might be too much. He is working on some suggestions and will be sending them to me soon. It should have something about the Disney magic , Halloween and 2006. If anyone has any suggestions let me know!


Also, I had a few e-mails come back to me as undeliverable. If you did not get an e-mail, the order form is posted on the website. My Father had a hard time understanding the order form. Sorry, I was attempting to creat an order form with having to assign item numbers to everything. Each row is for a different shirt. Please circle what type of shirt you want, then what image you want on the shirt, what size you would want, and if you want to add an additional image on the back, please circle what image you would like. You would then order your next shirt on the row beneath the first one and so forth. If you need to order more than four shirts simply print out another order form and continue. At the bottom you can order the bracelets. In the space besides the size please write the number of bracelets you would like in that size. I figured it would just be easier to charge a flat rate for shipping. If you are only going to order bracelets and not t-shirts, please send me an e-mail or PM for shipping fee. The bracelets are lightweight and cost only a stamp or two to mail them by themselves. Please contact me if you have any questions!

 

[captaincrash]

I'd love to post photos, but have no idea how...

Sherry...

To post photos you need to upload them to ALMOST ANY web site that will host them. Photobucket is one of many. I use dotphoto.com and Costco.com. Once you've uploaded to a site - enlarge it to it's largest viewable format and... RIGHT click on the image and select "properties" from the pop up window. In the center of the resulting window is the URL address. it should end with a "jpg" or possibly a "gif" (unlikely). Copy this ENTIRE line of code. This is where your image as seen RIGHT NOW is stored. If you copy from a tiny thumbnail then it will be of that size - so it is important to get a properly sized or larger image.

Now with the URL code stored on your clip board... go back to the DIS and open a window to post. TYpe in and then INSERT the URL code. This can be done by simply holding down the Ctrl key and tapping the "V" key once. This is a short cup. As is copying by click and dragging over the URL code and holding the control ket (Ctrl) and tapping "C" once or twice. WHen copying it does not hurt to order a copy 2 or 3x.

So once the code is in type . Now you can hit the preview key and you will see how your image will appear BEFORE you post. And as an added measure - I like to position the images centrally - so I click and drag over the entire bracketed line and hit the "center" symbol in the upper margin. This adds

​

commands to your image. Now it's gonna be nicely central on the line.

Hope this helps! If you have any further difficulty then PM me.

You can also google images to "rip" to add emphasis to your postings. I make liberal use of such.

SO ----------------------

I was just passing through to "visit". Looks like I'm gonna miss the bedding and refurbishment enhancements due in October. Oh well...

Hope everyone is well - I only glanced back a half dozen pages.

Kristen - I love the new siggy pix you've posted. nice sized and simply gorgous! That sunset with a fill flash on your girls looks simply magical. May I suggest a great new printing site called propixexpress.com. They will make an 8x10 framed print press mounted on a canvass embossed board using Kodak Endura Supreme paper - which has a 200 year life span stored in the dark, or a 100 year life span exhibited in the home - and a 1-5 year commercial life span under bright lights. So - if you SEAL the surface of your endura supreme prints then you'll get this sort of life from them... imagine - 200 years of life measured as a 30% loss of intensity in the image! Wow! Oh yeah... an 8x10 in black wood frame is $8.95 including color correction. Add a spray seal for $0.99. And they have 16x20 with a fancy carved pewter frame including the spray seal and canvass mount - for $39.99 AND a 5x7 flat mount in a huge cherry frame with a canvass trim... only $5.90 each! AND... 2nd day express shipping regardless of order size is only $5.95! AND finally... you can get 10% off your order by entering into the commen ts that you're exercising discount code #101 for 10% off. Cool eh? I've bought near 60-75 prints from them and they're such a gorgous bargain!

Shoot your Cruise shots digitally - take 2-4x with every character - or have friends shoot several - and take the best and make FRAMED and MOUNTED prints for LESS then the print alone from DCL. And get them delivered with 2 day express and lesss then 2 days in the lab!

Oh well... I'll check back tonight ta see if anyone was on to reply - I gotta run my kids to the pool to meet their girlfriends before dinner time rolls around!

Cheers...

And here is a googled image below....

 

[kritter]

CAPTAIN CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So glad that you found my pictures to be good and I am glad that I was able to comply with the size...LOL.....


I tried to go to propixexpress.com and could not find it ...can you provide me with the link??????

I would love to do what you suggested to the picture I may need you to coach me along with the whole process....

Your cruise is coming up are you excited???Still hoping that you will be there when we are in Florida and can meet us all..We really miss having you around........

 

[awoltoday]

Hey crash!

You're makin' us work tonight! That link sounded so good that I had dig out the right one LOL... You had an 'X' where a 'CS' should have been! (http://www.propicsexpress.com/) That sounds like a fantistic deal, though! Thanks!

 

[captaincrash]

CAPTAIN CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So glad that you found my pictures to be good and I am glad that I was able to comply with the size...LOL.....


I tried to go to propixexpress.com and could not find it ...can you provide me with the link??????

Here it is!
http://www.propicsexpress.com/​

I would love to do what you suggested to the picture I may need you to coach me along with the whole process....

Your cruise is coming up are you excited???Still hoping that you will be there when we are in Florida and can meet us all..We really miss having you around........

We miss ya'all too

http://www.propicsexpress.com/

In order to see all their specials you MUST download their free software tool. Otherwise the only deals revealed are the 8x10 framed canvas mount for $6.95; and the 10x13 for 9.95 and... the 16x20 for $39.95. NOTE, the tool has to link with the site every time you open it to update current deals. Without downloading the software - click on specials in the top right hsand corner of the home page to see the explanation on 2 of the deals.

So... once you get the tool - open it and select one of your photo albums. Then on the bottom left corner select the SIZES option and PROPIX SPECIALS (top of pop up menu) and you'll see a list of all the frame sizes with basic prices listed. To order spray coatings you have to preview your selections and slect "options". I would not go with the MATT option as it dulls the finish - that is - unless you're looking to dampen relfectivity where the print will be exhibited. And, after you've selected a frame type and size the preview window on the left will show what the actual frame looks like. Now select a good quality image to "test" compose with the frame size combo. NOTE you can alternately select to rotate the frame and image seperately. AND you can resize and otherwise crop on the fly. AND there are B&W and sepia options sometimes! Cool!

So... as cheap as these seem to be - they are very affordable. ANd as such, I recommend you try a test order of a couple or 3 images before you go hog wild. I've spent tons with this outfit and the frames are fair value. Corner fit leaves a lot to be desired - until you reflect on the bargain price and lightning fast service with cheap flat shipping. I'm constantly astounded how LARGE the boxes are given the cheap flat rate 2nd day service!

And do NOT forget to enter into the order comments that you'd like the 10% discount code 101. Once they failed to honor my discount and I simply emailed customer support and they promptly refunded me. So watch them... and I know... it's not the money, rather it's the idea of ..."a deal being a deal"... eh?

And remember.... these conditions apply for compliant file submission:

Image files submitted to ProPics Express for digital printing should meet the following guidelines:

*JPEG or JPG format, this requires the .jpeg or .jpg
extension on the file name
*File name not to exceed 30 characters
*RGB not CMYK
*Camera files should be captured using the best
quality jpeg or jpg to achieve the best possible
image for print
*Maximum individual file size is 50 MB for digital
output

Non-compliant files can trigger a $5 per image "special manual handling fee". So watch it!

Hope this helps!
-------------------------------

And here is a recent pic of us in Hawaii last week. We were on Waikiki beach and in town to spring a "Surprise 80th Birthday thing" for my FIL. We stayed 2 weeks and had a low intensity visit. Pleasant and slow paced.

 

[kritter]

http://www.propicsexpress.com/

In order to see all their specials you MUST download their free software tool. Otherwise the only deals revealed are the 8x10 framed canvas mount for $6.95; and the 10x13 for 9.95 and... the 16x20 for $39.95. NOTE, the tool has to link with the site every time you open it to update current deals. Without downloading the software - click on specials in the top right hsand corner of the home page to see the explanation on 2 of the deals.

So... once you get the tool - open it and select one of your photo albums. Then on the bottom left corner select the SIZES option and PROPIX SPECIALS (top of pop up menu) and you'll see a list of all the frame sizes with basic prices listed. To order spray coatings you have to preview your selections and slect "options". I would not go with the MATT option as it dulls the finish - that is - unless you're looking to dampen relfectivity where the print will be exhibited. And, after you've selected a frame type and size the preview window on the left will show what the actual frame looks like. Now select a good quality image to "test" compose with the frame size combo. NOTE you can alternately select to rotate the frame and image seperately. AND you can resize and otherwise crop on the fly. AND there are B&W and sepia options sometimes! Cool!

So... as cheap as these seem to be - they are very affordable. ANd as such, I recommend you try a test order of a couple or 3 images before you go hog wild. I've spent tons with this outfit and the frames are fair value. Corner fit leaves a lot to be desired - until you reflect on the bargain price and lightning fast service with cheap flat shipping. I'm constantly astounded how LARGE the boxes are given the cheap flat rate 2nd day service!

And do NOT forget to enter into the order comments that you'd like the 10% discount code 101. Once they failed to honor my discount and I simply emailed customer support and they promptly refunded me. So watch them... and I know... it's not the money, rather it's the idea of ..."a deal being a deal"... eh?

And remember.... these conditions apply for compliant file submission:



Non-compliant files can trigger a $5 per image "special manual handling fee". So watch it!

Hope this helps!
-------------------------------

And here is a recent pic of us in Hawaii last week. We were on Waikiki beach and in town to spring a "Surprise 80th Birthday thing" for my FIL. We stayed 2 weeks and had a low intensity visit. Pleasant and slow paced.

Thanks soooo much that helps a ton..I am going to get some photos ordered...

Your trip looks wonderful and so very relaxing...Post soem mroe photos when you ahve time...
Have you begun the countdown for the cruise????

 

[Princess Olivia]

Captain just looking at your Hawaiian getaway has me wistfully dreaming of our forthcoming tropical vacation!! LOVE the magnet your daughter is holding it would be most appropriate here in my house!

Any new suggestions for when I (soon) purchase my new camera? Is Canon still a good choice? I do want a compact camera. My Kodak is just too big and bulky. I am sorry that you will not be joining this cruise, you will be thought of and missed (as you already are).

 

[sjcubedofct]

Alright, I found that photobucket site and am giving it a try....

Here's the house in May 2006 when we visited for the weekend and took photos:

And here's the house a week after we bought it- Tropical Storm Ernesto hastened the removal of the huge sycamore tree in the front of the house- it was 20' around!! BIG tree:

So, the work continues down here in Faison, NC. Not much time for internet...or eating...or anything else... It's all good, though!!

Thanks for all you guys are doing!!!

Sherry

 

[buckifan]

And here's the house a week after we bought it- Tropical Storm Ernesto hastened the removal of the huge sycamore tree in the front of the house- it was 20' around!! BIG tree:



Sherry

Wasn't that nice of Ernesto to help you out?!

I do love old homes. What year was it built? Good luck with all of the work!

 

[captaincrash]

Alright, I found that photobucket site and am giving it a try....

Here's the house in May 2006 when we visited for the weekend and took photos:

And here's the house a week after we bought it- Tropical Storm Ernesto hastened the removal of the huge sycamore tree in the front of the house- it was 20' around!! BIG tree:

So, the work continues down here in Faison, NC. Not much time for internet...or eating...or anything else... It's all good, though!!

Thanks for all you guys are doing!!!

Sherry

Nice PHOTOS...

... and LOOK at the size of that tree trunk at the lower right! It must be what 3+ feet in diameter! Sorry to see that old timer go! SO now... Sherry a whole NEW can of worms has been opened. You can now add a few pix and save writing a 1000 words in substitution!

One additional comment on picture posting. This I only discovered myself this morning... when you are drafting a posting - at the top in the middle - exactly under that little arrow triangle for selecting font SIZE is a little tiny picture or a picture. Once you have the URL copied of a photo you want to post - click THAT little picture when the insertion point is where you want to post the image.... a pop up insertion box will appear and simply do the control "V" and tap "enter"... and viola your code is now posted and nicely bracketed by the thingys. Saves about 8-10 key strokes and do this made ME feel faster and more "in tune" with posting.

------------


[COLOR=Red]Princess Olivia[/COLOR]

On cameras - I would offer two major thoughts.... #1st ) Try to buy from Costco. They have an unbeatable and liberal return policy in case you're not happy or even BREAK the thing prematurely. NOw - certain things they'll not refund on - like obvious abuse or breakage... but if it suffers a minor failure that does not suggesy abuse (like dropping into water)... then Costco will replace it or refund fiully with a receipt... with NO TIME LIMIT.... yup .... No time limit. I returned a 60" projection HDTV this past february after 13-14 months. Got every penny back! Mine developed a defect with the guns drifting out of alignment every few weeks and the screen had a projection artifact with a triangular rainbow in 3 of 4 corners. I would have been SOL if I bought it from anywhere else - but my neighbor was a Costco Manager and HE returned a big screen TV to Costco ... and he encouraged me to too after I emailed him.

#2) which model... the SD series of Canons are actually water proof to 9' and I have one. But I am afraid to let it get wet. The photos are good - camera tiny and it shoots VGA movies with sound at 30 FPS. So it subs as a pocket movie camera - though limited to 3 minute clips at atime.

#3) if you're fushing for shooting POWER then Canon just announced a bargain 400 XTi DSLR for $799 MSRP w/o lens. You still need a lens and going CHEAP I would recommend a SIGMA 28-125 lense. Going moderate I would encourage what I have ... a Canon 20-35 f3.5-4.0 (under $200 eBay) and /or a 28-135 Image stabilized lense (low $300s eBay). I also have a 70-300 IS lense ($550-600 full retail only since it is a brand new advanced design). The lenses will not wear out and can be resold for 95-105% of what you paid IF you buy them used. The body has a 25,000-35,000 actuation life before the shutter needs replacing for about $180-225. The mirror box assembly needs replacing at the 2nd shutter assembly replacement. That might run $500... so it would be time to just throw it away at that time. I shoot with a 10D - built heavier but supposedly no more durable a lifespan then the 300D/350Xt/400XTi series.

#4) Start modest with any old D-cam... and evolve through your needs. Basic common sense in camera handling will help you more then the equipment. Point and shoots require you half press a shutter to charge the CCD, achieve focus and exposure, and charge the flash if needed. Then wait for the moment to snap the shot. Brace against movement when shooting. Stay within your flashs' effective range for low light shots. Compose with the classic rules (read elsewhere). And always shoot at the best or 2nd best resolution/compression setting on your camera. Memory is cheap enough that you can buy huge storage at nominal cost. AND... remember... with a JPEG image... every time you re-save an image it INTRODUCES electronic noise and can MELT AN IMAGE. So with a supremely important image always leave the original image in it's unresaved for,... IE ... when cropping, sharpening and rebalancing the color save to a new file name!

#5)... any specific queries... let me know!

I have an SD400... and am reasonably happy with it. Tiny and powerful, competant and cheap. But there ARE slightly better cameras out there.

Hope this helped...

 

[GoofyDrivesACar]

Captain,
Are you trying to demonstrate 3/4 naked in this picture?? :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

I hope you and your family have a great time on your cruise. In about two weeks, you should be on your way. We will be expecting a detailed trip report when you get back. Have Fun???? :cheer2: :cheer2:​

 

[kritter]

Sherry,

As Buck said I too love older home they have such character that newer homes lack these days...The front porch and all is great...You must have breathed a sigh of relief that the tree did not land on the house.....WOW that is one huge tree...When are guys planning on moving in??? Working on this home will be such fun!!!


Capt,
Do tell us more about your trip????

 

[kritter]

oops forgot hope you all enjoy the holiday weekend..
Also I have a mens pirate costume that is a size large runs small though if anyone wants it for the cruise I can mail it to you pants, shirt, eye patch,e earing..Found it while I was cleaning last weekend thought I wold offer it up to anyone before I throw it out....

 

[captaincrash]

Sherry,

As Buck said I too love older home they have such character that newer homes lack these days...The front porch and all is great...You must have breathed a sigh of relief that the tree did not land on the house.....WOW that is one huge tree...When are guys planning on moving in??? Working on this home will be such fun!!!


Capt,
Do tell us more about your trip????

Well...

here's another link to a modest selection of pix from Hawaii. And yeah... there's even another 3/4 naked picture of us with me NOT hiding behind my spouse. AND I[ll even confess i used a photo editing program to make my bulging tummy look ...less bulging. If you saw the original BEFORE modification... you;d probably LOL! AND... for what it's worth... my spouse is legally clothed for the beach. Not like some of the other young ladies out there... SO THERE... heh, hee, hee.

At any rate - here is the link - this album is very short with only about 40-50 pix from the 2,000 I took. I have yet to process and print many of them.

I'll return later tomorrow as my younger one wants my computer to play a Disney Mickey pre-school game. Rats!

Thumbnails... http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=nma4cnc&P=vrga5y43&AID=3796115&T=1

Show... http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=nma4cnc&P=vrga5y43&AID=3796115&Show=Y

And after you've seen the pix .... take a gander at this amazing juggling video... and you HAVE to have your sound enabled to hear and see the coeorgraphed effort to the music.

http://www.dumbvideos.com/chrisblissjuggling.html​

OK... I just noticed I DID NOT post the tummy corrected image with me NOT hiding behind my spouse. I'll NOT be posting that one publicly without further relfection.... LOL!

 

[captaincrash]

Captain,
Are you trying to demonstrate 3/4 naked in this picture??

I hope you and your family have a great time on your cruise. In about two weeks, you should be on your way. We will be expecting a detailed trip report when you get back. Have Fun????

Yeah...

... sailin' is coming up... and you do remember we still have our airfare for the October sailing. We couldn't cancel or change it much without losing something like 80% of it's value so we're coming out to just do a land trip. OR... maybe we could just do the October sailing too?

Well... let's not open that can of worms.... but I can say we do have a set of custom printed t-shirts and sweat shirts emblazoomed with the Oct 28th sailing AND our names! So do we have anyone in the group named Tom, Alicia, Julianna or kalea who can fit a L/XS/ youth 4 and 36 month size? Cuz if so... I can make them a GREAT DEAL on personalized cruise wear! LOL! Maybe we should reconsider the siling. Well... we did shorten the flight to just stay the weekend + a day. SO - it would be another back flip to rebook air to be a week again. Plus the long chat about taking our daughters out of school another week.

So - I'll not promise a comprehensive trip report. Nor can I say I want to say anything that might spoil the sense of discovery you're sure to experience. BUT - I can say I'm happy to share travel tips that DO NOT spoil the discovery. I'm about to book rental cars with AvIS on St THomas... and I'm also expecting to be approached by local touts wanting to steal me from Avis for less. SO when I finish that I'll share the inside scoop on it. Remember... I've stayed on St THomas near a week and been there by ship almost a half dozen times. Plus I've driven it for a week! Plus National Geographic rated St Thomas as one of the most beautiful places to visit in the world... so what does that add up to for a photographer like ME? I need a car. And you might benefit from it too if you can swing driving on the opposite side of the road and handle the maneuvers related to it safely. Easier done then said!

SO - I will be happy to custom EDIT a photo series that WILL NOT spoil any surprise for ya! It will whet your appetite without tainting your voyage into a world of Magic!

OK... Ok - enuf of my attempt at casual poetry.....

My younger daughter just fell asleep in my arms waiting for her turn on my computer to play Mickey's preschool program. SO - I have my computer for now but am sufferring from reduced circulation on my arm and left leg from her weight. SO I'm gonna take this moment to wander off...

OK... gotta go try and put my little girl down...

TTFN, from Tom

<edited in>

Before I go... we just saw Al Jarreau and George Benson this past wednesday at the Hollywood Bowl... and my spouse and I have waxed romantic over their music for 2+ decades now. Our 11th anniversery is gonna be this 10th of September. And the 11th day of our 11th year will be on the cruise - so I'll be calculating the 11th hour and if possible 11th minute after betrothal (misspelled?)... but for those who don't mind a little soft music and vocalese of a sort - check out this classic Al Jarreau video from... 1983 ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cod1D5oL1DA&mode=related&search= or (a different song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMs6BJeRpd8&mode=related&search=

 

[sjcubedofct]

Thanks, all! The trunk was almost 6' in diameter, 20' around just below the cut. Big tree, big house, lots of work, but all good.

Capt, have fun driving around St. Thomas. I agree it's great to be able to explore on your own, especially someplace as mostly safe as St. Thomas, but the local drivers are loco, man. And the roads are precariously narrow and twisty. My husband drove them when we were there back in 2001, and even with being accustomed to NYC drivers and easily adjusting to driving on the left, he found it challenging...although daytime driving was better by far than evenings. I'm sure you'll have fun!

Boy, I can't wait to meet everyone. We're such a friendly, chatty group...are we sure we'll all fit where we're meeting for the DIS meet, lol?

Have a great rest of your holiday weekend,

Sherry

 

[Princess Olivia]

Captain... Don't tease us with suggestions you and yours may join us on the 28th!! We can only hope that you have so much fun on the first cruise that you can't bear to not go again PLUS meet all your adoring fans!!

Lucky number 11. I always win when I play 11. Have fun counting down! I LOVE the music you have on your slideshow. The radio station I listen to just played this song recently. Love the 80's. Was it Ferris Bueller that made it popular?. Come on GDAC I know you'll know!

I think I will get the Canon you have. Should I be looking for a specific megapixel?

Speaking of almost naked...... I am starting to stress out over a Halloween costume. There are very little choices in costumes for women. I think it would be in exteme bad taste to be "sexy SIN-derella". Can you beleive that's a costume? Any suggestions? Deanna, you're very creative. Can you think of something good?

 

[kritter]

oops sorry I messed up......

 

[kritter]

Capt,
Does that mean that you are thinking about joining us again...????we really need you since no body took up the ice cream eating contest so come on what do you say..the kids are young and can miss school?????





Here is a photo from our trip to DC in July..MY Dh's work has put it on his company web site..Boy how did we get to be soo lucky?????????????

Hope you all are having a nice weekend....I am not feeling well this weekend...my chest is killing me I am hoping that it is due to all of the rain....

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to come out...it is about time......