Pretending it's Spring at the Tulip Festival

For the past four or five years I've wanted to check out the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point and for some reason or other have never made it. I figured this year was my last opportunity, 'cause they don't have tulips or gorgeous gardens or anything in NYC.

Just kidding.

But I really wanted to make sure I caught it this year (especially since Pete's parents have a pass and could get us in for free) so we made a date and we went. Amelia was much more delighted to be with her grandparents and cousin Paisley than she was about the flowers. In fact I didn't get a single photo of her interacting with the flowers because every time she paid any attention to them at all she beheaded a pansy.

Did I mention I had to get a new camera? My trusty old DMC-TZ3 ended his sojourn in this life a week before Pete graduated--an event I intended to document. I was forced to buy a new camera, and since neither timing nor finances allowed for the purchase of the DSLR that I have been lusting after for months and months, I got another point and shoot. I decided the Tulip Fest was a great time and place to break it in.

Here we are at what Thanksgiving Point has named "Monet's Pond"--though having been to visit Monet's home in France and seen his pond, this one isn't quite as impressive.





After looking at my photos, I think we (the camera and I) need to get to know one another a bit better. The camera is a touchscreen model with all the settings hidden somewhere in it's digital insides, so I couldn't control the images as much as I wanted to. It's going to take some practice, (and possibly even reading the owner's manual) to get the photos I want.

I'm having trouble cropping images without losing clarity and I just don't feel that the pics are as sharp as they should be. Anyway, we had a great time and I'm learning to use my new camera.

And it's finally spring. Took long enough this year . . .