Iceland In January – A Four Day Road Trip

Posted on January 19, 2020 by

New to our blog this year will be a series of guest posts from our daughter who is becoming an experienced and knowledgeable world traveler. From a weekend in Paris to five days in Italy she offers compact itineraries and insights that will benefit even the most seasoned traveler, from Millennial to Boomer. This week Morgan shares tips for visiting Iceland in January.

Here is what She has to Say…

January is considered to be ‘off season’ in Iceland, but I think it is a magical place to visit this time of year. Who wouldn’t want to see a beach covered with ‘diamonds’, walk inside an ice cave or take a dip in a hot springs? In addition to those, one of the most compelling reasons to visit Iceland in January is the increased possibility of seeing the Northern Lights.

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Posted in photography, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Captured Moments – Things That Sparkle

Posted on January 12, 2020 by

Last week I put the finishing touches on our Annual Photo Book, previewed it one last time and placed the order – 2019 is literally in the books. This photo from Christmas did not make the cut, but I wanted to share it with you, for one simple reason. It sparkles. Sparkly things make me smile and therefore it qualifies as a ‘captured moment.’

Since I am sharing the photo, I thought it only right to share the recipe for the two cocktails inside the glasses. You never know when you might want to mix one up – hint, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

Simple Syrup

P.S. I have counted twenty-four round objects (twenty-six if you count the reflections) in the photo which means it also qualifies for this week’s photo challenge. Teri over at Second Wind Leisure Perspective, is the host of Sunday Stills, but this week she has enlisted Hugh at Hugh’s News to carry on in her absence. To see more interpretations of the theme ‘Round’ or to enter your own, please zip over there and check it out.

Cheers!

Posted in Captured Moments, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

Captured Moments – Family Photo Sessions

Posted on January 5, 2020 by

Beginning in late October I start to receive requests to shoot family photos. It is something I enjoy doing, but am still learning. The skill-set is quite different from what I know about shooting the landscape photographs that fill my Instagram feed. First of all, anything can happen in a family photo session; people blink, children act out, parents get tense, something gets overlooked in the background, light is wrong, etc. The list of things I can’t control is infinite. But, what I can do is prepare.

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Posted in Captured Moments, photography, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

Happy Birthday Picture Retirement

Posted on December 31, 2019 by

Community; a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Happy New Year everyone and Happy Birthday to Picture Retirement. The blog that we not-so-seriously began in 2017 to chronicle our retirement is officially a toddler. Malcolm and I, on the other hand, are entering our fifteenth year of retirement – not exactly toddlers. Happy for us, we still manage to find stuff to talk about (with each other) and sometimes we like to share a bit of what interest us along with snippets of our daily lives with you, so thanks for hanging around.

We appreciate our Followers and although we are all unique and different in so many ways, we find commonality and inspiration among you. Thank you for your support and encouragement. You are a lovely bunch of coconuts!

There will be a few subtle changes to the blog this year that we think you may like.

With her very first post going live at the end of January, our daughter will debut as our guest travel writer. We hope to highlight her adventures on a quarterly basis, if not more often, depending on her busy schedule. Also, Malcolm (the silent one) has been considering writing a few pieces that will lend some insight into our behind the scenes travel preparations. He has a bevy of cost saving tips and useful websites that I think our readers will find helpful.

Other than that, we will remain on our typically hap-hazard schedule, as we write about travel, hobbies, and the every day lives of two happy and contented retirees.

Cheers and Best Wishes for a Glorious 2020!!

Posted in On My Mind, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 27 Comments

Put Away Your Grinch Face – It's Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2019 by

I love everything about Christmas, especially the festivities leading up to the big event. December is universally the most joyful month of the year and it inspires me to try a little harder, dig a little deeper and embrace every moment with hope and faith and the promise of good things to come. I used to think that anything short of a “Hallmark moment” was unsatisfying, but these days we spend less time stressing about perfection and more time having fun experiences. Maybe it happened with age, or the freedom of retirement, or just maybe I grew up a bit and learned to relax my expectations.

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Posted in Captured Moments, florida, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 37 Comments