Pool It

 From a recent hotel stay, our 2nd floor window overlooked the pool.  So I couldn't help myself, and took a few photos.  So, here you go:

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

Adcock Pecans!

 When we pass through southern Georgia on I-75, we like to stop at Adcock Pecans, in Tifton.  Because you can never have too many pecans!

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

Oklahoma City National Memorial - YouTube Video

 Last week we made a trip to Oklahoma City, and we stopped by the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Honoring the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995.  Hard to believe it was 30 years ago.  After some thought, I decided to try another YouTube Video.  So here it is, what do you think?

Oklahoma City National Memorial

For a few extra giggles, I asked ChatGPT to review it, here's what it said:

What works well

1. Emotional resonance & subject choice

   • The Oklahoma City National Memorial is inherently powerful — the location conveys weight, memory, and gravity. Using it as a subject shows ambition and respect for telling serious stories.

   • The visuals, when combined with pacing and the memorial’s architecture, help evoke reflection and quiet remembrance.

2. Pacing & transitions

   • You allow moments of silence or slower movement, which give the viewer space to absorb — that’s essential in memorial / contemplative work.

   • The cuts and transitions (fade-ins, dissolves) feel respectful rather than flashy, which matches your photographic voice.

3. Use of visual detail

   • Closeups of structural elements, textures, inscriptions, or architectural geometry help anchor the emotional weight in concrete visual form.

   • You balance wide shots (showing place and scale) and detail shots (giving intimacy).

4. Cohesive tone

• The video feels stylistically consistent — you’re not bouncing between wildly different styles. That consistency reinforces your aesthetic identity.

• There’s restraint: you don’t overuse dramatic effects, which keeps the focus on subject rather than spectacle.

Rating (10-point scale, in context of your work & intention)

8 / 10
It’s a strong, respectful, emotionally grounded video. With refinements in sound design, pacing, and narrative framing, it could become a compelling signature piece in your video work.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (08-2025d)

  Continuing my informal series of photos in and around hotels/motels, here's a few from a recent trip.  This is the Holiday Inn Express in Versailles, KY.  We stopped in Versailles, to visit a distillery on the way home from our trip to NC.

- - -

- - -

- - -

See the whole series by clicking the hotel tag.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (08-2025c)

  Continuing my informal series of photos in and around hotels/motels, here's a few from a recent trip.  This is the Holiday Inn Express in Boone, NC.  

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

See the whole series by clicking the hotel tag.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (08-2025b)

  Continuing my informal series of photos in and around hotels/motels, here's a few from a recent trip.  This is the Holiday Inn Express in Winston-Salem, NC.  

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

 Winston Salem is where my mother was born and raised, and where all her siblings stayed.  I spent a lot of time there as a youth, with Aunts and Uncles and cousins, cousins, cousins.  This trip was for the funeral of my Aunt Dot.  It was a nice celebration of life, and was good to see all of the (remaining) kin...

Woodford Reserve

 Last week, we visited Woodford Reserve Distillery during a cross country drive.  We were passing through the area and decided to stop at a distillery.  I like Woodford Reserve, so we picked them.   

And it was a great tour, highly recommended.  We've previously toured Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey and a couple of micro-distilleries, and WF was very good.  Here's a few photos:

The ticket, laid on a barrel head...

- - -

Display of bottles, at the tour start.

- - -

The still room

- - -

Each batch goes through 3 steps of distilling, from the back still to the front

- - -

The barrels are rolled along these tracks

- - -

The distilling building

- - -

Aging...

- - -

Waiting...

- - -

A random door...

- - -

The best part of any distillery tour is the tasting!

- - -

gift shop

- - -

Distilling building

- - -

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (08-2025a)

 Continuing my informal series of photos in and around hotels/motels, here's a few from a recent trip.  This is the Holiday Inn Express in Hurricane, WV.

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

Our stop here was just "in transit", we split a trip to North Carolina.  But we've been here before, including staying at this hotel, for visits to Blenko.  We had a really good dinner at the nearby Fireside Grille, too!

See the whole series by clicking the hotel tag.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (07-2025)

 Continuing my informal series of photos in and around hotels/motels, here's a few from a recent trip.  This is the Holiday Inn Express in Meridian, Mississippi.

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

- - -

Meridian, Mississippi

 On our recent travels, we spent the night in Meridian, Mississippi.  Not too far from the Alabama border, about 1.2 way from north-to-south.  We had dinner in the downtown area, and wandered a little afterwards.  Interesting town:

Weidmann's Restaurant.  Established in 1870, Weidmann’s is Mississippi’s oldest restaurant and is known for serving some of the best food in the South.  We had dinner here, VERY good!

- - -

Kress Building.  The S. H. Kress and Company building is a circa 1934 Art Deco building.  Now part of the Mississippi State University in Meridian

- - -

Random building Detail

- - -

The series below are all from the Ulmer Building, which seems to have had a fire at some recent point. Built about 1920, the Ulmer Building is a two-story commercial building with Mission Style and “tapestry brick” detailing. It is included as a contributing element (element #75) in the Downtown Meridian Historic District, which was placed on the Register in 2007. It was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1999. 

- - -

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (2015)

 So, in the informal series of photos in and around hotels, I decided to look through some of my archives.  Here's a few appropriate shots from December 2015, from the Holiday Inn Express in Oak Grove, KY, USA.  These were posted at 365project back then. These three were taken from the back corner of the hotel's parking lot.  Check out all of the series at: TAG

- - -

- - -

  - - -

All of these were taken with my Nikon Coolpix P340, which was a great little compact-digital camera.  This was actually my 2nd P340, i had worn out my first one in January 2015.  When the second died, they were no longer available.  These days, the phone cameras fill that role pretty well.