This year's favorite photographic moments include the reaction on the face of my wife, Lori, when she realized she had received a brand new Canon 70D for her birthday; an impromptu visit to The Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant in Ybor City (near Tampa) when, as it turned out, it was their very last day in business (sad face); a flight on the Orlando Eye on International Drive; and perhaps most importantly, a shot of the historical building (formerly a hotel) in downtown Orlando where I signed the short sale papers to officially be rid of my condo property that was horrifically upside down on the mortgage.
Celebratory Dinner Date to Cheesecake Factory, March 10, 2016 6 Photos A yummy two-fer celebration: (1) the sixth anniversary of getting engaged, and (2) finalizing/closing on my old condo that was approved for short sale—HUGE BURDEN LIFTED!
Lunch-time Scenery at Chop Stix Gainesville, April 10, 2016 3 Photos Unexpected lunch invitation included a wonderful view.
Balloon Glow at Tampa RiverFest, April 30, 2016 36 Photos A fun evening of lit-up hot air balloons along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa.
Glimpsing Mercury's Solar Transit, May 9, 2016 3 Photos A coworker brought his telescope to the office to catch a glimpse of Mercury transiting the sun. He started with a rig he and his son built for viewing sunspots, but somehow it wasn't quite working right. Instead, he simply turned the eyepiece lens toward a sheet of paper, and Mercury's silhouette immediately came into view.
Disney Springs, May 15, 2016 6 Photos Beautiful weather for a splendid afternoon strolling through what used to be known as Downtown Disney.
Disney Springs (again) & Maddox' Birthday Dinner at Rainforest Café, May 22, 2016 9 Photos Back to Disney Springs for a second weekend. I arrived early since I was finished ahead of schedule with a work assignment and got our party of 18's name in queue to help shave a little of the 2¼-hour wait off everyone else's time, so I meandered through the shops for a little while before everyone arrived. But the big celebration was Maddox' second birthday where we all had dinner at Rainforest Café.
Celebrating Lori's 41st Birthday, June 11, 2016 5 Photos It is VERY difficult to pull off a big surprise with my wife, yet today I somehow managed to do so, in a huge way. Click through the photos to find out what the surprise was.
Sparkler Fun, July 4, 2016 4 Photos Playing with light streak mode of my Slow Shutter app.
Spaghetti Warehouse Last Day Before Closing, October 2, 2016 8 Photos Spaghetti Warehouse was a childhood favorite when growing up near Tampa. I was sad to learn the historic Ybor City location was closing down, but glad to visit one last time on their last day. Looking forward to their hopeful reopening perhaps in Brandon or Wiregrass. The 1800s factory ambiance will be gone, but the food will be back.
Orlando Eye at I-Drive 360, November 23, 2016 27 Photos We played "tourist" this evening and took a flight on the Orlando Eye. Enjoyed a pretty nice sunset, too.
Miscellaneous 2016 100 Photos Miscellaneous/random shots taken in 2016 which I did not include as part of any other set of photos.