After leaving FLA, Lori and I stopped for dinner and I shot this evening sky before walking into the restaurant
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Biltmore mansion post-tour
The weather was much more pleasant when we exited the house after our tour, enabling me to capture a few nicer shots of the exterior.
Obligatory park selfie at Central Florida Zoo
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Downtown Toronto seen from CN Tower
Probably the best vantage point of downtown Toronto you'll find.
Misc. other photos from the week—South Hall entrance
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Biltmore mansion music room
This multi-shot stitched panoroama is better quality/exposure than the next photo, but doesn't show as much of the complete room.
This was a bare/unfinished room in George Vanderbilt's time. Before it was completed in 1976 by George's descendants, it was used during World War II as a secret storage location for valuable art from the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Biltmore mansion Halloween room
Originally used for storage, the walls were painted over the course of several weeks by the Cecils, joined by family and friends, with this unusal theme for a New Year's Eve party in 1925—the year after George's daughter, Cornelia, married John Cecil, a British diplomat.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Wednesday, June 28—Session floor and stage
The 60x200-foot stage construction was donated by National Church Furnishing Company. Besides the SkyDome's built-in seating for spectators, 14,000 chairs were set up on the main floor, primarily for delegates. More than 10,000 yards of carpet was laid in the exhibition hall for the Adventist Book Center.
Picked up a geocache this morning—I hope its owner replaces the broken container soon
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Full moon stealing the show of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch
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International women's meetings
Speakers from eastern Africa, the Caribbean, Japan, Australia, and Canada led a series of meetings that organizers said were an "international celebration of faith." More than 2,000 women were expected to attend the event.
Weather didn’t give us a pretty sunset, and this photo is dramatically processed, but we still enjoyed a very nice window table overlooking the bay
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Looks like a region of relatively young trees
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Butterfly pose at Central Florida Zoo
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Didn’t observe any appreciable damage in my neighborhood except for two large trees down and a third losing a major limb; all three in the park and didn’t hit any buildings—literally missed smashing a picnic table by two inches!
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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There was just a little bit of a theme to this year’s Christmas
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At last, proper storage/organization of all my iPad accessories and gadgets thanks to Skooba Design products—thanks mom/dad for the birthday gift!
I. LOVE. THIS. BAG.
After a good many years, I have retired the too-small Case Logic tote which carried my iPad in one sleeve and an absolute hodgepodge of gadgets in another pouch. I had previously bought Skooba Design's Cable Stable DLX (the green-lined organizer) thinking I could use it for my stuff and simply lay the iPad inside and close up, but it was too full to close.
When Skooba confirmed the DLX would fit inside the largest pouch in the V.3 Satchel Mini, I knew I'd found my solution. Most of my gadgets are organized in the DLX with a few larger ones in pockets located in the Satchel's smaller storage pouch (top of photo). Then the iPad slides easily into the third pouch normally designed for a small laptop. My 10.5" iPad Pro fits nicely and I suspect a full size iPad Pro would fit instead in the unlikely event I ever choose to upgrade to that size. Besides not having enough room for my gadgets in the old Case Logic tote, the 10.5" iPad Pro only barely fit, whereas it easily slides in and out of the V.3 Satchel Mini.
Lavender in Biltmore Gardens
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Crap, I’m old
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Famished after a long day at the mansion, we thorouthly enjoyed a late lunch at Cedric's Tavern—my sandwich was DEELISH
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Sweet 16 (photo by Lori)
Well, her birthday was actually last week, but a number of different celebrations at a number of different venues were planned.
Christmas at Epcot
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Marvelous rainbow last night
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Biltmore mansion second floor living hall
The two large pantings on the far wall are of architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The left wall features a painting of the Cecil family, descendants of George Vanderbilt.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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A beautiful day in the neighborhood
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Biltmore mansion banquet hall—opposite angle
This photo was from later in the tour looking from the opposite corner of the room. It has a better view of the overall size.
The largest dinner held here seated 38 people at the large oak table. However, the Vanderbilts and family members often dined at a smaller table near the triple fireplaces in the background.
At the elegant dinner parties, guests were treated to fine linens, and family silver, china, and crystal including five wine glasses per person.
Managing graphics and videos this weekend up at the camp—so glad my station is isolated in the translator booth in spite of fairly strict mask enforcement
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Moongazing
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Good night, Florida
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ABC
A full-fledged, 10,000-square-foot Adventist Book Centre was set up in the exhibition hall for the benefit of Session attendees. More than 50 authors participated in book signings.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Newly remodeled Altamonte Apple Store is SWEET
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Danny and Meg ready to ride Dollywood's Wild Eagle coaster
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Celebrating 10 years
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Whew—today is going to be a day
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Biltmore mansion library
George's collection ranges from American and English literature to history, religion, philosophy, art, and architecture.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Misc. other photos from the week—puppet ministry
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My very yummy dinner at San Miguel Mexican Grill in Apopka
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
I suppose Pandora’s proofreader wasn’t paid in full
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Congrats to my nephew, Riley Alexander Bennett, on his high school graduation!
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The shot from the official Dazzling Nights kiosk
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Information, please
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) is designed to accommodate multiple organizations meeting in the facility simultaneously. Reportedly, the 2000 World Session was the first event that booked the entire MTCC facility (North and South Buildings) and the SkyDome. With so many activities occurring at so many locations, knowing exactly where to go can seem daunting to the uninitiated. The staffed information booths located at nearly every turn helped people reach their destination and either provided or located answers to an endless variety of questions.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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"The Audience"
Session attendees who reach the SkyDome by crossing the bridge from Front Street can't help but notice this large, metallic-painted sculpture on the side of the SkyDome. This sculpture, and its second part on another part of the building, titled "The Audience" by Michael Snow, depicts various types of baseball fans such as "V for Victory," "Pointer," "Man and Boy," "Camera Man," "Clapper," "Binoculars," and more.
Ark Encounter
Scale model.
Playing with night mode—China pavilion
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Found this relic of technology last weekend—a 3G iPod that sadly will not power up, even with a charge cable attached
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Good night, Florida—and good riddance, Dorian
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Good night, Florida
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I hope Friday night’s weather isn’t a foretaste of the entire weekend
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Good morning, Florida
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Biltmore mansion gun room
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Cheetahs at Central Florida Zoo
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My wife, her sister, and their mother took a trip to Texas, so we guys got together for Saturday lunch
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Family pose
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Happy Thanksgiving from the Bennett/Bixby/Myers family
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Biltmore mansion—Edith Vanderbilt chamber
Purple and gold fabrics adorn Edith's Louis XV-style feminine retreat. Eighty years after the original fabrics were created, replacements woven by the same French company were installed during restoration of the room.
Silly nephew thinks he needs my glasses
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Crazy—nearly 400 kids registered for VBS at my church with more than 200 volunteer staff!
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Sprinkle of Spook Concert
Of the 10 selections in this Apopka High School Orchestra concert, the first three were performed by the Primo Orchestra which included Adri and her first time performing on cello.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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It’s unboxing day!
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Dollywood's Harvey Water Clock
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
I was quite clear this morning that today was going to be a really long day—good night!
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Christmas gift from the church—choice of dark, milk, or white chocolate-covered pretzel sticks
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I wonder what my car is counting down to
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Celebrating birthdays with a chocolate LEGO cake
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I wonder if my coworkers will concur
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Oh 60lb Cover weight Hammermill in 18×12 size, I have missed you sorely—welcome back to my print shop!
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Biltmore mansion pre-tour
The sky was a bit wet and dreary when we arrived. I shot these exterior photos before the mansion tour, unsure that I would have another chance with sunnier skies after the tour.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Ark Encounter
A splendid index explaining what "kind" actually means and how the Ark could accommodate what was necessary. (Note that the Bible states Noah brought two—or seven—of every "kind," not necessarily of every single "animal.")
CN Tower glass floor
…an attraction that is not for the faint of heart.
We nearly didn’t go to Epcot today—torrential rain around 8:30am that cleared up very quickly
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Second of three geocaches found—“Too easy to get stumped”
www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC98NNP_too-easy-to-get-stumped
The gang's all ready
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The Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant
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Biltmore mansion upper/exterior view of Winter Garden atrium
This view looks out from a window on the third floor above the master bedroom hallway.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Biltmore mansion tiled loggia
Looking across the patio toward the tower that houses servant quarters in the basement (behind the stone portion), the music room on the main level, George Vanderbilt's chamber on the second level, and guest chambers above.
Ark Encounter official photo stop—daytime angle version
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Central Florida Zoo (aka Sanford Zoo)
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Biltmore mansion banquet hall
I shot a panorama to show a full floor-to-ceiling view, but exposure often ends up yucky in panorama shots.
I’m only mixing for rehearsals and not the actual performances, but it was fun to get back into this seat after such a long time
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Ambitious Zoom event redux
I had collaborated on an event back in May that streamed participants in Zoom to Facebook and YouTube. My role was managing videos, media, countdowns, etc. It was a huge experiment that came off really well with a couple caveats that we have now worked through. In August, we did it again with even greater success.
Well this was definitely a project-and-a-half that I helped fabricate
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Moonfall
When a video doorbell timelapse recording makes the overnight setting moon look like a fireball/meteor descending upon your neighbor’s house.
My view today—operating graphics and videos for my office’s business meeting
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Alfond Inn lobby, leading to conservatory
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Obligatory group selfie
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Visiting historic downtown Sweetwater prior to the anniversary celebration
This is my wife, Lori's, shot that she let me use in this album, taken later in our visit when a storm began brewing.
Backlit cloud looks like a massive electricity arc
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A triumphant and delicious return to Central Florida, extra special because Lori, Meg, and Adri all could come too—we made the excursion to Clermont to partake of Fazoli’s!
Super extra special because our table number was 17 which has significant meaning to Lori and me.
Arrived this morning to discover the Extron input scaler having a conniption, so we had to improvise
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion detail
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Biltmore mansion vegetable pantry
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Another popular station was the free kettle corn (yummy) set up outside along with several bounce houses
(Photo by Lori Bennett since my hands were full and couldn't easily snap my own shot here.)
Into all the world
Session programs were translated into more than 20 languages including French, Russian, Romanian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Serbian-Croatian, Korean, and Japanese. The translations are used for satellite broadcasts as well as for attendees in the local audience who can tune into the desired language on radio frequencies. There are also American English and German sign language interpreters in the SkyDome.
The Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant
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It's been a very busy day
1,000 copies each of 10 Spanish-language Bible lessons, double-sided and folded in half, for a total of 20,000 impressions on 10,000 sheets of paper. WHEW!
Fortunately, these will last the evangelist a LONG time before I ever have to print more.
Oh, and for anyone who follows me on social media, lesson 2 of this batch is the one I was talking about a while ago that had two erroneous booger elements colored blue and causing the entire inside spread to want to copy in color instead of only B&W!
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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I and my cacophony of neighbors are pleased to announce calendar 2020 has officially been blown to bits—thus begins the countdown to January 20 when we can truly celebrate 2021
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Celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday WHOOOOO happens to love owls—what a hoot!
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OPAAAAA!!!
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My younger stepdaughter made a latte—she’s not especially fond of coffee, but enjoys the process of making things in the kitchen
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Got my inner Nerf War on today during my nephew’s 7th birthday party (photos by Lori)
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Ark Encounter
Feeding and removing waste for large animals.
Candlelight Processional group photo upon arrival at the rehearsal area
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Apparently Karl the Fog was visiting Florida again today
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Eric and Adri enjoy the view
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Wednesday, July 5—The first military chaplain
A representative from Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries dressed in-character as Cornelius the Centurion, the first military chaplain in the Bible (Acts 10).
"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Good night, Florida
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On Friday, the camp entrance road was the absolute smoothest I’d ever experienced, but after Saturday’s deluge, my Sunday departure was a 5MPH creep over the bumpiest I’ve ever seen
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Cute marketing tchotchke—a mini pallet full of sticky notes
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Meg looks for a drink at Central Florida Zoo
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Evening sky was crazy—no, it didn’t look like this enhanced photo, but my original photo was sort of blah, so I edited it to appear as I felt while seeing in person
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Japanese drum demonstration
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Good night, Florida
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…with my sweetie
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Post-zoo lunch with more family at Cheddar's
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Local public elementary school teachers did a drive-by parade through neighboring communities for their students staying at home
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Christmas Eve stroll through Kit Land Nelson Park in Apopka
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Fire!
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Thursday, June 29—countless flags adorned the Session main stage
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Eric and Adri were tired
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion—Edith Vanderbilt chamber
Purple and gold fabrics adorn Edith's Louis XV-style feminine retreat. Eighty years after the original fabrics were created, replacements woven by the same French company were installed during restoration of the room.
Good night, Florida
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Good night, Florida
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Good night, Florida
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I cracked our last five eggs to scramble for Lori and Adri; the last one was a twin—something I’ve never before encountered with eggs!
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Sears in Altamonte Mall is shutting down—more than half the upper floor is bare and looks creepy
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Sabbath attendance
This panorama was stitched from three photos that weren't originally shot with a panorama in mind. Yet they still give a slight impression of the attendance at Sabbath worship. Conservative guesses placed attendance at approximately 55,000.
As I always say, obligatory parting Spaceship Earth shot
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Good morning, Florida
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Rock-painting craft at family camp
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Trail scenery
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Holiday lights forming the City of Apopka logo set up at Kit Land Nelson Park
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Wow—my Nissan Versa’s average MPG has passed the 40 mark (it’s rated 39 highway)
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Visiting historic downtown Sweetwater prior to the anniversary celebration
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Biltmore mansion pool
Though no longer holding water, the 70,000-gallon indoor pool was heated and still has its original underwater lighting. Call buttons located near the doors allowed swimmers to order refreshements or signal they were ready to leave and needed help changing.
My first attempt at the helicopter meme
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My wife and I labored on Labor Day, getting our garage straightened up sufficiently to bring the car inside for protection during Hurricane Dorian
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It was probably for the best that I couldn’t use Flickr while it was down—I had a LOT of weekend preparation work to do
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Happy 2nd Christmas
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Hangin’ out on Orlando Wall Street Plaza’s Big Chair
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Astonishingly, this nasty weather scooted past Apopka without a drop of rain in my area
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Well-stocked once again
It’s a wonderful thing to have these shelves filled again with plenty of paper that is somewhat still scarce. And as for my favorite 12″×18″ Hammermill 60lb. cover weight sheets which is still very hard to find and that I normally only buy 3–4 cases at a time, my vendor found me an entire pallet that I got approval to buy—so I currently have more than 35,000 sheets of it!
Good night, Florida
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Misc. other photos from the week—amateur radio tower
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Seems like it’s been a long while since I’ve seen a thick foggy morning
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Biltmore mansion post-tour
The weather was much more pleasant when we exited the house after our tour, enabling me to capture a few nicer shots of the exterior.
I have spoken!
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Pure unfiltered rottenness
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Biltmore mansion pool
Though no longer holding water, the 70,000-gallon indoor pool was heated and still has its original underwater lighting. Call buttons located near the doors allowed swimmers to order refreshements or signal they were ready to leave and needed help changing.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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I’ve been honing my digital menu board design skills—consolidated to 2-column layout which opened up a LOT of space for more content including a new photo carousel
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GCTV production
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Birds on the nature drive
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Cuckoo clocks in the Germany pavilion
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Playing with night mode—France pavilion
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
If you can't find the gator in this photo, see the next photo.
Birds on the nature drive
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Time to line up
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Step one of voting #DeathSantis out of office
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"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates…"
During our return home on Monday, we made a pit stop in Savannah, GA, where the welcome center had a few exhibits including this representation of the famous Forrest Gump bus stop scene.
Ark Encounter
Three types of lighting.
Hangin’ out up on the shelf while the kiddos slice some ice
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Not bad for an iPhone Night Mode shot of the Jupiter/Saturn Christmas Star
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion oak sitting room
This paneled sitting area connected George and Edith's bedrooms. The room is where they usually shared breakfast and was where Edith planned the day with the head housekeeper.
Biltmore mansion laundry facilities
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Good night, Florida
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Time-lapse clip walking back to parking area
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Biltmore mansion servant bedroom
Most uncommonly for the period, Biltmore servants had a comfortably furnished, heated, private room. Most servants were allowed two hours off daily, but were still on call. They received one afternoon and one evening off per week as well as a half day every other Sunday.
Holy cannoli iPhone 11 Pro night mode is unbelievable—top is standard, nonHDR shot of very dark outdoors, bottom is night mode of same scene!
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Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
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Rhinoceros at Central Florida Zoo
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Xander's vacation
First stop, Pet Paradise Resort where Xander spent the week while we traveled.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Celebrating Adri’s 14th birthday during a walk around Lake Baldwin
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Parting singer group shot
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Visiting historic downtown Sweetwater prior to the anniversary celebration
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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A great anniversary day at Magic Kingdom
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The Barnett ranch is a beautiful property with scenic views
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I presume there was some sort of gas spill or leak (fire also?) at the intersection of highways 437 & 44—foam clumps flying around everywhere!
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Ark Encounter
Live animal exhibit.
Biltmore mansion upper floor hallway
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford.
The giraffe pen was pitch black. Utterly shocked at how well my phone gathered light and made them visible.
Good night, Florida
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Rusty Pelican restaurant entrance
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Seven floors up in Lake Ivanhoe district looking toward AdventHealth Orlando and beyond
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Biltmore mansion servant dining room
Between 30-35 servants ate three meals per day in this room.
A Rainbow of Ministry
The Session's host—the North American Division—erected this large banner, making the exhibition booth immediately identifiable. Beneath the banner, visitors found kiosks with brochures and online information about the Division's ministries, resources, organizations, and members. There were interactive web kiosks and presentations given by Division personnel and ministry leaders—live and on video.
Biltmore mansion laundry facilities
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Ark Encounter
This True History of the World board was a fascinating display. I kind of wish I had a print of it, which were available for sale, but I wasn't prepared to spend the money.
Misc. other photos from the week—organ and piano
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Birds on the nature drive
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Biltmore Gardens Railway
Model train passing in front of the mansion scale model.
Millennium Falcon Rice Krispie dessert (yes, the antenna was the first piece to be removed)
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That’s a wrap—celebrating completion at Applebee’s!
Marathon travel to eight locations all around the state for regional meetings is complete and a success. Thanks to Abdiel for treating staff to a late night dinner.
Biltmore mansion gun room
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Hot dog, anyone?
Session attendees were delighted to discover that the many hot dog vendors surrounding the Convention Centre and SkyDome began selling vegetarian hot dogs several years ago. The vendors quickly stocked up on veggie dogs when they were told the city would be filled with Seventh-day Adventists who are, predominately, vegetarian. (We who served on the NAD communication team were quick to assure anyone who asked, the veggie-dogs were delicious!)
Playing with night mode—UK pavilion
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Commence sand, salt, pollen eradication
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Mary Poppins also made an appearance
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Paper shortages are real, y’all—a job tomorrow will basically use up what’s left here, then I simply can no longer do full bleed 8.5x11 booklets
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Mom is gone, passed this morning—came to Tampa house and later saw this on the dining room table; I can’t even
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How it started…how it’s going
My preferred paper is still suffering shortages. I HATE the brand I’m having to use as an alternative. Constantly jams.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Meg learns about phone booths
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You might think the packets in this themed container are mustard, but you’d be wrong #Hellmans #Mayo #Mayonnaise #fail
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Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
One of the 22 gators we spotted
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Had the opportunity to hold an original 1st generation iPhone for the first time in probably more than 10 years—wow I forgot how small they were!
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Just because it doesn’t snow in Florida doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes have to shovel our sidewalks!
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Loads of fun at today’s office Christmas party, in spite of now being thoroughly sore and exhausted from A/V duty
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Figment went upside down (the only night mode shot on the moving ride that turned out well)
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Ark Encounter
Live animal exhibit.
Various family members with various travel plans translate to our family Christmas happening tonight instead of next weekend
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Good night, Florida
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Beach day
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Good night, Florida
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Blanket buddies
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Kids after dinner
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Sprite with a story
On September 6, 2014, I felt as though this bottle of Sprite was perhaps the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
I had been admitted to the hospital with terrible stomach pain which turned out to be pancreatitis. I hadn't really consumed anything for a couple days (nor did I want to) due to the pain, but by September 6, the meds were beginning to work. I was jonesin' really badly for something with flavor.
Looking back, considering that I was ultimately diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, receiving a sugary soda from a nurse may not have been the wisest thing. But, since I couldn't manage to finish even half of it, and I'd consumed virtually nothing for a while, nothing horrible came of it.
I distinctly remember being in tears over being so happy to finally have something with taste. And I'm pleased to report that after some time of being on Lantus insulin, I managed to get off of it. I'm still on a battle with elevated triglycerides and take a handful of various meds every day, but I'm still off the Lantus and doing all I can to stay off it.
Sharps and flats
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Saturday afternoon scenery at Camp Kulaqua—beautiful day for a boardwalk stroll
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Good morning, Florida
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Another 1,000+ copy impressions today
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Dealing with locking bathroom tissue holders
Pro tip for workers whose offices use these silly locking toilet roll holders and hate when custodians don't pay attention whether the roll is going over the top. You'll find a little button on one side that you can depress with a small tool, such as the one pictured, to release the lock. Just note that the roll holder only reattaches the same direction, so you will have to take the paper off the holder, turn it around, slide it back on the holder, and put the holder back into place this same direction.
Now, we just need a hack to avoid the wobble these rolls create—I presume to help keep them from spinning out of control and dumping a bunch of paper on the floor.
A heavily Christmas-decorated home near Kit Land Nelson Park
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Playing with night mode—Mexico pavilion
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My 2017 Versa is averaging ½ mile per gallon higher than the maximum rated highway economy—way to go, Nissan!
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Someone chose not to ride
This was hilarious. Adri not only had little interest in riding the more extreme Dollywood coasters, she totally owned her lack of desire. Aunt Lisa and Uncle Danny bought these shirts for the girls. Yes, Adri happily wears her "chicken" shirt.
Super thrilled to once again have a respectable-looking front lawn, with massive props to my father-in-law, Dean, and his colleague, Dave for the install
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Whatever it takes
Adam Bujak, director of Adventist Ministry to College and University Students in Ontario and an Adventist News Network photographer, will go to any extreme to get the right photo. "Thanks Adam!"
Alfond Inn conservatory where the baby shower was held
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Preparing to sing
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Like many other friends, I saw last night’s amazing rainbow too, but just couldn’t get a decent capture; top pic is original/unedited, bottom is some playing around editing but still “meh” compared to how it looked for real
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Biltmore mansion grand staircase
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
There is a 1,700-pound electric light fixture suspended from the middle of the grand staircase. It hangs from a single bolt that runs through steel girders under the dome roof. The bolt has been replaced only once since the house was built. Wisely designed, the copper dome opens for easier access to the fixture.
Greek salad—who knew eating healthy could taste so good
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Entrance to Biltmore Winery
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That moment when both pets know mommy isn’t feeling well, set aside their differences, and cuddle to give their care
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Real tacos, real beauty
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Finishing the evening with family dinner at Tijuana Flats
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Adri being silly in 2015 to demonstrate new iPhone Live Photos
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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#LeavesForDays #StraightOuttaMyYard
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
We reached the observation tower
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May as well be brain surgery
Techs have been trying to re-integrate a tri-fold module into this copier that was removed 5+ years ago and added to a different copier, and now needs to go back into this one. But this machine won’t talk to it any more and the techs are all stumped. Best theory is an obscure cable got damaged in the last transfer, which means they have to trace all of them to find it.
At least the copier still works when the module is removed, and it’s not mission critical to have it installed. So I’m glad to be able to allow the time the techs need to thoroughly troubleshoot.
Good morning, Florida (bonus points if you can find Venus in this photo)
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Stormy afternoon
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Arriving at Ark Encounter
After lunch in Lexington, it was just a 40-50-minute drive to the attraction. (Yes, it was an extremely windy day!)
A very tired, but very happy family
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Weekend video duty for 2018 Florida Pathfinder Red Zone
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Behind the scenes of an ambitious Zoom event
Had a load of fun this evening. This weekend was supposed to be the Pathfinder and Adventurer end-of-year Red Zone weekend at Camp Kulaqua. In response to the COVID-19 quarantine, a virtual event was planned called iRedZone. Tomorrow and Sunday will have other events on other social platforms, but tonight was done with program participants in a Zoom conference which was broadcast live on Facebook where many Adventurers and Pathfinders watched live.
I offered to manage media for tonight’s event in the form of me being in the Zoom meeting and sharing content that I prepared in ProPresenter. Other than not accounting for internet latency creating a bit of delay between audio I played from media and people in the Zoom conference singing along, everything else worked out great. I was thrilled to be able to “plus” the overall production, and had a great time doing it. Kudos to all the program participants for a wonderful event.
What you’re seeing in these photos is me juggling two computers. The laptop ran ProPresenter and the Zoom app to which I occasionally shared the ProPresenter output screen. The two other monitors are connected to my personal computer which I used to monitor ProPresenter output and have visibility of the rundown schedule, Bible texts to display during the sermon, and a chat window with the Pathfinder director to keep each other in the loop on what was coming up next.
If you’d like to have a look at the production, go to Facebook and search for the “Florida Conference Adventurers” and “Florida Conference Pathfinders” Pages, then look for the archives for the respective iRedZone live videos.
Biltmore mansion laundry facilities
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If I fits, I sits
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Real iPads, real beauty
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Having a splendid day trip for church retreat weekend
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Panorama of the approach walkway to Ark Encounter
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms. This is one of the house's 43 bathrooms—a rarity in 1895 when many homes didn't have a single indoor bathroom.
My Ring doorbell said they could leave a message, so this is the message my stepdaughter’s best friend left for me - LOL
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Ark Encounter
Japheth and Rayneh.
Other than the fact I don’t have any paprika, my first go at making deviled eggs was a success
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
A very pretty day made for some very pretty landscape scenery
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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That feeling when you were doing oh so well with your hand lettering, until… 😖
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Good night, Florida
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Enjoying a trip on Dollywood's vintage steam train—except for the tiny specks of soot!
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This is why you want a square-fold feature when you print booklets
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(My friend, Jeff's, shot) Edward James Olmos was back stage chatting up the theater attendants prior to the show and I had the chance to say hello and shake his hand
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Good night, Florida
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Biltmore mansion post-tour
The weather was much more pleasant when we exited the house after our tour, enabling me to capture a few nicer shots of the exterior.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Hangin’ with the local wildlife at my office
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Current status
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Biltmore mansion—George Vanderbilt chamber closet
None of the clothes displayed here were actually George's, but they are representative of the style of the day. Custom dictacted varying types of attire for different events, so George would often change clothes four to six times per day—a busy prospect for his valet. In George's time, it is generally understood this space was only used for hats and other accessories, with clothing stored elsewhere.
Good night, Florida
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My sister-in-law found an addictive little game in the Marshall’s clearance section—Shut the Box
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Adventist Review temporary office
The Review published daily issues during the session. Passers-by could view the production room in the exhibition hall.
Trail scenery
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Good night, Florida
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The requisite silly snapshot
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Waiting in the green room tent
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I guess that explains the early morning power outage
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iPhone 13 Pro in da house!
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Family outing to Crepevine
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Fountain of Youth—lower portion
Description in prior photo.
Some played…some observed…all fun for continued celebration of Maddox’ 7th birthday
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
RIP Mophie hip/belt phone holster—you gave almost a decade of faithful service
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Giraffe at Central Florida Zoo
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Biltmore mansion—George Vanderbilt chamber
Forgive this horrible grainy exposure of this heavily brightened photo of what I believe was the darkest room of the entire tour. But the panorama shows the entirety of George's master bedroom.
Home for three of the four nights of the South Florida schedule of regional pre-session meetings of our constituency session
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
The Christmas storage shelves are at last back in order and put away
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Parmesan-crusted baked chicken and boiled yellow baby potatoes—nom nom
Last time I made this chicken was five years ago. It tasted great but appearance was unappealing. I know what I did wrong then and didn’t repeat the mistake this time. Deelish!
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Ark Encounter
We're inside the door!
Mead Gardens scenery
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Biltmore Estate Gardens
Following an all-day Tuesday drive to Asheville, NC, where we met up with my parents, we spent Wednesday touring the Biltmore Estate, starting with the gardens which was featuring a temporary attraction, Biltmore Gardens Railway with miniature train sets.
It was SMOL!
Oh goodness, I found my old iPhone 3G and it still works! Granted it was last used by my wife after I got the iPhone 4, but such memories! It was SO TINY!
Tarantula at Central Florida Zoo
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Nifty projection mapping demo seen at InfoComm 2015
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We created a Mandalorian battle scene on top of my nephew’s birthday cake
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Good morning, Florida—time to get back to work
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Sunday evening visitor
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Bridge fun
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Still beachin’ it
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25-year recognition
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The ancient Apple Cinema HD Display has been replaced by a Dell UltraSharp U2415 LED monitor—half as thick, much tinier bezel, and, at long last, adjustable height!
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Biltmore mansion—George Vanderbilt chamber
In the background, a mirror in the bathroom doorway gives a glimpse of George's paw-footed bathtub.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Session floor and stage
The 60x200-foot stage construction was donated by National Church Furnishing Company. Besides the SkyDome's built-in seating for spectators, 14,000 chairs were set up on the main floor, primarily for delegates. More than 10,000 yards of carpet was laid in the exhibition hall for the Adventist Book Center.
Good morning, Florida
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Ark Encounter
Feeding and removing waste for small animals.
I wore a new dress to church; "modest is hottest" LOL
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Frightening—house fire a block away from mine; apparently began in rear living room, most kids were outside playing, everyone else got out, and all are safe
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Oh nothing, just printing 14 *thousand* flyers to be distributed around the state
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Bridge fun
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Vacation Cross Connection
In planning our June 2019 vacation, it was fascinating to realize all our destinations collectively formed the shape of a cross.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Pastitsio
I chose this dish that is something like a Greek lasagna, but it's described as, "Famous casserole of ziti, ground beef, Romano cheese and baked with a creamy sauce." It came with rice pilaf, a wedge of Greek-style potato, and peas which, in spite of probably coming from a can, had a very enjoyable seasoning.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
CN Tower
There aren't many outdoor locations in downtown Toronto where the CN Tower doesn't make its presence known.
The scenery at the spot I found to wait for my wife’s 1½-hour appointment does not suck
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Enjoyed assisting a family photo shoot today with this beautiful 1949 Cadillac convertible as a prop
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Well okay, just so long as the desire is not for a führer
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A very pretty day made for some very pretty landscape scenery
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
I would tell you to not be a dummy, but even dummies know how to do social distancing—what’s your excuse?
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Biltmore mansion—George Vanderbilt chamber
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Biltmore mansion oak sitting room
This paneled sitting area connected George and Edith's bedrooms. The room is where they usually shared breakfast and was where Edith planned the day with the head housekeeper.
Ark Encounter
Retrieving the dove with an olive branch.
The view from the Biltmore mansion's main level tiled loggia
The patio has splendid views of Biltmore's Deer Park and Blue Ridge Mountains.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Saturday, July 1—Leaders back stage prepare for NAD mission program
"The International Festival of Mission" spotlighted a loving, diverse Church family; intent on reaching out to find souls for Jesus. In Saturday evening's program, July 1, the North American Division (NAD) shared how men, women, and children are joining hands to help finish the work and point the world to Jesus as the answer and The Way. The Trans-European Division's report followed NAD.
Many varieties of stories were related on the huge JumboTron video screen, and many of those involved with the stories came out on stage to add their remarks: The Salt Lake City church offering up their diversity as a strength and a witness in their community…the Inland Spanish church in California equipping all its members for evangelism…youth of the Boulder, Colorado, church building the first Seventh-day Adventist church on the Island of Jay in the South Pacific…a youth crusade using computer technology in Fort Lauderdale…and a women's crusade in South Florida. "This," NAD leaders and members affirmed, "is our Church!"
During 1995-1999, there were more than 750 evangelistic crusades—nine of them broadcast via satellite. More than 185,000 new members have been nurtured. For the first time, in 1999, more than 40,000 people were baptized!
Saganaki—flamed cheese
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Biltmore mansion oak sitting room
This paneled sitting area connected George and Edith's bedrooms. The room is where they usually shared breakfast and was where Edith planned the day with the head housekeeper.
404 error: fossil fuel not found
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Trail scenery
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Today just keeps on giving
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Mead Gardens scenery
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Good night, Florida
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Waiting for our table
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Biltmore mansion banquet hall organ loft
A 1916 Skinner pipe organ looms over the banquet hall. A large motor for the fan providing air to the pipes is in the basement—photo is later in this album.
Biggs house
One of Sweetwater's oldest still-standing homes, occupied by Sweetwater pioneers, Isabella Rankin and her husband, Alexander Biggs.
A beautiful Saturday afternoon at Liberty Park in Lake Mary
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Ark Encounter
Panorama shot showing the opening between all decks—level 2.
Biltmore mansion official photo stop—Winter Garden version
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Lee: “Since when does Eeyore smile?” Lori: “Since someone fed him Prozac. It’s wonderful stuff!”
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I may not be fond of mandatory equipment upgrades, but I want to keep my Spectrum internet alive—and the new box is admittedly tiny and cute
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Caricature time lapse
Clearing old/unneeded files from my computer and realized I never shared this time lapse of Meg and Adri's caricature drawing at 2018 Strawberry Festival.
Ark Encounter
Panorama shot showing the opening between all decks—level 1.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
City trolley—among the more unique forms of Toronto transportation
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Bald eagle at Central Florida Zoo
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Biltmore mansion master bedroom hallway
This hallway connects George and Edith's bedrooms along with the sitting room between the two bedrooms.
ABC
A full-fledged, 10,000-square-foot Adventist Book Centre was set up in the exhibition hall for the benefit of Session attendees. More than 50 authors participated in book signings.
I officially no longer have to avoid spoilers!
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Pre-sunset show
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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The recyclable aftermath of trimming bleed from more than 500 booklets
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More night mode experimentation—Mexico pavilion
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Birds on the nature drive
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Meg loves Winnie the Pooh
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Top of the observation tower
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Bridge fun
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Farewell to the two-decade legacy that was iPod
My 5th-generation iPod battery will never hold a charge again, but when plugged in, it still works just fine. I also still have my 3rd-generation iPod in a storage box, but it has refused to boot up even while plugged in for many years now.
Biltmore mansion billiard room
This room in the bachelors' wing on the main level (although it did not deter female guests) featured custom oak billiard tables made in 1895. There is also a doorway disguised to look like part of the wall which allowed gentlemen to discreetly retire to the adjacent smoking room.
Enjoying the treat!
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I’m not especially fond of dried berries, so I was amused—not annoyed—that this otherwise tasty snack literally only contained three blueberries
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
1850s-1870s sugar mill ruins
Description in prior photo.
Ark Encounter
Feeding large animals.
Peeking at another performance of Candlelight Processional, this time with Lisa Ling as the narrator
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Visiting historic downtown Sweetwater prior to the anniversary celebration
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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A list of good reasons to come here is very short, but at least the place is photogenic
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Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you this nomination for the photo example of the 2019 edition dictionary listing for “redneck”
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I have been driving for 37 years; marking today as the first time I’ve had to crawl over to the driver seat from the passenger side because some doofus parked only about 12 inches from the driver side door
I’m just glad I had the van instead of my car—not sure I could’ve gotten across the car’s center console.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Asian Lantern Festival at Sanford Zoo, December 11, 2021
Video and photos captured at the Asian Lantern Festival at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
If you have HDR-capable technology, I strongly recommend using that equipment to watch the YouTube version in HDR.
When designing gas pumps, who decided, more often than not, that the hose has to hang in front of the part a customer uses the most?
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Biggs house
One of Sweetwater's oldest still-standing homes, occupied by Sweetwater pioneers, Isabella Rankin and her husband, Alexander Biggs.
Playing with night mode—Canada pavilion
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Giraffe at Central Florida Zoo
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Mass cafeteria
Metro Toronto Convention Centre Catering gave advance estimates that they would serve more than 400,000 vegetarian meals during the ten days of the Session in this 7,000-seat, 200,000-square-foot dining area in the North Building. They used 112 special cafeteria "speed lines" to expedite service.
Biltmore mansion laundry facilities
Washing was aided by a belt-driven barrel washer.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Alfond Inn architecture
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If you ever hear me say I have to move a ton of paper, please believe me when I say I am really not exaggerating
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Monday morning vibes—it’s been a minute since I’ve dug out my 60s/70s/80s playlist
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Eric and Adri were tired
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The art in the skylight dome made for colorful patterns as the sun shone through them to the floor
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6lla de Flora
Cleaning out my photo roll and found this five-year-old sign with a typo I’d forgotten about—a mistake capital “I” at Orlando’s Gaylord Palms Resort.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
View from the top of the observation tower
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Waiting in the weather
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Good night, Florida
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Our destination…
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This hired entertainer walked around demonstrating a variety of stunts including plate spinning, juggling, and stilt walking
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A hole opened in the storm at the perfect time to get from the store to the car
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Impressive thunderhead building over Orlando
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SkyDome seen from CN Tower
Looking down on the SkyDome where the GC Session business meetings and the evening mission pageants are held.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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The kids—silliest
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Biltmore mansion tapestry gallery
This space was used for tea and music (given that the music room was unfinished in George Vanderbilt's day). The huge Flemish tapestries adorning the walls are part of a 1530s set known as The Triumph of the Seven Virtues, representing Charity, Faith, and Prudence. Among the art displayed here is a painting of George above the library door.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Pouring pancake batter onto the in-table griddle
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Let’s Play Blokus!
A few of my wife’s photos followed by a time-lapse recording of our game.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Good night, Florida
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Lots of activities—including face painting
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Family meetup
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I realize it’s coming in just a plain brown paper bag, but I know for a fact she’ll love what’s inside, and might love what’s NOT inside even more!
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Door cam belonging to a neighbor not far from my house caught an image of this guy about the same time I was walking out the house to the car to go to work this morning! 😱
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Ark Encounter
Ventilation.
Family Fun at TopGolf
Yeah yeah yeah, horrible form. You pros in the peanut gallery just hush. It was my very first time. But we had loads of fun and I made a couple drives well beyond 100 yards!
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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YinYang
If a white cat crosses the path, does it cancel out a black cat previously crossing the path?
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Back stage
Event participants preparing for their part in a program contribute to the flurry of activity that goes on behind the elaborate stage backdrop.
Lori's selfie shots weren't turning out—night mode to the rescue!
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Parting singer group shot
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Time to line up
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Church member was showing off his funky socks
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Biltmore mansion stone hallway
After descending through a narrow service stairwell below the grand staircase, this long hallway runs along the house's foundation toward the south side.
Florida afternoon skies
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Biltmore mansion library
A brightened panorama photo of this very dark room gives a view The Chariot of Aurora on the ceiling, originally painted for the Pisani Palace in Venice in the 1720s by Giovanni Pellegrini.
Biltmore mansion bowling alley
The house featured one of the nation's first bowling alleys instealled in a private residence.
Picked up a few new geocaches today with the nephews
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Deviled eggs redux—mixed in a little salt as I should have done the first time, and had access to smoked paprika; YUMMO
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So…that just happened—finally cool again after a week without
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Welcome to my weekend—video services for Women’s Ministries Annual Retreat #DareToShare2020
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Who Built the Sugar Mill?
The rubble in the next two photos is the sugar train, which was used to boil cane juice to produce sugar. Enslaved Africans constructed the bottom 5-6 rows of bricks in the 1850s. The ruins in the following two photos is all that remains of their work here when the area was Spring Garden Plantation from the early 1800s until the Civil War. Slave labor also constructed the original sugar mill building in the 1830s (rebuilt around 1900), as well as docks and storage buildings.
The top section of bricks was added in the 1870s. In 2011, park staff performed stabilization work, adding missing bricks and mortaring the joints to preserve this important part of the park's history.
Biltmore mansion oak sitting room
This paneled sitting area connected George and Edith's bedrooms. The room is where they usually shared breakfast and was where Edith planned the day with the head housekeeper.
Porcupine at Central Florida Zoo
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Rosanna Juarez, clown ministry
Part of the NAD web site I curated included a section of "man-on-the-street" style questions put to random attendees. I decided to not include them in this Flickr album, except this one shot because it is so fun. The photo is of Rosanna Juarez who, at the time, was from Los Angeles. The interviewer was Myla (Ferrer) Trenchuk, and I was able to reach out to both these young women on Facebook to share that I had put the web site back online for "funsies."
The original question Myla was asking on this final day of the session was, "What has been your most memorable moment this past week at the General Conference Session?"
Rosanna's response was: "At the subway, there was a man looking at me. So, I approached him and we began to talk. He asked me what I was doing here and I explained to him that I was here doing ministry. He began to tell me his problems and I told him about Jesus and how He can help. I also told him about the meetings at the SkyDome. To my excitement, he said he would try and attend the services this weekend. Praise God!"
Adventist commemorative stamp detail
Photo by Bryans Stynyk. Painting title: "Storm Clouds."
Picturing the sun breaking through the clouds, this commemorative stamp represents the Adventist Church as a "people of hope." The stamp is the first in North America to honor the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was unveiled by Canada Post during the Session opening ceremony.
Biltmore mansion rotisserie kitchen
A separate kitchen for roasted meat (venison, wild boar, and other game) was used to keep the smoke and grease out of the other kitchens.
Good morning, Florida (actually this shot was from Wednesday—I just forgot to post it)
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GCTV production
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Cute little Mickey ear musical Ferris wheel
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Friday, June 30—Paulsen re-elected
Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was re-elected at 11:26 a.m. on June 30 for a five-year term.
Paulsen, a Norwegian, has served the Church in this role for the past sixteen months and has extensive pastoral and administrative experience as a missionary, teacher, college principal, and church administrator at the highest levels. Paulsen's re-election came as the first vote of the Adventist World Session on leadership matters.
Good night, Florida
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Alfond Inn architecture
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From any angle
Numerous cameras scattered throughout the SkyDome brought pictures from all angles to viewers tuning in to the Session via satellite on the Adventist Communication Network. In the SkyDome, nearly 60,000 delegates, guests, and visitors watched the proceedings on the 100' x 45' JumboTron video display screen above the stage.
Biltmore mansion photo op
A spot in the Halloween room has cutouts of George and Edith from a popular photo of them on the main floor loggia.
Good night, Florida—stay safe in the storm
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Nominating committee
The Nominating Committee room is, of course, closed to spectators. Our photographers, however, were allowed capture images of the scene. Committee members nominate and elect Church leaders, making use of electronic equipment to tabulate votes.
Photo by my friend and colleague, Ron Quick, formerly Carolina Conference communication director. Photos were generally strictly prohibited in this room. Ron was granted a moment to capture this view when sensitive information was not being shown or discussed.
1850s-1870s sugar mill ruins
Description in photo two prior.
A very pretty day made for some very pretty landscape scenery
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Mystery Mine ride at Dollywood
Lori captured Lisa, Danny, Meg, and me on the the Dollywood Mystery Mine ride
Ark Encounter
As we were leaving, the girls pointed out that throughout the museum, there were marks in the floor as if they had been scratched by animal claws. Fascinating detail!
Awesome dinner prepared by my stepdaughter
After a very busy (but very good) day, it was a splendid treat to enjoy this dinner. My stepdaughter is studying culinary arts, and she plussed my idea for basic steak and baked potato into this masterpiece all with her own seasoning blend. And the she used a nondairy heavy cream to make the potato purée so my wife could also enjoy. I’d have never been able to guess there was no dairy (or gluten) on this plate! (Photo by my wife because I was too hungry and eager to snap one of my own!)
Turkey 2022 was a success
My late mother was always the source of my holiday turkey fix. This year, my culinary school-enrolled stepdaughter stepped up and knocked it out of the park!
The Session was broadcast via satellite
Adventist Communication Network (ACN) and Adventist Global Communication Network (AGCN) teamed up to bring satellite broadcasts of the Session to the world. Their television room (pictured), production offices, and a news desk/interview area were set up in the exhibition area of the Convention Centre.
Biltmore mansion post-tour
The weather was much more pleasant when we exited the house after our tour, enabling me to capture a few nicer shots of the exterior.
Ark Encounter
Twelve Stones Monument.
Meg gets her sugar fix
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Sampling a few of Biltmore's wines
We ended up purchasing a bottle of dry rosé and Century™ Sweet Red which tastes amazing
Adventist Review temporary office
The Review published daily issues during the session. Passers-by could view the production room in the exhibition hall.
Leopard at Central Florida Zoo
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Whopper of a storm raced me home to Apopka from the west as I approached from the east—the storm won
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Biltmore mansion official photo stop
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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This photo doesn't even start to properly depict the deep blue of this evening
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Good night, Florida
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My and my dad’s birthdays (5th and 11th) are close enough to Independence Day that our parties tend to lean on that theme
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Biltmore mansion tapestry gallery
This space was used for tea and music (given that the music room was unfinished in George Vanderbilt's day). The huge Flemish tapestries adorning the walls are part of a 1530s set known as The Triumph of the Seven Virtues, representing Charity, Faith, and Prudence. Among the art displayed here is a painting of George above the library door.
Biltmore mansion official photo stop—garden version
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Family in the Biltmore Gardens greenhouses
It was wonderful that my parents could join us for this portion of our trip.
It’s been a long, busy weekend—I’m tired, but it’s been a wonderful Camp Meeting, and the last big meeting is over
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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We went Soarin’
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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My view of the eclipse: probably could’ve done better if not for the lack of motivation—it’s COLD outside!
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Final positioning check
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman
Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman greeted Session attendees during the opening ceremony. He presented keys to the city to Jan Paulsen, General Conference president, and Orville Parchment, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada.
Thankfully no appreciable damage, but you can imagine the fear when I came home yesterday to find this—and Elsa hasn’t really even arrived yet!
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Marvelous rainbow last night
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More celebratory banners
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This is my scene for the day—production for agapeconference.org (hopefully emcee Darren is cool with the photo swipe!)
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CN Tower
There aren't many outdoor locations in downtown Toronto where the CN Tower doesn't make its presence known.
In spite of grieving the loss of my mother last Wednesday, Lori, the girls, and I enjoyed Father’s Day lunch at BJ’s with my dad who’s staying at my house the next two nights
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Ark Encounter
Food supplies.
“We Three Kings” by Florida Hospital Church Orchestra featuring violin soloist Jordan Jones
This video was an experiment. It’s a mash up of one primary video I shot of the second performance with insertions from the first performance and rehearsal. But my audio was subpar, so I synchronized the video with the house mix audio from the online streaming broadcast.
Apologies this video doesn't seem to play properly in Flickr's mobile app.
This looks familiar; maybe I should switch lanes
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Sunday, the day after the anniversary party, our immediate family drove back to Pigeon Forge for a trip to Dollywood
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On duty all day since 7am to record the HR Summit hosted by my office
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Hippo Tours—among the more unique forms of Toronto transportation
While certainly not one of the forms of transportation delegates used to and from the Session, some attendees chose to enjoy a unique trip on this amphibious vehicle.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion gymnasium
Rowing machine, parallel bars, Indian clubs, medicine balls, and needle bath shower massages.
Goofy was preparing to meet guests at the park, but turned around when it began to rain
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Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Video and photos captured at Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens.
If you have HDR-capable technology, I strongly recommend using that equipment to watch the YouTube version in HDR.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Trail entrance at Lake Jesup Conservation Area
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Welcome to adulthood, Meg
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Lucky mileage
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In case you ever wondered what my LEAST favorite task is at my job
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Biltmore mansion—Edith Vanderbilt chamber
Purple and gold fabrics adorn Edith's Louis XV-style feminine retreat. Eighty years after the original fabrics were created, replacements woven by the same French company were installed during restoration of the room.
Peeps driving Twinkie race cars
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Biltmore mansion tapestry gallery
This space was used for tea and music (given that the music room was unfinished in George Vanderbilt's day). The huge Flemish tapestries adorning the walls are part of a 1530s set known as The Triumph of the Seven Virtues, representing Charity, Faith, and Prudence. Among the art displayed here is a painting of George above the library door.
Scootin' around
Session attendees got used to a lot of walking. John Duroe, Southern Asia-Pacific Division communication director, found a better way.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Sugar Mill Machinery
Two examples of sugar cane crushing machinery from the mid-1800s are shown. Dunlawton Plantation used machinery similar to what is seen in the next photo, but the mill was steam powered. Spring Garden Plantation (here) was the only water-powered sugar mill in Florida.
More night mode experimentation—character greet facility at Norway pavilion
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Monday, July 3—Schneider elected NAD president
Don C. Schneider was elected NAD president, replacing A.C. McClure.
The NAD press release is available on my Session 2000 archive page.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore Gardens Railway video
90 seconds of miniature railway footage.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Good morning, Florida
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Map detail of trail
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Nice day for a trail walk
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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This many members of our family coming together is a rare treat—I just wish the reason for the gathering wasn’t because an important person is missing
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Biltmore mansion kitchen pantry
Both electric and manual dumbwaiters raised trays of food to the butler's pantry and floors above.
And we're off…
We're loaded up in the Honda Pilot my sister-in-law graciously loaned us for the trip, ready for adventures.
Biltmore mansion laundry facilities
Washing was aided by a belt-driven barrel washer.
My young nephews wanted to try coffee for the first time
Worth while to note that Lisa's drink was flavored and sweet. Danny's, on the other hand, was typical coffee flavor.
We really need to talk about the elephant in the room
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Mac Mini Unboxing
Apple understands product packaging better than *any* other business. Fight me.
More iPhone 11 Pro experimentation, using the super wide angle lens on this koi pond in the Japan pavilion after a tasty lunch
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Visiting historic downtown Sweetwater prior to the anniversary celebration—we had a yummy lunch at Hunter's Cafe
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Happy birthday, Lisa
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Meg loves Winnie the Pooh
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Alfond Inn central courtyard
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It may have looked like smoke from a catastrophic fire, but it really was just clouds
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First time encounter with this flavor—my new Favorite Thing™ of the moment
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Revel Artist painting in Altamonte Mall
Came across this painting in the center of Altamonte mall today. I have been at a few events that arranged to have RevelArtist.com as a guest and watched him live in action. Amazing talent.
Tomorrow
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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I lost horribly in my first time playing Ticket to Ride
I was the yellow pieces. First, I missed 20 points coz stinker Mason (blue) blocked my only chance to reach Calgary from Phoenix. Then I missed another 35 points because the game ended *one* round before I would have completed the final leg of my route from LA to Miami.
As such, six-year-old Maddox (red) managed to completely cream me into a distant last place.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Nothing left but a memory
Spent the majority of a 22-year span of time in the building that used to occupy this lot. For the last few years, it was piled up with construction equipment for the I-4 expansion project. But that’s all gone as well. Now to find out who buys the lot from D.O.T. and what new business goes in.
It's install day for our new production copier with an awesome new booklet finisher
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OH MY GOODNESS I've never had filet mignon before—this was paired with a bit of turkey and perfectly cooked/seasoned carrots atop smooth mashed potatoes with a cream sauce—NOMNOMNOM!
I was so excited about this meal, I forgot to snap my own photo, so my wife, Lori, allowed me to use hers.
I have a back-and-forth, love-hate relationship between the old Modular Apple Watch face and the new Infograph Modular face
The complication sizes on Infograph Modular are great on the Series 4, but I disdain Apple’s mandate for the small ones to be circular based. I really want the old style small Modular complications on the new Infograph Modular face.
Ark Encounter
Creation vs. evolution.
Trail scenery
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
This is the first time I realized the Post Office that services where I work memorialized my high school classmate, Staff Sgt. Stacey Mastrapa, who was killed in action in Iraq
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Grits and fried eggs, seasoned with black pepper and pink Himalayan salt—both freshly ground, of course! YUM
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Obligatory group photo
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Ark Encounter
Space utilization.
Ark Encounter official photo stop—ramp to door version
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The dog strong-armed her way into her favorite spot, and I can’t tell if the cat is enjoying the snuggle and the pillow, or if he’s about to unleash terror
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So this happened today
A few insta-impressions:
(1) LOVE the size.
(2) When can I add Dark Sky to the middle and Fantastical to the top of the Infograph Modular face?
(3) Gonna miss Time Travel. I know people seldom used it but it was great for Dark Sky forecasts.
(4) Obviously I will wear it next time I’m swimming, but coming from a Series 0, I’m paranoid!
(5) Jury is still out whether I’ll keep Digital Crown haptics enabled.
Reaching the first drop of Dollywood's Wild Eagle coaster
I'm unsure whether we are on the ride vehicle in this particular shot. In any case, this was an amazing coaster. Smooth and fun. There was surprisingly not a long ride, so after the four of us completed one pass, we looped around and got right back on again for a second ride. Lisa and I sat in the front, and we agreed—Best. Coaster. Ever!
Biltmore mansion canning pantry
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Lyonia Preserve is a scrub forest restoration area and, as such, is known for its population of Scrub Jays—one granted us a considerable time to admire before flying away
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
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Biltmore mansion library
Nearly half of George's collection (22,000-23,000 volumes in total) is in this library. A chess set and gaming table in this room was once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Biltmore mansion music room
Poor exposure in this dark room, but it shows the Meissen porcelain figures of the 12 Apostles from the 1730s-1740s, created by Johann Joachim Kändler. And to the left of the figures is the "Triumphal Arch of Maximilian," an 18th-century woodcut print Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) commissioned from Albrecht Dürer and others about 1515.
Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Views of Biltmore Gardens
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Saturday, July 8—Parade of Nations
The much-awaited "Parade of Nations"—complete with national flags, video commentary, and music—concluded the Adventist World Session in Toronto. The colorful spectacle highlighted the 205 countries in which Seventh-day Adventists operate, celebrating achievements and recognizing challenges.
The applause and cheers for the different countries indicated a wide range of nationalities attending the Session, with the loudest being for Jamaica, the U.S., and the host country Canada.
The ceremony is illustrative of the multi-national nature of the Church who are united in a faith that transcends national boundaries and cultures.
Good night, Florida (iPhone 11 Pro night mode continues to amaze—this photo was captured at 9:45pm)
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Biltmore mansion pool
Though no longer holding water, the 70,000-gallon indoor pool was heated and still has its original underwater lighting. Call buttons located near the doors allowed swimmers to order refreshements or signal they were ready to leave and needed help changing.
Obligatory parting Spaceship Earth shot
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Saturday afternoon scenery at Camp Kulaqua—King Chapel
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Favorite gas station (for now)
In spite of having numerous pumps that work VERY slowly (I can confirm pump 8 speed is good), and a horrible color to the overhead lighting (this photo is color corrected), this BP is my preferred place to get gas because they're always a day or two delayed in hiking prices after everyone else has jumped (e.g. about a 25¢ hike last night). And yet they don't really delay at all in reducing prices when everyone else comes down.
I readily admit this isn’t really what the sunset skies looked like; somewhat underwhelming, so I had some fun with the InstaFlash app
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Scrub Jay Wings of the West
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
Close-up of the gator from the previous photo.
Candlelight Processional group photo at the church before leaving
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Obligatory Thanksgiving family photo
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Dollywood's Harvey Water Clock
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Hello from Florida Camp Meeting
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Thanksgiving family portrait
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Four family members, one chair
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Biltmore mansion breakfast room
In spite of the breakfast room name, both breakfast and luncheon was served in this room. Portaits in this room include George Vanderbilt's grandfather, Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt (the founder of the family fortune), and his father, William Henry Vanderbilt.
The two smallest paintings in this photo (bottom of the trio of art to the right of the fireplace) are by Renoir: Young Algerian Girl and Child with an Orange.
Replica water wheel at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant
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Masked friends
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Finally reorganized the shelves for large-size paper stock to something a bit more logical and even created room to get yet-to-be-opened cases off the floor
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Biltmore mansion Halloween room
Originally used for storage, the walls were painted over the course of several weeks by the Cecils, joined by family and friends, with this unusal theme for a New Year's Eve party in 1925—the year after George's daughter, Cornelia, married John Cecil, a British diplomat.
A mural in one of the subway stops
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ABC
A full-fledged, 10,000-square-foot Adventist Book Centre was set up in the exhibition hall for the benefit of Session attendees. More than 50 authors participated in book signings.
Entering the Lyonia Preserve
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Good night, Florida
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Documenting Hurricane Ian’s passing
I’m truly astonished my Ring doorbell camera kept capturing images during the time I lost power. Never realized it would buffer the interval snapshots until WiFi was restored so it could upload them. Clearly the device’s battery lasts at least 13 hours which was the duration I had lost power.
Saturday afternoon scenery at Camp Kulaqua—Prayer Place
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Z88.3 radio has a splendid beginner geocache perfect for introducing someone new to the game—the cache code to search is GC7TGTE
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Biltmore mansion grand staircase
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
There is a 1,700-pound electric light fixture suspended from the middle of the grand staircase. It hangs from a single bolt that runs through steel girders under the dome roof. The bolt has been replaced only once since the house was built. Wisely designed, the copper dome opens for easier access to the fixture.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Woohoo—congrats, Bucs!
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Hella's
Hella's is a very popular Greek restaurant and bakery in Tarpon Springs.
Good morning, Florida
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Tell me you can hear this photo—Happy New Year
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With some help from iPhone 11 Pro Night Mode and a trip through PS Express, I managed to capture this image of the C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) comet ☄️
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A van full of audio and lighting tech for coworker friend’s wedding reception tomorrow
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Bought a humidifier to ease wife’s Covid-induced congestion—seems to be doing its job!
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Biltmore mansion grand staircase
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
There is a 1,700-pound electric light fixture suspended from the middle of the grand staircase. It hangs from a single bolt that runs through steel girders under the dome roof. The bolt has been replaced only once since the house was built. Wisely designed, the copper dome opens for easier access to the fixture.
Three down, seven to go
Actually, this was progress two days prior to posting this photo, but I sort of forgot to post it. The photo shows the process of manually adding front and back covers to 500 sets of a 20-page booklet. So yes, that means earlier I ran 11,000 sheets through the copier—21,000 impressions since the inside pages were double sided.
Lyonia Preserve is a scrub forest restoration area and, as such, is known for its population of Scrub Jays—one granted us a considerable time to admire before flying away
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Biltmore mansion organ blower
Near the kitchen is a small room housing this motor which powers the fan that provides are to the large organ above in the dining hall (photos earlier in this album).
Ominous weather bearing down on Central Florida
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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A reasonably successful first-go using a Taylor egg timer
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50,000 miles in just two years and 19 days—whew!
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion banquet hall
A seven-story high ceiling and Flemish tapestries from the 1500s was the scene of dinner parties and celebrations such as the annual Christmas party for Biltmore workers and their families.
Biltmore mansion kitchen storage
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Bear encounter
Around 11:30pm, I opened my front door to take my dog out to do her business and immediately saw this big fella sitting on the sidewalk just several yards away. Then a car went by and he got up and trotted away.
Biltmore mansion entrance hall
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Got to catch up with these guys on vacation from Texas and have a wonderful lunch and conversation
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The next day we drove to Pigeon Forge and had lunch at Cheddar's with a few of the family members who would be attending the 50th anniversary party that weekend
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Misc. other photos from the week—some sort of large cake presented during the main meetings
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Birds on the nature drive
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Ark Encounter
Inside looking at the bow.
LOTS of awesome BOGOs at Publix right now—love it!
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Biltmore mansion entrance hall
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Sunday, July 2—Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Time for another installment of the post-dinner-family-outing-group-selfie series
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I learned today is International Wear Your Summer Camp T-shirt Day—my childhood camper shirts are long gone, as is my 1989 staff shirt, but I do have this seven-year-old 60th anniversary polo
Now, can someone please explain why a day celebrating summer camp is held in November?
Allow me to introduce our spiffy new SDD full bleed booklet trimmer and square fold finisher—it’s SO awesome!
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Biggs house
One of Sweetwater's oldest still-standing homes, occupied by Sweetwater pioneers, Isabella Rankin and her husband, Alexander Biggs.
Ark Encounter
Dining area.
Hurricane Ian will not have “passed” in the “past” — that won’t happen until the future
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Awesome storm clouds drifting by in a time-lapse video
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Time for the >6-hour monthly prison ministry newsletter job
Meanwhile, the other production copier is running 11,500 men's ministry certification cruise flyers!
Ark Encounter
Kitchen.
For Halloween supper, my stepdaughter made Mummy Meatloaf
For the record, I generally enjoy meatloaf, and hers was really good. Who knew cayenne pepper works REALLY well in meatloaf! Oh, the bandages were cut from puff pastry sheets and the eyes were green olives.
Neighborhood stepping up tonight from all directions
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Time to line up
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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LEGO challenge—build something you think is at least 100 years old
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Enjoying a trip on Dollywood's vintage steam train—except for the tiny specks of soot!
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Third of three geocaches found—“Moss Haven”
www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC98NJY_moss-haven
Xmas door decor
I swear, this was my boss' idea, not mine! I only executed the production of it. (It might help to disclose that besides the print work I am largely responsible for, the Service Center also processes the building's incoming and outgoing mail.)
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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The cotton candy station was extremely popular
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Family and guests visiting at the barn venue during rehearsal the day before the event
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Red sky at morning…
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Godspeed, SpaceX crew! (Photos by my wife, Lori)
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Time to robe-up
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South Hall seen from CN Tower
The South Hall, entirely underground, was the location of the Adventist Book Center and the exhibit hall.
Biltmore mansion—George Vanderbilt chamber
George's grand walnut bed.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion laundry facilities drying room
Some of the damp laundry was dried indoors draped over rolling racks warmed by heating elements.
Technology success story
After I left the communication department in 2017, I no longer had my 1-2 visits quarterly to the magazine mail service way down in south Orlando which I would often use as an excuse to have lunch at one of my favorite restaurants located nearby.
Upon helping another department use this mail service this week, I offered to drive the postage checks down to the location and, of course, enjoy the restaurant for the first time since October 2019.
I got all the way down here and was suddenly brokenhearted to realize I had taken the work truck and mistakenly left my wallet in my car back in Altamonte Springs. :-( And the restaurant unfortunately doesn’t accept Apple Pay.
BUT—there’s a Bank of America diagonally across the street, and nearly all BoA ATMs now let you use an Apple Pay device instead of your debit card.
A quick $20 withdrawal, and I’m now enjoying a helping of the best beef brisket in Orlando! (Sorry, 4 Rivers, Cecil’s has you beat, no contest.)
Good night, Florida
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A few days later, returning to Epcot for a full day of fun
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Good night, Florida
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Happiness is family sharing a dozen different flavors of ice cream
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Biltmore mansion oak sitting room
This paneled sitting area connected George and Edith's bedrooms. The room is where they usually shared breakfast and was where Edith planned the day with the head housekeeper.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Time again for the annual Myers Easter Egg hunt
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Hyperlapse of the varied trail terrain
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Ark Encounter
Panorama shot showing the opening between all decks—level 3.
Toronto had a very nice, clean subway system
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Had a great day with Lori and my parents at Strawberry Festival in Plant City—caught a tiny glimpse of Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots performing
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Working in the dungeon
I had fixed the problem with our HDMI>Ethernet baluns and thought I was all set for this night. Alas, some of the control room equipment still didn't like the balun signal, so I had to control slides isolated in a room away from the main auditorium.
At least it was NICE and COOL in the room (mid 60s) rather than mid 70s in the auditorium!
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Biltmore mansion salon
Edith Vanderbilt, George’s wife, had a love of drama throughout her life and often hosted masquerade parties and theatrical events in Biltmore House. After setting aside her plan to convert the Salon into an auditorium, Edith furnished the room as a Turkish Sitting Room, complete with Persian rugs, oversized cushions for guests to lounge on, and a draped fabric ceiling treatment that remains today.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Sugar Mill Machinery
Description in prior photo.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Two of the awesomest stepkids you’ll find anywhere
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Good night, Florida
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This year’s Thanksgiving table
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Checking out the UK pavilion
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Views of Biltmore Gardens
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Biltmore mansion main kitchen
Biltmore's chef led a team of more than a dozen kitchen workers. The copper pots are original to the house.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion pool
Though no longer holding water, the 70,000-gallon indoor pool was heated and still has its original underwater lighting. Call buttons located near the doors allowed swimmers to order refreshements or signal they were ready to leave and needed help changing.
Thank you, BJ’s Wholesale, for the gas price break!
Most gas in my area right now is between 3.89 and 4.09. BJ’s Clermont was already good at 3.77. Offer for this month is 50¢ off per gallon after $100+ purchase in the store (which I needed anyway). 3.27 per gallon is great!
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Never knew Uno made a version with these huge cards!
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Adventist Review temporary office
The Review published daily issues during the session. Passers-by could view the production room in the exhibition hall.
Biltmore mansion third floor living hall
This was the common space used by special visitors who stayed in the guest accommodations located on the third floor.
North SkyDome Entrance
A bridge over a Toronto rail line, connecting Front Street with the SkyDome, was the path many Session attendees travelled when entering the SkyDome and the cafeteria. The CN Tower is also accessed from this vicinity.
Trail scenery
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Playing with night mode—China pavilion
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Went outside to enjoy the brilliant sunset colors and could hardly stand the deafening cicadas
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ALL. DAY. LONG. TODAY.
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Biltmore mansion banquet hall
Looking the opposite direction toward the organ loft.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Playing with night mode—China pavilion
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Lots of activities—including balloon artists
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Fun with light refraction
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When your ceiling tile installer doesn’t math out the geometry quite right and has to cut a nickel-sized piece of tile to fill a hole!
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Trail map—we took the blue pill…er, I mean the blue trail
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Storm clouds swirled most all of the afternoon, but a fair portion of the afternoon avoided rain
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Good night, Florida
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Good night, Florida
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
I Voted! (local elections—sadly not yet time to vote out DeathSantis)
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The Fountain of Youth
To attract tourists in the 1880s, local business owners changed the name of this property from Spring Garden to Ponce De Leon Springs. The area was advertised in northern states as a winter resort with its own Fountain of Youth, pouring out millions of gallons of "deliciously healthy" water.
In the 1950s, this site became one of Florida's many roadside attractions. Again, the Fountain of Youth was featured. It included two structures. The wall in the next photo is said to have been the location of a small fountain where visitors could drink the water. About 200 feet south (up the hill, two photos after this one), you can see the second structure with basins at different levels. This created a waterfall effect then flowed down into the fountain wall here.
Ark Encounter
Panorama shot showing the opening between all decks—level 1.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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GCTV production
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Saturday afternoon scenery at Camp Kulaqua—Outdoor Chapel
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
North Hall seen from CN Tower
The North Hall was primarily used as a mass cafeteria during the Session.
Biltmore mansion grand staircase
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
There is a 1,700-pound electric light fixture suspended from the middle of the grand staircase. It hangs from a single bolt that runs through steel girders under the dome roof. The bolt has been replaced only once since the house was built. Wisely designed, the copper dome opens for easier access to the fixture.
Caution resulted in 21 months of online worship services—happy to be at the church once again
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Visited by a beautiful pileated woodpecker as I was leaving the office for lunch today
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Adventist Review temporary office
The Review published daily issues during the session. Passers-by could view the production room in the exhibition hall.
Chloe and Xander wish you a Merry Christmas
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Biltmore mansion post-tour
The weather was much more pleasant when we exited the house after our tour, enabling me to capture a few nicer shots of the exterior.
Info panel on how sugar was made at Spring Garden Plantation
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Mason’s a goner but Maddox will exact his revenge
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Besides enjoying the vastly improved remote of the 6th generation Apple TV, I no longer have to switch to Samsung TV apps to watch 4K UHD, and the 4th generation box will be relocated upstairs
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Sister-in-law surprised her boys (surrounding still photos shot by Lori)
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Replica water wheel at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant
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Biltmore Gardens Railway
There were several different separate railways throughout the greenhouses.
Finally enjoying a taste of the Christmas gift from my bro- and sis-in-law; wow, this stuff tastes wonderful!
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Good night, Florida #NoFilter
Anyone who knows me is aware I virtually never post a photo on which I’ve done no color correction or tweaks of any kind. This post is a rare exception.
A very pretty day made for some very pretty landscape scenery
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Merry Christmas from the Bennett/Bixby/Luck households
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Friday, July 7—The NAD communication team
Seated: Celeste Ryan, left, NAD media relations manager; and Hans Olson, NAD communication assistant. Standing, from left: Betty Cooney, Southern California Conference communication director; Denise Valenzuela, Columbia Union Conference communication director; Ednor Davison, Atlantic Union Conference Gleaner managing editor; Jean Thomas, Southwestern Union Conference communication director; and Lee Bennett, Florida Conference communication department production assistant. Web site photographer Glenn Mitchell, Maritime Conference communication director, was behind the camera.
We successfully escaped Moriarty’s Game Room—SO MUCH FUN
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Biltmore mansion bowling alley
Automatic pinsetters didn't yet exist, so servants would set up the pins by hand and roll the balls back down the alley to the players.
Lyonia Preserve is a scrub forest restoration area and, as such, is known for its population of Scrub Jays—one granted us a considerable time to admire before flying away
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Black Jeep of the family
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Made-from-scratch banana bread fresh out of the oven
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Wood damage
I’m starting to love the iPhone 13 Pro macro feature. Might be a lot of these in the future. This shot is the busted end of my wooden paper jogger that accidentally caught the blade of the hydraulic bulk cutter. (If you want to see what the jogger tool is for, see this video: flic.kr/p/2m8uj1x )
Biltmore mansion guest accommodations
A scene from within the numerous guest rooms.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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I love Moe’s, and I love Chipotle, but Qdoba is just *chef’s kiss* (opinion authenticated by virtue of having eaten at all three this week)
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Black bears at Central Florida Zoo
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Biltmore mansion third floor living hall
This was the common space used by special visitors who stayed in the guest accommodations located on the third floor.
Sign shop: “Do you want that with or without typos?” / Customer: “Without.”
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I clearly don’t live in a bear-free community, as evidenced by this guy hanging out in a retention ditch near my home
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Didn’t realize another rocket was going up this morning so soon after the Falcon Heavy, but there it was, on my way to work—kudos SpaceX team, but not to Space Karen!
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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HMCS Toronto in port, seen from CN Tower
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Geocaching First To Find
Collaborated with a seasoned player who placed a cache at my work property (with permission) enabling me to claim a coveted FTF.
If you’d like to hunt this cache, search for GC85N88.
My nights this week #MyTreasuredVBS
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Immortal umbrella
Four Graphics hasn't existed for many years, but I'm still friends with my rep, Debby. She gave this branded umbrella to me more than 20 years ago and it still serves me well. I've never known ANY other umbrella remain useful and undamaged after two decades!
Random birthday celebration—just because
So apparently my stepdaughter found this musician named Clem Turner she likes and found out he turns 20 this month. Just for no real reason, she made her own version of a Carvel-style ice cream cake in celebration. (The cake was good.)
Biltmore mansion pre-tour
The sky was a bit wet and dreary when we arrived. I shot these exterior photos before the mansion tour, unsure that I would have another chance with sunnier skies after the tour.
Birds on the nature drive
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Biltmore mansion walk-in refrigerator
Several rooms used early forms of mechanical refrigeration instead of iceboxes or springhouses.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Airport dropoff scenery
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Good morning Mr. Hawk
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Centennial banners greeted incoming visitors
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Unveiling Canada Post's Adventist commemorative stamp
Three million stamps were produced, issued for June 29, 2000-June 28, 2001 at a denomination of 46¢ CDN. The actual stamps were 40mmx26mm and printed with a six-color lithography process.
Tajín takeaway
So—Blaze Pizza had a promotion recently where customers could collect a free mini bottle of Tajín seasoning (chili pepper flake with lime flavoring). I was interested in trying it, but I seldom get all the way over to Winter Park, the closest location to my work.
Generally when I get over that way, it's to pick up a paper order for the print shop. The Mac Paper outlet is not far from Blaze Pizza. Since I had to make a pickup today, and I had a discount coupon, I decided on Blaze for lunch.
I totally assumed the promotion was long since over. When I realized a manager was at the pickup counter handing out online orders, I asked him about it.
Apparently the mini bottles weren’t moving as fast as he would've liked, and the stores get some sort of credit for the number of bottles they give away. He was about to hand me a bottle from a small bag, then changed his mind and just handed me the whole bag! There were eight bottles inside (gave three to my coworker).
Biltmore mansion post-tour
The weather was much more pleasant when we exited the house after our tour, enabling me to capture a few nicer shots of the exterior.
Thanksgiving dinner isn’t over till the pumpkin pie comes out
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Both Spectrum Music Choice and Pandora have kinda been off their spelling game lately
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Biltmore mansion—Edith Vanderbilt chamber
Purple and gold fabrics adorn Edith's Louis XV-style feminine retreat. Eighty years after the original fabrics were created, replacements woven by the same French company were installed during restoration of the room.
"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Good night, Florida
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Ark Encounter
Shem and Ar'yel.
Arrival
Columbia Union College chartered its bus for guests arriving at Session—a quick photo shows it blending in with the local landmarks.
Biltmore mansion Winter Garden
The atrium area has a glass roof illuminating the center fountain sculpture, Boy Stealing Geese, by Karl Bitter which was installed just weeks before George Vanderbilt opened the house to his family on Christmas Eve, 1895.
The "cake" was a creatively decorated cardboard stand for holding cupcakes
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Florida skies this morning
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Restroom gender ID signs on restroom doors at Schlotzky’s Deli seen during 2015 road trip to San Antonio; I wonder if they’re still there considering today’s equality climate
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Dad picked me up from college today and handed me breakfast
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Birds on the nature drive
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Bulk paper cutter hilarity
Sometimes, my job amuses me.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Not the worst hotel room view :-)
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After 15 years, it is finally time to bid this workhorse behemoth Cinema HD Display—which only recently has begun to exhibit signs of failure—a fond farewell
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I love relaxing piano “muisc” in the morning
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Rehearsal day at the Barnett ranch in Sweetwater, TN, for the Hunt's 50th anniversary party and vow renewal ceremony
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Time to update my prescription—went with a whole new look with my frames
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Ark Encounter
Deck floor plans.
Moonshot
Glimpsing the pink/full/super moon.
Today is my office’s annual clean up/clean out day—sadly, I didn’t get a “before” picture, but happy to have finally eliminated all the clutter that had accumulated on my main production work table
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Not all family members were quite in the mood for a group selfie
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A rare moment of peace, harmony, and tranquility
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Spine-printing success (mostly)
Ever since my office acquired the booklet finisher, I’ve wanted to experiment with printing specifically on the square folded spine portion. Finally got the chance to do that today. It’s not perfect alignment, and the designer didn’t account for where the staples would go, but overall not bad at all.
First of three geocaches found—“Got Moss?”
www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC98NJ9_got-moss
"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
A very pretty day made for some very pretty landscape scenery
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Fun art installation in the skylight dome of the conservatory
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
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Ark Encounter official photo stop—evening lit-up version
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Awww, poor guy must either be old/sick or hurt—found him on the sidewalk, wouldn’t move for nothing, and I didn’t know what to do :-(
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Biltmore mansion tiled loggia
Huge rear patio on the main level. It serves as an extension to the adjacent tapestry gallery when the French doors are opened.
Biltmore mansion pastry kitchen
The chef used this kitchen to make elaborate desserts, protected from the heat of the other two kitchens.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Good night, Florida
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GCTV production
An extraordinary sense of humor and irony is sometimes what makes the difference between a good video editor and a great video editor.
SPECIES:
Television Editor, Editorus Fatigus
Nocturnal & Diurnal
HABITAT:
Often found in dark, damp cubicles, occasionally passed out under the desk.
PRIMARY DIET:
Little Debbie's Snack Cakes.
Merry Christmas from the Bennetts/Bixbys/Myers
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One of the 22 gators we spotted
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Giraffes at Central Florida Zoo
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Storm approaching Sanford
This was the scene just as I was leaving Sanford. Skirted the edge of it all the way down Highway 46 home to Apopka and made it without getting dumped on. Yay!
Working smarter, not harder (see Flickr description)
For nearly 4½ years, I've unloaded one or two dozen cases of copier paper every couple months into the niche where I store them.
Inspiration struck today when I suddenly realized I could simply drop the entire pallet into the niche!
Granted, I had to slide the entire production copier to the left about 12 inches to give enough clearance for the pallet jack to make the 90° turn, but it works!
If you knew my mom and happen to be near my office, you’re welcome to stop by and receive a little gift treat and a copy of her life sketch and program booklet from this weekend’s memorial service
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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My part of tree trimming is complete; Lori does the ornaments next
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Plenty of photo-op locations
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The kids—sillier
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First time geocaching for my nephews
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Revealing my creative wife’s transformation for the front room of the house
This is a 10-second iPhone Night Mode exposure of an otherwise very dimly lit room—basically just the string of lights framing the center window.
Ark Encounter
Noah's prayer.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Ark Encounter
Panorama shot showing the opening between all decks—level 3.
A tech glitch prevented video to the system on opening night, but it’s now been resolved and media is ready for Friday morning at Camp Meeting 2019
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Mystery Mine ride at Dollywood
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Biltmore mansion gymnasium
Rowing machine, parallel bars, Indian clubs, medicine balls, and needle bath shower massages.
Biltmore mansion grand staircase
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
There is a 1,700-pound electric light fixture suspended from the middle of the grand staircase. It hangs from a single bolt that runs through steel girders under the dome roof. The bolt has been replaced only once since the house was built. Wisely designed, the copper dome opens for easier access to the fixture.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Alfond Inn lobby
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Mary Poppins also made an appearance
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Local public elementary school teachers did a drive-by parade through neighboring communities for their students staying at home
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Tuesday, July 4—Interview studio
GCTV's news desk and interview area were located in the heart of the exhibition hall. Pictured is newly elected North American Division President Don C. Schneider and It Is Written Speaker/Director Mark Finley preparing for a an interview on the Adventist Communication Network.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Super bright rainbow
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Thursday, July 6—Secretariat
Every word of the General Conference Session business meetings must be recorded and transcribed. Secretariat workers performed this function with amazing speed. Every 10 minutes, tapes were taken to be transcribed. The text was available for review shortly thereafter.
Before and after
One of the most satisfying parts of my job is when I can take an existing item produced in house for one of my office’s departments and dramatically improve it. (Please tell me you can see the difference!)
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Preparing to sing
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Stay anchor_d… in school so you don’t commit spelling mistakes
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Anhinga at Mead Gardens
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Biltmore mansion dressing room
Plenty of space for changing into bathing costumes, adjacent to the indoor pool.
Y’all are just a bunch of turkeys!
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Ever wonder how you get custom-sized pieces printed multiple-up on a large sheet with ink bleeding to the edge?
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Celebrating Meg’s dual high school/college AA graduation
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Sculpture Unveiling
A sculpture by renowned American sculptor Victor Issa was unveiled during the Session opening ceremony. The artwork, depicting the second coming of Christ, represents the Adventist hope in the soon return of Christ. Featuring 12 life-sized bronze images, the work represents, in three dimensions, one of the central beliefs of the Adventist church—the second coming of Jesus to Earth.
"Words that one usually wouldn't use to describe hard, shiny metal seem to come easily to those who stand among the pieces of this bronze sculpture," says Charlotte McClure, public relations director for the Adventist Church worldwide.
All 12 pieces of the sculpture were later permanently installed in the lobby of the World Church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.
For those who might ask, that’s a Blackmagic Design ATEM Production Studio 4K in the background of the previous photo
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Y’all, my egg-peeling game is getting strong (and they were perfectly cooked, too)
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Loud and clear
The sound of every spoken word and every musical note coming from the stage was routed through this mixing console in the middle of the Session Floor. Those who sat in the rear portions of the SkyDome experienced an interesting curiosity of science, caused by the sheer size of the venue—it takes almost a full second for sound to travel from the powerful speakers to the back of the SkyDome. Since light doesn't have this perceived delay, the effect was accentuated when the sound was heard while also watching the JumboTron video display above the stage.
Boys on the trail
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Perfect timing
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"Moose in the City"
Throughout the city, moose sculptures greeted Session attendees. Titled "Moose In The City," the outdoor art gallery was based on the Chicago art exhibit, "Cows On Parade," and featured hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose designed by Torontonian artists. Several moose were located around the Convention Centre and SkyDome.
Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Does a flock of turkeys in my back yard mean Thanksgiving comes early this year?
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Milestone odometer reached on my car
Yes, the image is cleaned up in Photoshop because there was dust all over the plastic cover and a bit of camera shake blur. But no, I did NOT edit the numbers to create 88888.
Another great weekend at Camp Kulaqua for Florida Conference Camp Meeting—I get to work with a fantastic media team crew
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
The kids—deceptively calm
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Salted caramel pretzel—YUM
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Chaperone meeting
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Yes, as a matter of fact I do take milk in my tea, Earl Grey, hot!
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Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Dad, brother, wife, and me after a wonderful meal at Rusty Pelican
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Biltmore mansion banquet hall
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Crocodile at Central Florida Zoo
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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A little sightseeing after the show, trying out iPhone 11 Pro night mode in the Germany pavilion
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Ark Encounter
Ark size and shape.
My parents visited today for Christmas gift exchange, a little help updating outdoor light fixtures, and yummy lunch
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Biltmore mansion breakfast room
Grainy and poorly exposed, my panorama shot of this dark room gives a glimpse of the elaborately decorative ceiling.
Biltmore Gardens Railway
Part of the railway miniature ran past an amazing scale model of the mansion.
Biltmore mansion smoking room
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Blue tungsten carbide
Don't worry, it's not a replacement. I still have my original. But, with my wife's blessing, I now have a colorful alternative wedding band. I don't impulse-buy things like this very often, but I found this beautiful ring at a Strawberry Festival vendor at an extremely attractive price.
Dazzling Nights
Harry P. Leu Gardens, December 18, 2021
Celebrating Meg's graduation—three minutes of relevant clips made from the two-hour livestream
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CN Tower
At 1,815 feet, 5 inches, Canada's CN Tower was the world's tallest free-standing structure until 2007 when it was overtaken by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE. It is an important telecommunications hub and the center of tourism in Toronto since it was built in 1976. The observation platform is 1,136 feet or 114 stories above the ground.
Giraffe at Central Florida Zoo
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Took a detour past the hospital where I was born
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
Obligatory departing SSE shot
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Lyonia Preserve is a scrub forest restoration area and, as such, is known for its population of Scrub Jays—one granted us a considerable time to admire before flying away
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Holiday illumination on trees at Apopka’s Kit Land Nelson Park
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Ark Encounter
Water and waste technology.
Biltmore mansion servant bedroom
Most uncommonly for the period, Biltmore servants had a comfortably furnished, heated, private room. Most servants were allowed two hours off daily, but were still on call. They received one afternoon and one evening off per week as well as a half day every other Sunday.
Will you permit me to boast for just a second on my packaging tape box-cornering skill?
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Scenes from the exhibit hall
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Major thunderstorm rolling through
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Ark Encounter
Welcome.
Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
We found a Fazoli's!
After our Biltmore trip, we headed to Lexington, KY, intending to reach our hotel before terribly late. Unfortunately a nasty storm slowed us down, even pulling off on an exit for a while, and we arrived in the early morning hours the next day. We had a much-needed sleep-in, and then had lunch at a nearby Fazoli's—a rare treat for us ever since the chain pulled out of Florida except for one store in Pensacola. My meal was essentially free due to a promotion they were running on the overhauled chicken parmesan entree where I just completed a short survey about it.
One of the 22 gators we spotted
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I usually forget to use portrait mode, but I remembered this time
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Calling grandma
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Asian Lantern Festival
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford
I had set a goal of meeting my 500-calorie goal for 365 consecutive days—blew past it and hit 400 days yesterday, so I’m REALLY ready for a break!
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CN Tower glass floor
One of the most unique attractions of the CN Tower is its glass floor…
