Chapel Hill, NC

Due to an illness in the family, I'll be visiting the Chapel Hill area frequently during the next few weeks. My mother has a bad infection and the antibiotics will take some time to clean her system. Fortunately we have family close by and she's in very good hands. The hospital is huge with many intersting waiting and visiting areas.

With each visit I may get to do some brief site seeing and exploring. I've already started a restaurant list. :)

Mobile Blogging

In an attempt to blog more frequently I'm going to attempt to use my iPhone for updates.

A loyalty program worth the effort.

Since I travel frequently I am able to earn cents of per gallon using my BP Visa in conjunction with the new BP loyalty card.  I recently saved $2.19 per gallon using my BP card.   Shell also has a similar loyalty program that is expanded to online discounts with over 700 participating merchants.

BP Consumer Credit Card

BP Visa®

Earn $.05 in cent per gallon rebates for every $100 on most purchases.
Earn $.15 in cent per gallon rebates for every $100 on BP purchases.
Redeem your rebates instantly at participating BP stations.
New members will earn $.25 for every $100 on most purchases for the first 60 days.

 

More info about BP cards is available here.

Another fantastic golf tournament.

Waking up at 6:00 and driving 2 1/2 hours to River Landing in Wallace, NC was worth the effort.  I was able to participate in a MDS golf tournament on one of the most beautiful courses that I have ever played.

Although my game is far from good and I donated several balls to the water, I enjoyed the beautiful weather and course.

Myrtle Beach Skywheel

If you are planning to visit the Myrtle Beach area the Sky Wheel would be worth the time.I've considered it several times and finally decided to take a ride.  The view is wonderful and the ride is very smooth inside the air conditioned compartments. During my next trip I plan to take a night ride above the beach.

The Cube

I remember being challenged by the Rubiks cube during my Junior High School years.  I had the patterns and movements memorized ad was able to solve the puzzle in just under a minute.  I barely remember how to settle one side of the cube.   I'll admit to visiting the official webpage and watching a few videos to learn the correct patterns to complete the cube.  My new best time is less than 5 minutes and I am pleased with this accomplishment for now.

My new toy.

The new Canon 5D MKIII was released in March and I waited to allow time for glitches. However, my Pocket Wizards have yet to be reversed engineered. I'll be using the basic infrared communications for my flash system until PW gets their programming updated.

So far the images are amazing and I'm loving the extra focusing points allowed. 

Jason Mraz 2012 - "Tour Is A Four Letter Word"

I've been a Mraz fan for several years and was happy to have the chance to see him in concert for the second time. My first experience with lawn seating was during the first Mraz concert and now I do not think i would want to be anywhere else during a concert.   I like being able to have some space and relax during the concert.  Being lucky enough to get a area center stage is perfect for me.  The view is good and the sound is even better.

 The concert special guest Christina Perri was awesome as expected.  if you get a chance to score some tickets its worth the time.


Set list:

• • The Remedy (I Won't Worry)
  • The Freedom Song
  • Bella Luna
  • Tonight, Not Again
  • Who's Thinking About You Now?
  • Lucky
  • Frank D. Fixer
• • The Sunshine Song
  • Plane
  • Living in the Moment
  • The Woman I Love
  • A Beautiful Mess
  • I'm Coming Over
  • You Fckn Did It
• • Butterfly
  • Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
  • I'm Yours
  • Song For A Friend
  • Distance (with Christina Perri)
  • 93 Million Miles
  • I Won't Give Up

Stone cold photo assistant.

Sometimes I have to improvise while I am shooting photos. Today I needed to lighten the load. I didn't have my gear wagon and the ground was wet. Fortunately this statue have a helping hand.

Nashville 2012

Another wonder trip to the music city.

The Gaylord Opryland Complex
Great food!!
Country Music hall of Fame
Wild Horse Saloon
Bar Hopping
Excellent entertainment!!

The Really Big Expo

I look forward to attending the annual Southeast Petro-Food Marketing Exposition in Myrtle Beach each year.  It's an opportunity to get a glance at new technology, spend sometime with some of our business partners and possibly meet some new friends.  The show also offers trade seminars,  a variety of food samples and an occasional celebrity sighting.


Back in the day we took a day to visit the show in Charlotte and run through the show floor glancing at vendors.   The show and missions have changed to include a golf tournament fundraiser, many meetings and a chance to take in a couple of beautiful Myrtle Beach sunrises.

About the show: 
The nation’s largest regional petroleum and c-store show continues the spring date started in 2001. Approximately 1500 buyers attended last year from throughout the southeast. Each year more than 400 exhibit companies offer equipment, products and services to petroleum marketers and convenience store owners and managers. Of course, the latest in products and services will be on display.

The twenty-ninth annual Southeast Petro-Food Marketing Exposition is sponsored by the following organizations:

North Carolina Petroleum & Convenience Marketers
South Carolina Association of Convenience Stores
South Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association
Virginia Petroleum, Convenience & Grocery Association

These four associations boast membership of over 1200 members operating over 10,000 convenience stores and service stations.

My return to the game of golf.

Several years ago I played the game of golf as much as I could, but not frequent enough to become a great player.  I continued because I enjoyed the game and love being outdoors.  Other commitments pulled me away from the courses and I lost what little I had.  I may have played 2 or 3 times during the past 5 years and still had a good time even though my game was terrible. I had given my clubs away a long time ago and the few times I've played since were on borrowed clubs.  I was recently volunteered to play during a fundraiser tournament at Myrtlewood Golf Club in Myrtle Beach SC.  I was honestly glad to have the chance to get back into the game.  This was a fundraiser and I didnt feel any pressure to be great.  I borrowed a set of clubs from a co-worker (The guy who volunteered me to play) and spent a few evenings prior to the trip practicing.  During the night before the tournament I practiced in my backyard with plastic golf balls and felt pretty good about things.

Upon arriving to the golf course we had a good BBQ meal and then set out with three other guys to take a swing at the game.  I learned that one other player has been playing for a very short amount of time and I wasnt worried about being the only person take an occasional miss at the ball.  I had some good hits but still not as consistent as I'd like to be.   By then end of the day, I felt that I had played a decent game considering that I had not played in a long time.  We had a great time and the course was beautiful.  We had wonderful weather and I didn't sacrifice too many golf balls to the many water hazards throughout the course.    Somehow a cart died on the final hole and we had to push it back to the clubhouse. This was a huge laugh to top off the day.  The night before was the 1:00 am Daytona 500 Nascar race and we decided that bump drafting the cart around the course was appropriate. I was happy that our team finished with a score of 79. 

I am determined to keep the game of golf scheduled and add a new set of clubs to my list of toys this year.  Until then, my friend is letting me keep his old clubs so I can get some frequent practice.

Long exposure time.

I am traveling to Seven Lakes, NC after a couple of evening photo sessions and the multiple lights of a feed mill on Highway 211 catch my eye.  As with many scenes I think to myself that this could make a nice photo, but I continue driving.  During the next 2 miles I am still thinking about the feed mill.  I have my gear with me and  am not rushing to another appointment.  I make a u-turn and head back to the feed mill location.  As I drive by I scope out a decent area to pull off the road to setup a tripod with camera. Conditions were great.  No moisture in the air and there wasn't any haze from the mill around the structure.   I dial in my camera settings, click the remote and wait for the photo to be captured.   After 5 or 6 shots I felt good about the results on the screen and packed my gear and continued my journey.    I've also included a few more long exposure photos that I have captured in the past.  I enjoy setting up a camera and tripod to capture some night time shots.  I like to capture the sparkle form the lights and as much detail as possible.

Perdue feed mill, Bensalem, NC

Perdue feed mill, Bensalem, NC

Cemetery, downtown Columbia SC

Downtown Columbia SC

Christmas decoration, Downtown Rockingham, N.C.

4th of July fireworks, Rockingham, N.C.

Rare snowfall at Harrington Square, Rockingham, N.C.

Disney Hollywood Studios, Florida

Washington Street, downtown Rockingham, N.C.