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Botos Family Album - 2007The year unfolded, not always the way we expected. Here is a brief pictorial replay of some key events. |
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Holidays - 2006
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We spent Christmas eve and part of Christmas day with Nick, Angela, and Nina. ) Nick & Angela's table all decked out for the Christmas eve and Nina's birthday celebration. |
) Catherine and her 'cute' grandpa. ) |
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FamilyWe spent a lot of time together as a family this year, traveling occasionally, but always having a good time! |
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Carole, Sonia's Peace Corp roommate visited us in February. Along with some catching up on our lives, we also visited the local Aquarium. )
Why do they look so cold? This picture was taken outdoors on a cold February day while Carole and Sonia watched the penguin feeding. |
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In preparation for our trip to Hawaii, Liliana & Sonia plan activities for our visit. )
While Liliana was here, we also visited the Air & Space museum, as well as several other highlights on a day trip to Washington, D.C. |
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All of our kids were home for Thanksgiving. Snacking, while waiting for dinner. |
Catherine insisted on having mashed potatoes. So we assigned her the task of mashing them. )
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After dinner, it was time for relaxing with more picture taking and a game of Trivial Pursuits. )
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We also got in several rounds of Boggle. |
Thanksgiving)
We were all ready to sit down to our turkey/tofurky dinner. |
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PortraitsWe usually don't take posed pictures, but since we had the family together, decided to take a few. )
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TravelsOdd looking creatures off the coast of Belize. Some quick highlights:
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This summer, Sonia, Michael, Catherine, and Liliana [Sonia's cousin from Italy] spent a few weeks snorkeling and sightseeing on the islands of Maui and Kauai. This was Liliana's first visit to Hawaii. For the rest of us, it was an opportunity to explore parts of the island we hadn't seen before. )
Dinner at Mamma's Fish House, a fantastic setting for a great meal. |
Hawaii)
Catherine got lei'd before leaving the airport in Kahalui! Sonia and Liliana taking a break at the scenic Maui Ocean Center. The center is a combination of formal aquarium, learning center, and outdoor exhibits. And of course, the location is great. )
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Sunset ocean view from our condo on Maui. Our back lanai was only about 50 feet from the ocean. )
Apple snails greeted us each morning on Maui, leaving their trails in the dew covered grass. )
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After about an hour of driving on the road to Hana [not counting the time you spend
Black sand beach near Hana. |
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Postcard shot of the winding road to Hana |
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This plant blooms only once every 100 years. It provides a stark contrast to the dark lava rock and cinder landscapes as we climbed [mostly with the car} up the 10,023 feet of Haleakala. |
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The sunset on Haleakala is just a beautiful as the sunrise, but without the bitter cold temperatures. Although it was still windy and cold for our sunset picnic of wine, cheese, and fruit. |
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Having Michael's laptop along on the trip set up on lanai [with a beer, of course] made it much easier to review the pictures from the day. We got into a routine... Power up the laptop, get a beer, upload pictures from three cameras and then enjoy reliving the events of the day. ) )
Avocados & limes courtesy of the trees on the property. We had seen the fruits in the trees from our lanai, then went out to pick up some of the fallen fruit. The resulting guacamole was delicious! |
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Cereus flower. |
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Friendly box fish peering out from its rocky home. |
SnorkelingSnorkeling was a daily activity. Usually our first activity after breakfast. Most of the beaches were only a short drive from the condo. The fish were plentiful and colorful. Thanks to Catherine, we were able to get some great snorkeling pictures, using a special camera 'bag' to encase her older digital camera. )
Humuhumunukunuku'apua'a -- the beautiful state fish of Hawaii. |
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Red pencil urchins seemed to be plentiful at most of the snorkel sites. |
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Honu - green sea turtle, a pleasure to watch as they leisurely swam and grazed on seaweed. |
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NaPali coast)
NaPali coast -- Hawaii, like it used to be. |
Waimea Canyon)
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When he waves work their way under a lava shelf, they often create blow holes. This is the Nakalele Blowhole on the northwest side of Maui. )
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Unfortunately, the Hawaiian sun eventually set on our vacation and it was time to return to the real world and the thousands of emails messages at work. )
Just one of many beautiful sunsets. It was a great vacation. |
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On their way to Italy, Sonia, Nick, Angela, and Nina spent a few days touring London. )
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ItalyOnce in Italy, they combined sightseeing, visits with family members, and stops at various shrines. Some of the 'next generation' of Italians. )
Front left to right: Giulia, Sofia, Andrea, Paola, and Antonio . |
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Lina with Sonia & Nick -- the 'little ones' she helped take care of when they were a lot younger. |
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Peaks in the Dolomites.
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There were also plenty of sites to see including Sicily, Padua, Lake Cuomo, the Dolomites, Assisi, Venice, and other stops along the way. |
Sonia is alreay talking about what she wants to see on her next trip to Italy. There is nothing like a gelato on a hot day in Rome. It's also great when the gelateria proprietor knows you by name! )
Sonia with Michele, the owner of the Gelateria de Millenium, near the Vatican. |
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Il Prato della Valle featuring some of Padua's illustrious former citizens. )
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These are only a few of the thousands [literally] of pictures Sonia took while in Italy. If you are considering a trip to Italy or just want more details of her adventures in Italy, be sure to give her a call. |
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Papal mass in Assisicelebrating the 800th anniversary of the conversion of St. Francis - 6/17/2007. |
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BelizeMatthew and Michael both posted photos albums of their trip to Belize on the Internet. Matthew's also include a number of blog entries. )
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This barrier island was only a few miles out from the Belizean mainland. The Barrier Reef we dove on extends the entire 25 mile length of the island and was only a half mile off shore. |
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To get from place to place we used a combination of air, local bus [complete with nursing babies and a few chickens], and taxi. )
Air travel was an adventure. One lane landing strip at Corozal. |
As with most Mayan temples, at Lamani the steps are a lot steeper up close than when viewed from the distance. )
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The Mayan ruins at Lamani took Michael to new heights. It was a steep climb, but definitely worth it. |
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The insects must have heard I was coming. Above [if you look closely] are three varieties of dragon flies. )
One of my favorite discoveries was a colony of leaf cutter ants. This is the entrance to their home. |
In additional to the photogenic insects there were also plenty of annoying insects. As the picture on left indicates, there were plenty of mosquitoes, particularly up country. On the hikes we took at La Milpa, as soon as you stopped to take a picture you had a swarm of mosquitoes surrounding. During Mayan times there was much less jungle, so the mosquitoes were not as much of a problem. The Mayans did have a number of plant remedies for warding off and soothing insect bites. |
Were there any mosquitos, you ask. Matthew's arm & leg should answer your mosquito question. )
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On a night safari, our guide, Vladamir found this red eyed, green tree frog. He was able to find it in the dark, based on its distinctive sound. |
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The vacation also afforded Matthew and Michael plenty of time to just relax. Matthew in a hammock at La Milpa. |
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Palm Beach Shores)
We enjoys seeing all of the pelicans. They liked to skim the waves looking for a meal. |
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The sunrises were wonderful, and we didn't even have to get out of bed to see them! Sonia liked driving around 'topless'. )
We enjoyed the amenities of the resort, with dips in the pool and walks along the ocean enjoying the beauty of nature. We also took several drives in the area to see how the 'rich' folks live. |
Our condo in Palm Beach Shores had views of both the ocean and the courtyard pool. )
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Special Events |
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Birthday # 21)
Catherine celebrating #21! And yes, that glass was as big as it looks. No PhotoShop enlarging. |
We celebrated 2 special birthdays this year. Catherine reached her 21st birthday and Dad attained his 90th. Milestones for both of them. )
Catherine getting ready to make special birthday cookies using Grandma's unpatented cookie press and discovering her thumb needs to be bigger. |
Birthday # 90)
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Catherine assembling enchiladas )
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Father's Day - Special mealMichael's request for Father's Day was a nice home made Mexican meal. Catherine and Matthew took up the challenge, making not one but two family favorites. Chicken and spinach [a.k.a. greenies] enchiladas. Michael's only tasks were taking pictures and offering fatherly advise on the cooking techniques. )
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Random Shots |
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There were plenty of cold days this winter, including the catch all 'wintery mix' the weather people are so fond of. The option to WFH [work from home] came in handy a number of times during the winter, particularly when the Mazda was covered in ice. )
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We enjoyed our fireplace all during the cold winter. )
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Snow doesn't stop Catherine's train trip back to Rutgers. It was nice not having to drive all the way. Whenever Dad stayed with us, he always wanted to go along to the station to have more time with Catherine. )
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The birds welcomed the arrival of spring. )
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Along with the coming of spring, came the annual spring cleaning of the porch. Catherine got very involved, helping to paint, encouraging Michael to replace some screens, and her favorite, using the power washer. )
You've heard of the 'Swiffer duster' but have you seen my invention -- the 'swiffer computer'? |
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Catherine felt empowered with Matthew's power washer and wanted to power wash everything. Tom Sawyer would be proud! |
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Michael's contribution to yard clean-up this spring was downing one of our dying pine trees. |
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Michael & Sonia dancing at the Lange family wedding. |
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Dad has a habit of eating with one hand raise as if to protect his meal from anyone who would want to take it away. Catherine refers to it as 'Grandpa's 'claw'. She loves to joke with him about it. )
Catherine and her 'cute' Grandpa. |
Informal pose in the back yard. My how they have grown..... )
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Bits and bytes - digital cameras |
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Matthew getting practice with his new digital SLR camera. |
We all made good use of our digital cameras this year. I don't have a total count of pictures, but it was well over 15,000 between Sonia, Catherine, and Michael. With snorkeling pictures from Hawaii and scuba diving pictures from Belize, I learned more about using photo editors to correct for under water color loss. We all seem to use Picasa for one function or another. I still like the challenge of taking close-up pictures. |
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Plant bud designs. |
The following pictures are the result of a little more planning, adjusting, and in some cases just being in the right place at the right time with your eyes open! For additional views of these subjects and others, be sure to check out Michael's weekly archive page of 'best of the week' photographs. Matthew also has an extensive gallery of favorites that is worth a look. )
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Plant bud symmetry. |
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A Mother's Day special: )
Mother aphid and her offspring.
I love my 'bugs'!)
It was an excellent year for my 'bug photography'! Making more 'love bugs'. I've gotten a lot of email from lady bug viewers. |
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Dandelion seed suspended by
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Asian tiger mosquito biting me. This photo was published in a medical journal! |
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Administrivia: |
doc ID: http://www.botos.com/album2007/index.html
Copyright © 2007-2015 Michael Botos. revised: 6/09/2015 Your comments on presentation style, technical content, and anything else relating to the Web are always welcome. Send them to me at  mbotos@botos.com. |
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