madshutterbug | Photo Blogging, the Experiment Continues

So, just days before the Summer FCORN (Florida Council periOperative Registered Nurses) Meeting, held this year aboard Carnival Line's MS Imagination, we found ourselves with enough funds in the account to support the purchase of a new camera for Thomas J. Macheski, dba Mad Shutter-bug Photography. Namely, and to whit, a Nikon D70s digital SLR with an 18 - 70 mm zoom lens.

These photos were made on that cruise, and are the start of the learning curve. While they've all been downsized from their original settings (the first day out, I used Fine Quality, Large, which gave me some impressive JPG's at 3008 by 2000 pixels), they are all still behind a cut for the bandwidth friendliness factor. Each photograph also serves as a link to the larger size image on the LJ Photo Server.

Our first port of call was Key West, where Ruthie and I wandered through the Butterfly Conservatory, then through parts of Old Town.

	In the Butterfly Conservatory Where butterflies are actually not free, as not all of them are native to the Florida Keys. Cool place, though!
	Sign-post? These two sort of look like they're acting as a sign-post... this way to the, um, er, something.
	Lunar Moth This particular image is cropped out of the larger image.
	Quail Needed to watch where one stepped; not only would the butterflies land on the walkways, these little guys were also running around.
	Banyon Tree Spotted this on the way to see the Little White House, after leaving the Butterfly Conservatory.
	Little White House President's Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and more recently Secretary of State Powell used this place.
	Originally, It Was Originally, this was a duplex home for the Comandant of the Key West Naval Station, and the Paymaster.
	Trust Me To spot a sign like this one... one wonders how the Coppertone people feel about this?
	Dawn, Saturday On the way to Cozumel.
	Dawn, Saturday There were a few people passed out in deck chairs. Believe it or not, I'm being nice and not putting their pictures here.
	Overlook Overlooking the pool area, and morning sunlight.
	Lifeboat, #1 This early in the morning, members of the ship's crew would be out doing maintenance to the lifeboats.
	Lifeboat, #2 Lots of extra life preservers. Mmm, boy, makes me feel better...