It's the end of yet another year. A time when tradition has it we look back upon the previous twelve months and comment on the highlights -- and sometimes lowlights -- of our experiences.
As a travel photographer, the destinations of 2011 will collectively be remembered as among the most diverse and expansive years of my life, and that's saying something indeed. My journeys ranged from a grand European whirlwind tour of Italy, Croatia and France, to a one-day sojourn out into the California desert. The year's travels had me away from the house for a collective five weeks, a record of some sort.
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| The spectacular sunset dinner off the coast of Italy |
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| The hilltop town of Gourdon in the south of France |
What made this year's trips particularly enjoyable was that virtually all of them involved sharing a portion of each with friends and family. Again, a rarity, but it added so much to our experience that it will become a regular custom if at all possible. Our friends Ray and Vicky Stone -- of Perth, Australia -- joined us for our cruise on the MSY Wind Surf as we set sail down the Croatian coast and around the boot of Italy. My parents joined us for a couple of wonderful days in Paris, as well as hosting us at their house in Annapolis, Maryland. Judy and Darren Joyce, my sister and brother in law, enjoyed our days in New York City as much as we did, and Judy's daughter-in-law Jennifer and grandson Alden spent a few hours there themselves. And in a mass mobbing of a town, my wife's brother Mike was married in Las Vegas as friends and relatives from across the area descended upon the MGM Grand for an April wedding. And, of course, my buddy Jim accompanied me out into the Mojave in search of a sunrise.
Since convention tells us a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let my photos tell the story...
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| Along the Stradun, the central shopping district in Dubrovnik |
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| The beautiful and baroque Casino de Monte Carlo |
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| Piazza Navona in Rome |
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| Baltimore's Inner Harbor |
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| Nice, a square in the old town. |
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| Nightime in the Bastille District in Paris. |
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| The seashore at Positano along the Amalfi Coast |
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| The MSY Wind Surf attracts attention in Rovinj, Croatia |
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| St Paul de Vence in the South of France |
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| Downtown Annapolis |
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| Mount Etna as seen from one of Taormina's landmark hotels |
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| ...to the countryside in Tuscany. |
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| From the strawberry fields in Maryland.... |
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| A romantic staircase in Verona |
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| Vegas, baby! |
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| Korcula, Croatia |
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| Kelbaker Road in the middle of California's Mojave Desert |
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| The town of Grasse in Provence. A center for the perfume industry. |
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| A gondola ride in Venice |
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| Christmastime at 30 Rock |
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