I am Michael Seuffert and here are some destinations in my life:
My hobbies are photography, soccer and tennis. I enjoy motorcycling, travel and I very much care for animals and the environment.
“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...
The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance”
- Carl Sagan 1996, a few months before his death
Getting a bit wider as I get older.
Can't say that I am a huge Rodeo fan but I do like to take photos at the Houston Rodeo to fine tune my photography skills and hang out with family in the Wine Garden.
Did attend the Wimberly Rodeo once but everyone kept falling off their rides :).
In February 2015 I started a membership with the Houston Zoo which will allow me to exercise my bad knees by walking in an environment that has some entertainment value and ambiance. I will also be able to keep up with one of my hobbies, taking photos.
While I am very conflicted about keeping animals in captivity, the times where zoos were stocked by raping the wilderness seem to have mostly passed. Zoos now may be the last hope for some of our endangered species.
Zoos that still capture animals in the wild need to stop this practice.
What does Peta think?
PETA opposes zoos because cages and cramped enclosures at zoos deprive animals of the opportunity to satisfy their most basic needs. The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed, and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws zoo visitors and boosts revenue. But the animals’ fate is often bleak once they outgrow their “cuteness.” And some zoos still import animals from the wild.
Also known as the French Riviera, I returned there with my daughter in 2007 for a one week stay in Nice. I had last been there in 1978 for a two week camping trip with friends.
Between 2007 and 2011 this became our to go place and we spent four summer vacations in Cavalaire sur Mer which is central to many fabulous short day trips.
Have looked at some rentals there recently (10/2019) and am shocked at how much they have increased in price. Will need to research some more because I do want to return.
While I have not been there since 2011 I will surely return. This is a great place to visit if you can handle the tourists.
In July 2012 I joined my brother and his family for a two week trip to the US Virgin Islands.
During our visit we stayed on St. Thomas most of the time but did venture to St. John a few times as well as the British Virgin Islands.
While this may sound a bit negative, the beaches made up for most everything. I had a great time with my family.
Been in the Cilento region four times since 2013, visiting here with family and friends. My to go place here has been Castellabate, about a two hour drive south of Naples. This area had not been overrun with tourists but this is slowly changing. While still not extremely crowded signs of more tourism are slowly creeping in. The prices in the grocery stores are going up, parking is more difficult to find and not free anymore, you may need to make reservaations even in some of the less known restaurants. Still, Castellabate, is worth staying in.
From here you can take a boat to the Amalfi Coast and Capri for a day trip. The inland region is also very nice. I love visiting the Gole del Caloore, an ice cold water hole about 90 minute drive away.
Castellabate is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
In 2017 I returned to the Alps, one of my favorite places to visit. This year I met some close friends for a week in Berchtesgaden and then went to Lake Garda for the first time. The Alps vacation ended with a week in Garmisch before I drove back to Frankfurt to spend some time with family.
Gosh, my return in 2019 was quite an awakening. Yes, still a ton of wonderful places to visit, BUT sights like Neuschwanstein are just so overrun with visitors that it is no more fun. What a disappointement. My future visits will not include any of the main tourist attractions and I will stick to a more relaxed off the path type of visit. I am really heartbroken about what is happening there.
I prefer to visit the Alps in the summer but that's because I do not know how to ski and really do not like cold weather.
After a three day stay in Sintra with my nice and tons of sightseeing, we met up with two friends to spend a couple of weeks in Lagos which is located in the Algarve region of Portugal along the Atlantic Coast.
The Algarve is the southern most region of mainland Portugal.
Joined my brother and his family for a vacation on Phuket. While June/July is the "green" (rainy) season you get plenty of sunshine. The climate is tropical humid.
While most people will opt to stay in a resort we opted to rent a villa with pool and maid service which was probably a lot cheaper and gave us much more flexibility.
The island is a favorite vacation destination for Europeans and Australians.
Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) is an company / service that provides Online and DVD training and instructions for Computer Application, Photography and Business. Their service is reasonably priced and very useful for anyone wanting to increase their capacities in any of these areas. Try it for a month and see for yourself.
Houston may be the best place to eat Tex Mex and the restaurant that I would recommend is Lupe Tortilla. There are several locations in Houston and maybe there is one near where you are staying. I highly recommend the Fajitas. If you plan to have more than two Margaritas I would advise you to take a cab. Seriously... Unfortunately "Es Preety Expensive" now - they raised their prices quite a bit in the last few years.
A USAA recommeded company that provides travel insurance. I have had one claim and they paid off. At a time when you see so many insurance companies try to weasel out of having to pay benefits, they came through.
Auto FX is a software company that develops Digital Enhancement Software for Graphic Programs including Photoshop. If you are working with Photos and Graphics their plug-ins can give your work a whole new and much more interesting look. Well worth downloading their trial software to see for yourself.
I have used this service for many years and I am quite satisfied with their products and "discounted" pricing. If you want to take your digital photos to printed medium then this service will not disappoint. I particularly use their service for photo books which make great presents and allow me to have a printed collection with stories for the best pictures I take in the course of a year.
I have had a few photobooks that had flaws but was able to have them redone without any issues or cost.
Wait for the 50% discounts or even unlimited free pages for best pricing and check out Shutterfly. They have increased prices on photobooks in recent years so wait for the discounts because regular prices are just crazy.
My cousin Vanessa is also into taking photos. She is following her dream. Visit her at vanessaseuffert.com.
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