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When our cruise ship was in Alaska during the summer we went to a very small and beautiful town called Hoonah. As always, I was walking around taking pics and when I got near the beach I noticed people playing fetch with this dog. They eventually left and didn't take the dog with them so I quickly realized that this wasn't their dog. The dog grabbed the stick and came up to me letting me know he wanted to continue to play. I couldn't resist so I played with him for a while. I wondered who's dog it was. Was he homeless? I think it was a year later I was talking to one of the tour guides and she mentioned that they lived in that area and this was their dog. He really loved to play fetch with anyone walking by. He would do this all day if new people kept walking by.

There are three ways to get up the mountain to get to Fira. (the main city in Santorini) You can walk uphill in blistering heat taking in the smells of the donkeys, hoping you don't step in the presents they leave on the trail. Or, you can ride a donkey which is less work but you get the same smells. Or, you can quickly get up there via the cable car. I usually took the cable car up and then walked down the path to get some photos of the donkeys and the guys in charge of the donkeys. Make sure you don't use your good shoes if you walk the path. They won't smell very good when you get back to the ship or your hotel room. Haaaa!!!

Santorini is one of my favorite places on Earth. It is very peaceful & beautiful and you get breathtaking views all around the island. I heard they also have the best sunsets so stay a few days and you will get to enjoy those too.

Occasionally I would rent a moped when our cruise ship went to the Greek islands Mykonos and Santorini. It is a great way to see a a lot of the island and not be exhausted from walking all day. Anytime I saw something I liked I would stop and take a photo. There is barely any traffic on the road so I felt safe riding a moped there. The most dangerous thing is getting near other people that rented a moped but have no idea how to drive a moped. There were usually a few people that had accidents every time we went there. Guests and crew. I took my time going pretty slow and stayed away from gravel roads going uphill or downhill. Thankfully, I never had an accident.

This is definitely the largest bubble I have seen in person. The gentleman that was making this bubble is just one of the many street performers on La Rambla, Barcelona's main walking street. I love to look at each person's face in the photo to see the various levels of excitement. Some look thrilled and amazed and some look not so amazed. Haaa!!! I was amazed. That is why I took the photo. :)

While working on a cruise ship I was fortunate to visit Barcelona, Spain many times. I would always like to walk up and down La Rambla (the main walking street) to see the various street performers.

This puppet act was very entertaining so I stopped to watch him and got a few photos of his show. This was my favorite photo from that day.

If you visit Barcelona, La Rambla is a must see. Vendors sell all kinds of souvenirs, there are lots of great street performers and there's also lots of great restaurants.

Like any major city, you need to be careful of scammers. Keep your wallet in your front pocket (lots of pickpockets), keep your purse or shopping bags where you can see them (don't put them under your chair in a restaurant or internet cafe) and don't play the shell game. You will always lose. :) Anyone that wins at the shell game is part of the scam to get you to play.

Pickpockets have accomplices that will distract you while they take your wallet or watch. If someone drops something in front of you, don't pick up the items. It is a scam to distract you. If someone "accidentally" spills something on you don't let them clean it off. They need to get close to steal something from you. Never give your credit card to anyone. They can easily take a pic of both sides and then use your info to buy things online.

This applies to all major cities. Not just Barcelona. Here is some more info on the type of scams out there.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/tourist-scams

One bonus tip - most people don't know this. If you visit the Columbus monument at the start of La Rambla, you can pay a small fee in the souvenir shop to be able to take a small elevator up to the top of the monument. It gives you a great view of La Rambla.

I personally never had a problem in Barcelona. I loved every time I went there. But I did hear stories of people getting ripped off so please be careful.

There is a very interesting history that goes with this bridge. When I was younger this bridge was actually on 135th street. This photo is several photos taken at different exposures and then merged in High Dynamic Range software to increase the dynamic range.

In 1990, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District moved the bobtail swing bridge a few hundred feet to be a trail bridge when the high bridge was built across the Sanitary and Ship Canal, SanteFe tracks, and I&M Canal.

The 135th Street bridge is the only remaining example of this type of bridge in the state of Illinois. Built in 1899 to cross the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, it was uniquely designed to allow passage of large vessels along the waterway.

This two-span bridge was able to pivot on a steel turntable supported by a masonry pier; thus the name "swing bridge" as it swung across the water to the opposite bank. The longer east span was the part that actually crossed the canal, and the shorter west span functioned as the counterweight arm.

The trusses, which are the supporting framework, were constructed out of steel and extended up and over the bridge. Located within the trusses is an overhead pilot house where the movement of the bridge was controlled.

The bridge was a busy, active bridge up until its removal and relocation. After its closing in 1990 due to structural problems, it was moved to Centennial Trail for preservation.

I was walking around Villfranche, France taking pictures and I eventually saw this. Seriously, what would this little girl do if the dog decided to take off? She would have to let go of the leash or hang on for dear life! Thankfully, the dog was very well behaved and there were no problems. :)

Our cruise ship went to Naples many times. I would often eat at the restaurant just across the street where the ship docked. They had one waiter that could speak English well and his name was Tony. He was always super nice and very helpful. He was also an amazing waiter. He was the same age as my mother and he was running around putting food on peoples' tables like he was in his 20's.

He knew I liked to take pictures, so every time I visited Naples, he would give me a lot of helpful information so I could see some different things each time. One day he told me how to take the funicular to get the highest vantage point you can get in Naples. The views from up there are stunning. Castel Sant'Elmo, a medieval fortress, is at the top of the hill. Naples at the street level can get very noisy. Once you get the top of the hill, it is very eerily quiet. Check out DavidMoreheadPhotography.com and search for Naples. I have a pic on there of the view you will see when you go to the top of the hill in Naples.

Once I got some pics at the castle I walked around the little neighborhood up there and eventually saw a cameo shop. The owner was very nice and let me take pictures of his cameo molds. This mold one was one of the best ones I saw that day.

I got up very early one day to take pictures at Dellwood Park in Lockport, Illinois. As soon as I left my apartment I noticed this wasn't an ordinary morning. There was some pretty heavy fog everywhere which was causing some limited visibility. I wasn't sure how this would work when taking photos. Once I got started taking pics I was having a lot of fun taking advantage of the limited visibility. It adds a little mystery to the photos. Now when I get up early to take pics I hope there is fog.

This is one of my favorites from that day. The normal color of fog looks a little dull so I experimented with different white balances on my camera until I got a color that I liked.

My friends Mario and Daniel, from Las Vegas (creators of the Tango show exclusively on Royal Caribbean) put together a great new act last year called Impact. The group is four very talented guys from Argentina doing a variety of amazing things. They asked me to take promo photos of the act for their website. I took pics at their rehearsal and both shows and then picked the best photos to send to them. The one I posted here was one of my favorites from that day.

I love taking pics of acts like this. So much energy and emotion to try and capture. It isn't easy keeping up these guys because they rarely stand still. These guys dance, sing, play piano, flute and various percussion instruments and also swing a fierce boleadoras (bolos). They also add some humor to the show. Once cruise ships start sailing again they will be back performing with Royal Caribbean. If you see their name advertised on your ship, please make sure you go to the show. You will love it.