2013...A Photo Review of the Year

It's not until I look back through the wanderlust ATLANTA blog that I realize just how much I did in a year, and 2013 was quite a busy year. I'd like to share some of my favorite photos from the year, which do not necessarily cover all of my favorite places, but 25 photos that I really like...I hope you enjoy.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Since today is New Year's Eve, why not start with a glass of bubbly. This shot was made at the Blooms & Bubbly event at the Atlanta Botanical Garden back in the spring.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

"Go Braves" took on a whole new meaning this year, with their announcement that they've moving to Cobb County. But I've been a loyal fan since 1990, so I'm sure I'll still go to see the occasional Atlanta Braves game.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I just love this photo! This was made in one of the permanent galleries at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I love this photo, too! This was made at the currently being renovated Delta Flight Museum, which I believe is slated to reopen in mid-2014.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Getting to tour Fire Station #19 was so much fun! "Thank you" to our first responders for everything you do all year long!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love going to DragonCon, and the great admiration I have for the conventioneers who create their own costumes. This was a 2013 favorite!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

What a wonderful find! Only an hour north of Atlanta, Gibbs Gardens is one of the most remarkable gardens I've visited. So much so that I bought a Four Season Pass, so you'll see more from here.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The World of Shells at Fernbank is an exhibit that I wish got more attention...the collection is truly quite remarkable.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Having lived in Greece for more than two years, attending the annual Greek Festival on Clairmont Road is a treat in culture, tastes, music, and nostalgia.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I have loved Rhodes Hall since the very first time I saw it. That it's garnered the name The Castle on Peachtree I think is very befitting. 

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Scarecrows in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is such a fun and festive exhibition. This year's bought in a record number of scarecrows, many of which were quite impressive!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The Museum of Design Atlanta is one of my favorite museums, in large part because of the "community" they've created. One of the ways they do that is through Field Trip. This chandelier was at DEX Industries when we visited earlier this year.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

It's not very often one gets to pose with creatures of this sort, so I love it when such opportunities present themselves. If you couldn't guess, this is at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

One of the great pleasures of being a tourism blogger is the opportunity to discover exhibitions an destinations that most would not...and then sharing said discoveries with one's readers. This painting of Joan Crawford I discovered in an exhibition at Arts Clayton.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

So, I visited Gibbs Gardens twice in 2013, once in the summer and once for their Japanese Maple Festival. I'll be going back in the spring to see their 20 million daffodils!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I can hardly wait to go back to Medieval Times...what a fun experience! You get a "medieval" dinner--that you get to eat with your hands!--and a professional horse show, sword fighting, jousting...there's a lot going on here!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I visited a lot of churches this year during Phoenix Flies, a program early in the year that facilitates hundreds of free tours around Atlanta. 

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I'm learning more and more about the Atlanta Beltline and look forward to further tours. This work of art on the Beltline spoke to my love of columns, which perhaps stems from living in Greece?

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

As a photographer, I'm always on the lookout for beauty, and you can find it in the most unexpected places. These poppies were in a flower bed on the property of the Atlanta History Center...love them!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Piedmont Park was the very first destination I blogged about more than three years ago and I still enjoy my visits there, which are fairly regular.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The High Museum of Art is renowned for its spectacular exhibitions. The currently running Paris on Peachtree delights on numerous levels.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a wondrous place, a place where you not only have the opportunity to increase one's knowledge of the world, but that also a place that inspires the imagination.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The new 20-story SkyView Atlanta Ferris Wheel has caught the attention of thrill-seeking Atlantans and visitors, alike. And it offers views of Atlanta that no other attraction can!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Atlanta tourist destinations also offer some brilliant holiday photography, such as this dinosaur at Fernbank which I edited to be somewhat ghostly for a Halloween announcement. Great fun!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Atlanta's public art is quite phenomenal, in large part significantly increased in profile by winning the 1996 Olympic Games. This sculpture, The Flair, stands proudly outside Georgia Dome.

Well, there are approximately a bazillion more photos I'd love to share with you, but go enjoy your New Year's Even and Day. Have a wonderful time exploring Atlanta, exploring your own backyard, and showing friends and family around our beautiful city.

Happy New Year!

Travis

Miss Star Trek Universe Goes to the Romulans!

There would have been many disappointed Ferengi at this year's Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant...there were several contenders any of who could have taken the crown. Fortunately for one Romulan in particular, there wasn't a cloaking device in sight! Her (seemingly) Irish jig was seen by everyone!

Dragon Con 2013, Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant

The competition, immediately preceded by a Klingon-led series of games (I think he'd been nipping the blood wine), was fierce. Many of the contestants had obviously worked on their uniforms and routines for many, many months—if not the entire year—and others were solely relying on their womanly ways and lots of skin!

Dragon Con 2013, Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant

Each and every person who took to the stage—as well as all the folks behind-the-scenes—deserve a standing ovation for putting on a fantastic performance! This is one session that I always attend and will wait in line for an unrealistic measure of time to get a great seat!

Dragon Con 2013, Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant

This trio of Andorians graciously served as stage hands during the pre-show act...well, they got to light into gamers with Bat'leths, so it couldn't have been too horrible. They were pretty damned good, actually.

Dragon Con 2013, Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant

No, Scotty was not a contestant at this year's Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant...I can't believe you'd ask that! Actually, this event brings probably the largest number of Star Trek costumes of the Con, so it's a fantastic time to snap a few shots of Starfleet officers and others from around the known Universe.

Dragon Con 2013, Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant

This year's distinguished panel of judges included a very special local guest...Emily Cook, Miss Georgia 2009. She graciously posed for photos after the Pageant when I learned that you can't just give your camera to someone else who is holding a camera and assume they know how to use it. 

Fortunately, Emily looks gorgeous in the Star Trek dress that her mother made for her. Both her parents were at the Con. Garrett Wang, the Trek Track Chair and Harry Kim from Star Trek: Voyager, told us that he'd been trying to get her to the Pageant since he first took over the Track in 2010. He and everyone else there was grateful for her participation...especially a few guys probably could have used a whiff or two of oxygen.

Also on the judges panel were Dominic Keating, Cirroc Lofton, and Terry Farrell. All in all, it was another brilliant Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant! Looking forward to the next one!