Starting A Blog, Photo Album or Web Site

I have tried quite a few software packages and services to store photos, write blogs and web sites and found that the free ones are all I need.

They are simple and you can add text, photos, and short videos. However, you are limited to the storage or memory space available on the free sites, although it is adequate for most people.

I use Google which offers several free services. It has Picasa for storing photos and Blogger for writing blogs. You have to get a free Google email account first to use them. You can sign up for the free email at http://google.com/ . Select Gmail to get the free email account.

You can also take a guided tour of both Picasa and Blogger to see how they work. Once you try them you will know if these will suite your needs.

If you just want to store photos with captions you can use Picasa from Google at http://picasa.google.com/ . You need to download the free Picasa software to your computer first. Then load your photos from your camera onto your computer into a file folder. Now open Picasa and locate this photo file folder. You can now organize the order of the photos and write captions for each while it is on your computer. When you are ready, you can upload your photos to your Picasa Web site in an album with the captions. Select web albums at the bottom of the Picasa page to upload photos and web albums at the top of the page to view all your albums.

However, if you want to write a story and say something related to the photos, you write the story in a blog like Blogger at https://www.blogger.com/start and then include a link to Picasa to see the related photo album. You can also insert individual photos into your blog article.

I first write my blog stories using Microsoft WORD and then copy and paste it into a new blog on Blogger. It’s easier to edit your thoughts and spelling on your desktop word processor rather then online in Blogger.

You should also have a Broadband Internet Connection like Comcast.net or Verizon.net since trying to upload photos over a phone connection takes too much time.

I store all the Romeo photos on Picasa in public albums that all can see and Family photos in private albums that only my family can see, when I send them an email with the authorized link.
Besides writing a Romeo Blog I also write another blog called Open Nut Shell with my general thoughts on different topics or projects that I have done. You can see the Romeo Blog at http://romeo-nsssa.blogspot.com/ and the Open Nut Shell Blog at http://opennutshell.blogspot.com/ .

In addition, I have a web site that I created for a home business. I do decorative painting on glass, wood, metal or slate and sell hand painted items online or at craft fairs. You can see my web site at the link…. http://markscrafts.com/ .

Comments are always welcome. Do you have a favorite web site, blog or online photo album?

How To Build A Wind Vane & Cupola

One of the things that always intrigues me is the variety of wind vanes, cupolas and finials that adorn the roof tops of buildings. As I traveled around New England this summer I took some photos of some of the interesting ones and listed them in a photo album with a link at the end of the next paragraph.

Most cupolas are square structures with louvered sides and a four sided roof. On top of the cupola is the traditional NSEW directional bars and then an arrow that moves and points in the direction from which the wind is coming. A decorative finial usually rests on the arrow or on top of the central pivot. The decorative finials usually have a shape that is related to the building, or geographical area or special interest of the owner. Thus, a finial in the shape of a fireman might be on a fire station or a whale might be on a seaside restaurant. You can see some example photos and ones from a shop in Wells, Maine at the link….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/WindVanesExamples71408

You can also see various wind vanes at online web sites and get an idea of the relative cost which depends on the size and construction materials. Those with copper roofs demand the highest prices. One online web site can be seen at the link ……. http://www.theweathervanefactory.com/index.php

Since the cost of the copper wind vanes, finials and cupolas was more than I wanted to spend, I decided to build my own and attached it to a backyard garden shed. Although the cost to purchase a wind vane and cupola online starts at around $500, I was able to build one with materials costing about $75 plus my labor.

You can see photos of my simple construction project at the link ….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/WindvaneProject82508
I first used a computer paint program to draw a design which is shown in the photo at top. I also recycled an old vinyl window shutter and cut it in 4 equal pieces for the cupola sides. Other materials were wood supports 1-1/2x3/4, metal brackets, barn board grooved plywood, corner molding, outdoor paint, nuts, bolts, screws, and threaded rod for center pivot.

The entire construction and installation took several weeks and made me appreciate the high cost of the ones seen on line. However, there is also a personal pride attached to your own creation.

Have you tried some unique home projects like this one? Comments are always welcome.