Tarry Tattler

Years ago, taking pictures on vacation was a hassle. You carried around a heavy, pricey camera, waited a week for the film to be developed, and then dragged out a screen and projector to watch the slides or movie. Today, you can snap a picture of a scenic vacation spot with your cell phone and transmit it instantly to your "Fav Five." Handheld camcorders and lightweight digital cameras make picture taking fun and foolproof. You can upload photos to your computer and create a DVD to watch on your TV. Cumbersome projectors and screens are a thing of the past. Digital technology made all this possible and it makes one wonder, "What's next?"

We have assembled photos and commentary from some of our vacations. We went to Ireland for the first time in 1999 and have made several trips back since then. The first, however, was the best because we reunited with my husband's cousins.

We were so glad that we decided to visit Alaska. It is truly a vast unspoiled wilderness with towns like the one in the TV series "Northern Exposure." We recommend the sightseeing boat tour from Seward into Prudhoe Bay.