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Greetings. Welcome to our Newsletter! We wanted to share the many photos we have taken of places, people and things throughout the country and beyond. Each month, our headline photo will be something new and different. The caption will present a small explanation. We hope you enjoy. We do not want to waste your time. Articles will contain generally less than 250 words. Please have a look and give us your feedback. By all means, forward to a friend using the link at the bottom of the Newsletter. Thanks. Questions? Send me an email!

Sunrise and Sunset

I have for whatever reason fallen in love with sunrises and sunsets. I am not sure if it is the fact that it is fleeting or it is because it is a sign that the day is ending. Like the love we have for fall. Maybe it is the colors and the drama. To the left are some that I shot in various places and times.

Click on the picture and you will see these full size. Take a look at sunset images on Google and you can't help but get that wow sensation. You will even find categories of sunsets including city, beach, mountain, country and even dolphin. Look at Flickr and the quality improves greatly. For even higher quality, look to istockphoto or shutterstock for those you can purchase.

Putting sunsets in motion can be breathtaking. Take a look at this Vimeo compilation of sunsets taken over a couple of weeks in Norway. Or watch the midnight sun during the summer in Iceland.

But in my mind, nothing replaces your own photos of the sunrises and sunsets you have witnessed with your own eyes. Looking back at them, they will probably remind you of a time and a place dear to your heart. Like a smell in the air, a picture of a sunrise or sunset will transport you almost instantly. It will change the way you breath and how you feel.

Try it for yourself, pull out a picture that you have taken of a sunrise or a sunset and I bet you will remember when and where it was taken.

Internet Music

How many ways can we listen to music? Besides listening to your own collection, here are a few options providing easy listening on smart-phones, tablets, portable Internet radios and now most cars. Pandora, Live365, Spotify, Grooveshark, SiriusXM, Jango, Slacker, Shoutcast, Soundcloud, LastFM and dozens more. Don't stop there, there is also Fringu, Mufin, Console.fm, AudioBox.fm, VodPod, Muziic, Beatlab, Musicovery, AudioSauna, Mog and still many more.

In evaluating these services you need to consider what it is you want to accomplish:

• Intuitive music selection
• On demand music
• Unlimited skips
• Lyrics provided
• Can you share your selections
• Can you rewind a track
• Publish your likes to Facebook
• Purchase the current selection
• Intuitive discovery of new music
• Upload your own music
• Create play-lists

Whichever suits your taste, be prepared to sign up for a subscription to avoid hearing the advertisements. Free music isn't really free.

• Pandora $3.99 per month
• Slacker $10 per month
• Spotify $4.99 - $9.99 per month
• Live365 is $5.95 - $7.95 per month
• Grooveshark is $9 per month
• SiriusXM is $14.49 - $18.99 per month
• Soundcloud €3 - €9(pounds) per month
• Jango is FREE

Bad Roads

Ever wonder what toll bad roads takes out on you? Well a recent study by TRIP, a national transportation research group suggests the costs are considerable costing the nation $80 billion. In areas where roads are very bad, it can cost motorists up to $800 per year but averages about $377 per year for urban drivers.

Boston, Springfield and Worcester were sited as having around 40% of roads in poor condition which closely matches Providence, RI and Hartford, CT. The study estimated Worcester drivers spend nearly $600 annually due to bad road conditions.

In a US PIRG study, here is a list of the top 10 worst States for roads and bridges showing in parenthesis is the percentage of roads in bad condition and bridges which are structurally deficient and the average additional operating cost.

All-in-all, Over 90,000 miles of roads and 71,000 bridges are in dangerous disrepair in the United States. This is after spending $9.5 billion in 2009 and $9.5 billion again in 2010 and $9.5 billion again in 2011, we are losing ground.. To see a complete list of the worst roads in the country according to Money, click state by state.