If I Had a Million Dollars.....

.....I would still be doing this!!

How great would it be to be able to spend all of your time, doing the things that you love, and only because you love it....to not have to worry about money?!  If I had that ability, I would be one happy woman!



Kristie @ PG Sisters and Holly @ Where We Can Live Like Jack & Sally are hosting the Lotto Winning Daydreaming blog hop this week.  What would you do if you won the lottery?  This is the theme and it is a subject that my husband and I have discussed more than once.

So, besides continuing to take pictures *like, all the time!*, what would I do??

*Pay off all of our debt.
School, cars, credit cards. How does it all add up so quickly? I would love to get rid of all of those loans and start over debt-free.
*Buy a decent-sized piece of property and design/build our own home on that property.
I have always thought it would be so much fun to design my own house. People search for weeks, months even years for the perfect home. I would LOVE to be able to create my own, so that everything is just where I want it and all of the finishings fit our style.
*Upgrade my camera.
I love my camera - it works great and takes some pretty good images. It is still a lower-end camera when it comes to DSLRs, though. I have my eye on an upgrade, but I'm not quite there, yet. I could definitely go for some more lenses and other accessories, too. Such as: my Safari camera bag from SHUTTERBag!
*Go on vacation {or a few}!
Italy, Greece, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Australia, Chile, Brazil....these are just a few of the places on my wishlist!
*Buy my husband a car or two.
Don't get me wrong, I love cars too. But he is the real car enthusiast. I will be happy just to get my Honda Pilot some day. He, however, has a little bit more of an expensive taste :)

If you wish you had a million dollars {who doesn't?!} write about it and go link up!

I have a little bit more to share from my walk around Astoria last weekend. This time - down by the bay river. {No watermelons here...}

The Barbey Maritime Center is housed in the old Astoria Railroad Depot.  The building, which is now part of the Astoria Maritime Museum, has been restored and is now used for building wooden boats, as well as classes dedicated to preserving the maritime culture of the Astoria area.

The Astoria Riverfront Trolley is a fun little tourist attraction.  It's only $1 per person and a round-trip tour of the waterfront lasts about an hour.  I haven't ridden it in several years but I remember enjoying it.  Built back in 1913, this particular trolley was originally used as a streetcar in San Antonio, Texas.  In years past, it has been used as part of the public transportation system, housed in a museum and undergone numerous restoration efforts.

There was a paddle boat in town last weekend, as well.  I have always wanted to take a ride on one of these.  This particular boat hosts 1-2 week cruises up and down the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

 

The boat directly above is only about a year old.  The Columbia River Bar is one of the most treacherous in the world.  These boats transport highly experienced bar pilots out to incoming ships to help guide them over the bar and into the Columbia River.