Thanks to guest blogger Lisa Alzo for this great article.

Summer is officially here (in the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice officially arrived June 21 at 6:51 A.M. EDT.), and I don't know about you but I couldn’t be more happy. After the long winter we had in New York, I am grateful for fresh air, sunshine, and being able to get out and go for a long walk every morning. But the new season also gets me excited about genealogy—specifically about tasks that I can enjoy either sitting on my deck with a glass of iced tea, or if I feel adventurous, during an in-town, or out-of-town excursion. Looking for some ways to make your genealogy life sizzle this summer? Here are five suggestions.

1. Make Some Memories.

Summer is the time for vacations and reunions. If you are packing up the car or getting on a plane for some rest and relaxation time with family or friends, why not include a little genealogy along the way? If you are near New York City, check out Ellis Island, where the immigrant experience comes alive. On the West Coast, there’s Angel Island, or visit other historic landmarks, such as Gettysburg, or Monticello.

[Ellis Island Wall of Honor John and Veronica Straka Figlar; Photo by Lisa A. Alzo]

Even if you can’t get away, check your local area for museums, or walking tours of historic places. (One of my personal favorites is the Women’s Rights National Historical Park located in Seneca Falls, New York, (and less than an hour away from where I live). Perhaps you have plans to attend a formal family gathering. If so, remember to take plenty of photos, and use your smartphone or tablet to interview your relatives (for tips, watch the Legacy Webinar on “Captured For All Time: Recording Family Voices to Preserve and Pass Down” by Marian Pierre-Louis). Don’t have a reunion booked? It’s not too early to start planning one for next year. Find tips at Reunions Magazine. You can also organize a virtual reunion with far-flung family members using technology such as Skype, Facetime or Google Hangouts. 

Opting for the Stay-cation? Incorporate some genealogy/family history into a Family Game Night with board games such as Life Stories, and The Game of Genealogy ($29.95 + $6.00 s/h USD), or online activities such as Genealogy Game Night (hosted by DearMyrtle), or the free Family House game by BrightSolid (part of the DC Thompson Group) you can download from iTunes (click here) to play on your iPhone/iPad, or play on Facebook.

2. Sort, Scan, and Save.

One of my major projects this summer is to de-clutter and to get to grips with my massive family history archive. I have an entire room filled with boxes and containers of photographs, assorted documents, and family heirlooms. I am following the excellent advice provided in the book, How to Archive Family Keepsakes, written by my friend and colleague, Denise Levenick (aka, The Family Curator) to better store and preserve all of the wonderful family treasures I have inherited.

[Photo by Lisa A. Alzo]

3. Become a Graveyard Rabbit.

A great project for summer is to go out and photograph/document gravesites in your local cemetery. Projects such as Billion Graves, and Find A Grave make it easy with mobile apps and this is great activity to get the younger family members involved. Don’t forget to sign up for the Legacy Webinar “Find A Grave - The World's Largest Cemetery Database” with Russ Worthington, so you can learn how to use and contribute to the site.

4. Go to Texas!

No really, you need to…so you can attend the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference August 27-30, 2014 in San Antonio. But HURRY! The Early Bird Discount for the 2014 Conference Ends July 1st! Get a sneak peek of what’s in store with this video. If you can’t make it to FGS, you can always start making your holiday wish list for registration fees to 2015 events such as the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), January 12-16 (some tracks have sold out, but seats remain in several excellent courses), the RootsTech/FGS joint conference also in Salt Lake City February 11–14, or the National Genealogical Society, May 13-16 in St. Charles, Missouri.

5. Attend School by the Pool.

Grab your laptop or tablet, find your favorite lounge chair and learn while you soak up some sun (or enjoy the shade). Take advantage of these fabulous Legacy Family Tree Webinars being offered in July and August (watch them live for free), or become a paid subscriber for unlimited access to these as well as archived webinars (now contains 253 hours and 673 pages of instructor handouts).

• Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - Thinking About Becoming a Board-certified Genealogist? with Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL
• Friday, July 11, 2014 - Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting with Legacy Family Tree Panel
• Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - When Freedom Came - Documenting the Family's Freedom Story with Angela Walton-Raji
• Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - Researching Your Illinois Ancestors with Thomas MacEntee
• Wednesday, August 6, 2014 - Researching Your Tennessee Ancestors – with J. Mark Lowe
• Friday, August 8, 2014 - Research Recharge - Turning Old Clues into New Leads with Lisa A. Alzo
• Wednesday, August 27, 2014 - Researching Your Italian Ancestors with Ruth Merriman

Click here to register for any or all of the above webinars.

Bonus Activity

Don’t forget to tune in for the 5th Season of Who Do You Think You Are? The popular series returns on July 23, 2014 on the TLC (check your local listings for more details).

Wishing you a super summer filled with genealogical goodness!

Lisa A. Alzo is a freelance writer, instructor, and lecturer, and has been tracking her ancestors for 25 years. She has presented 10 Legacy Family Tree Webinars, can be contacted via http://www.lisaalzo.com.

The recording of today's webinar, "Copyright Mythconceptions" by Judy Russell is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time. A few comments from our viewers:

• I think it ranks right up there as either the most important or one of the most important webinars that has been presented.
• Fantastic presentation witn unbelievable handout!
• Her presentation style made what could have been a dry and complicated topic interesting! Thanks, Legacy, for another great Webinar.

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 27 minute recording of "Copyright Mythconceptions" is now available to view in our webinar archives for free for a limited time. It is also available to our monthly or annual Webinar Members for the duration of your membership. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com to watch. The 8 pages of supplemental syllabus materials are also available for annual/monthly webinar subscribers to download/print/save. Login or subscribe.

Special Discount Coupon

The special discount coupon of copyright that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything at both www.LegacyFamilyTreeStore.com and www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com through Tuesday, July 1, 2014.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 253 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 673 pages)
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout, and yes, you can also use the 10% off webinar coupon above for a total of 15% off)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year (that's about the cost of 5 webinar CDs)
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Thinking About Becoming a Board-certified Genealogist? by Elissa Scalise Powell. July 9.
• Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting by Legacy Family Tree Panel. July 11.
• When Freedom Came - Documenting the Family's Freedom Story by Angela Walton-Raji. July 16.
• Researching Your Illinois Ancestors by Thomas MacEntee. July 23.
• Researching Your Tennessee Ancestors by J. Mark Lowe. August 6.
• Research Recharge - Turning Old Clues into New Leads by Lisa Alzo. August 8.
• Find A Grave - The World's Largest Cemetery Database by Russ Worthington. August 20.
• Researching Your Italian Ancestors by Ruth Merriman. August 27.
• Researching Your Jewish Ancestors by Jennifer Alford. September 3.
• Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting by Legacy Family Tree Panel. September 5.
• Success with Manuscript Sources by Barbara Renick. September 10.
• A Library at Your Fingertips - the Internet Archive by Maureen Taylor. September 24.
• The Fair Court: Records of Chancery Courts by Judy Russell. October 1.
• Overcoming Destroyed or Missing Records by Karen Clifford. October 3.
• Welcome to FamilySearch Indexing! by Devin Ashby. October 8.
• Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor by Thomas MacEntee. October 15.
• Tracking Migration Using the Draper Manuscripts by Mary Hill. October 22.
• Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting by Legacy Family Tree Panel. November 14.
• Using Evernote for Genealogy by Lisa Louise Cooke. November 19.
• Family History for Kids by Devin Ashby. December 3.
• Look Ma, No Hands! Using Dragon Naturally Speaking for Your Genealogy by Ivan Baugh. December 5.
• Researching Your North Carolina Ancestors by J. Mark Lowe. December 10.
• Bagging a Live One - Connecting with Cousins You Never Knew You Had by Mary Kircher Roddy. December 17.

Click here to register. Or click here register for multiple webinars at the same time.

Print the 2014 webinar brochure here.

See you online!

The recording of today's webinar, "Documenting Native American Families in 19th and 20th Century Records" by Angela Walton-Raji is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time. A few comments from our viewers:

• I was enthralled, even with no known Native American heritage. Kudos!
• This webinar gave me hope!
• Awesome! Had no idea there was so much, especially online!
• Angela has such a lovely upbeat personality. Very information presentation.

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 31 minute recording of "Documenting Native American Families in 19th and 20th Century Records" is now available to view in our webinar archives for free for a limited time. It is also available to our monthly or annual Webinar Members for the duration of your membership. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com to watch. The 6 pages of supplemental syllabus materials are also available for annual/monthly webinar subscribers to download/print/save. Login or subscribe.

Special Discount Coupon

The special discount coupon of native that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything at both www.LegacyFamilyTreeStore.com and www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com through Monday, June 30, 2014.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 251 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 673 pages)
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout, and yes, you can also use the 10% off webinar coupon above for a total of 15% off)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year (that's about the cost of 5 webinar CDs)
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Copyright Mythconceptions by Judy Russell. June 27.
• Thinking About Becoming a Board-certified Genealogist? by Elissa Scalise Powell. July 9.
• Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting by Legacy Family Tree Panel. July 11.
• When Freedom Came - Documenting the Family's Freedom Story by Angela Walton-Raji. July 16.
• Researching Your Illinois Ancestors by Thomas MacEntee. July 23.
• Researching Your Tennessee Ancestors by J. Mark Lowe. August 6.
• Research Recharge - Turning Old Clues into New Leads by Lisa Alzo. August 8.
• Find A Grave - The World's Largest Cemetery Database by Russ Worthington. August 20.
• Researching Your Italian Ancestors by Ruth Merriman. August 27.
• Researching Your Jewish Ancestors by Jennifer Alford. September 3.
• Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting by Legacy Family Tree Panel. September 5.
• Success with Manuscript Sources by Barbara Renick. September 10.
• A Library at Your Fingertips - the Internet Archive by Maureen Taylor. September 24.
• The Fair Court: Records of Chancery Courts by Judy Russell. October 1.
• Overcoming Destroyed or Missing Records by Karen Clifford. October 3.
• Welcome to FamilySearch Indexing! by Devin Ashby. October 8.
• Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor by Thomas MacEntee. October 15.
• Tracking Migration Using the Draper Manuscripts by Mary Hill. October 22.
• Legacy Family Tree - Virtual User's Group Meeting by Legacy Family Tree Panel. November 14.
• Using Evernote for Genealogy by Lisa Louise Cooke. November 19.
• Family History for Kids by Devin Ashby. December 3.
• Look Ma, No Hands! Using Dragon Naturally Speaking for Your Genealogy by Ivan Baugh. December 5.
• Researching Your North Carolina Ancestors by J. Mark Lowe. December 10.
• Bagging a Live One - Connecting with Cousins You Never Knew You Had by Mary Kircher Roddy. December 17.

Click here to register. Or click here register for multiple webinars at the same time.

Print the 2014 webinar brochure here.

See you online!

FamilySearch has added more than 4.9 million indexed records and images to collections from Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, United States, and Venezuela. Notable collection updates include the 2,596,134 indexed records from the Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1860–1975, collection; the 638,381 images from the Portugal, Viana do Castelo, Miscellaneous Records, 1636–1962, collection; and the 403,057 indexed records from Venezuela, Catholic Church Records, 1577–1995, collection. See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Join us this Wednesday AND Friday for two exciting genealogy webinars presented by Angela Walton-Raji and Judy Russell. On Wednesday, Angela will present "Documenting Native American Families in 19th and 20th Century Records" and on Friday Judy will present "Copyright Mythconceptions."

Wednesday - Documenting Native American Families in 19th and 20th Century Records by Angela Walton-Raji

Native American ancestry is often perceived as a lineage difficult to trace. There are a number of records from public resources that reflect Indian communities, both large and small. This workshop will illustrate the records found in both 19th and 20th century collections. To be discussed will be traditional census records and how to find unique tribal communities, as well as specific Indian rolls from New England to the western frontier.

Click here to download/print/save the handouts, 6 pages (available for annual or monthly webinar subscribers).

Click here to register (free).

Friday - Copyright Mythconceptions by Judy Russell

What we don’t know about copyright law can hurt us – right in the pocketbook! Here’s a guide to the most common mistakes and misunderstandings about copyright and what we can and can’t do with materials created by others in our family research.

Click here to download/print/save the handouts, 8 pages (available for annual or monthly webinar subscribers).

Click here to register.

Webinar Reminder: Join us for the live webinars Wednesday, June 25, 2014 and Friday, June 27, 2014, both at 2:00pm Eastern U.S. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. Before joining, please visit www.java.com to ensure you have the latest version of Java which our webinar software requires. When you join, if you receive a message that the webinar is full, you know we've reached the 1,000 limit, so we invite you to view the recording which should be published to the webinar archives within an hour or two of the event's conclusion.

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for free for the first 7 days after the live event. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access for the duration of their membership.

Add it to your Google Calendar

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinars will be live on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 and Friday, June 27, 2014 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific
• 6pm GMT

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Check at www.java.com.
6. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
7. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
8. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

As a follow-up to yesterday's information about Legacy 's FamilySearch functionality, all is operational again. Thanks everyone for your patience. No need to update Legacy at this time. Enjoy!

If you are using the FamilySearch tools in Legacy, then this brief announcement applies to you. If not, don't worry about it.

Minutes ago it appears that FamilySearch made some changes that affected our FamilySearch tools in Legacy. The effect is that you will not be able to see the FamilySearch data that you may have linked to. We are working to provide an update to Legacy that will restore this functionality. Watch this blog for the announcement of the free update. In the meantime, probably don't use the FamilySearch tools in Legacy for now.

Ah...the wonderful world of changing technology....

Obituaries are not only a fantastic resource for beginning your genealogical research, but they can also be a great tool for enhancing what you’ve already collected. While their accuracy should always be questioned and verified (as with ANY source we encounter), obituaries can contain a large volume of information for an individual’s family. Finding obituaries, however, is not always easy. Many newspapers are being digitized and placed online, either for free or through a subscription service, but there are still many more that are only available in physical repositories in their original form or which have been captured on microfilm or microfiche. Understanding, locating and using obituaries in your research can take your family history to a new level.

The brand new Obituaries in Genealogy Legacy QuickGuide™ contains valuable information on how to interpret the data in obituaries and death notices as well as newspaper articles and other listings. This handy 6-page PDF guide can be used on your computer or mobile device for anytime access.

Purchase for just $2.95

Now choose from 88!

United States - State Guides

• Alabama Genealogy
• Arkansas Genealogy
• Connecticut Genealogy
• Colorado Genealogy
• Florida Genealogy
• Georgia Genealogy
• Indiana Genealogy
• Iowa Genealogy
• Kansas Genealogy
• Kentucky Genealogy
• Maine Genealogy
• Michigan Genealogy
• Minnesota Genealogy
• Missouri Genealogy
• Montana Genealogy
• New Mexico Genealogy
• New Hampshire Genealogy
• New Jersey Genealogy
• New York Genealogy
• North Carolina Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy
• Pennsylvania Genealogy
• Rhode Island Genealogy
• South Carolina Genealogy
• Tennessee Genealogy
• Vermont Genealogy
• Virginia Genealogy
• Washington Genealogy
• West Virginia Genealogy
• Wisconsin Genealogy
• Wyoming Genealogy

United States - other Guides

• African-American Genealogy
• American Migration Patterns
• Land and Property Records
• Quaker Genealogy
• Researching County Histories
• Researching Your Loyalist Ancestors
• Researching Your U.S. Civil War Ancestors
• Understanding US Vital Records
• US City Directories
• Using Probate Records
• Using U.S. Census Records

Canada

• Canada Bundle (all 15 guides)
• Alberta Genealogy
• British Columbia Genealogy
• Canadian Genealogy
• Manitoba Genealogy
• New Brunswick Genealogy
• Newfoundland and Labrador Genealogy
• Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon Genealogy
• Nova Scotia Genealogy
• Ontario Genealogy
• Prince Edward Island Genealogy
• Québec Genealogy
• Researching First and Second World War Canadian Records
• Researching Your Loyalist Ancestors
• Saskatchewan Genealogy
• Using Canadian Census Records

Europe

• Croatian Genealogy
• Czech Genealogy
• Finnish Genealogy
• Germans from Russia
• Hungarian Genealogy
• Irish Genealogy
• Norwegian Genealogy
• Slovak Genealogy
• Ukrainian Genealogy

Religion

• Catholic Genealogy
• Jewish Genealogy
• Moravian Genealogy
• Quaker Genealogy
• Researching the Plain Religions

General

• Anatomy of a Birth Record
• Anatomy of a Death Record
• Anatomy of a Marriage Record
• Cemetery Research
• Establishing Genealogical Proof
• Finding Your Female Ancestors
• Fraternal Societies
• Genealogy Clues in Quilts, Samplers, and Other Textiles
• Lineage Societies and Genealogy
• Obituaries in Genealogy: A Research Tool
• Preserving Family Heirlooms
• Researching the Family Legend
• Researching the Forbidden
• Starting a Family Archive
• Unraveling Brick Wall Mysteries
• Using Historical Newspapers for Genealogy Research
• Using Maps in Your Genealogy Research
• Writing Your Family History

FamilySearch has added more than 2.6 million indexed records and images to collections from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, Guatemala, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, South Korea, Spain, United States, and Venezuela. Notable collection updates include the 317,554 indexed records from the Chile, Civil Registration, 1885–1903, collection; the 443,904 indexed records from the Spain, Province of Cádiz, Municipal Records, 1784–1956, collection; and the 172,261 indexed records from United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, collection. See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Our kids had no idea they were being photobombed by their parents. It took some pretty cool technology to pull this one off.

Unpacking from our recent trip to the Oregon coast, I could not find my digital camera. My Canon PowerShot G10 - not too expensive but not cheap either - had hundreds of great pictures from our vacation. Looking everywhere for it, I concluded it was stolen at a gas station on our way home. I went the next month without a camera, trying to decide what to do and hoping it might show up.

Finally, I could not be without a camera for any longer. After all, I had written a book about digital imaging. I could not be an author on the subject without a camera, right? Two days after I upgraded to my new digital camera, a Nikon D5300, I found my old camera in a compartment in my other car. I was left with a decision - return the new camera, and the new lenses, and the new tripod, and the new external flash, and the new Nikon D5300 for Dummies book - or not. Guess which decision I made?

This family photograph could not have happened without the technology of my new camera and a little creativity.

First of all, a DSLR camera is not a simple point-and-shoot camera like every other camera I've ever used. While there is an "auto" mode, to take a great picture, one really needs to know a little about aperture, depth of field, shutter speed, and flash just to name a few. Although I'm a complete beginner with this kind of camera, I've learned a lot in a short time. With this camera I can focus on the subject, and have the background blurred - just like the pros do it. In this photograph, notice how the kids in front are in focus, and how the crazy couple in the background is not. This is a result of setting the aperture to just the right setting. Either that or I got lucky. This simply cannot be done with a point-and-shoot camera.

The best part of this picture had to do with the tripod, the camera's built-in wifi, and its app on my smart phone. Since it was just us, and I had nobody else to snap the pictures, I brought along my tripod. Every experience I've had with a tripod has begun with me pressing the self-timer button and hoping I can get back to the picture in time for it to snap. Since my wife and I were about 20 feet behind my children in this picture, that just was not going to happen. Using the camera's built-in wifi and its accompanying app (called WirelessMobileUtility by Nikon Corporation) for my smart phone, I was able to control everything from where I sat. On my phone I could see exactly what the camera saw. I set a delay of a couple of seconds, puckered up, and pressed the shutter release button.

I will never forget the look on my kids' faces when they saw the picture on our computer for the first time that night. They had no idea what was going on behind them. They thought this was a kids-only picture. It turned out to be one of the most memorable family portraits we've ever taken.

As an added bonus, the camera's built-in GPS embedded the latitude and longitude coordinates into the picture. The GPS wasn't perfect - some of the pictures had us standing in the middle of the Boise River, but it did a pretty good job. Below is what it looks like in Picasa with the Places panel enabled.

My wife calls the camera "Geoff's new toy" but I like to think of it as "Geoff's new tool". Just think of how great the pictures at the cemetery will look now.