I dropped my camera when we were on vacation this summer, and it has not been the same since. It does take photos, but it does not zoom. And what use is a camera, really, without a zoom? (Unless one is getting artsy with a box camera, or instagramming with a smartphone....) Anyway.....the iPhone5 is shipping this week (woop!)......but I do need a new camera.

I am soliciting advice. Canon or Nikon? Detachable lens or just a really good zoom? I am looking for a camera that will take really good, no, excellent photos ( the iPhone will take care of photos on the fly)....... you know....great interior photos, artful photos, photos that are good enough for a website and a blog.

John and Sherry over at Young House Love just got a Nikon 3200 and seem very happy with it.  Does anyone else have a camera they love?

Luckily, I dropped the camera in question towards the end of our vacation after taking most of the photos of our trip to Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. I have been borrowing Tim's point and shoot for the last month or so. But it is time to move on.

As you can imagine, one of the things I wanted to see in Seattle was Dale Chihuly's new Exhibition Hall, Chihuly Garden and Glass. I was awestruck. There is an enormous exhibition hall with a beautiful solarium greenhouse structure as well as exterior gardens to go through. All of the spaces are full of Dale Chihuly's beautiful works of blown glass, all created with his team of brilliant craftsmen.

I felt at times like I was in a fantasy world....or outer space....or under the sea....or just Alice through the Looking Glass.....

I could have spent days here with my camera snapping away....

But vacations often are too short, and we had to be off to meet up with family.....

Next time I will plan for more time to stay and visit the theater (I missed that part!).....and take my time with a new camera.

I hope you all get a chance to visit! Chihuly Garden and Glass is described as "a long term Exhibition that will be viewable for an extended period of time." Not sure, but it sounds like it will be there for awhile, but not forever...so better sooner than later!