The computer and I are spending a lot of time together these days what with all the family history research I've been doing. I've downloaded entire history books (love that so many of the older ones are now available as free ebooks), uploaded date and records, and edited numerous documents and images over the past several weeks. While buying a new computer last fall wasn't in the plans, it's wonderful to have the extra memory and faster processor this new baby provides.
One of the other things I'm enjoying is changing out the background behind all my icons. Who knows, maybe I could have done that on the old machine but I stuck with the basic blue Windows version that automatically loaded when the system came up. Windows 7, however, gave me a very colorful and relaxing landscape when we first fired it up and I was hooked.
Every couple of weeks I run out to the Microsoft site and download a new theme. I'm partial to the landscapes and since they're mostly arranged by countries, it's like traveling so some beautiful location without ever leaving the comfort of my computer chair. Perhaps more importantly, it's free. And since it changes every day, I'm seeing lots of amazing scenery...like this one that's adorning my screen today:
Ah, yes...it's England for the new few weeks. They're all fresh and new so I still find myself saying Wow, that's a pretty picture! each evening when the screen rolls over to a new one. And when they've rotated through enough times that I'm bored with them, I go find something new.
Before England I was basking in the warm sun in Mexico. This beauty was one of my favorites:
It just makes you crave some chips and salsa or a margarita, doesn't it?
In addition to the beautiful pictures, the themes come with sounds as well so when the computer pops up those little dialogue boxes that require action on your part, it also plays a little sound to get your attention. The sounds are tied to the theme too so with Mexico it was horns. I swear it sounded like the first couple of notes from The Mexican Hat Dance. I half expected a mariachi band to appear in the corner of the screen. England is much more mellow.
There are plenty of theme choices of beautiful places for my virtual travel so I'm set for quite some time. I am, however, saving the Arctic for summer. I figure all those pictures of snow and ice will be a welcome sight in the heat and humidity of August. Like so many of the other places in the themes, I'm not likely to ever get there but I sure can enjoy the fantasy of visiting via my computer screen.
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