Almost Heaven Goshen Virginia

Boy Scouts of Troop 976 from Vienna, Virginia enjoy a week of adventure at the Goshen Scout Reservation in Goshen Virginia during the summer of 2007. We go every year and I never tire.

U.S.S. Anzio

This was the majestic view that greeted us this very morning in Sandbridge, Virginia just south of Virginia Beach. Scouts of Troop 976 of Vienna were invited to tour the U.S.S. Anzio (CG 68) docked at the Naval Base in Norfolk. Through the persistence and determination of our fearless Scoutmaster, our trip included an unexpected visit to the air craft carrier U.S.S Teddy Roosevelt (CVN-71) which was moored nearby. All the Navy and Marine soldiers we met along the way were most accommodating and we thank them for their patience and dedication.

On the look out.

Ever the watchman, Scoutmaster Bryan Richards takes it all in before our 6:30 reveille. You'll have to excuse his shirttail, it was a late night and very early morning.

Got Out For A Ride Today.....

On the beautiful Washington & Old Dominion Bike Path...yea me!

Love the Earth...

...And all her splendor.

Transmission Graveyard

Recently, a good friend gave me an older yet brand new Kodak slide projector she had no need for. While I have taken many slides over the years I've never really owned a projector. So now I'm digging through old boxes of slides and having a ball. This picture was taken in a junk yard somewhere around May of 84 when I owned my very first car, a 1974 Dodge Dart. It was definitely a square Dad car but had a killer Alpine Stereo system in it and got me where I needed to go for years. Of course I frequented junk yards to gather cheap parts...of which there were plenty for Dodge Darts.

Captured on Ektachrome 64 slide film.

Riders Ready!

Scouts of Pack 976 in Vienna VA enjoyed a gorgeous day of an American classic; Go-Cart racing! The kids always look forward to this fun event.

Use the force!

Many thanks to race organizer Alex for his efforts to maximize efficiency and fun, and his attention to detail, including his racing duds.

Rustic Ride

A long time favorite of mine, I took this picture some 17 years ago while honeymooning in Ireland. It is a scanned Kodak Ektachrome 64 slide taken with a Minolta MAXXUM 3xi 35mm camera which still keeps me company sitting here in my home office. No film for me these days but it was tried and true in its day. Photo was tweaked in Adobe Lightroom.

Leiva and Marks PLC

A few examples of my photography helping local businesses.

The Elephant Man

Spring Break found us touring The National Zoo with our neighbor and friend Jim, affectionately known as the elephant man. Jim has been retired for....well...as long as we have known him. His passion had always been elephants. He started volunteering at the Zoo many years ago and is now one of the smartest elephant gurus in the area. We are lucky in that he allows us special entry into the elephant house to greet the elephants and watch them bathe. They are fascinating creatures.

Kandula

That is some pedicure.

Of course....no good deed goes unpunished. Jim always has one of the nicest gardens on the block. Perhaps this is his secret ingredient.

Thanks Jim, to you and your co-workers, it was a great day.

In His Happy Place

Meet Happy. He's the 28 year old Hippo at The National Zoo. As part of our VIP tour with our good neighbor the elephant man (Jim) we also got to feed this big guy. Happy will be moving on soon to brighter pastures....meaning, he is be moved to a much larger home at another zoo with an African Animal theme. He will be missed. Thank you J.T., his caretaker, for the education and opportunity.

Happy Easter

Hope you enjoy your day.

Picture in memory of Bonnie Bunny. The best pet ever.

We forgive you Mr. Fox.

The Wolf was Howlin'

The Wolves were out in droves this week at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. I have never seen it so busy. The kids had a great time and managed to hook up with several of their cousins. I stepped outside to catch an HDR shot of the entrance way. I used my Canon 10-20mm Superwide lens on a tripod and took three exposures, married together with Photomatix and tweaked in Adobe Lightroom. I attempted the same on the indoor shot of the tree house spilling its bucket below, although I did this one hand held.

Congratulations Krista and Brian

Last fall I had the opportunity to photograph my nephew Brian and his fiance Krista upon the announcement of their engagement. I threw this slideshow together for them to share. Their announcement recently appeared in Krista's hometown newspaper, The Morning Call.

Brown Eyed Girl

I was working on Julia a little more today to complete an order and I found her too precious not to share.

17 and Counting

Happy Birthday to my lovely niece Kelsey who turned 17 today. She has 6 brothers and sisters and two more on the way from China. One big happy family. Her parents, my brother Ben and wife Sandi, are huge supporters of Love Without Boundaries. Check them out here: Link.

This Old Truck

Sitting in front of the hardware store. Kind of cool.

OLGC ~ Early Morning

You would think this would be an easy shot to take (click on it for a larger view). Problem is that you can never find a time when there are not a half dozen cars parked in front of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Vienna VA. So I made an extra effort to get up to catch the sunrise. As I entered the parking lot the place was desolate. I rounded the corner and there was the property manager's truck parked right in front of the double doors....at 6:00 AM on a Saturday morning! Does the guy ever sleep? I patiently waited until he left, snapped off a few, and within minutes someone else came along and permanently parked. But I got the shot.

Willie On Bike

My good friend Willie Arendt's website has now gone live (featuring some of my photography). You may find out all about his planned adventure, his inspiration for his charitable ride, and follow him as he travels across the country at this link WillieOnBikeLA2Boston. I found this particular shoot very rewarding as I have a very dear nephew who also suffers from some pretty bad food allergies (See Thomas below). So in helping Willie out I in turn learned quite a bit from his website. Any proceeds I made from this photo shoot I donated right back to Willie's charity. I wish him luck.

Please visit his site and take a look.

A very precious boy.