How They Roll In Del Ray Beach, Florida

Spent some of spring break visiting the in-laws and touring the Del Ray Beach area. Nice place, Lots of activity. The first place I've been where the ol' timers trick out their golf carts. I think his name was Inspector Gadget.

Got up for the sun rise....then went back to bed. You can still see the stars.

Pick and Poop....what a life! And this on the roof of an outdoor restaurant.

Met George and Anne out for a stroll on the beach. This happy couple hail from way up north. I was snapping photos of my own family when I offered to snap theirs.

Ybor City Street Machines

Click for larger view.

Photoshop World Conference, Orlando

I'm extremely excited today as I am headed down to Orlando for the Photoshop World Conference. I'll be there all week taking classes taught by some of the world's best photographers. I have a special photo shoot set up tomorrow with internationally famous National Geographic Photographer Joe McNally and Pro Nature Photographer Moose Peterson. We'll be hopping a bus to the Latin District in Tampa bay to do some on location urban photography.

Later I'll be hooking up with my friend Matt Kloskowski of Photoshop User TV fame as well as some local photographer friends of mine from the DC area, Jeff Revell and Mike Meyers. Its going to be one big party and I finally get to be a part of it!

I hope to have many cool photos to post for the rest of the spring :)

And of course, thanks to my lovely bride Laura for supporting me on this great adventure. I would not have gone with out your love and encouragement.

Midnight Dragon Sailing, Florida Keys

Our good friend Captain Jim has his website up and running and taking reservations. As you may recall, we sailed with Jim as part of the Boy Scout's Sea Base National High Adventure last summer. See previous post HERE. Some of my photography made its way onto his webpage. Check it out here: Midnight Dragon. The fish photo was actually taken by my son Danny.

Click the pic for a huge view!

Ashland, Virginia

Standing at the old Ashland Train Depot looking south. Now it is a Virginia Visitor's Center.

Saint Benedict Church, Richmond, Virginia

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Gettysburg in Autum

All Aaaaaaboard! Next Stop Strasburg!

On our return trip from my nephew's wedding we cruised through Strasburg in Lancaster County, Pa. Its easy to forget how much we always enjoyed this place when our oldest son was a toddler. Trains are everywhere you turn and the Amish landscape is beautiful. We used to come up twice a year. We will have to put this stop back on our list. The photography opportunities are endless and I have almost forgotten how much I truly love trains. The sound, smell, and thunder as the huge locomotives roll by is unforgettable. I have a few more cool pics I am working on. More to come but for now I think my family is waiting on wedding photos :)

Click the pictures for a larger view.

Underneath The Bridge

Georgetown, Washington DC.

Diamond In The Rough

I found this beauty sitting in a garage while walking the streets of Tilghman Island. Can any of you car enthusiasts tell me the year and model of this classic Volvo?

This photo is an HDR comprised of 3 shots, hand held, married in Photomatix, adjusted in Photoshop with the Topaz Adjust plug-in, then tweaked in Adobe Lightroom. That's a mouth full.

St. Michael's and Tilghman Island, Maryland

Spent last Saturday night in the quaint town of St. Michael, Maryland, celebrating a belated anniversary with my wife. Tried to get some shootin in but the remnants of Hurricane Bill poured buckets on us and it was pretty much a wash out. This Church was the only thing I managed to come up with in St. Michael at about 11:00 at night after the rain had stopped.

Tilghman Drawbridge

We seemed to enjoy exploring Tilghman Island much more. Lots to see. Beautiful old Harbors with all varieties of oyster boats including vintage Skipjacks. Lots to shoot and a laid back place to visit.

Forida Everglades - Hot!

Gator Alley

On our return trip to Miami we stopped off in the Florida Everglades to find some gators. We hit the motherload. It was extremely hot. Then the rains came and added some additional excitement to feeding time. Check out the video below.

From a distance these gators looked like rocks decorating the landscape.

Ahhhrrrgg! Florida Sea Base National High Adventure

Ahoy Mates! My oldest son and I just returned from a trip to the Boy Scout Florida Sea Base National High Adventure Camp, Islamorada, on Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys. The word adventure only begins to describe what fun we had on the open seas. Captain Jim of the Midnight Dragon was an exceptional host and taught our crew to sail, snorkel, and fish, while sharing his knowledge of the history and splendor of the keys. The staff at Sea Base was top notch and treated the boys like royalty.

Our crew of 9 spent many wonderful days cruising the reefs, reading books, sharing in conversation and enjoying beautiful sunsets. What really made the week special for me is that 4 of our 5 scouts have known each other since they were wee little cubs and our newest member "Action Jackson" fit right in. All the boys did great and earned their Adventure patch, snorkeling patch and the Captain's Crew patch. We also managed to win an award for the largest edible catch of the week, a Mutton Snapper, shown below.

A scout is clean, and so we were upon arrival. It was all down hill from there! Left to right; Ben, Harrison, Dan, Jackson, Matt, Danny, Bill, D.C. (picture courtesy of Sea Base)

Off the coast of Key Largo.

Hard to beat Florida Sunsets.

An awesome crew toughing it out in the first of about 5 storms. Well done boys.

Although the Captain credited me with landing our fish, everyone had a hand in reeling in Mr. Mutton. He was rather stuborn. The Captain filleted and seasoned our fish. The boys grilled him up. Mmmm good.

I've said it before, "I love Scouting and all the opportunities it creates for our young men....and seasoned Dads like myself." I am working on many more photos and will post them in the coming days. Enjoy.

Viewing Rock, Goshen Virginia

A traditional hike for us is always to Viewing Rock. This outcrop overlooks the majestic Lake Merriweather. Its a great two mile hike pretty much straight up. Just enough challenge for our youngest scouts....and our more seasoned older leaders. The reward is worth the effort.

Click the picture for a larger view.

Shots like these remind me of the classic Norman Rockwell Scouting Artworks. Brings a tear to my eye when I watch. No kidding!

Retiring the flag after another great day.

My tent by week's end......a mess.

Trading Post, Camp Olmsted (PRIDE!)

Every scout loves the trading post. Always stocked with sugary goodness to get them through their next merit badge class. Click the picture for a larger image.

Good Morning Goshen

Just returned from the beautiful Goshen Scout Reservation in Goshen Virginia. Lots of pictures to share. In fact I'm way backed up on processing. We had 33 well behaved scouts that worked on well over 150 merit badges. Weather was fantastic. I am now packing up with my oldest son and headed to Sea Base High Adventure Camp in the Florida Keys. Its been a great summer for shootin' pics. Now if I could just find time to sit down and look at them. Boy Scouts Rock. You get out of it what you are willing to put into it. I am a firm believer in the program. Cheers.

Eight More Miles To Louisville

Louisville is approximately 612 miles from our front door! We took a little walk through town on our way to the Children's Museum. The architecture was fabulous with a great mixture of new and old. The city is doing a great job reinventing itself. Rumor has it Paul Bunyan once played ball here. I think he left his bat.

A corridor along the beautiful Humana building.

Old meets new.

Got Paint?

Caboose That Got Loose

The family and I took to the road last weekend and traveled to Louisville KY to visit with relatives. My children spotted this caboose nestled on the side of the road near a truck stop on I-64 somewhere in KY. There was not a rail to be found which begged the question "Where did it come from?" I wished it could tell its story :)

Fun on Jockey's Ridge

If you've ever been down on the Outer Banks, then Jockey's Ridge State Park is a must on your things-to-do list. An after dinner trek up the largest sand dune on the east coast will reward you with majestic views of the Sound and Ocean, then join in the fun running, jumping and rolling in the biggest sand box you've ever been in. Its a hoot.

You can only sit there so long before launching yourself down the slope.


And always seems to end with a beautiful sun set.