Winter's Bite

These icicles were growing off the roof of my house.  Some were so long that it made me nervous to walk under them, a few being around 2 feet long.  Don't let the beauty of the ice fool you! They are random occurrences revealing the jagged bite this past winter has had. Nature, at times, is not so subtle.

Ready for Summer!!!

With all the snow, rain and cold weather lately, I have been longing for the days of summer! 

These shots were taken during a shoot at the All Star Game this past baseball season.  I do love a good WV Power ball game, enjoying the cheers and smell of burning toast that one would only enjoy sitting close to Rod "the Toastman" Blackstone. 

YOU ARE TOAST!!!  (it's a Toastman thing  lol)

Holiday reflections

While on a boat ride in December I was lucky enough to enjoy this scene with the rest of our party.  Charleston has so many beautiful sights we just need to get out of the house and look around!  I love how understated the lit tree is in front of the Capitol.

The Boys

Louie and Patch are our two boys.  Yell "BOYS!" and they come running, yell an angry deep "BOYS!" and they stop cold.  Even though Patch is a youthful 2, they both seem to only get in trouble together. Big surprise there.  These two can drive us simply batty at times, however the love and companionship they give out weighs any trouble they create. We often think it is our responsibility to take care of our pets, keeping them fed, healthy and happy. However you come to realize that they often end up taking care of us, keeping us happy year after year.

These two portraits were shot for the family as holiday gifts.  My Grandmother puts photos of all the family dogs in the geneology, as well as framed on a wall in her home.  These shots are her newest additions.  She was finally able to meet Louie and Patch this year, so it was time to add the boys to the long list of Emma, Maude, Jake, Alice, Zorro, Samson, Maggie, Midnight, Dusty (Louie and Patch's older brother), and their cousin Lola.

My girls

So, I'm posting some photos of a more personal nature.  I just spent 2 days in Toledo with my brother and his family.  My nieces Kara and Reagan are quite the pair.  At 4 and 2 they keep you going with lots of personality.    They were all about me taking photos.  At one point the 2 year old grabbed my tripod and drug it from the other end of the room and dropped it in front of me.  I guess it was time to catch some shots of her.

These two photos were among my favorites.

Rockets red glare

During my month long boating trip I had the fortune of being witness to many beautiful sights.  Most from a perspective few people have to opportunity to experience.  While sitting on the back deck of the sidewheeler Lida Ann in Marietta during the '09 Sternwheel Regatta watching fireworks, I look over to the Henny Cook and observe a wonderful sight.  The moment quickly went from enjoying the fireworks to a exercise in photographic creation.

Typically I don't photograph fireworks.  No particular reason, just not something I usually have a motivation to capture.  This day proved to be different. The shadows created by the random smoke and bursts of light were all I needed. Fuel for the fire.

Scenes on a river

This past weekend begins our yearly participation in the sternwheel regattas of Pt. Pleasant WV, Marietta OH and Pomeroy OH. Working, traveling, living, and having fun on a sternwheel boat ( or a sidewheeler as is our case ) reveals many beautiful photo ops few people get a chance to see. With the help of a random internet connection from port to port, I will post some eye candy along the way.