Tattered but unbowed, our flag stands firm. Our country seeks truth and justice, sometimes without a clear focus and that results in conflict and frustration. Centuries have passed and our country still stands for a freedom of rights and liberty that is unmatched in the world today. My prayers go out to our nation and her servants both civil and military, no matter where they serve today and in the future.

PS adjustments courtesy of my friend Duane Ellison

Reposted 1 Jan 2007

A little off center but this is one of my wife's favorites...the denim coat and pants make the outfit really trendy.

Testing a friends camera, I shot this abandoned building just off of Edwards, everyone who enters by South Gate knows it's location. I decided that it made a good subject. I don't think I've ever shot it with any of my gear. Funny what you shoot when you have no particular reason to be doing it...other than having fun.

No I said, don't eat the worms...there's too much protein in them. You have to balance your diet with some greens and carbs. Yet too late, my son decided that he couldn't resist. Actually, the Mee Grob was great that night and we actually went out on Christmas Day Eve for Thai food. The waitress knows us and we had a great time.

Spin, really fast, in low light, sure Daddy...anything you say. The result is an odd blurry but fun mix of late afternoon playground adventure. So you can't really tell who's who. That's part of the fun.

This spent nuclear power core was discovered by my children in a local playground. It seems that a small alien shuttle landed and based on the number of missing dogs in the neighborhood was intent on providing feeder stock for the local rockfish population...or perhaps it was just the new swingset that the city paid for to challenge our children with new gymnastic feats. One may never know.

Some dogs just don't like being buried in a pile of leaves, no matter how much you try to convince them that it is normal doglike behavior by doing it yourself. 

Nothing like chasing the leaves in the fall, here they come! 

Pier in Fort Walton Beach, 15 second exposure braced against a piling. The water faded out nicely and the lights from the street illuminated the beach and water while the pier lights didn't flare out too bad. 

Solo brown pelican in Florida. Sky was overcast and bright so I metered for the body and hoped for the best. Adjusted the color balance and sharpened a touch for fine detail. 

Pelican Strike! This pelican was flying away from me about 100 yds out when he tipped over and shot straight down. Having seen it happen a few times during the afternoon I had better timing on the last shot of the day and caught him entering the water. Definitely a fun shot to catch...better than the fish I'd bet. 

Just how well do you trust your brother with a paint brush? Apparently quite a bit.