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. 

Shooting EJ-wise, some people just can't figure out what the best pose is so they keep on going, and going, and going, and going....
 

Captured light during the pre-departure refreshment stage, it was pretty dark and a long exposure created some entertaining effects with the water bottle and a flashlight. 

EJ chases a cave at Devil's Punchbowl, a bit hairy near the end and trickier to get back out of than to get into...it was a bit tense there. The solution was a barefoot exit for better grip after I slipped on the approach and slid down the face to tumble off into the brush. 

There's got to be some left in the bottom of this can...don't slip, feet don't fail me now. 

See, and you wonder why the giraffe did it earlier. It's a strange symptom of shutter physics that only during the open shutter will the tongue appear. The photographer very rarely sees the tongue prior to or following the shutter/mirror blackout. 

Duane in action shooting the skateboard guy. This dude was just spinning and spinning on the sidewalk. He was pretty exhausted after D shot close to 60 frames. 

Ghosts walking in front of the King's Head British Pub in Santa Monica are the result of a long exposure shot resting on a concrete barrier. Look closely and you can see the same pair of sneakers in several places, center/right. 

Jaguar's at night, shot from a moving car this grab in Santa Monica was at the end of a fun day of shooting with friends. I thought it almost had a production feel to it. The lighting just seemed to come out right. 

These beautiful caves are several hundred feet high. This shot was taken at Devil's Punchbowl in Southern California facing northeast from the short loop. 

Taken at the local fairground, I shot the number 66 car as the number 2 car slammed into the side of it. It was fun just shooting with my Fuji digicam and seeing what came out of it.

Children require particular attention. My son asked me in passing if he could have a cookie. I told him that he could share mine, just take half. Walking back into the room I noticed that he had taken part of the cookie. The 'middle half' was missing and just the two edges remained. I had not even conceived of the idea that something that strange could happen, only what possible size of half would be left when I returned. I was certainly surprised.

Another shot you don't just see everyday. I had a chance to catch this helicopter during a recent military exercise in the neighborhood. Pretty cool to see how it all happens.

Lit by the candles only, a surprise sweet 16 party on All Saint's Eve.

Free climbing at Devil's Punchbowl. Not too high but a little bouldering was just the trick.

What happens when children have a camera, a guinea pig and a cage? You can only begin to imagine.

Fine, I'll stick my tongue out just like the kids do. SB, CA. Great zoo, peaceful and pleasant. An enjoyable afternoon if you've never been there.

Pub Life in SB, too small to play pool but confident just the same.

Sidewalk chalk art outside a small artist studio in SB, CA.