Palm Paradise

So, I flew back from Florida this morning. Got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night. When the opportunities present themselves, you must take them. And I did, I had a feeling it would be an amazing sunrise and I had time yesterday to scout out the area, giving me the perfect location for the morning sunrise. It was tempting to stay and keep shooting, but I didn't want to miss my flight. I had got back in my car and was heading to the airport when I glanced to my right and saw the rising sun, huge and red, in all its glory. It was screaming my name, so I parked in front of a "no parking" sign, ran back about 300 yards and caught the image third from the top. Unfortunately it doesn't do justice to what I saw. Beautiful.
Other things I was reminded of on this trip:

• Florida is humid all year round (but this time of year is quite nice).
• I get my bag & equipment searched about 4 out every 5 times I fly.
• I love the beach
• I love ice cream
• I love my equipment and ...
• I love spring!
• And a new love ~ GPS Never Lost Systems. (After receiving these directions from the Mother of the Bride, you can see why I love it. "Follow until road ends, there is a popcorn stand and a carousel. Then turn right, I can't remember the name of the road, but there is a boat for sale on the corner. Go past two catwalks, turn left at the big yellow house, then you can either take the dirt road or the next road, but I am not sure of the street number, it is either twenty-four or twenty-three." I was pleasantly surprised to find the GPS in my rental, especially since Mapquest couldn't find the house either!

And of course, seeing all of these sailboats I was reminded of how badly I want to go sailing. It has been on my list for three years now ... this is the year.

Elissa & Chris

A couple of images from the wedding in St. Augustine, Florida (4/28/07). Beautiful. They were some very fun dancers too.

MAS

I had another interior job last night. Same company, different condominium. This particular building I am getting quite familiar with, I have done several assignments for this condo. I also attached a few pictures from a previous shoot that was done for an article on transit-oriented development (thus the metro in all the shots). It really is a beautiful building, Midtown Alexandria Station in Alexandria, VA. It has been amazing to see the progress from seeing it when it was just framed out to fully decorated interiors.

MBN

Because I can't say no, and because I love a challenge. These are a couple shots from my interior shoot today at Midtown Bethesda North. It is a upscale condominium in Maryland. The details are in a word -- exquisite. (I believe they are currently selling in the mid $400's )

4.21.07

And so it continues ... the next three weeks I have a wedding every weekend, this weekend I will be in Florida. On Saturday I was out in the country, we were close enough you could see the mountains, which always makes me smile. The weather was perfect, the tulips are blooming, life is wonderful. The venue was unfinished, and had completed the floors for the reception at noon, just hours before I arrived. It was obvious that some things were still "unfinished" but by the fall that venue will be looking very nice.
After spending eight hours with the wedding party, you get to know them quite quickly. The maid of honor and the best man were dating each other. As luck would have it, the maid of honor caught the bouquet ... you can see the reaction from her boyfriend in the back left. She fought for it too!
As for the rest of the weekend, well, those pictures will follow later ...

Yes, I could use that

So, this week I have had the startling realization that I cannot do it all. Though I have tried ~ really hard. The past three weeks have been extremely busy and very full (which is good, don't get me wrong). But there comes a point where you can't fit anything else into the time frame you have. You cannot be everywhere you need to be. If you push the limit and try to do it all, some things fall through the cracks, and sometimes those are big things ... with consequences.

And so, in moments like these when I could use a break, I sometimes wish that I were here, here, or here (see pictures).

All three locations have very nice memories for me. My mind works in a particular way, you see ... my images are a little memory saver. I see the image and I can remember all the details surrounding the creating of the image. So, as I sit here trying to get everything done, I just took a little mental trip to the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia, Portland Oregon, and the Wind River Mountain Range in Wyoming. And then I remember, (sigh) life really is good.

Dismal Swamp

This weekend I spent in Southern Virginia ~ Chesapeake area. A couple of friends were running a 1/2 marathon, a feat by any definition. I don't think I have ever been around so many people who are so physically fit. They were everywhere ~ about 1200 of them.

We spent the night camping and I was greeted by an amazing sunrise. (PS-my new tent works great! Thank you!) The buildilng was great, it was along the trail--you don't find places like that too often. And the last picture I had to throw in to show how green everything is getting :)

A Pleasant Surprise

Snow in DC in April. So unusual, but still a pleasant surprise. I do like the snow, and fresh white snow on new green leaves & fresh green grass ... it is nice. It doesn't happen too often, making it more enjoyable.

Anticipation turned into Pure Pleasure

Spring is officially here. The weather feels like Wyoming in June = Perfect. The cherry blossoms in DC are blooming and of course I had to photograph them. While I was shooting I saw so many runners, it was a perfect morning for it. If I hadn't been taking pictures I would have joined them. As it was, I was among probably a hundred other photographers who were up at that early hour. A very small number. The cherry blossoms are huge tourist attraction and bring large crowds (and it was so nice to avoid them). Ahh ... Spring!

carpe diem

Sieze the day!

I did just that, and had one of the best days, to date, this year. Although, there has been some very close rivals. Since I was already in DC, it was a beautiful morning, and I had my equipment with me, I took the opportunity to photograph some of the other monuments & memorials. I just wanted to share a few of my favorites shots from my perfect day... enjoy!