End of the Month

Funny how you never think about certain things until you see the calendar. I completely forgot that today was the last day of April until I started writing this post.

It's been a busy, but overall, good month, and I am going to bed feeling a little better about work than how I woke up. That is due, in part, to ending the day at Caswell, with my kids and my church group, and the joy associated therefrom.

The stats: 2,400 pictures, a more reasonable 3,500 miles, about six nights spent in hotel rooms, and not as much time out of state. But the workload is growing exponentially.

Today was a day filled with such different events, and a range of emotional states of mind. First, to wake up beside Drew was a wonderful reminder of how great my kids are, and that as they age, they change. There was a time where sleeping beside Drew involved bruises, being awoken multiple times through the night by a random elbow, knee or kick, but he seems to have calmed down considerably as he has gotten older.

Then after having gotten MK up, and my co-worker Mark on task so we could get a little work done in Henderson this morning, I got to watch MK bust Mark by calling shotgun to punish him for being late. It was hilarious — she was so pleased with herself, and Mark, as the father of four daughters, played along like a king. Then she and I were writing t-shirt slogans to go on Threadless, which caused me to think about laying in bed, and laughing about Piggytown™ and what that fifth little piggy's was thinking about the third piggy's cannibalism...

After my meetings, on the drive home, got to listen to how crazy certain people are when it comes to their paranoia (a friend has another friend telling the first friend's sister these lies because of jealousy, and it's so freaking middle school that I am amazed that someone in their late-thirties cannot get their emotional shit together and is reverting to these childish ways) and how family members cannot always be trusted to defend their own. That is something I have no real appreciation for since my parents always taught that, and I am so proud that is something we never have to worry about outside the family.

This afternoon was a little frustrating. Too rushed to pack the car, and too hot with too little help caused me to get VERY frustrated. I hate when I get that way, but I knew it was, in part, the heat, the dude who was running the blower and wanting to get on the road. Plus the afternoons are so hard on me emotionally. It truly is my worst time of the day...

...and while the drive down was punctuated by episodes of slow traffic and dead stops, I was able to pass the time talking with the office, a few clients and then entertained by the ramblings of two 13-year-old girls discussing modern life, their likes-and-dislikes (there was some SERIOUS Heath Ledger love going on back there) and able to just ride. (And don't get me started on how the Olsen Twins so murdered Heath — it's just WRONG.)

Tonight post-unload, and post crown-and-ginger at dinner, time around the Watts Street group was great. Took a few pictures, and enjoyed talking, and connecting with people in an entirely different way. And about to go to bed in a bunk bed while Drew watching the Fabulous Mr. Fox.

One final note: I had a friend give me three tickets to the Zac Brown Band in Atlanta on Mother's Day. Great tickets and a parking pass too and wanting to know if you want to join me. Drop me a line (davidcurtissmith@yahoo.com) and let's figure something out.

D300 200mm f/9 1/8000 ISO 1600

Sillouette

Another long day, pairing work, and work undone; success and frustration; straightforward communication and the subtle unsaid. This day has truly been like light shining through and around something interesting and bringing detail when none seemed possible.

I pray for focus, time, and the ability to get it all done.

Certain things can't get past, and tomorrow is another day. Beach retreat, hopefully lots of pictures and to be an observer and a participant for another day.

D300 90mm f/5.3 1/2.5 ISO 1600

Overwhelmed

I woke up this morning and the weight of the work to be done, the amount of travel I have been doing and the lack of sleep I have been getting has hit me. The brick wall was actually reinforced with titanium (which Drew is desperately trying to get some for a weapon project for the DoD, so please share if you have any) and I am having to stop and restart.

Today's picture is one from this weekend, one that the more I look at, the more I am amazed that I actually caught. It shows how important it is to TAKE pictures because you will often find things that you never expected... much like life.

Two hard days on the road, five meetings, one radio interview for an hour and at least one new group sold. Thankfully the beach retreat is this weekend. Next week is going to be worse...

D300 170mm f/5.6 1/800 ISO 1600

Old Paint and Purpose

Morning meeting in North Wilkesboro, afternoon meeting in Raleigh. Two drives through Gboro to get lost in thought and wondering...

North Wilkesboro is one of those really interesting, you'd never think of, places. First, it is the sole Democratic bastion in the entire county. It's almost like the Republican Party in Wilkes County set up the town as a containment area. So whenever I go, it is always a place that I feel the most comfortable. Plus this weekend is Merlefest, which I will not be able to go to AGAIN, but mainly because this is beach retreat weekend. To hear today that Little Feat and Zac Brown Band will be playing just made my heart even more tempted. Ugh... plus if I heard "Whatever It Is," I just would not make it.

But coming out of my 11 am appointment, I looked across the street and saw this old Lowes sign, painted on the building. And I was reminded that Lowes, that household name for huge damn hardware stores, was started in North Wilkesboro, and was headquartered there until recently. And then I remembered how much I love to see old paint on the side of a building, reflecting its history, preserved better than an old bone in the desert. A surviving relic of a better time, that shouldn't be painted over, and never removed.

So I sit here tonight, thankful, sad — no Merlefest :-( but a bit of history stood out today and said hello! Hi!

Oh, and welcome to the land of the free, Nelson Mandela!

D300 70mm f/5 1/6400 ISO 1600

Psalm 23

This morning's lesson was about Psalm 23, one of the most over-used chapters in the Bible in my opinion. I have this macabre association of the entire chapter with both funerals and the Green Berets ("yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because I am the baddest MF in the valley...).

But it was refreshing to re-read the chapter and see it from a different perspective. It is considered a praise psalm -- an exhort of David's wonderment at God's role in our lives. He is the shepherd, we shall not want... But he "makes" us lie in green pastures. He sets a table with our enemies. At one level, I came to accept that God needs us to give up control, to let us relax and live life without pushing the rope.

So enough philosophizing -- a great afternoon nap, helped a friend pick out a few photos for her and her husband's new house and tonight... tonight is looking to be a little drinking to celebrate freedom from oppression and bad marriages. Should be a good time to be had by all.

I must write about Drew... He just absolutely kills me sometimes...

D90 300mm f/5.6 1/80 ISO 200

Museum

A crazy day... actually slept a little late, and then woke up to discover I needed to take MK to her soccer game since Mr. Drew was not feeling well again. :-( He is undoubtedly one of the most pitiful sick people I know. When I saw him in the AM, he was so adorable that I just wanted to hold him and hug him.

MK's soccer coach is a good dude. Hudson has been with these girls for years, and has taught them so much about the game and confidence and teamwork. And then at the same time, the girls on that team totally control him. It's so much fun to watch... He told one of the girls that she was going in goal for the second half. She stopped on the edge of the field and just looked at him. And kept looking at it him. After about 20 seconds of this, he asked another to play goal.

Afterwards, MK and I went to the youth event called "Wattsstock," inspired by Woodstock to raise money for their annual summer mission trip. It was held on the Lutz's farm in Orange County and was a great deal of fun. I helped park cars, check people in and... unsurprising, take pictures. But it was a great event... makes me so glad to be a part of such a wonderful community.

Then tonight, went to the re-opening of the NC Museum of Art. What a great new facility... I have developed such a love for walking around art museums, and to see what grabs me. So many nice pieces of art, and the design fits it all so well. But in a wide collection, I am always surprised by the unexpected. After it was pointed out to me, this mounted head, and its shadows, were a remarkable display to catch one's eyes.

What's tomorrow going to bring? Who knows? But it's tomorrow, right?

D90 70mm f/4.5 1/30 ISO 200

Western Sky

On the way to an event celebrating those who are learning how to use yoga to assist warriors in their return from war, the sky was magnificent. The sun, the clouds, the colors and the interaction with the trees along I-85 was fantastic way to start the weekend.

A great start with the kids -- the 45 minutes I get with Drew in the mornings are so incredible that I cannot begin to explain it, and then a relaxing (no, really!) three hours at the Honda dealership, working while they were doing maintenance. (For those of you who have actually seen me use my brakes, apparently there were a couple light out...) You don't know how much your brakes are gone until you get them replaced. It's nice to actually stop when you press that pedal!

After buying a vacuum cleaner with bday money from my parents, home to work and a couple conference, and then to Hillsborough. Then a great dinner at the Saratoga with Fran and Puja and their girls, and came home to a restful...

D300 100mm f/8 1/6400 ISO 200

Daughter

...too many times today, I stopped and watched her while she spoke (or opined, or complained, or directed me to do something) and I remember her being a baby... and to now see her as a young woman, I am in awe. Being her father is one of the most wonderful gifts I have ever been given.

BTW, don't tell her I put this picture up here... She will SO kick my ass...

D300 18mm f/5.6 1/60 (slight flash) ISO 200

Peach of a Day

I always love the peach... it makes me realize how whimsical some places can be. Gaffney's peach water tower is one of the most mocked (but I think secretly admired) aspects of the drive from NC to Atlanta. Today, as I was driving north from Greenville, SC, rushing from one meeting to another, I passed it running a bit over 80 mph and just smiled.

Little things like that along the road always make me smile. I love to see the roadside tomato (or fruit, or peanut, or Christmas tree) stand. I rarely stop (which I really should resolve to change), but I so appreciate the value of the really retail experience involved in possessing a little piece of land for the purpose of selling your goods. It's one the greatest losses from traveling on the interstate.

Another long day on the road. Something about going to Charlotte still makes me a little sad. Oh well... nothing to be done about it today.

Hope you are well.

iPhone (v1) camera

To Do's

There was a time where I was the most organized person. I had a to-do list and I worked that list on a daily basis. That list was legendary -- the hallmark of my work life because I captured EVERYTHING that needed to be done, and I got it done.

But the last few years, that left me. It was the inability to manage so many things, it was the overall feeling of being overwhelmed by life, expectations and responsibilities, it was failure on my part to find (by that I mean look) for a system that worked for me. And I was an everliving mess as a result of it. I wouldn't get things done. I would not do things I needed to do because it would require actual thought, or sacrifice, or just doing it. So I stayed in a paralyzed mode, hence a number of problems in my life arose.

So many people tried to help me. Ruth must have typed up a to-do list for me too many times. But I think what I came to realize is that like so many things in my life, I was suffering from ailments (both physical and mental) to manage myself.

But in the last few weeks, it's returned, like an old friend. It's different than before (a nice five column approach that I like a lot) and I feel so much better about the way I think and do. So today is a celebration of to-do lists -- those often forgotten tools who help us get things done, be productive, successful and happy, at least in most of our lives.

Had dinner with my parents in Marion tonight to celebrate our birthdays. I gave them a couple pictures, which they both seemed to really like, and spent quality time in a way that I appreciated far more than I thought possible. It was nice because I could tell when I left, that they had enjoyed the time together as well. It was a refreshing moment for a son who spends his time on the road, separated from those he loves, to be recharged for another day of battle.

To answer a question, yes, I was sad. Not much to be done about that right now.

D300 180mm micro f/5.6 1/8 ISO 200

Birthday

Today is my birthday... It's also my mom's birthday, as well as about four other people I know pretty well, including my former father-in-law.

Birthdays have always been fascinating to me. They are so personal, when remembered, and a wonderful event to celebrate our own new year. But to me, Facebook has made sharing that wish become less special. We got a reminder and an easy way to punch out a billboard proclaiming: "Hey, Happy Birthday! Look -- I remembered!!" Yes, I've been guilty of that, but I realized how impersonal it could have been seen.

(Please don't take this criticism, or that I don't appreciate the wonderful notes I've gotten today. Just sharing my philosophical view on the practice.)

And so today, I was blessed by kind wishes, via email, post and call. My friends provided meals for me, and the opportunity for wonderful conversation and inspiring talk. But the best gift: 30 minutes at Rick's Diner with Drew this morning, watching him carefully fold bacon onto his biscuit because he carefully ate the same. So wonderfully inventive and quite particular, and yet, ok wearing a pair of pants inside out and a shirt on backward...

In speaking about our walks through life, today I wrote: the heart is an insatiably omnivorous organ... and the head is designed to make it gorge on the worst possible things occasionally.

The heart is inpatient or impetuous when it has what it truly needs, and in constant upheaval when that reality becomes evident after loss.

This year, my eyes will stay open, I will continue to speak the truth and be who I am without deception or fear. I will appreciate my gifts, my opportunities and my children every day. I will remain confident in how I feel and see what the journey will be like each day, reflecting less on the past, and worrying less about the future.

D300 180mm Micro f/8 1/90 ISO 200

So many wonders

Got the kids to their grandfather's house for a little birthday celebration for him this morning. I had the blessed opportunity to capture this photo of a bright new flower's expression of attraction and hope for continuing its existence.

I am amazed by flowers, and how beautiful they are, at their smallest parts to the view from the road. As I was driving back this morning with the kids, the absolutely shockingly bright splashes of color from the thousands of azaleas. The bright reds, purples, whites covering the bushes in so many yards -- from houses to columns to mobile homes -- was a refreshing sight throughout the drive.

Didn't get the hike in, or very much work done, but that's ok... a long nap to help my back to get unsprung, and some time with the kids this evening.

Watched the end of Cast Away tonight. The scenes after his return, and so many other pieces of the movie struck me. Never give up. Never stop believing. Never calculate away love.

D300 180mm f/8 1/640 ISO 200

Relaxation

A great day in so many ways. Woke up in Myrtle Beach and spoke to a group about the new health care reform law, and then returned to do a little work while the girls went out shopping. Then Chris, his son CJ, Drew and I went to the NASCAR racing park and had the best time. Originally, Drew and CJ wanted to play arcade games, but after Chris and I had raced a bit on the various tracks, we coaxed the boys outside. And it was on... Drew took to driving like an old pro. We raced, and raced, and raced, and had so much fun.

Afterwards, as Chris was driving us to the theatre, it was weird because after the hours of bumping into each other, racing around the tracks, we had to remember that you couldn't do the same while driving down US17... Probably best for everyone we reconditioned immediately.

Afterwards, we met up with the girls and watched Kick Ass, which was... Kick ASS! Appropriate? Probably not, but it was a hoot... Then we came home, ate some pizza and started to rest. And I caught MK sitting in the room we were sharing, reading, away from everyone, and it was a wonderful sight.

A restful day, and one in which I was reminded that family and good friends make so much in life worth living.

Gritty

Some things surprise me. Today I got this while I was filling up the car with gas (obviously) at this Mobil station near Drew's school. The place is a little sketchy, but a cool place to stop because it just so Durham. Everybody stops there - all of God's people, and there is no fear for safety, or anything else. But this sticker, its grime, and cracks, speak so much to the overall state of their desire to maintain the place.

Good day with kids (except for middle school girl drama) and a nice drive to Myrtle. We're staying my my boss and his family for weekend, which will be fun.

D300 180mm f/8 1/400 ISO 200

Red Light

Life is so full of signs. I have caught a few in the last few weeks, and just loved this one tonight... with the sky and its complexity, the red arrow pointing left and the reminder that turning around requires yielding, either because of traffic or someone else not expecting you to do that little maneuver.

A day of shifts, and opportunity. Work good (travel to Hickory uneventful), a little communication, an opportunity to buy a new camera (which was grasped), and an unexpected dinner at Crabtree that was a relaxing end to my day.

The signs will lead me, and all I can do is follow my heart, and stop listening to my head.

D300 200mm f/8 1/640 ISO 200

Delayed from Monday

I loved this sign, hanging in a parking garage in Winston-Salem and a shortcut to the restaurant where we had dinner Monday.

Droid Camera

Torn between the real world and the divine

Watching "Angels and Demons" tonight (after catching up on Lost -- what an addiction), I heard this quote and realized how much this photo made me understand how the real world can present such insight into the divine.

I taught a class on photography for my church tonight, which was fun. I was rushed getting there and was a bit late (which I hate — one of my most favorite changes from the last twelve months is that I am almost never late for anything), but it was fun to talk about the light triangle, and to share my own development as a photographer. I find that teaching may be my real passion, and it is something I really must figure out how to hone and develop.

Drew's love has become so strong, and is something that I cherish when given the chance to enjoy. Tonight, I watched him and two friends chase a rabbit (a literal one, not the one that we ADD-types usually chase) and then build a hatchet with slate, sticks and twine loaned from a friend. He was careful, and was most proud of striking the slate in such a perfect way, and at the end, the young girl who had loaned him the twine offered to pay him a dollar for the slate ax. He is such an amazing young man.

In my thoughts many times today...

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What do you make of...

...an unexpected phone call, a long day spent with friends in the industry, waking up tired, and ready to get back to work and on the road.

I love Symposium because of the energy I get when I am around people that do what I do. I love the time, the people, the social and the business aspects of this time. I've long called these three days "old home week" for people in the insurance industry in our state because at our core, we are mostly all friends. A LOT of alcohol is consumed in these few days by the people here, but that is also the nature of our personalities.

It also highlights to me the importance of professional associations. We can learn a lot and collectively have a lot of influence when working together.

My day ended with a long, unexpected call, which was nice, and a lot more, but that is what it is. I can't change how I feel or what will happen. A good friend is going through something similar to what I did a year ago, and his uncertainty and certainty, have been inspiring. To read his words brought a wonderful smile to my face. Drew, brother, stick with what got you here, it's a good thing.

D300 35mm f/8 1/200 ISO 200

Dogwoods

I love pink dogwoods, and they are so hard to find some time... My friends, Ron and Bebe, in Durham have a cool old dogwood tree that is part white, and part pink, and I just loved the age of the blooms and the feel of the tree.

I was struck by the commonality of some colors throughout the year -- the purples, the greens, the yellows -- but that the short period of red, and pink, and white, in azaleas, dogwoods and cherry blossoms makes Spring so special. I have been so thankful today too for the return of more traditional spring weather, the cool evenings, and the moderately warm days, and the opportunity to teach Sunday School, come home and watch movies, the Masters and work, have made this for a glorious day. What a blessed weekend this has been...

This weekend has also been filled with the strangeness of people. One friend dealing with unreasonable jealousy of her friends about a common friend. To hear how people react to the most common form of friendship, and how it threatens how others define their own self-worth, makes me wonder how we ever survive middle school, let alone going forward as adults. It's just disappointing to me sometimes. I guess I have no place to judge, but I do really worry about how people grow up and become brave enough.

Another friend is dealing with the reality of love, cheating, disappointment and the prayer that real love can be salvaged. In his words: "Love sucks." It tears your heart apart and the loss, or the possibility of loss, will open your eyes and make a man change faster than he ever thought possible. But fuck... to live without hope of a true, ever-lasting love is worst kind of depressing thought to ever consider.

I will close by mentioning my class this morning was focused on praise. Psalms 150, and the benediction of Jude, with the idea that giving thanks is an important part of our worship, and appreciation of the gifts that God gives us. It is not faith that sustains us -- it is our ability to recognize the need to be thankful and to give thanks, even for the smallest thing that makes life worth living.

D300 300mm f/11 1/600 ISO 200

Puddle web

A Saturday: slow start; an argument with my daughter over something that I said wrong, and then made worse; a nice walk in the woods; and an evening spent with little work and a couple good movies.

I wasn't the first to see this, but thankful to have had it shared and lucky to have ever even seen it. This web was parallel to the ground, and had her in the middle of the trap, ready for an afternoon snack. A nice walk in Umstead as the first step of preparing for a walk up Kilimanjaro next April.

Now for tomorrow to be what tomorrow will be.

D300 300mm f/11 1/600 ISO 200

Inchworm

I enjoy a lot of Fridays, particularly ones like today... I saw this little guy while I was taking pics of some pink dogwoods and couldn't ignore him.

More to write, I'm sure but I am way too tired...

D300 300mm f/11 1/640 ISO 200

Retread

OK, I admit I did not get a picture taken all day... well I did a couple on my phone, but nothing that I wanted. Besides those pics reminded me that I almost lost it flying into Fayetteville this afternoon... I hate it when the random motions of the plane, the distracting patterns of the trees and the birds and my occasional queasiness cause me to break out into a cold sweat...

So I instead share a pic from Saturday, taken at the Jacksonville Zoo. As MK pointed out to me, I cannot sell these images because of completely unenforceable notice provision and the fact the animals, as subjects, cannot be protected as intellectual property. But I am sure that it stops about 95% of people from doing it...

Going to bed, but wanted to share a great line offered in response to yesterday's post on pessimism: "that is why I think no glass is better, using cupped hands instead to drink the water, to receive what is offered and to give back." Well said.

Lions, and Tigers, and... nope that doesn't work here... Good night.

D300 300mm f/8 1/300 ISO 200

Pessimism

I listened to a friend tell the gathered crowd that health care reform was going to be bad, bad, bad! I am still rolling my eyes... I really can't stand it when someone cannot see the good, long term, in certain things, or even be willing to make them work. It's just so damn frustrating...

It is hard sometimes to see the good to come from something that is uncertain. I believe in certain things... and that, inshallah, they will work out, from work to family to love. I had an extraordinarily bad 2009, and yet I have survived, and in some degree thrived, from the experience.

The issue is not whether the glass is half full or half empty... it's a matter of deciding what you are going to do about the state of the glass.

D300 300mm f/5.6 1/20 ISO 200

Delicate

Still tired from 10.5 hours of driving, over 650 miles yesterday, to return the kids to their mother from our trip to Florida. Eight stops, but the wonder of spending time with them (even in the car) still makes me appreciative of being an observer and a participant in their growth as individuals.

This dogwood flower, caught in the dead of night, reminded me how delicate everything is in our lives. This bloom is in final days before the leaves push away the petals and allow the life of the tree to be sustained through sunlight and photosynthesis and continued through pollination.

How similar our friendships, and love, are to this. Both are made stronger with simple honesty and being authentic in who you are, and not allowing perceptions to override who you truly are. Sadly, I have learned these lessons, by never knowing that it was the only way to be. Now I grow on...and love lingers in my heart, as delicate as anything I've ever thought possible.

D300 300mm f/5.6 1/20 ISO 200 (flash at 30%)

Launch

Arose at 5:30 (then 5:40 and eventually at 5:51) to get the kids out the door and headed to watch the launch. We drove around a bit but found a nice dock on the north side of Cape Canaveral (the town, not the actual cape itself) and stood and watched it with about 20 other folks. Drew was wrapped in his blanket, and MK and I were in jeans, and it was a nice early morning adventure.

We came back to the hotel and now the kids are sleeping and it is a wonderful moment in time to sit here and write about the experience. We stood along the fishing boats, with an old dock restaurant behind us, around 6:21 am, wondering when it would go off. All of a sudden the northern horizon was lit up nearly as bright as the sun. A streak of fire began heading up into the sky and to the right, and were simply awed by the comet climbing into the morning.

A couple neat observations: the speed of sound is slower than the speed of light. We figured that at least 30 seconds elapsed after seeing the first light before the sound waves rattled our ears and the windows along the dock. The second was the realization that the exhaust cloud was visible longer than the launch itself -- nearly 20 minutes after the launch, it was still visible and being transformed into a mix of colors by the rising sun. As we looked up to see it on the way back to the hotel, I thought I would test Drew's cloud identifying skills by asking him what kind it was (he was incessant about this during 2009), hoping to trick him... He looked at it, in his foggy near sleep state of mind, and hesitated and announced: an exhaust cloud. I was very impressed.

MK's question about three minutes post-launch as the dot was racing to the horizon: "Daddy is something wrong? It's headed for the sea." I love how her mind works because that's exactly what it was doing, but rising along the earth while running further out of sight. Our perspective caused us all to see it that way, and she was so insightful to put those words to that view.

We head out for NC in a couple hours and hope you have a nice morning.

D300 300mm f/9 1/50 ISO 200

Easter

Morning has broken...

I woke up at 6:00 this morning, and rolled over to read the paper on George (the name we gave the iPad) and then walked out onto the patio to see the early morning light. The moon was beautiful and the beginning of light was bringing a broad range of color to the horizon.

I sneaked out the room (the kids were still asleep) and went out on the beach to see if I could get the sun as it rose out of the water... I sat there for 20 minutes, admiring the large group down the beach preparing to celebrate the sunrise for Easter, and the cute couple whose picture I took while an elderly couple sauntered down the beach behind them. Another person was sitting in a beach chair, reading in Mark and having her own private service. I stopped to pray and to watch in wonder as the first slivers of light rose above the water. At that moment, it seemed obvious why we believed we were the center of the universe, and that nearly every ancient society figured that only a god could bring that light out of the ocean to warm and brighten each day. And it was true, only God could.

The rest of the day could not have been better (well... never mind). MK and I went down to the beach while Drew slowly woke up, we all enjoyed a few minutes in the pool and moved up the island to another hotel before heading to Kennedy Space Center. That time was good, but exhausting. We dragged out butts through dinner and then I sat in the whirlpool while the kids played in the otherwise empty pool. It was music to hear them laugh, instead of fight (ugh), and to come in to showers and immediate sleep...

Tomorrow we wake early to watch Discovery rush into the sky and then we will travel home.

Yes, today was Easter, and it was a gift that I was blessed to enjoy.

D300 24mm f/11 1/20 ISO 200

Camouflage

Woke up in GA and fall asleep tonight in Cocoa Beach, FL. What a fabulous day — Drew, Mary Kathryn and I went to the Jacksonville Zoo and saw an amazing collection of animals and frankly reminded what a wonder there is in nature... Watching Drew and MK take about a million pics and adding a few of my own was very rewarding. The confidence I felt about my art after looking through today's clicks was greater than I ever thought possible.

After a nice lunch with a friend of their mother's in Daytona, we made it to Cocoa Beach and got settled. Had a great hour in the pool, and we were on the periphery of a number of pre-shuttle launch parties in our hotel. The kids and I are excited about watching the shuttle go up on Monday morning, and got the word that the likelihood of an on-time launch is about 90%, which is great news. Now we just have to figure out where we will watch the launch.

Today I purchased an iPad, and it is about the coolest tech tool I've bought in about three months (and if you take the Droid out, at least three years). Bought a couple books for it and I look forward to reading the newspaper in the morning and those books to confirm what I already think... I really think it's better than the iPhone.

The photo tonight was a reflection of a number of thoughts in my head about who we are, and who we allow others to see us to be. There are so many things to love about this picture, from my perspective, from color to abstraction to metaphorical qualities.

I will leave you with this homily by my friend Matthew Heyd, who summarized it on his Facebook page today as "impossible situations, reconciliation, and the story beginning again." I listened to it and wept... to hear his soothing voice and fine words were a great comfort, and the best way to start the Saturday before the resurrection.

D300 35mm f/2.8 1/20 ISO 200

A Good Friday

A great day, despite not catching up on sleep (don't think I ever will so I should stop trying)...

Some work done this AM and then a great couple hours taking photographs at Duke Gardens. Grabbed the kids and headed south for our Easter adventure. Survived six hours of front seat disapproval for my driving style or method of trying to find a hotel, and watched the washed out son as he recovered from a day of strep and a fever... When Drew is sick, he is so pitiful, and completely loveable.

While my time at Duke Gardens was great fun, the best scene I saw today was across Lake Marion as the sun was setting. It was breath-taking and an amazing reminder of how simple beauty can be portrayed. The sun, and the water overwhelmed the ugly concrete causeway that tried to distract, and it was well worth the momentary sadness I felt for not being able to capture it.

We lay our heads in Brunswick GA.... sleep well, friends.

D300 85mm f/8 1/800 ISO 200

Long month...

This month: 4,300 miles, four trips out of state (DC, Indiana, Tennessee, Atlanta) and less than half of the month stayed in my own bed... This has been a crazy 31 days. But the job is going so well and that gives me so much hope for the next few months. I am very much enjoying my work with our agents throughout North Carolina.

Tonight's picture was from the buildings across Lake Crabtree. Been wanting to capture these for weeks. It's not anything that special, in my opinion, but I like the long reflections and the way the water does its part.

D300 85mm f/8 8 sec. ISO 200