Thursday, June 28, 2007

Wilderness Clean Up Project

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While up in the area I have been able to work in some amazing areas. I spent the last 2 days in Green Wood Farms Park. This is a beautiful place in Prince William County, Virginia. It is a large and undeveloped parcel that was donated to the PWCPA. I was part of the first team to go in to go in for cleaning up the litter from the roads and communities surrounding it.

I was amazed that someplace so beautiful could be a dumping ground for so much trash. We rolled out 2 truck tires,12 bags of cans, bottles, plastic bags, milk jugs, etc, a 3 foot section of I-Beam, two sign posts, a seat from an old jeep, some broken auto parts, a bar from a weight lifting set, a vent from a stove, a scooter, a basketball hoop and bike that were too buried in silt for us to remove and a number of items we never really identified. It was a beautiful day, the work was hard, but the location was beautiful. I'll take that any day.

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Sunday, June 24, 2007

Beautiful Day in Washington D.C.

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Yesterday was a beautiful day in Washington. The weather is clear and cool. It was a great day for walking and exploring and enjoying the city.

This city is what inspired me as a student to become a photographer. It is so rich in history and visual details that it just came to life in front of me as an 8th grader on a spring break school trip. I didn't even own a camera then, so I borrowed cameras from everyone else on the trip. It was a bit overwhelming. This is my second trip back to D.C. as an adult. I seem to find more and more with each visit. I will have much to share later when I have a chance to build slideshows and make more finished images.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Key Largo Slideshow

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I have been taking groups of students from my church to Key Largo for the past 9 years. This was our 10th trip. I really love it down there. We have so many amazing memories that have been made there. I have some favorite places that I love to bring kids to experience. I have seen so many kids over the years become overwhelmed by the beauty of the area and start to key in on the voice of God there. It isn't magic, it's simply the process of stopping the world long enough and listening.

While we are there spend time snorkeling on the reefs, exploring Black Water Sound on a sunset cruise and in kayaks, swimming, laughing, telling stories and building deep friendships. Each night is capped with a time of worship and message that really help focus us all to see how amazing God is and how he created this place to show us how awesome He is. Of course, when you travel with a group of teenagers, there is also a great deal of silliness and even more eating...

These are my favorite images from this year's trip to the keys. I'll share the underwater images later when I have scans made from my film. (Remember film?)

Georgia Slideshow

The trip to Georgia was amazing. It is really beautiful up there and a different pace of life when you are away from everything at home. A nice change. It's also nice to be back into my normal routine and workflow. As normal as it ever gets at least. Last week I was in the Keys and Thursday I leave for Washington D.C. No rest for the weary...

Here is the short form slideshow from the Georgia Trip. I'll share the Keys trip soon as well.


Friday, June 15, 2007

Key Largo

I am spending an amazing week in the Keys. Every year I take a group of the teenagers from my church down here for a retreat. It is so beautiful here that I can't ignore God's voice saying how much He loves us.

While we are here we stay at Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort. This is my favorite place to stay. The staff is amazing, the boat crew is top notch and the atmosphere is so relaxed. I've been bringing groups here for almost a decade now. Once you find the best you stick with it.

I will post my images from the whole week later, but for now here is on of my selects.We have had some amazing afternoon storms coming across Florida Bay that are just so cool to see them build and then race toward us with so much power.

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Georgia Aquarium

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Our Trip to the Georgia Aquarium was amazing. This is the largest aquarium in the world. This is the viewing window into the 6.1 million gallon main tank that holds an amazing array of sealife including three whalesharks! Amazing...