Welcome to Fall. On one of our drives to Shenandoah we stopped just to enjoy the view.

Well

car meets deer

So I realize that its been a while. Back in Nov. on our 3rd trip to Shenandoah although we had a wonderful day, it ended with a wildlife encounter that kind of spoiled the mood.

I saw the first deer and even the second out of the corner of my eye, as it ran around the front of the car. The third one however-hit the drivers side window and broke all the glass on the left side including the windsheild pictured above.

After denting the roof, breaking the glass, and scaring everyone he bound off into the woods. I am very happy to say that no one in the car was injured. Now the car looks totally renewed and you would never guess it was damaged. (Of course a totally nice looking car is not real photo worthy)

The park was nice and quiet. Being a Monday afternoon in the Fall, most of the crowds were gone. Lee and I now have 2 park annual passes. One for this park and one for Great Falls. I think next year we will simply invest in an annual park pass that gets us into all of the National Parks that require a fee. It is definitely worth it to support such beautiful places.

Fall...heading to Shenandoah. I tried to stop at the Hollis Farmers Market only to discover they were closed. But the drive was very scenic.

Thursay I will be heading to Shenandoah National Park again and hoping it will be in full color. After the farmers market disappointment, I went to the park, but the trees weren't quite at the peak of their fall color.

Shenandoah National Park

When we went down to visit Luray Caverns we also took the opportunity to go to the Shenandoah National Park. We stopped at several of the overlooks and walked the trails to the Stony Man Cliffs. We hiked about 3 miles the first day and 5 miles the second. We had beautiful weather. Only the haze over the mountains limited the vista.

Luray Caverns

Lee and I had an opportunity to go to Luray Caverns this last weekend. Amazing. Stone in so many magnificant shapes. to think that little drops of water formed or helped to shape these amazing pieces. It was a little dark for photos and I will be doing some lightening of some photos llater, but here are a couple that turned out well just the way they were. It is about a mile walk. A nice 70 degree temp. (especially when it was almost 100 degrees outside.) Anyone in the area should check it out.

This is the monument for Auguste Burdeau. A self made man who made money by traslating philosophy works into French. He later joined the army where he became a prisoner of war and afterward became a politician. Although there is no credit to the artist that created this bronze piece it is unique in how it interacts with the monument.

This image may be very misunderstood. It is two gentlemen holding hands. It is not as I had first thought a couple. It is in fact two of the first high altitude balloonists who pioneered high altitude flight and the use of oxygen for those flights. According to the US Centennial of Flight Commission, "...in April of 1875" Scientists Sivel and Croce-Spinelli went up with balloonist Gaston Tissandier. "They climbed to 28,820 feet...At that height they lost the use of their limbs so they could not use their meager oxygen supply. They became unconscious. While unconscious, they began an uncontrolled climb..." Tissander was able to wake when the ballon had begun its descent. He was the only person to survive the event.

The artist for this bronze piece may be A. Dumilatre dated 1878

This lovely lady is a bust on the monument for the Jouhanneaud family. The last date for Charles Jouhanneaud is 1920-1996. The only clue to the artist is the name Naubrey in block letters under the slab with the family names and dates. Like many of the statues and the bronze castings most of the art work is not signed.

Paris

This is the view from Notre Dame of the Eiffel Tower and the Place de Invalides (below) On the right is one of the main walks through Pere-Lachaise where most of the funeral art I will be posting later comes from.

Ive just returned from Paris and although I saw most of the regular things I had the most fun just wondering my neighborhood. This is the fountain near the Gambetta metro station.

We just got back from Maine. The weather was wonderful. It was also wonderful getting to see my family and to play tour guide to Lee. While there we went on a "lobster boat tour" Basically we went out in a boat from Rockalnd harbor and pulled a few traps caught a wopping 2 lobster, but had a nice time. Having been on a real lobster boat before, thanks to a wonderful man, Walter Hupper, of Port Clyde, I was a littel disappointed by the tour. But for those folks who don't like the smell of bait or would like to actually be able to sit down it was perfect. Here are a few of the photos from the weekend.

If anyone is interested check out Captain Jack's Lobster Boat tours. He told me they will soon be on facebook, but they already have their own site. Don't get my comment above wrong. I think it would be great for anyone who wants a brief glimpse into the life of a lobster fisherman. It gives you most of the benefits of lobster fishing without any of the drawbacks.

The African Hair Fashion show is now over. It was a little slow getting started Saturday evening, but there were some very nice styles showcased. Although we have yet to meet about the magazine, here are a few of my favorites. I haven't done any touch ups yet so be nice. (I'm waiting to find out which photos they want to use before I invest a lot of time touching up the minor flaws.)

Josh and Brigette's Wedding

Flower Girl

Ringbearer with Parents of the Groom

Family and friends gathered in Oconomowoc, for the beautiful mid-May ceremony.

Hi everyone I know it has been a while. We are in the process of creating a new website with new contact information as the photography work picks up. If you have been following the newest work will be a hair fashion show June 12th here in DC. As I have new info and new images I will keep you posted.