Blackwater Canyon

Blackwater Canyon and Canaan Valley have been described as ''a piece of Canada gone astray''. At an elevation of 3,000-4,000 feet both the canyon and the valley share a flora very similar to Canada. Bogs,cranberries,balsam fir and tamarack just to name a few. The area also receives an average of 150'' of snow much of it attributed to lake effect . It's an area of extreme beauty and one that offers many recreational possibilities. As a forestry student at WVU I spent 3 summers hiking in the canyon looking for genetically superior trees. Once identified we would make a map and then come back and collect the seeds either by climbing the tree or shooting branches out with seeds on them. Once collected we'd plant them in a nursery and follow their growth cycle.

It's from this point here that West Virginia's Office of Tourism shoots their photos for come and visit '' Wild Wonderful West Virginia''

Fly Like an Eagle

Hey I had to post these blasts from the past for you all to enjoy. These were probably taken 1960-62 while I was in boy scouts. As a young boy I wanted to be an indian then when I joined the boy scouts my dream came true. I fell into a group of boys that also wanted to be indians. We made everything you see here and in the next photo. We read books and studied indian clothing, customs and dances.
Here I am on the right doing the Hopi Snake Dance. I've got a feather and am trying to distract the blacksnake from biting my buddy. It was great fun and brings back great memories!

Maine

They had the most magnificent collection of rocks on their beaches. Of course signs were posted '' Do not remove rocks from the beach'' I could have filled the trunk of our car! Damn they were beautiful.

Relay for Life

I've been attending the Relay for Life since 2002. When I saw this young girl my thoughts were '' she's to young to have cancer'' Cancer sucks!
David is a friend of mine and I call him the mayor of Winchester, Va which is where he lives. David knows no strangers. He's one of the most out going people that I know. The young lady next to him is a three time cancer survivor.
Ahh Hope. It's all about HOPE!!
Everyone comes to the relay!
The Relay for Life is a very emotional time for me. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002. I couldn't believe what the doctor had said. Did he just say the C word! I went to Georgia for treatment which lasted about 8 weeks. While I was there I walked into the Ritz camera store and bought my first digital camera a Nikon Coolpix 885. Man I couldn't believe the pictures! So cancer and the camera were born. It's been my relief, it's my candy since I've given up sugar. Tumors love sugar. Five years passed and in April of 2007 I found out that it's come back as stage 4 cancer. I case you don't know there is no stage 5. This past summer has been painful. Pain is a real drag because it kind of robs you of the fun. So if I don't post or send a comment your way just know that I'm dealing with some discomfort. But don't worry about me because I've got great support and I've always thought of the glass being half full.

My message to you all is get regular checkups. Early detection is the best. I waited five years after people told me to get my prostate checked out even though I wasn't having any problems. If you know of anyone struggling with prostate cancer you may put them in touch with me. Party on!!

Gettysburg Photowalk

This was part of the stone face that I posted the other day. Again I think it was the find of the day.
#1 Dad taking shot of #1 Trooper.
Mike and I were trying to figure out the meaning of this. Anyone have any ideas?

Gettysburg Photowalk

Here's a few for now.

Andy

Thanks for a wonderful time. You did a great job in organizing everything! Hope you do it again soon.

Michael and Michael

Well here's to a great dad and a #1 trooper. I spent the day in Gettysburg with both of them blazing away with our cameras. It was wonderful to see a dad take such interest in his son by sharing a hobby together. It will no doubt be a lasting memory for Michael Jr. We walked close to three miles in some nasty heat and humidity and not a complaint from young Michael. Thanks guys!!

The Excitement Builds

This is the weekend for the Gettysburg photowalk! I'll get to see Mike Palmer and Andy from Visual Realia again. Andy is the one putting the event on and it looks like he's done one heck of a job. We're all hoping the weather will hold off because they're calling for showers on Sunday. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Water Lilies

While I was in Maine I read a book that Julie Mcleod recommended. Its '' Understanding Shutter Speed'' by Bryan Peterson. After reading it I used some of his techniques to produce this photo. There were hundreds of lilies on the pond and every day brought new ones in both white and pink varietys.

Jack

Here's one from Maine of Jack on Hodgdon Pond.

Well I'm back after my big crash on the external hard drive. I don't know if any one of you heard the cussing and the hair pulling but I think I've got everything straightened out for now. Thanks to everyone that gave me advice on backing up!

Butch Lee

Here's a blast from my past. Butch and I were hippies back in the late 60's as well as photographers. We shot many a roll of film at the peace demonstrations in DC. Butch and I would buy bulk film (100' rolls) and load our own cassettes. We did all our developing at the WVU darkroom. If memory serves me right I had a Nikon F100 and a Nikkormat camera and we'd shoot Tri-X iso 400 film. I've got about 3000 images from this era. It was a great and exciting time to be alive!!