Ol' Blue Eyes

- Well he's not that old actually. This is Sherlock our eight month old Tonkinese cat. Yes he is named after the famous fictional detective because of his insatiable curiosity. He goes by many names around our house, Lock, Lockmeister, Lockinator, Trouble with a capital "T" and assorted other names when his curiosity is out of control. All that said he is a great cat and never sees a stranger. Canon 40D, 160th @ f/2.8, ISO 400, 100mm lens.

An apple a day . . .

- keeps the doctor away, or so the old saying goes. Apples are an amazing fruit and the offer numerous benefits in one pretty and great tasting little package. Don't believe me - check this article citing 9 reasons why an apples a day is good for your health and thus helps keep the doctor away. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 100mm macro lens. Photographed in a light tent with illumination provided from three directions. Above was a constant LED video light, to each side were remote triggered flashes set at 1/16th power.

Full Moon Rising

- Noticed a great full moon rising tonight on my drive home from work. By the time I got home the clouds had moved in but I was able to catch the bright moon through openings in the cloud cover. Canon 7D, 6/10 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 200, 200mm focal length mounted on a tripod.

An Analog Apple

- Before there was Steve Jobs and Apple, Inc. with its iPods, iPhones and iPads there was Apple Records a label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. This is a photo of side one of The Beatles album Abbey Road released in 1969. This is my original album purchased in 1970. I still have quite a few of our old vinyl albums from the 70's and 80's. Vinyl was effectively replaced by digital music first by Compact Discs and later by digital downloads. There is still a debate about the superiority of analog recordings over digital but I'm sure I don't want to go back. I prefer having my music completely portable. If the 5000+ songs on my iPod were still on vinyl, I'd need a truck to haul them around and could never park in the sun. Canon 40D, 1/60 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

New Calvary & MLK, Jr.

- Forty-five years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Norfolk Virginia to preach at his friend Rev. Milton Reid's installation as pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church. Milton Reid who passed away last month was a well known early Virginia civil rights activist. Dr. King was scheduled to return to preach again at New Calvary Baptist in early April 1968 but postponed the visit to go to Memphis to support the sanitation workers strike where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. New Calvary Baptist is located at the corner of Calvert St. and Virginia Beach Blvd. in Norfolk Virginia. In the background of this photo can be seen historic First Calvary Baptist Church, just to the left out of the frame is the historic Attucks Theater. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, converted to B&W in Adobe Lightroom 3.Several years ago I listened to the audio version of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1998), ed. Clayborne Carson. I highly recommend this version read by LeVar Burton in a Grammy Award winning performance which also contains recordings of many speeches and famous oratory of Dr. King. A must listen for anyone who is a student of leadership.

Terrapin's

- It's Virginia Beach Restaurant Week so we dined out tonight with our good friends Susan and Duane at Terrapin Restaurant on Holly Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Always great food and drink and the atmosphere is special. This photo shows the paper lanterns over the bar with the open kitchen in the background. I was facing away from the scene but a wall of mirrors gives every seat at the table a great view. The appetizer and main course were wonderful but you can't go to Terrapin's and not have desert. I had the double chocolate brownie toffee mousse with vanilla toasted marshmallow malt ice cream. Check out this presentation. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800.

Reflected Sunset

- Glorious sunset this evening reflected in the chrome exterior of the No Frill Grill at Hilltop in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 400.