Double Neck

- Joe Bonamassa playing the white Gibson Don Felder EDS-1275 #075 Double-Neck during "Young Man Blues" at Richmond Virginia's Landmark Theater last night. You can see Joe's Marshall stack complete with Bonamassa bobble heads just to the right. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 400, 85mm lens.

Mountain Time

- Blues guitarist extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa plays "Mountain Time" at the Landmark Theater in Richmond Virginia. Tonight was the sixth time we've seen Joe play live. He never ceases to amaze and delight and tonight was no exception. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 400, 85mm prime lens.

Tabacco Company

- The atrium in the Tabacco Company restaurant in the Shockoe Slip area of Richmond Virginia. The old tabacco warehouse was converted into a fine restaurant and club over 30 years ago. The large brass chandelier came from the Federal Reserve Bank in Cincinnati while the antique Otis brass elevator on the right edge of the photo was made for the Con Edison building in New York. Canon G11, 1.0 sec @ f.3.2, ISO 100.

Cold War

- This is a static display of an old Nike Ajax surface to air missile. Developed and deployed in the 1950's these missile systems resulted in my Dad's transfer to Fort Bliss in El Paso Texas where he was assigned to the Air Defense Command. There he became a trainer of National Guard troops operating Nike sites throughout the country. He remained involved with the Nike systems though his retirement from the Army in 1966 and then with the Civil Service maintaining the radar tracking systems until they were deactivated in the mid 1970's as part of the SALT I treaty. This one still points to sky at Air Power Park in Hampton Virginia. Canon 40D, 1/100 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 100.

Little Willie

- Meet Willie - a marble memorial to Willie Stewart who died in 1892 at 16 months old. The small statue was commissioned by Willie's mother and is said to be in his likeness. He's a rather famous occupant of the Victorian era Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk Virginia. His mother must have loved him and missed him very much. A long inscription begins:

I cannot touch thy hand nor see thy face,
never more shall press my lips to thine,
sleep within thy lonely resting place.
Thou will not wake to any words of mine.
Farewell my son I leave you in God's keeping.
His will for thee at rest from all earth's care.
Farewell my Willie, farewell my darling.

iPhone 4, converted to black & white.

Braille

- An close up look at Braille devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing. Canon 40D, 1/500 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens at 1:1 and luminated from the side by an LED Litepanel.

No Behaving Badly

- The trademark "No Bad Behavior" sign from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. This campaign started way back in 1999 and the signs have been a fixture along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront ever since. Many people believe they refer to a city no cursing law but that's not true. They simply call attention to a voluntary code of ethics for behavior along the popular resort. Some love it, some hate it - but its definitely not a sign you see in other places. Canon G11, 1/320 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.