Remembering

- Since it was Memorial Day I thought I'd share some memories from Cindy's family during WW II. Cindy's great grandmother Della Bray recieved these two War Department telegrams about her youngest child, SSgt. Vernon C. Bray who was serving in the US Army Air Corps, 93rd Bombardment Group, 330th Squadron.

On December 7, 1942 his squadron along with the 328th and 409th squadrons left their base at Alconbury, England on a long flight that would end at Tafarouri Aerodrome, a former French airfield outside Oran in Algeria. The 93rd was sent for temporay duty to supplement the newly formed Twelfth Air Force, which had been recently activated in North Africa under the command of General James "Jimmy" Doolittle. Vernon's crew flying a B-24D Liberator named the Blastin' Bastard was lost when their airplane crashed into a mountain while attempting to land at Tafaroui. Personnel at the base had not been alerted that the B-24s were coming in and no plans had been made to light up the runway. Gasoline flares were then lit and the rest of the group landed safely on the muddy airfield.

Lost with Vernon were 2Lt. Iceal W. Alford, Jr. (IN), TSgt. James E. Davis (TN), 1Lt. Leo A. Donze (MO), MSgt. Harold J. Hanna (IL), 1Lt. Robert A. (Ox) Johnson (KS), 2Lt. Robert L. Lynch (ND), TSgt. Samuel McNeeley (TN), SSgt. William J. Nagle (NJ), MSgt. Oscar S. Olsen (IL), Sgt. Kenneth R. Pastrof (NJ), SSgt. Jack E. Pinion (TN), SSgt. Samuel F. Powell (UT), and Capt. Richard S. Scott (NY). The crew is buried at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, Carthage Tunis, Tunisia. Names and stories are important, let's remember all who serve and especially those who gave their lives.

Self Portrait

- Thought I'd try a self portrait for today's photo. It was a nice evening to be riding around in the convertible so I took my photo at a stoplight. Canon G1X, 1/500 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 200.

Pretty Kitty

- Miss Sasha looking pretty with my messy desk reflected in her eyes. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/40 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600, 50mm prime lens.

Then & Now

- THEN - May 1940, 401 Monticello Avenue in Norfolk Virginia was home to Sears, Roebuck & Co. Sears occupied 110-112 Freemason Street around 1930 and in 1939 acquired the corner lot and built an expansion designed by noted Richmond architect Marcellus Wright. Sears remained in the buildings until they moved to 21st Street in the 1950's. The building was then home to the Nelco Department Store. Historic photo courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Collection – Norfolk Public Library.

- NOW - In the mid 1990's the City of Norfolk acquired the old Sears store and the adjoining former Rices Department Store at Freemason and Granby all which had been vacant for some years following the flight of retail from downtown to the suburbs. The City renovated all three buildings to create the Granby Municipal Building now home to the Bureau of Neighborhood Quality and Building Safety, and the Departments of Public Utilities and Information Technology. My office is the third floor corner office directly behind the street lamp globe in the center of the photo. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/500 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 200.

Spoon

- The spoon as wall art? This is a big spoon, about 4 foot long. They are used in the Skinny Dip frozen yogurt stores usually hanging on a bright green or purple wall. iPhone 4,1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 200, Camera+ app.

Play Ball

- This is part of a mural being painted by Artist John Hickey on a wall at the Norfolk Baseball Academy in the 700 block of 22nd Street in Norfolk, Virginia. It was featured in an article in today's Virginia Pilot so I drove by to take a look and of course a picture during lunch. The mural is based on a photograph from an exhibition game between the New York Yankees and the Norfolk Tars on June 29, 1934, at Bain Field. Bain Field was located not too far from this site just off Monticello Avenue between 18th and 20th Streets. When completed the mural will also feature Babe Ruth who played in the game. iPhone 4, 1/1027 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 80, Camera+ app.

Future Heat

- First blooms on this year's Jalpaneo pepper crop. Last year's crop produced peppers all the way into December. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, 100mm macro, LED Litepanel.