Of all the photographs I have taken over the past few years, here is a collection of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy them. You can see more of my collection here on smugmug.
Category: Photography
France Travel Log
A Past Due Travel Log
This past summer I spent two wonderful weeks traveling throughout France as part of several recent milestones in our family. We traveled throughout France starting in Paris then to Normandy, South to Mont Saint Michele, a few days in the Loire Valley, then along the Mediterranean to Airlie and finally Avignon before returning to Paris.
We met many many wonderful people, enjoyed decadent food, mostly with an egg, and saw more wonderful sights than I thought possible in two short weeks. The memories are numerous, but there are a few special ones that will stay close to my heart. I felt immense gratitude standing under the Arc de Triomphe for the opportunity to travel with our sons and share these important places in the world as they develop their own understanding of their place in it. As I compared the sights of Paris to the sights we saw in Rome a few years before made me appreciate the gift of travel with our children. At that moment I felt truly blest. Sharing these icons of Paris like the Arc, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre are special. I remember the afternoon in the impressionist museum and seeing my son discover his own love of these great artists.
I remember the laughter we shared during a meal that went wrong at Mont Saint-Michel. My wife was so excited to share this place with us and it was nothing like we expected, resulting in a comedy of errors. I remember how much I enjoyed watching my sons laugh together when we got ice cream at a cafe in Paris. Any time we were all together laughing was a special moment for me.
I will never forget the incredible awe I felt as we traveled through Normandy and visited the various D-Day battlefields. I never grasped the complexity and scale of what was required to go into the D-Day invasion. A civilian cannot grasp what an underrated event this was in our World History and has led me to even greater respect for our “greatest generation”. I remember the sadness of walking through the American cemetery and the thought that I would not be able to share that experience with my father who fought in World War II. He was never able to share much, no matter how much I inquired. When we visited the monument at Utah Beach I was reminded of the Band of Brothers and that “Easy Company” had taken out a German battery nearby. I grabbed the boys and Google maps and found the monument at a generic cross road.
I remember the opportunity to see the Tour de France in the wonderful town of Sarlat. It was unplanned, unexpected and ultimately exciting and over too quick.
Here are some of my photographs and moments I captured along the journey. At the end is a link to my complete gallery.
Favorite Photos Gallery
Another Walk in the Woods
Saturday, I found a couple of hours to do one of my favorite activities, wander around in the woods. I feel like I was able to capture a few nice pictures here. I saw a flock of about 12 turkeys (do you call them a flock), but could not get close enough for any meaningful pictures. Here are my favorites.
Grandview Lake
Grandview Lake in North Central Georgia is one of my favorite places to relax. Just got back from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Here are a few of my favorite shots.
Cascades Hike
On Sunday, we took a hike to Cascades Recreational Area in Pembroke, VA. I took these unfiltered photos with my Pentax K-30.