Scattered Thoughts . . .

You awaken in the middle of the night to the smell of burning wood.  You get up and quickly run through your home to see if you can find the source of the burning wood smell.  As you pass a window, you notice that your neighbor's house has a little bit of smoke leaking out of an upstairs bedroom window.  You call 911 to report a house fire, frantically trying to summon help. After reporting the fire, you then call your neighbor's house to awaken them in an attempt get them out of the house.  The neighbor answers the telephone but states he can't access the rest of the bedrooms in the house where his family is located and he, himself, is trapped inside due to fire.  The situation is quickly becoming dire. As you run out of your house to see if you can help somehow, the Fire Chief pulls up in his Chief's vehicle.  He orders you to stay away from the house.  As you try to get past the Chief, a fire truck (a ladder company) and an engine pull up (pumper for pumping wa

This is a view which is seen in countless books and photographs but I felt compelled to shoot this angle too. Sheila and I had an opportunity to visit close friends in Virginia for Christmas so we spent the bulk of our Christmas week in and around Monticello. The weather at Monticello was sunny and in the 70's... flowers were in bloom... the grass was green... the weather was typical beautiful springtime weather! I started studying Thomas Jefferson and his architecture decades ago and had always wanted to walk these hallowed grounds. I have to say that this was an inspiring experience to meander through history.  If there ever was a time in history needing a visit from Thomas Jefferson, it is today. I have always based my beliefs on Jefferson's philosophies and this visit reinforced my convictions even more. It truly was a moving and inspiring experience to see and touch all I had studied for decades.   I shot hundreds of photos and I will probably put together an