Halloween 2008

Spongbob made an appearance for Halloween 2008.

145th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

I attended the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg over the weekend of July 4th. There were 3 days of battle reenactments with 12,000 reenactors, 450 calvary solders and 100 cannon. It was an amazing three days.

I am not going to post pictures on the blog since I shot so many, but the link to my website will take you to a large selection of the 1000 pictures taken.

If you have never been to a civil war reenactment, it is an eye opening experience. Enjoy


UPDATE 8/3/2008 - Additional photos have been uploaded.

The link to my site:

jrj-photos.com

Battle of Monmouth, NJ

Several groups participated in the reenactment of the Battle of Monmouth, NJ on June 20th.

The British are planning their defense and the battle.



The Continental army are waiting to attack.






The British return fire.




Not all the reenactors are adults. A few young ones from the day.

Graduation Day!

Two years of grueling preschool finally comes to an end.






And the awaited moment.....



Off to summer camp and kindergarten.

A proud father and his son.

A right of passage for a young boy

A right of passage for a young boy is his first fishing trip. Daniel made his first trip to the local trout pond this week. He was decked out with the latest in kids fishing gear. A new rod and tackle box which could double as a lunch box.

Concentration is the key to land the big fish...



After landing one rainbow (of which dad was not fast enough with the camera), time to ham it up.

Gettysburg National Park

I headed to Gettysburg on the weekend of March 28-30th. It was a little early in the season but the weather was OK and the crowds were minimal. Early on the morning of the 29th, a lone soldier and General Meade guard the Union line along Cemetery Ridge, the sight of Picket's Charge on July 3, 1863.



As the sun began to rise, the light and shadows made for some interesting photos. In addition, I was using a Cokin IR filter to bring out the details and keep the sun from over powering the scene.



A little black and white conversion.



An old split log fence divides the battlefield.



A final view the sunrise.




If you care a lick about American History, you must visit Gettysburg.

Udvar Hazy Center @ Dulles Airport - WW II Planes

I made my first trip to the Udvar Hazy Center located at Dulles Airport. It is part of the Smithsonian Collection and it houses many of the planes which are too large for the Air and Space Museum on the mall in Washington DC. This first post is from their WWII collection of aircraft.

Arguably, one of the most famous or infamous (depending on your view) is the Enola Gay. Two photos of the Enola Gay, the nose and the tail. Coverage from front to back.



Lighting is difficult at best in the museum and tripods are not permitted.

One of the most feared fighters of the German Air Force was the FW 190.



And from the Allied side of the battle, the workhorse P-47.



And finally, from the Pacific side of the war. The plane the Japanese called the "forked devil". This is one of the most interesting planes of the war. Only a few exist today.



The last of the planes from the Pacific - The P40 in its Tiger War paint and the Corsair.



More to follow in later posts.

The Loram Railgrinder and NS 39G

It has been a while since Daniel and I have been out to photograph trains. Thanks to a heads up, we headed out to catch the Loram Railgrinder working it's way between Abrams and Falls. Here it is just south of Swedeland. It sure does make an impressive sight.



Here it is moving through Bridgeport.



A thank you for the heads up on 39G. It is being lead by NS2574. A rare SD70 still in Conrail Blue.

Barns of 2007

During my journeys, I will always stop and take pictures of interesting barns. Here are a few from my 2007 travels.

A Mail Pouch tobacco barn in Bedford County Pa. You do not see many of these barns today.



One of my trip this summer was to Iowa. The weather was turning bad with a several cold front moving through. If the sky looks like it could spawn a tornado, you are correct. I spent 30 minutes in a hail storm (the rental car looked great!!) and missed several tornadoes by a few miles.





This is an old stone barn located in central Bucks County. A well preserved example of 1800's farming.





The final barn for the year is part of the Jordan farm located in Stewartstown, Pa.