Sam Houston

The statue of Sam Houston at night in the shadow of the Texas Medical Center.

London

A view of London from the London Eye.

Tunnel Vision

Standing the Test of Time; The Rouen Cathedral

In Rouen, France, just a few blocks from the Great Clock of Rouen, is the Rouen Cathedral. This is a unique church in that it was built at various times, containing Early, High and Late gothic styles, as well as Renaissance style. Construction started 1202 and completed in 1880. They should have nicknamed it Timex, as it has taken quite a licking, but keeps on ticking. It has been burned, bombed, vandalized, and struck by lighting, all more times than you can count. But yet it still stands and is quite a site to see. When we visited, it had scaffolding alongside it it for repairs of the limestone due to erosion. You can read more about it's turbulent history here.

Sunset Between the Condos

This was my last evening in Pensacola last year. I had scouted this location earlier in the day, but at dusk, it didn't light up as much in the low light as I had hoped. In October, many of the buildings have fewer occupants, leaving the rooms dark. So I had to settle for a sunset image. It was from here that I saw the vantage point for this really nice Pensacola Beach Skyline image. So what turned out okay, turned out even better later. I got the thought of this location from one of my first blog photos in Houston I called Sunset Between the Towers.

Winter is Coming

Along the Gulf Coast, the changing of the seasons can be hard to see sometimes. There is no massive changing of the leaves in color like in northern states, just a bit of chilly, rainy weather. You have to check for Christmas decorations sometimes to know that winter is really coming. But there are a few things you can look to for verification that fall is indeed upon you and cold weather might actually make it south enough for you to turn the heat on. The geese flying south can sometimes be heard way up high and the fields that haven't been cleared for home construction are cut and baled.

The Road to Dover

Traveling on an airplane, train or bus can be a bit challenging, if for no other reason than lack of leg room. Such was the case on many of the coaches we took in Europe. Oh, they were nice enough, with reclining seats, large windows and more. But the “more” didn’t include a lot of leg room. This made it difficult to gain access to a camera bag between sites, especially if I was sitting next to my wife. My options were to hold the camera in my lap the entire time we traveled or pull out the iPhone. Much of the trip I did have my camera on the ready, but on a few days, I needed to relax a bit more and would pull the phone out if needed. Later in the trip our coach had fewer people, so everyone spread out some, giving an empty seat next to me for the camera bag. The is the Dover Castle in England, taken with the iPhone just before we arrived. In good light, the iPhone can take some great images. It’s only in the lower light that it starts to have problems and increased noise levels.

Inside the Raindrop

This is one of the meeting rooms of the Raindrop Turkish House in Houston. The many crests along the top of the walls added to the feeling of the many cultures represented.

A Little Corner to Worship

This is a "small" area in the Rouen Cathedral in France where you could focus your attention on a smaller portion of the church and appreciate the history you were in the presence of.

Monet's Roses

Claude Monet's garden at Giverny, France is one of the prettiest I have seen, not that I've visited a lot though. I wasn't too excited when I heard that our travel agenda had us going to his house, but I wish now that we had more time to stay. The artist designed and created a beautiful garden so he would have plants to paint all year long. This was no backyard garden, but a large estate garden with a pond as the center attraction. The grounds are not heavily manicured, which makes it feel more natural, but is a splendor to look at, with a large variety of flowers and plants. Today, it has been restored to the time of his ownership and the grounds are a place where the paintings that so many people have long admired come to life.

The Many Arms of Buddhism

It was a challenge to expose this Buddhist statute correctly without using fill-in flash (which I didn't want to do) and balance it with the brighter background.

Landing

A trip to the airport can be fun, if you are just going to look and enjoy the sights. If you get to stand around and watch the flights come and go, it’s even better. This past weekend I was at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum and while shooting the Lockheed Lodestar, I quickly decided to turn the camera and shoot a Southwest Airline flight coming in. So, I manually fired off a few rounds and combined them in one exposure. The tripod guaranteed nothing in the scene would move, except the incoming plane.

A View from the Blueridge Parkway