Happy New Year!

Well, it's been a while...and no excuses, I should have been more active here. Today marks the end of 2010, and it's been a tumultuous year, filled with ups and downs. I had the pleasure of working with an amazing group of people during the Decennial Census, making new friends and gaining valuable experience. The year ends with me back in "career transition" but with high hopes for what the new year brings.

It has also been an exciting year photographically, with another spectacular Jones Beach Air Show, and many outstanding events at the American Airpower Museum. Just a few of the highlights...

































Here's to a great 2011!

Veterans Day

On this Veterans Day, let me salute all the brave men and women who have served so proudly. I am honored to be counted among you. And to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom, you will always be in my prayers.

It's Been A While...

It's not that I haven't wanted to post...but the laptop has been in the shop for several weeks (the main board died, but it is covered under warranty!) so I've been using a computer at the library to get online. Unfortunately, that means that while I've been out shooting all month, I haven't been able to edit anything. They tell me I should have it back by the end of the week - if so, I'll have a bunch of new photos edited and posted in short order!

While I'm waiting, let me post something I shot just before the laptop died - I was playing in an empty parking lot, trying for that "Magazine Ad" type of shot.

A Little Boating Adventure...

So I get this cryptic e-mail from Gary at the American Airpower Museum last week: "Can you travel to Kingston on Sunday?" Of course, if Gary is involved, I'm in!

Turns out there is a gentleman there who owns a WWII-era PT Boat, and Gary wanted us to take some photos for future promotional use. Two other museum photographers, as well as six museum volunteer reenactors dressed in period uniforms, headed up to Kingston on Sunday morning. We found a beautifully restored PT Boat, with a crew ready to take us on a little adventure on the Hudson River.



The "pre-mission briefing":




After some dock-side photos, we headed out to the river. Rich, another museum photographer, and I sailed on a chase boat so we could capture the PT boat out on the river.









Rich and I decided we got the short end of the deal - we got some great images, but missed out on the PT boat ride! I guess there is always next time...

September 11

Saturday marked the 9th anniversary of the attacks on the United States. Once again, in New York, a Tribute in Light was illuminated marking the site of the World Trade Center, in memory of those lost on that day.

Having photographed the tribute several years from different vantage points, this year I went to the Staten Island September 11 Memorial. The memorial is on the shore, overlooking New York harbor and facing the site of the towers. A memorial service is held at the site, with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg attending this year's service.



Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro (far left) and Bloomberg (second from right) during the ceremony.





This ceremonial fire bell was rung following the reading of names of Staten Island victims.

The End of the Road

Today marks the end of my tenure with the US Census Bureau. I was hired in November 2009 to work on the Decennial Census, and moved up to the position of Assistant Manager for Administration in the Locust Valley office in February of this year.

Today, was the last day for Locust Valley office – all that is left is for the movers to come and pick up the files, computers, and furniture. It has been quite an experience, one that I will never forget. The work was challenging, and I never lost sight of the importance of what we were doing in service of the United States and our local communities.

But for me, what made the job so rewarding was the incredible people I had the opportunity to work with. A relatively small group came together, and in a few short months accomplished some amazing things. We can all be proud of the work we did on the Census, I know I am grateful for the many fine people I came to know and call friends.

Now it is on to new challenges - first and foremost securing gainful employment again, but I enter this next phase of life bolstered by the experiences and friendships of my days with the Census.

The Few

Seventy years ago, a small group of brave airmen stood up to the might of the Third Reich, defending their homeland in what became know as the Battle of Britain. On this Labor Day weekend, the American Airpower Museum honored "The Few" with a special ceremony, and some rare visitors.

After some juggling of the schedule thanks to the near-miss of Hurricane Earl, the Canadian Warplane Museum's Lancaster bomber arrived Saturday morning. This is one of only two Lancasters flying today, and the only one in North America.


We also saw a visit from Tom Duffy, with his beautiful Spitfire fighter.


Ken Rose, 83, now living on Long Island, talks about his experiences as a youth during the Battle of Britain with Acting Consul-General and Deputy Head of Mission, Dominic Meiklejohn, OBE.


Gusty crosswinds hampered the flying schedule, but finally on Monday calmer winds prevailed, and these historic aircraft were able to take to the skies.







One of the more poignant moments of the weekend. Tom Duffy is talking with the sister of Robert Minnick. Minnick was a Long Island native, who joined the RCAF in 1940, and was trained as a pilot. In August 1941, Minnick was killed in Scotland while training to fly the Spitfire. He was the first Long Island resident to be lost in WWII. Among his effects, his pilot's log was returned to his sister, however she never really knew what all the entries meant. When she heard there was going to be a Spitfire at the museum, she and her son came down to see it and the pilot. Tom spent some time explaining the entries, telling her about the types of aircraft and missions her brother flew during training. She was absolutely thrilled to see the aircraft, talk to Tom, and learn more about her brother, nearly 70 years after his death





Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. - Winston Churchill

Remembering TWA Flight 800

In the darkening skies of July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 departed New York's Kennedy Airport en route to Paris. As the Boeing 747 climbed over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island, the jet was torn apart by an explosion. All 230 passengers and crew members aboard were lost. Tonight, fourteen years later, families and friends gathered again in Smith Point Park, at the memorial to the crash victims, to remember their loved ones.

The Fire Underground

Centralia, a small town about an hour southwest of Wilkes-Barre, PA, was founded in 1866, and was a thriving coal-country community, reaching a population of over 2,500 people by the mid-1960s. Today, fewer than a dozen remain. In 1962, while burning trash in the town landfill, an underground coal seam was ignited. Although the fire was thought to be extinguished, it remained burning underground, spreading through the mines which crisscrossed below the town. Over the years, a number of unsuccessful attempts were made to extinguish the fire. Finally, in the early 1980s, when a number of sink holes and subsidences opened up, the true extent of the situation was discovered. Ultimately, the federal government purchased the land, and paid to relocate the residents. A handful of residents have remained in the town. Most of the buildings have been torn down, leaving an almost empty grid of streets and sidewalks.

I've made two visits to Centralia in the past year and a half. On my first visit, on January 1, 2009, rising smoke could clearly be seen in several areas, and patches of ground clear of snow told of the higher temperatures below.







I made another trip to Centralia this past Sunday to further explore the area. I ran into a film crew from The History Channel shooting footage for an upcoming program.


Route 61 was a four-lane highway heading south out of Centralia. After the roadway repeatedly cracked and buckled from the fire, approximately three quarters of a mile of the highway was closed, and a new two-lane road constructed to the east of the original road. Heading south on the closed section of highway, the road appears to be in serviceable, if unmaintained, condition. Grass and weeds have sprung up along the sides and in the center median, but the pavement is still intact.



About one half mile south of the northern end, you come across the first real signs of the damage caused by the fire. This fissure, some thirty feet long, one to two feet deep, and two to three feet wide, is evidence of the fire in the mountain below.





Continue another hundred yards south, and you see more damage - this section of roadway has buckled.


And everywhere on the roadway, you see graffiti - some of it profound, much of it profane.


Local riders use the section as part of their off-road trails around Centralia.


At the south end of the closed section, looking southward toward the open section of Route 61.