Summer Boating Fun, part deaux

It's been a couple of days since this boating story took place, but I've been real busy with the end of the fiscal year around the corner, and I really felt I needed to do this story justice. So, now I have some time, enjoy...

All six of us set out on Saturday to have a great day out on the water. We had boat (not mine), skis, a tube, a knee board, food, a grill beach chairs, two coolers, a beach tent, and various bags of towels, books, etc. As we began to load the boat on the Hampton River Club dock, one of the dock hands that put the boat into the water notified us that the steering was a little spotty. We got in and tested it, and it was a little loose, but nothing like it hadn't been before. We decided, to still go out (see where this story is going?).

We get to Pelican Spit, set up camp, do a superb job of anchoring the boat and begin to chill. A little soccer here, a little cooking here, a little sea turtle saving there. It was a blast. Come 2 p.m. we decide it was time to up it a notch and go skiing. We pack all of our gear up and pile it in a nice pile on top of the beach. We planned on coming back for it, this way we would have a lighter boat for all of our skiing purposes. We get out into the Village Creek and have a blast. We all tubed, we all fell off, we all experienced first-hand G forces. Close to 5 p.m. someone said they heard a snap, and whether they did or not, the steering stopped dead. You could turn the wheel all you wanted to, but the engine wasn't budging. We detected a leak in the hydraulic steering fluid line and it must have all leaked out, because we weren't going anywhere. Yes, we tried pushing the engine out of the 30 degree position it was in, thinking maybe we could manually steer it, but to no avail.

What to do. After making a couple phone calls to various possible rescuers, we decided to call Sea Tow. Sea Tow, for those that don't know, is basically an on-water tow truck service. They said they would be there in an hour. Don't worry, we had plenty of beer. So, we drank a couple of beers and then began to think about our stuff sitting on the beach as the tide came up. We hadn't anticipated being away from our gear this long. One of our friend's dad was out on another boat on the way to go somewhere and said he would swing by the Spit to get our gear. We get a call from him a short while later to hear that they couldn't get it. The waves were too rough and they couldn't get to shore. Great, there goes our stuff....

The Sea Tow boat arrived and we decided that Kelly and I would board on the Sea Tow boat and go out to the Spit to swim ashore and get our stuff. It would be dangerous. I was hoping to mainly get my dry box that had my wallet, cell phone, keys, and a few other things in it. As we approached I began to notice stuff floating everywhere. Sunscreen here, soccer ball over there, cooler way off in the distance. What I noticed more was the 6-7 foot waves swelling up all around the shore. It was more rough there than I have ever seen it. Then I saw my dry box, floating about 20 yards off shore. I jumped in the water to retrieve it and then swam to shore to attempt to rescue anything else. Nothing was there except the beach tent and one chair. I tried to pick them up and as I looked up I see Kelly and the boat captain waving their arms at me telling me to come back. I grabbed my dry box and swam back to the boat, only being able to see the boat while on the crest of the swells. I got aboard and Kelly was hysterical. I tried to soothe her and the captain informed me that while I was ashore, they took on several waves and at one point there was 3 feet of water in the cockpit. He said it was the worse he's ever seen it. We begin to motor away from the Spit when I saw my cooler floating by... I couldn't let that go. I straddled the side of the boat and stuck my hand out to grab it. My hand latched on and the cooler was so heavy it pulled me right back into the rough waters. Problem was, Kelly was in the corner crying and the Captain was intent on driving... no one saw me fall off. They traveled close to 200 yards before realizing that they were short one swab. Here I am, exhausted and floating on my cooler (unfortunately all the contents had been emptied too!) only seeing the massive waves in front of me. The boat comes back and I climb back aboard and pull my cooler on too, the wind picks up and blows the lid off my cooler and it floats away. After all that, the cooler is shot... what good's a cooler without a lid?

After I was back on board the second time, we rushed right back to the others, hooked up the two boats and were towed back to the dock (without running out of gas) and were all better. We were all fine, no injuries, just some missing material items, but hey, we got a GREAT story out of it. Here are some pics:

Friday Foto

Good Morning to all. I got up nice and early to post to y'all, get to work and my keys are locked in the coffee shop from last night's opening, which BTW, went very nice. So I'm blogging to you from my Palm in the parking lot. Thank you to all that came in support of me. So to thank you, I have some great pics for you.

Kelly has been away at cheerleeding camp (they won everything!) and I have been busy shooting. The first two shots come from wedding I went to last weekend in ATL. The first one I love. It sums up a wedding to me. I have been developing a look that I can apply to certain photos, and I think I've got it. That is the second one. Please give me your thoughts on that one. The last two come from a shoot on Jekyll Island I did on Tuesday. This is an shrimp boat that was beached and left years ago. What do think?

Anyway, I'm going out boating this weekend. I'm pumped, as usual.

Free drinks and food

I know that is the only way I'm going to get your guys out to see my art up at Monkey Love. This Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. is the opening for my show up there. Monkey Love is located in Redfern Village. I hope all you can come out and see my photos. My art will be up there until the end of July. Thanks!

Friday Foto, early edition

I'm leaving to go out of town for a college friend's wedding this afternoon, so I though I would go ahead and give y'all the Friday Foto today. Last night I went up to Rafters to shot some shots for the Georgia Music Magazine. They are running a spread on Rafters and needed some photography. I enjoy shooting things like this. BTW, the band, Packaway Handle Band, was great.

I also went a played triva, and just so you know, my team came in 2nd place! Free $25 bar tab! I'll back there next week for sure. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Friday Foto

Today is Friday, and I am so glad for that. I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time now. My cousin-in-law is getting married on Saturday and we have a lot of parties to attend. It started last night with a Low County Boil out at Village Creek Landing, only my favorite place on all of St. Simons. I was reserved, saving my energy for tonight and tomorrow.

The other night Kelly and I went down to the village and walked around. It's good to do that from time to time. It helps bring everything back down to earth you know? Often I find myself getting so caught up in all the work and stuff that I do that I forget to just let it go and enjoy my life.

These shots were taken that night. Two of Kelly. I love taking pictures of Kelly... it's so easy to get a beautiful one. The other one I, at first, didn't like... It's kind of commercial, but then again, I've never seen one like it. It's actually kind of growing on me. Tell me, what do y'all think? Hope you guys have a great weekend.

In my defense!

I knew it! I knew that I should have, theoretically, had enough gas two weeks ago when the tragic Memorial Day boat trip took place. After all, I have been boating all my life and never once have I ran out of gas. So, this Saturday morning started early with me and two other guys rushing to get the boat in the water at Coozies before the tide was too low at 6:45 a.m. We got all the gear in the boat and I had just topped the fuel off. For all non-boating folk out there, there is this bulb in the fuel line between the gas tank and the engine. Not a light bulb, but a big rubber bulb that you squeeze to pump some gas into the engine on a cold start. Well, I was pumping away and nothing was happening. I kept on hearing this wooshing sound and eventually I turned around to find the source. Sure enough, in the gas line 3 inches from the motor is a hole the size of a ball-point pen. AHA! The whole time we were out Memorial Day Weekend, there was a hole in the gas line which explains why the boat wasn't driving as fast and why we ran out of gas. As some was actually going to the engine, some was shooting right into the water. So there.

I luckily had the materials to fix it right there on the spot, and within 10 minutes we were out cruising Village Creek. Fishing was horrible, half a dozen whiting and a baby Black Tip shark. The beer, however, was good. I spent all day Sunday, after a 4-mile run, on the beach. It was perfect. My marathon training is coming along just fine, I think I am scheduled to run 6 miles this week; ouch.

Big wedding to go this weekend, with lots of parties, I'm pumped. It's going to be a LONG weekend, but very fun. Have a great week.

Friday Foto

Tomorrow I'm thinking about trying my hand at boating again. But this time, I'm just going fishing... no tons of gear, no boat load of people, so running out of gas won't be a problem.

These two pictures are from last weekend when I went over to Little St. Simons. I think they are OK, but not great. It was so beautiful over there, I was really in awe most of the time and shot very little.

If you are down in the St. Simons area any time in the months of June and July, be sure to hop on over to Monkey Love in Redfern Village. As of yesterday, my photography is on display there for viewing and purchasing. It's my first show, I'm excited. Hope you guys have a great weekend.

Always fill up

It's over... Memorial Day Weekend. It was great though, one of the best times I have had in a while. I LOVED having today off, it really made all the diferance.

So Friday night was fun, we went out, got some pizza, a few drinks and turned in before 12 in anticipation for Saturday. Saturday morning came and I was in my boat, on the water at 6:45 a.m. I love it. It's still cool out, no one is around, the whine of the outboard and the cool sea-misted wind in your face. There are few things better. I drove around looking for some shots and decided upon Little St. Simons Island. I parked the boat and, illeagaly because you are not supposed to go ashore here, hopped out with my gear and walked around. I got some good shots (which will be shared on Friday!). I wound up picking the rest of our party up at the boat ramp at around 10 a.m.

We had a great time on Pelican Spit. It's a little island off the coast of Sea Island, St. Simons and Littls St. Simons that is only accessible by boat. We played frisbee, went swimming and all got burned. This was about the time I started to wonder if I was going to have enough gas for the journey home. I had a extra 5 gallons in a can in the back of the boat, but I burned more than I though I would with all the folks in the boat. Luckily we had another boat with us so, if all else fails (I thought), we could have them tow us... We began our departure around 4 and I soon emptied that extra 5 gallons I had and shortly aftern that, was out. I hailed to the other boat, who reluctently confessed that they too were almost empty. We tied my boat to theirs and begain the 3-mile tow back to the ramp. After what seemed like hours (we were going VERY slow) the ramp came in sight and we neared our destination. 200 yards to go, the other baot cuts out... they just ran out of gas as well. Great. Again, luckly we knew another boat load of people that were out and hailed the on the radio. They were back in a jiffy and tied up to the boat towing us and brought us the rest of the way to the ramp. This is where the fun really began.

Because we were both out of gas, towing both of us to the dock was a challenge. The plan was to let me go, I'd set my anchor and wait until the they brought the other boat to the dock. The current was ripping here and the Mackay River ramp is a very tricky one to get to when the current is pushing. Everything would have went smoothly, had my anchor ACTUALLY caught. I couldn't get my anchor to grab as I drifted closer and closer to the oyster-covered bridge pilings knowing I was going to crash dead into them. About one minute to impact, the boat with gas finished towing the other boat and realized my predicament. They rushed over to throw us a rope, and in doing so missed and the rope was caught in their propeller and their boat stalled out. Here we both are, heading towards a concrete column, with the current and momentum from the other boat driving us. A guy from the newly-stalled boat has his arm down in the water attempting to untangle the rope when we collide together with the column. His arm gets crushed (although not broken as we thought), my boat gets scratched up, the other boat's whip-antenna gets broken (we are underneath a bridge at this time)... it was all pretty crazy.

My anchor finally set and they rushed the other guy (with the hurt arm) back to to the ramp while we waited. We eventually got back with no more problems and were back out at a party in about about an hour. All in all, a great way to spend Memorial Day weekend! Sunday was spent taking it easy, lounging on the beach and drinking and dancing my pants off at Gnat Fest!

Friday Foto, thank God

I look forward to the Friday Foto probably as much as y'all do. That means that it is Friday, the end of my work week and the beginning of the weekend. I LIVE for the weekend, a time where I can do what I want to do, a time when I don't have to sit in front of a computer the entire day. I like my job, don't get me wrong, but nothing beats a day off. This weekend is extended too, oh thanks for Memorial Day.

I haven't gotten out and shot since last weekend's Womp Fest, so you will have to bear with me. I am getting up nice and early tomorrow (go ahead, scoff if you like) and shooting. We are going out in the boat tomorrow, going to spend the day out on Pelican Spit (a great little island only accessible by boat)... so, I'm going to get in the boat early and go shoot... reaching some different places, I'm pumped.

Today's Foto comes at you from the last wedding I shot. This is a great example of digital technology. This shot wasn't anything to look out right outta the camera. It was one of the bad ones, taken on a quick shot. But, I really liked the focus on the brides face, the kind of solitude it eluded.... I converted it to black and white and blurred some areas and viola! I really like it. Hope you all have a great weekend.

The Womp Off, 2006

Wow, what a success I must say. The skim board competition, which I assume will become an annual event, was a hit this Sunday. A little shaky organization due to premature starting, but things worked out in the end. To view the photos of the contestants shredding and busting, click here. All in all, it was a blast. I can't wait for this weekend. I'm off on Monday! I don't know what to do with myself.

Friday Foto

The other night, I believe it was Monday, I was feeling rather antsy. I get in these ruts of sorts, where I need to get out and do something. It helps me tremendously to know that I can go out and shoot my camera, and hopefully, come back with something beautiful. It calms me to create.

Monday the front was passing finally and I walked out on the beach in hopes to capture some last bit of it before it traveled out to sea. I believe it was about 7:30 p.m. I'm very pleased with the results from this spontanious shoot, I like the vertical one better. What do you think?

Anybody checked out Glynnfo.com yet? It's great stuff man. I really encourage y'all to go on the posts and start chatting it up... Someone start a really diverse local issue or something. We need to get the stats up.

I'm going to see The Phantom of the Opera (play) tomorrow night in Jacksonville. I'm pumped. Tonight, we're going to see The DaVinci Code movie. I hope it is good, but you never know. I heard someone who called the book "The screenplay for the movie the davinci code, by dan brown", I thought that was pretty fitting.

Don't forget about the Skim Board competition on Sunday at Myrtle Street beach at 4pm... pics will be posted here!

Glynnfo.com

I know I haven't posted in awhile, and there is a good reason for that. Glynnfo.com. Check it out. It's what IslandDrama could have been, but wayyy better. It's not trashy, it's still gossip, it's current events, it's local issues, it's and event calendar that is actually updated, it's a radio.

How can one site be all this you ask? It's easy, we're that good. The company I work for, Hambright and Associates Design, has been uber busy the past two months in construction of this behemoth of a site all down to the internet radio, which you must check out. What other station plays Foo Fighters, Merle Haggard and the Beatles all in one hour?

Check it out; start listening, start gossiping, start arguing... it's all for fun. And be sure to check back tomorrow. I got a GREAT Friday Foto lined up fresh off the image sensor.

Friday Foto

Today's is sort of a cop-out. This week has been nasty, with the weather not allowing for any shooting and work being real busy as usual. I combed through some of my photos and pulled this one. It's a great example of what is known as bokeh. Bokeh is the technique of manipulating the Depth of Field (DOF) to achieve blur. DOF is a technique that photographers use to give the subject of an image more importance. It is done by shooting with a wide aperture. This blurs the background nicely, and if done right (like this one) the foreground as well, leaving just the focal point in focus. Cool huh? Now you are enlightened. Next time you are checking out some photos, you can impress your friends and talk about how you love the bokeh in this image.

My weekend is looking nice and relaxed. Nothing planned for Saturday except a run. Sunday is Mother's Day, don't forget, and we are having our parents over for dinner. The weather will hopefully be nice this weekend, and if so, you will find me at the beach. Tonight one of my favorite jazz groups is playing up at the Palm Coast Coffee shop in the village. The Phil Morrison Trio, although only two are playing tonight. The lead pianist taught me lessons back in the day. It's great stuff. Have a great weekend y'all!

PS... just noticed a comment in regards to Springsteen's new album. Already got it. I highly recommend "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" to anybody that is either a Bob Seeger fan, Bruce Springsteen fan or both.

so busy yo

Well, I finished my processing the shots from y first wedding. It took a while, that's for sure. You can see them here if you want. The wedding I shot this past weekend went well, I was well versed in the program, so it went nice and smoothly. I'll show you all some photos from that one in a little bit here.

So the weather has been real nasty lately. I love cooler weather, but the cloudy and rainy part is getting kind of annoying. Has anybody heard of a band called Hayseed Dixie? Oh man, are y'all in for a treat. Go download some or ask me to play some later on... it's a county/bluegrass band that does nothing but cover AC/DC songs. Their version of "Back In Black" is awesome. It sounds really horrible, the concept, I know... but give it a whirl.

School's almost done for the summer huh? Who is getting home when? It's always more fun in the summer time. So guess what I have decided to do on January 7? I am going to run the Disney Marathon. Yeah, you may say to yourself, "But Bet, do you run?".... well, sort of... HA. I started training yesterday. I'm real excited, although I think it is going to be a lot harder then I am thinking it will be. They say you need to train for 3 months or so, and I'm starting way before that, so I should be OK. Wish me luck.

alright, peace out.

Friday Foto (Limited Edition)

Today I got a real treat for you. I know I have neglected you some this week, so sit back and relax. Today you are going to take a trip down to Taylor's Fish Camp. One of my favorite, untouched sects of land left on St. Simons Island.

Driving down the gated road that was once open to the public, I remembered the last time I was at Taylor's. It was the summer of 2002 and I was taking my three cousins out on a boat ride. We pulled into the camp and started chatting with the owner as he attached the lift chains to our boat and hoisted it up into the air. We were going fishing, and I conveyed to him that I was going to be teaching the boys how to throw a cast net. We geared up and as one of my cousins removed his shirt, the lift came to a screeching halt as the operator/owner stared with disbelief at the pierced nipples donned by my Californian kin. He said nothing for what seemed like a minute, found the lift button again, and with a spit said "Son, you and them rings gonna be trouble near a 20lb cast net."
That was Dan, I met him today, four years later as I photographed the surroundings of Taylor's Fish Camp. Dan has owned and operated the camp ever since he took it over from his Pa, who ran it all his life, bought from the Taylor's, who ran it since God knows when. The lift broke down shortly after we last put in and was never fixed. Dan said he was tired.
As I set up my shots, trying to capture the memories of weekends spent putting in and taking out, cleaning fish and buying bait at Taylor's, a car drove up and out jumped Peggy, Dan's wife. Peggy and Dan are the kind of people you don't really find anymore. They call lunch dinner and dinner supper. They refuse to sell out to the corporate world, stating as long as they are alive this land will be there. Dan fishes daily and his boat is adequately equipped with four poles, two cast nets, a twelve-pack and an oxygen tank and respirator. Peggy paints daily the view from her front door.

She asked me if I wanted to get a picture of a deer. No, not really I thought, I have plenty of those. But, a chance to converse with her as she drove me in her car was what lead me to say yes. I hopped in and we drove 20 yards and got out. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes and said, "Come on, let's go see Danielle." She got out of the car and bent down and started calling for Daneille. I looked around half expecting to see a mutt of some sort come bounding through the bushes when to my surprise a full-grown doe came leaping toward her. They collided like a dog to his master. The cigarettes then came into play. Apparently Danielle has a nicotine addiction. She eats them straight up. Danielle is the offspring of a deer that was hurt and then nursed back to health by Dan and Peggy. Peggy would take a bullet for Danielle, she told me so.
I was invited to come back whenever I wanted. I will. To me, that was the best afternoon I could have asked for.


PS... Does anybody know what today is? No, Sinko De Mayo is not it... they already had their holiday on Monday. (btw, that was stupid)... no, today is NO PANTS DAY! For real, I'm sitting on raw haunches right now, how 'bout you?

Great weekend

Where to begin? I had a great weekend. The weather was perfect! Friday night we went out to Crab Trap and got some seafood. It was great, as always. I really like Crab Trap, definitely my choice for St. Simons seafood. Instead of going out for drinks, we all came over to our house and watched "White Chicks". One of my favorite movies. Saturday we were going to go to the beach, but it wound up being a little chillier than expected, so we retired to the house where I completed various half-finished tasks, i.e. the stairs, cleaning the garage, yard work, etc. I also rode my bike that morning. We found out later that afternoon that someone found Kelly's car keys. Talk about being excited. Instead of spending the money that we were going to spend on the new keys (those electronic ones are expensive!) we went out to dinner again.... this turned out to be most beneficial to me. I ran into the guy that owns Palm Coast Coffee Shop in the village. They host local artists monthly..... Guess who is going to be there this month? ME! Yeah, I'm actually awaiting his phone call to give me all the details, I was just so excited I had to tell you know. I'm really pumped. I will let you guys know the details right away, so you can all get down there and see my stuff. My first showing.

That's all. I have another wedding to shoot this weekend. I'm excited. Have a great week y'all.

Friday Foto

Before last weekend I had this preconceived notion of wedding photography. I thought that this would be a good way for me to earn money, shoot and get my name out. Never did I actually think I would enjoy it or find that special art niche in it. I did. I consider myself a fine art photographer, and by saying that, I mean the kind of stuff you would see and buy in a gallery. Corporate photographers, photojournalists, portrait photographers (etc.) all have their place in the world, but myself, I like to be classified as a fine art photographer. I wanted to find my niche in the wedding world... not just producing ho-hum candids of so-in-so hugging the bride, but something a little bit more artsy if you will. Granted, this was my first wedding, but I feel confident enough to say that I know what kind of shots I would like to get from now on. Everybody needs their flare, you know?

These photos are just a few of the 1,028 and that I took last weekend. I have begun the processing, and am getting close to uploading the proofs on the web for the bride and groom to see. I thought I would give you all a little sneak peak. It's OK, the brides an avid reader of Island Profilin', I know she won't mind... but she better not be reading today, I dare say she has a lot more important things to be doing!

I, of course, photographed those important moments too, the ones that need to be taken however normal they may be. There is a place for those in every album. I am grateful to have shot this wedding. It has opened my eyes to a new style of shooting that I have to say I enjoyed. My art is growing into something that I enjoy more and more. I hope you all like it as well.

Oh, it's almost here

The summer, the weekend, the beach... they are all almost here. This weekend is supposed to be beautiful, and I plan to spend the majority of it sitting on the beach. Tonight is the donaters only opening of the new Coast Guard station here on SSI. They are calling it the Maritime Center. Tomorrow is the grand-opening. I am going tonight as the photographer. I am looking forward to it, because well, it's an opportunity to shoot.

We're getting our car fixed tomorrow, so that will be all OK now. I love the summer. Don't be mistaken though, my favorite season down here is definitely winter, but I love the summer too. I think this summer will be great because Kelly will be out of school and willing to do much more than usual.

Who's excited about the Friday Foto? I hope you are, hopefully you'll like it. I got a compliment from somebody the other day that stumbled across my blog and traveled through and saw some of my photos... it made me feel real good. It really means a lot to me that you guys like my stuff. It gives me the confidence that I need. Thanks.

Busy getting back

So you always pay for it when you take a day off. I've been really busy at work the past couple of days, but that's OK, it makes the day go by so much faster. This weekend I shot a wedding, it went really well. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I got to shoot in a different way than I normally do, and I believe it will help me progress as a fine art photographer. My next wedding is in a little less than two weeks, and I am already anxious for it. I shot 1000 photos this weekend, that's 6.8 gigs worth of pics. That's a lot. As soon as I start processing these, I'll share some with you all. I am really proud of them.

Yeah, the trip wasn't all work, we had fun too. Although, Saturday morning I awoke to find someone had hit our new car in the middle of the night and didn't bother leaving a note. It was pretty bad too. Insurance will cover it, so that will be fixed soon.

I heard today that we are definitely getting some new stores in the area. I saw the final plans for the Harvey's shopping center, and they are: Target, Ross, Lowes, Michaels, Old Navy, Petsmart, Circuit City (it's moving)... I think that is it. So, we'll see..... It's supposed to open in the summer of '07.

Friday Foto and stuff... but early

Sorry, I don't know if I will have an accesible internet connection tomorrow morning, so tomorrow's Friday Foto is now.

So, I wasn't going to let you guys see these photos of Alfonza's yet, but here are two that I'll slip in for a peak until the lot of them is complete and up on my website. One is of the inside, exposed for 30 seconds to allow for the ambient light to play well. The other is an outside window (note, I did not stage that photo). Hope you enjoy.

You want a funny link? Check this out: A site dedicated to hating the Hummer.

How about another one: If you like the Peanut Butter Jelly Song...

Wanna know something that ticks me off? The RIAA (I hope y'all read this)... their argument on MP3's for the longest time has always been that you can only have them if you bought the MP3 or downloaded it from a pay site. Apparently, not any more. Now it is illegal to rip a CD that you have paid for and make it into MP3's. That's crazy. Have a great weekend

Nothing's new...

So nothing's new on this end. I'm having a good week, glad it is going to be short. I am working through lunch tomorrow so I can jet outta here at 4.

You may call me a dork, but I watch America Idol. My favorite is Taylor Hicks, the dude with the gray hair. Now, hear me out before you go pokin' fun... He's a mix between Van Morrison, Ray Charles and any other soul singer you can think of. I love this type of music and he's great at it. He also plays the harmonica (good too) and so do I, so I like him for that. I googled him last night and discovered that he already has two independantly released albums out there (1997 and 1999). I downloaded them and they are great, some original stuff, some covers... all good. I will burn you a copy at request.

Also, if you are in the mood for new music, check out the debut album by Sonya Kitchell, "Words Came Back To Me", released in April. It's awesome! She is a 17-year-old with an old soul. She sings with an incredible soulful voice. She will be big, and you heard about her here first.

Have a great day.

What a shame...

I love going out to eat, I really do. I like food, I like the entertainment, I like being around people. There are certain places that I particularly like, certain places that really foster memories within my soul. Alfonzo's Old Plantation Supper Club was one of those places.

On New Year's eve, at the turn of the millennium, three men paraded into the quaint restaurant toting shotguns, and in an attempt to rob the place, shot Alfonzo. Lucky for him, he survived. But, why keep the place open? The stupidity of a few ruined this establishment for all. What intrigues me though, is that he just dropped it. Like dropping the dish towel when you are done, they locked up the doors and left it. Nothing was changed, food was still out, wine was still uncorked, glasses were only half clean.

I had a chance to go in there yesterday afternoon, albeit not totally through the front door (if you catch my drift), but I'm sorry, this place has to be captured like this. This memory for me, needs to be preserved. See, Alfonzo's has been sold for a cool three mil, and yes, it will be torn down and in it's place a little community with 20 cookie-cutter houses with seven feet between them will sprout up. So what am I doing? I don't know, but I shot for about two hours yesterday with nothing but the afternoon light that trickled through the broken windows onto the set tables. My plan is to make a mini-exhibit of these shots, showcased on my website. You all will be the first to hear about it when I have it done. It really is a shame.

You HAVE to see this

Check this out, you HAVE to.

Friday Foto

This photo was taken on my last trip to Crooked River. It is of a water run-off creek that I believe fills up pretty high at hightide. I love the glass-like quality of the dark water juxtaposed against the sporadicly grown trees (Yes, I actually did see that while taking this image). I really like the scattered leaves in the foreground as well. I originally intended for this image to be color, but I think black and white gives it more of the feel I felt while standing there. I named it Crooked Swamp.

I won't lie to you, I'm scrounging for Friday Fotos. I need some new material. I have been so busy the past couple of weeks with work and financial obligations (we just refinanced and got a equity loan for a car) that I haven't had much time to shoot at all. That is why I am so excited about next weekend. Kelly and I are taking Friday off and we are leaving Thursday night to go to Rome, GA for a wedding that Kelly is in and I am shooting. I am so excited for a number of reasons. One, I get to go back to my old college town, which is always fun. Two, I'm taking a day off. Three, I get to see old friends, and four, I get to shoot. I can't wait to shoot some new stuff. Wedding photos, new landscapes, new night shots... I hope to come back with a plethora of new stuff, all to share with you guys of course.

So tonight we are having our last oyster roast of the season. I'll be sad to see them go, but after April, oysters really won't be in season anymore. Tomorrow is Good Friday, which means, Kelly is off of work. I swear, is there a holiday that teachers don't get off? I know, I'm just jealous. Tonight we went out to dinner, in part, to celebrate Kelly getting asked back to teach at Glynn Academy. We pretty much new that she would, but it was nice to get that contract in hand. Congrats out to her. I spent the rest of the evening hardwiring the new radar detector I got Kelly into the Acura. That's the only way to have one. Hardwire that sucker so you don't have to deal with it hogging up your cigarette lighter and leaving wires all over the place. That's the only way I fly. Have a great weekend.

I should have listened...

Well, I had a mocha earlier... double shot. I'm still awake. Caffeine usually doesn't effect me, but I guess it is because I have not yet become tired. Kelly tried to worn me. So, I really like our new car. It's so much fun to drive. I drive a Jeep. I've always driven a SUV, and I will always I think. I love having a car to drive though. It is so much fun. Some people really enjoy driving and some people don't really feel either way. Some people detest it. The sense of freedom that comes with driving is something that I love. Getting in the car, windows down on a cold night with the heat on, music blasting, speeding... can't get much better.

I just made some business cards for my photography business. I am really pushing to make it this way. I have just got my business license as well. I am now Benjamin Galland, LLC. Pretty awesome huh? That means I get to write expenses off, am covered under the veil of a company and look more legite to someone then just a person with a camera.

I'm watching The Daily Show as I type to you tonight. I generally do not like Jon Stewart at all because of his political views of course, but Queen Latifa's guest starring, and I really like her. She is one celebrity that I really admire. She is a great actress, beautiful and a very talented musician. Most people think of her R&B albums that she used to do. I like those, but that's not what I'm really talking about. I have this album titled "The Dana Owens Project" that is just fantastic. Dana Owens is Queen Latifa's real name. She sings jazz covers of many popular songs like The Mamma's and the Pappas' "California Dreaming" and CCR's "You Put A Spell On Me"... it's just awesome.

OK, it's time to go to bed now... I'm tired finally. Hope everyone has a great night and good tomorrow.

Vroom Vroom

Yep, this is our new car. After dealing with several dealerships in Jacksonville this morning, we drove on down to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and met this guy selling this Acura 3.2CL. We took it for a test drive, brought it by a mechanic, struck a deal and paid WAY less then he was asking and what we anticipated spending. 59k miles, 2001, 265HP... very nice. We are really lucky, really happy and super excited. Kelly, of course, is elated. Now, I'll I need to buy is a radar detector.

Friday Foto

Good morning readers! Can I possibly explain in words how glad I am it's Friday? This week has been a long one. I've started staying at work until 5 p.m. (I know, what a tortured life) but, I still am in at 7:15 a.m.... so there. Tomorrow Kelly and I are going to Jacksonville to look for cars. She is extremely excited, as am I.

Today's foto comes to you straight from our backyard here on the ole' island. I had the urge to go shoot on Tuesday night and went out looking for a good subject. The lighthouse, as always, is great. So many people take so many shots of the lighthouse, after awhile they all begin to look alike. I like to think that I did a decent job of distincting (?) myself from others. I love the Big Dipper in the photo. I took a lot of orange light out of the picture that was cast from the streetlights behind me. Anyway, what do you think?

So, has anyone read about the teacher that blew his hand off? Long story short, a teacher had a big bullet on is desk he had been using as a paperweight for years (he also thought it wasn't live of course). The other day in class a bug was crossing his desk and he used the bullet to smash the bug, and it went off... blowing his hand off during class. The kids in the front seats had other things to complain about then spit from the teacher. Have a great weekend. I'll be at the beach.

Wanted

So anybody know of any body selling a car? Kelly and I are shopping. We just raised our equity line and are finally ready to get Kelly a new car. Her Altima that she had since she was 15 bit the dust last year... I mean really died. It quit on the way to the shop. I got $100 for it for scrap metal. So, we have been bumming rides, sharing and borrowing cars for too long now. As always, a 6-pack finder's fee will be paid out in your choice.

I got a cool photo for y'all on Friday. I went out last night and took some night shots. It was such a clear, beautiful night. You know what I really want to shoot? I would love to capture the Nothern Lights; Aurora Borealis. I love that. I've never even seen it either. I had this great idea. I might do a whole collection of night photographs. Not plain night ones, but really neat and abstract ones. I love night photography. There is a LOT that goes into making a good night shot.

In another note, I love chicken salad.