Road Trip 2009: Part III

After leaving Bryce we traveled through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on our way to Bluff, Utah. 

We stayed at the Desert Rose Inn in Bluff, Utah.  Appropriately there was a view of the bluffs from the Inn balcony.

Will and Ben enjoyed their stay.

The highlight of the trip for Will and Ben was visiting Four Corners.

Mesa Verde National Park was our last stop.  I have wanted to visit Mesa Verde for many years and the park did not disappoint.  

Will and Ben earned their Junior Ranger badges after demonstrating their knowledge of Mesa Verde to the Park Ranger.

I recommend staying at the lodge inside Mesa Verde since it takes over half an hour to travel from the park entrance to the visitor center.  In addition, the lodge motel rooms are comfortable with beautiful views. This was the view from our balcony.

Will spent part of his evening at Mesa Verde writing postcards.

Dog Pub

In July the good folks at Dog Pub asked me to make some photographs of their two pubs in Baltimore and Columbia, MD as well as their brewery in Westminster, MD.  They are going to be enhancing their promotional materials and wanted some new photographs.   You can find the original Dog Pub location in Baltimore’s Federal Hill area.  The pub has tremendous charm.  Here a few of my favorites from the day:

  

My favorite location in the Federal Hill Dog Pub is the third floor.  What a great place to hang out with friends.

The Columbia location features the same great menu and beer with the added option of eating outside with your canine friends.  It is Dog Pub after all!

The Dog Pub staff are friendly as are the patrons.

In addition to the menu of delicious pizzas and salads, the highlight of Dog Pub for me is the beer.  They brew several varieties at their brewery in Westminster.

 

The next time you are in Columbia or the Federal Hill area of Baltimore, you should stop in to meet the great folks at Dog Pub and enjoy some delicious food, drink and conversation.  I recommend you try the Hoppy Dog beer along with an appetizer of fresh Mozzarella. 

Florrie and Rick: Intimate and Elegant

When I met with Florrie and Rick to discuss the details of their wedding, they repeatedly emphasized their vision of an intimate and elegant afternoon.  Their wedding brought family and friends from east and west and from north and south to the beautiful and elegant Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C.  From the intimate Garden rooms of the hotel to Florrie’s elegant dress, the ceremony, reception and dinner created a wedding equally beautiful, joyous, intimate and elegant.

I couldn’t help but feel the love that radiated between Rick and Florie.  They are a fun, thoughtful, joyful, and, yes, elegant, couple.  

Florrie’s daughter Laura served as her mother’s Maid of Honor:

Florrie and her mother presented each other with a strand of pearls:

 

Florrie’s son escorted his mother down the aisle:

 

The courtyard of the Mandarin Oriental was a beautiful backdrop for photographing Florrie and Rick after the ceremony:

 

Florrie and Rick had the Mandarin Oriental divide the Garden Room in a creative fashion to accommodate an intimate reception as well as dinner site:

 

I want to thank Florrie and Rick for allowing me to photograph their wedding and to share the day with them.  I wish them all the happiness in their married life.

Canon 5D

I have spent the last several days acquainting myself with my new Canon 5D and lenses.  My family has become resigned to being overphotographed whenever I get new equipment.  

Here is my youngest son playing outside, photographed with the 80-200 f2.8 IS:

Here my youngest again after swimming, phtographed with the 24-105 f4 IS:

Using the 50mm 1.4, I photographed one of our dogs, Bailey; Bailey with my oldest son Will; and my youngest son again.

After three days, I have grown to enjoy using the 5D and the above Canon lenses. While, I had read for several years about the great image quality of the 5D, seeing has made a believer of me.  In addition all these lenses work great in combination with the Canon 580 EX II flash.  I look forward to photographing more with this wonderful equipment.

Benches

Rehobeth Beach, DE, USA

(Pentax K10D and Tamron 28-75)

Simple and Reliable

My Pentax K1000 and Apple Powerbook G4 serve me well.  They always work, are intuitive to learn, and look pretty good, too.

Fall Kayakers

I am fortunate to live near one of the more scenic rivers, the Potomac.  Walking along the Potomac on the C&O Canal Towpath is a treat, especially in the fall, winter and spring.  These kayakers had just put in the water and were heading out for a day of paddling.