Leigh & Josh - what do you think?

This post is for Leigh and Josh who are currently visiting family in Annapolis, MD. Been working on your "save the date" card. Let me know what you think ..
It's FRIDAY!! Have a great weekend y'all. (am I Southern yet?)

And so another week goes ..

If this blog is achieving no other purpose, having to make regular entries does make me aware of the passage of time, especially when trying to think of events worth noting. The days just march by and no wonder I can't remember where they went unless I am able to somehow extract the extraordinary from the mundane. I have no ambitious goals to make a meteoric impact on this planet, but at least it would be gratifying to know that each day counted for something. That somehow some small thing was positively touched by the fact that I passed by.

I took this photo this morning down at the Ripley Marina on my way to work.

Busy Saturday

There were two photo assignments to do on Saturday. Jay needed some photos of his new chopper for the web, and then I spent time downtown in the evening with Nancy and Katelyn taking Katelyn's senior pictures. It was hot, but fun.

What has happened to America?

(Upon hearing about the recent widespread corruption in New Jersey)

Something frightening is taking place at the nation’s very core. Of course it’s been developing over a period of time, but the manifestation of the problem is erupting uncontrollably and randomly with revelations of gross misconduct, misplaced trust and shocking dishonesty rocking communities from sea to shining sea.

Almost as bad is the way our numbed and conditioned senses accept the news, with inward head-shaking and little surprise. How did we get here? When did this become the norm? When did we come to tacitly accept the shameful behavior of those we elected to lead and exemplify? How could this happen in a nation founded on such lofty and Godly principles?

Just as a cancer stealthily invades a healthy body, and quietly grows, parasitically sucking the lifeblood from the host, so too does the culture of greed, corruption, and self-interest spread through a community. As health succumbs to disease, so too will immorality permeate and engulf a society, eventually tipping the scales sufficiently to bring down a nation. History confirms this.

Whether or not you believe in God, there’s no denying that left to our own devices with no moral code or compass, we will degenerate steadily into a morass of human depravity. It starts with the little things, the blurring of lines between right and wrong, the rejection of absolutes and the concept of truth, until the creeping rot destroys the very soul.

God help us.

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Romans 1:28-32

Mount Pleasant's Old Village

This week has been the usual with the exception of some wining and dining excesses on account of Jill and Tim still being in residence. The cottage above is in the old village part of Mount Pleasant, and it begged to be photographed.

Sunday, July 19th July

Not much to say about today. Church in the morning, pool laps and recreation in the afternoon and lots of cooking activity in the kitchen in the evening. Jill, Tim, Leigh, Josh, Matt, Chambers and I put together a great shrimp and fish tomato based sauce over pasta. This photo is of Jill, Tim, Michael, Leigh, Logan and I before Michael returned to Aiken in the afternoon.

It's the weekend ..

Jill, Tim and Michael arrived from PA for a few days, so lots of activity this weekend. Started the day early down at the Farmers' Market in Marion Square. Spent some time in Mount Pleasant around the old Village and Shem Creek areas, including stopping in at Wando Shrimp for some fresh fish and Primal Fuel for more coffee. A bunch headed out to Folly Beach in the afternoon and then the plan is to eat downtown tonight. The images were taken at the Farmers' Market.

Seabrook Photoshoot

Yesterday evening I drove out to Seabrook to meet 6 siblings who live all over the US, but whose kids had organized a vacation for them in a beautiful house on the beach - an opportunity to re-connect and catch up with each other's lives. I had the privilege of spending some time photographing them - trying to capture the personalities and relationships. It was a lot of fun. These are two of my favorite images.

Some recreational fishing at the end of the day

This was the scene this evening when I took Logan for a walk in his favorite park. Nothing much else was going on down there however, and since I had my camera with me, I was looking for something photogenic to shoot. Finding very little, I turned my attention to Logan and posed him on a somewhat precarious bench. If he looks a little apprehensive, it's because he's trying to balance!

John's Island - Rural Forever?

I know that due to development we need to upgrade the infrastructure on Johns Island. I know all about Nix 526 etc., and I can certainly see both sides of this coin. An expressway cutting through the middle of this rural island will change it forever. Instead of belting it out down Bohicket Road or River Road to get to and from Seabrook or Kiawah, slow down and look for the jewels along the way. Here's one of them, the Santos Abbey property.

A taste of Folly

Friday afternoon and I headed back out to Folly Beach, stopping briefly on the way to pick up some fresh flounder from Backman's Seafood. Spent a relaxing evening roaming the island on a golf cart with Cos, and ended up cooking the flounder with sauteed spinach and a baked potato. Yummy - and what better way to end the week. I do love Folly, but more out of season when it's not quite so full!

Uneventful Week

Nothing much happens during most weeks, aside from driving to work in the morning, running errands at lunchtime, driving home, walking the dog, swimming laps and a few variations like music practice or the occasional dinner with a friend. Today's photo is borrowed from last Friday when Marty and I headed out to Folly Beach to check on how the sea oats are coming along this summer. They should be great this year because I've noticed they do well when we get enough rain. It was a pretty evening and we had taken a picnic which we enjoyed until it got dark and the gnats chased us off the beach. I plan to go back this weekend.

The end of a long weekend

Posting this photo of my friends Chris and Donna. Thanks for a great evening. Donna, I know you haven't seen a picture of you that you like, but really this one's not so bad ...

Summertime - and the living is lazy ..

Early yesterday morning I met a photographer buddy Raymond, and we tramped through a field of sunflowers over 6ft high in some cases, all wet with morning dew, photographing bright yellow flowers against the deep blue sky before moving on and targeting other spots on Johns Island. As soon as it began to get hot, I headed home and did a thorough "tick check" before showering and spending the rest of the day with typically 4th July activities. Here are a couple of pics taken in the sunflower field.

Happy 4th July America

Having a great, relaxing weekend - spending quality time with family and friends. God bless America and all those who defend her.

Bird's eye view of Broad Street, Charleston

I had the opportunity to climb up to the roof of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Broad Street, Charleston this afternoon. They are adding a steeple - the first time the Cathedral has a steeple since 1861, when a fire destroyed the original Cathedral of St. John and St. Finbar. It is still so HOT in Charleston, and we are barely into July. Heaven help us through the dog days of August.