Ghost Tour with Tour Charleston

I am working with Tour Charleston to produce some imagery for their new website that will be launching soon, and so last night I tagged along with tour guide Frank and a group to get a better idea of what they do, and also for fun, of course.  They do a great job, so call 843-723-1670 if you're in the market for a great downtown ghost tour.  Here are a few images taken in the Unitarian Church graveyard on a drizzly, creepy night :)

Another Twilight Downtown Walkabout

Often when I don't have to be somewhere or do something in the evening, I will grab a couple of lenses and head downtown with no agenda, just to see what I can find.  Sometimes I come up empty, but I usually find something worth keeping.  As soon as the glow in the sky fades, the magic fades insofar as my camera is concerned, and it's time to head on home.  Here are my keepers from last night.  The wrought iron images from St. Michael's Church gates are vertical versions of the ones I took a couple of weeks ago.

RIP Deputy Sheriff Joe Matuskovic

I was one of many random folks who stood solemnly along the Charleston roadsides as the funeral procession for Deputy Sheriff Joe Matuskovic passed by.  I have never seen so many emergency vehicles assembled at one time.  They came from every county in South Carolina, and from Georgia and probably other states as well to pay their last respects to one of their own.  So very sorry, what a waste of a good life and how sad for friends, family, colleagues and the community in general.  RIP

" ....  and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."    Revelation 21:4

My Photography in the new Harbor View Elementary School

The brand new Harbor View Elementary School just opened on James Island and it is beautiful, thoughtfully designed, with state of the art equipment for the kids.  Steve Coe, the architect, felt strongly that the new facility should communicate to the kids a sense of place and a connection to the past since it is located on property that used to be part of historic McLeod Plantation.  To this end, he has used some of my photography of the ancient oaks.  In addition to the photograph embedded in the huge acrylic wall panel, there are images of oak canopies suspended overhead in more acrylic panels to simulate the effect of light streaming through the tree tops.  Steve also designed the flooring in the hallways to incorporate a ribbon of blue that represents the Wappoo Creek, a critical component of the plantation's operation.  The "creek" eventually meanders through the door and to the playground.  Kudos to Steve and his team for an excellent job well done.

Steve Coe, Ken and Carol Jacobsen, Vanessa K

Looking down to the front entrance from the second floor

Historic map of the old McLeod Plantation

I'm proud to have been a part of it

The "Wappoo Creek" flows out the door and to the playground

Evening off the Beaufort Barrier Islands

Yesterday evening we went looking for bird life, dolphin, and shrimp boats in the waters around Hunting and Fripp Islands.  Shrimp boats were in short supply and I don't have the right kind of lenses to capture birds unless they are pretty close, but it was a gorgeous evening and I did enjoy the scenery.

Final images from Palouse 2014 Harvest time Trip

I could post more images from the past few days every day until Christmas, but life in Charleston goes on, so these will be the last Palouse images featured on my blog - until next time.  I spent a wonderful 4 days there.  It is very refreshing to absorb the sights and sounds of such a different world. The Palouse is a very special place and the people are equally memorable.  They are the way one would imagine all Americans to be back in the day; salt of the earth, hard working, friendly, and honest. 

More from The Palouse

I have spent four wonderful days here, leaving before sunrise to photograph the first light, driving for many miles throughout the day, and arriving back at the hotel in Colfax sometimes only after 10pm. It has been a veritable feast for a photographer, like one of those "all you can eat" buffets (except that the food was excellent) and I was a glutton :)  All good things come to an end however, and a good thing too, because I am exhausted.  One more early morning tomorrow so I can drive back to Spokane in time to catch my early flight back east.  In the meantime, here are a few more from the past couple of day's "work".