Non Photographer

One final snow photo

2009-12-22T21:09:00.002-05:00

This is the final snow photo I'll post from this snow storm. This is my son's hand after he got a little snow in it. Sometimes the simplest photos say a lot, and for some reason this photo says a lot to me. Not quite sure what, but it does ...

Elks Home under the snow

2009-12-20T07:56:00.003-05:00

I grew up going to the Elks Home in Bedford during Christmas, but I think yesterday was the first time in my 31 years that I've gone with snow on the ground. It's a great sight -- if you're in the area go check it out while the snow is still around.

The great snow of '09: Your photos

2009-12-19T15:17:00.003-05:00

In a bit of an experiment on Twitter and Facebook today, I've asked followers and friends if they'd like to share some of their photos with me to post on this blog. So far I've gotten two responses. Thanks to @CherylSmith999 (first photo) and @RodDempsey for sharing their snow photos from the Lynchburg area. If you have something you'd like to share, send an email to me at runningbecauseican@gmail.com. Have fun out there!

Storm of the century?

2009-12-19T07:19:00.005-05:00

For anyone who may doubt that this isn't the storm of the century, remember that the century is only 10 years old. So as of 7 a.m. there's a foot of snow on the ground in Bedford, Va., and I'm pretty sure it's only the second time this area has seen that much snow so far in the 2000s. And to all my friends from the north, yes, I'm going to make a big deal about this. Plus it's still snowing ...

... more to come once it stops!

Snowy Peaks

2009-12-06T20:16:00.005-05:00

Sure it's been three months since I last posted, but I'll hope you'll forgive me. There's nothing like a little snow storm to get me back in the photo-taking spirit. These were taken at the Peaks of Otter in Bedford County. While it was raining in the city, the mountains saw plenty of snow this weekend.

Nothing beats a good sunrise

2009-09-07T21:31:00.004-04:00

This weekend I got another chance to spend a weekend at Virginia Beach for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. On Saturday I went for a short run along the boardwalk and go to see a cool site -- the sun rising to the east and a full moon setting to the west. Here's a look at the sunrise shortly after I got back to my hotel room:

Lights on I-95

2009-08-07T19:54:00.004-04:00

Don't worry, I wasn't driving when I took these. I was just bored on a ride from Washington, D.C., back to Richmond.

Summer fun with Duke

2009-07-03T20:50:00.003-04:00

Duke has a little bit of fun with my niece's birthday present. This dog -- who just turned 4 -- loves fast-moving water!

Blue skies over Richmond

2009-06-22T20:35:00.004-04:00

It's late June and we're officially into summer. Usually at this time of the year in Richmond, it's hazy, hot and humid. But in the past couple of days we've been blessed with some great weather. It cooled off yesterday and today after a fairly miserable Friday and Saturday, leaving the skies nice and blue. While it's still fairly warm, the skies reminded me today of a fall day. Enjoy it while it lasts ...
... I was fortunate today to be able to be outside for about a half hour at work. I was standing under a tree and looked up and saw this gorgeous site. There's something about a blue sky that makes any photo look good.

Butterflies All Around

2009-05-26T20:43:00.008-04:00

Some of the coolest things to take photos of, but also one of the most difficult, are butterflies. At Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Butterflies LIVE! exhibition is currently going on through October. It's an awesome site -- dozens of butterflies silently flying around. It has sort of a calming effect. Here are a few more shots. Check back later this week for even more photos:

Butterflies II

2009-06-06T12:30:00.002-04:00

Here are a few more butterfly photos from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden from Memorial Day:

Sham Rockin' at the Beach

2009-03-23T19:13:00.003-04:00

We had some great weather this weekend at Virginia Beach in which I took part in the Shamrock Half Marathon and my wife had a work conference to attend. I'd live there if I could afford it.

Snow Dog!

2009-03-02T18:51:00.001-05:00

This has instantly become my favorite photo of my dog. His smile says it all about how he feels about snow!

10 inches and counting!

2009-03-02T08:28:00.002-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've seen a good snow fall. So there's good reason to be excited about 10 inches or so of snow in Richmond, Va., today. On top of a snow day from work, my dog loves it, my wife from snow-filled Ohio loves it and it finally proves what I've been trying to tell my in-laws for years - it does snow in Virginia!! I'm looking forward to heading out for a run later in this mess.

Duke does his usual snow roll!

Right in the kisser

2009-03-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

When winter and spring collide

2009-03-01T18:06:00.002-05:00

With up and down temperatures in February, some flowers started showing their colors a tad early, only to shutter during today's snow.

And now, the inside of the mouth

2008-12-03T20:32:00.003-05:00

Earlier you saw the tongue ... now see the rest.

My nose is tasty

2008-11-30T17:31:00.001-05:00

Dogs ... when captured at the right moment, they're hilarious!

November Snow

2008-11-24T10:27:00.002-05:00

I love taking photos of snow, but unfortunately it seems that Virginia never gets any anymore. Last week, though, the Richmond area saw about a half hour's worth of snow ... nothing spectacular, but it gives me hope of bigger things to come this winter. So, here's to hoping that we get more snow! In the meantime, here's a photo to prove that the white stuff did indeed fall from the sky recently.

Oh Happy Dog.

2008-10-21T11:53:00.002-04:00

My dog says "hi" and wonders why I haven't posted in a while. It happens! I haven't forgotten about this blog ... I just haven't had time to devote to it. I'm trying!

Round and round we go

2008-09-19T20:44:00.002-04:00

Where did the time go? I had all these plans to post my Virginia Beach photos and then all of a sudden two weeks have passed since my last post. Anyway, here's another Virginia Beach scene from Labor Day. I was experimenting with available light ... something I'm slowly getting better at.

A late winter beach visit

2008-05-14T19:50:00.004-04:00

If you want to get away to the beach and not have anyone bother you, head to Virginia Beach in March. You just won't want to get in the water, but you'll often find sites like this with no one around.

Fired up over fireworks

2008-09-04T20:51:00.010-04:00

One of the cool things about this past weekend at Virginia Beach was having fireworks over the ocean each night. But at the same time, what you see here is what you get. However, with the long boardwalk, tons of hotels and drunken runners who were watching an awful B52's concert, I was surprised that on the last night there weren't more. They could easily have a quarter-mile of boats lined up shooting fireworks.

Anyway, I guess this isn't the place to complain ... it's just a place to show you what I captured. You'll have to excuse these photos from not being a little better -- I was battling high humidity and a foggy lens. I basically just held down the button and hoped for the best.

Weird skies and rides

2008-09-02T21:00:00.003-04:00

I just returned from a weekend at Virginia Beach and captured some interesting shots that I'll share over the next week or so. This first one is near a so-called amusement park. The photo makes it look cooler than it really is. What I like about this shot, though, is the eerie sky. It looks like a tornado could just pop out.

All in a morning's work

2008-08-14T13:22:00.005-04:00

BEFORE
HALFWAY DONE

AFTER
My landscaping skills aren't the best, but I think I did a pretty good job this time around.