It's been a long time since I updated but I will be posting pics at random from my shoots over the past summer and early fall. First up is Chatel. She was kind of quiet and shy when we first started shooting but warmed up at the day went on. Thoughts?

It's been a long time since I updated but I will be posting pics at random from my shoots over the past summer and early fall. First up is Chatel. She was kind of quiet and shy when we first started shooting but warmed up at the day went on. Thoughts?

"The hammer banged reveille on the rail outside camp HQ at five o'clock as always. Time to get up."

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

And your off....... Welcome to the rat race. There are many who probably can relate to Solzhenitsn's protagonist Ivan Denisovich Shukhov in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Up at 5 a.m. On the road by six. God willing, there are no accidents on I-95 or a delay at a VRE station, or on the tracks; and you are at your desk by eight....ish. Then the mind numbing routine of the day begins. Where process is everything and outcomes are not. Mired in office bureaucracy and politics. Yet no matter how bad or boring one's day may be there are always moments to be savored. Even for a prisoner in Stalin's Gulags. "Shukhov went to sleep fully content. He'd had many strokes of luck that day."

Thankfully I am not part of the pack fighting their way up the interstate with a small cubicle awaiting you at the end of the trip. I do feel for those people and take this opportunity to provide what I hope is a moment to be savored. A glimpse into my day and some more pics from the road less traveled.............................

The Day Begins
Around 7am. Not the bumper to bumper interstate traffic but a drive down Hanover Street towards downtown. Not to an office but for my first and only coffee of the day and to catch-up on the comings and goings of Fredericksburg. An hour for coffee and back to the office by eight. Did you get that boss? And today we are off to Orange.

Time for a Morning Cup of Joe.

The Inner Sanctum....
My office...well not really as I share the room with my wife. Which brings into question the whole inner sanctum thing. I've been told that Bogart has to go as its encroaching on my wife's space. Hey, see if you can find the 1916 Lee-Enfield rifle. There is also a piece of the deck of the HMS Iron Duke, Britain's flagship at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 somewhere in here along with a bronze crucifix from the time of the First Crusade! Not the typical corporate America office. One of the advantages of working from your home. Does beat a 6' x 6' cubical with temporary walls.

It's Lunchtime in the Burg.
Olde Town Grille in downtown Fredericksburg. I always sit at the counter and marvel as Shawn (pictured) and Dan the owner (one of my wife's former students) whip through multiple orders at one time. Today it's a bacon cheeseburger with jalapenos and chipotle sauce with potato chips made on the premises. No desert..watching those calories. I did get a shot of the burger but I thought this picture was more artsy. So you'll have to go in an order one yourself to see it.

Hey Matt What the Hell is This?????
Brock Road in Spotsylvania County is what it is. We are getting off Rt. 3 and taking a short cut on our way to the town of Orange. And yes its a rather ordinary..almost boring, why in the hell did you take it, shot. What may seem ordinary today may not have been so ordinary at some other time. In this case 1864. After the bloodbath of the Battle of the Wilderness the Union Army was heading east to this point. Turn left was to retreat. To continue on ( in 1864 the road continued across somewhere near the mailbox in the background) was to head south and advance. When the army continued down the Brock Road Union Soldiers began to cheer. Union General Grant was heading south and the Confederacy's days were numbered.

Take Me Home Country Roads to the Place I Belong.............
Frankly I never was much of a John Denver fan. Hey, quick fun fact! Did you know he wrote the lyrics to I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane made famous by Peter, Paul & Mary? OK I'm both off track and dating myself. If you haven't figured it out we are heading south on Rt-20 in Orange County. Lots O' old Farms heading down this road. I've posted a number of photos of the sites on Rt. 20 and there are still a lot of photos to take.

We Have Arrived!!!
Today's destination is the Town of Orange. This is the courthouse downtown. And as with every small town in Virginia it has the statue in front honoring the sons of Orange who fought for the Confederacy. This is a rather unique looking courthouse. At some point I'll have to spend some time doing a little research........Not during working hours of course. Right now I've got to head down a block or two and inspect some water damage to a dining room ceiling.

Going Back Home by Way of the Road Less Traveled....
The bridge over the Wilderness Creek driving through the Wilderness Battlefield. Especially in the fall its nice to get off the main roads and a drive through the battlefield parks. You would have to agree its quite a view this time of year. And it only gets better as fall progresses. Beats the hell out of the view from I-95 and Rt. 3 around 4pm!