Jeremy and I had a chance to get out while Sarah and Charlie were taking a nap. And the Bedford D-Day Memorial is just down the road. So we went there to see this amazing memorial to the fighting men and women who went through that terrible day with such amazing courage.

More Slide Shows

http://davidnotes.com/2008/03/03/family-outing-with-photos-slide-show/

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Yesterday I went up to Lynchburg to visit with my son, Jeremy, and his lovely wife, Sarah, and of course Charlie. It was a very nice day although when I started out it was still in the upper twenties. But by the time we went to the park it was probably in the sixties.

This was  Charlie’s first visit to a park and he enjoyed the rides they have set up for the kids. He had a great time on the swing. And he tried out the slide too.

I’m not sure he had such a great time on the slide. But I did get some photos and would like to share them. Charlie is such a little adventurer.

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I might have the flu. It’s difficult to tell at this point. But it’s either a cold or the flu. Or it could be one of those Alien babies that incubate for awhile inside you before they decide to make a run for it. Whatever it is produces a lot of stuff you don’t want to hear about.

The other evening we were having dinner and someone was describing the sores that had mysteriously broken out on a friend’s body. It is difficult for me to focus on my chicken when hearing about things like that. Last night on television I saw this great looking guy who recently had a skin cancer removed from his lip. Now he uses sun block. We have a friend in Florida who had a skin cancer removed from his ear. And they keep going back for more. We pray for our friends who are going through these terrible ordeals.

It’s so important to use sun block when out in the sun. And smoking cigarettes is beyond dumb. Does anybody do that anymore? I hardly ever see anyone smoking. I can remember a time back in the 80’s when the waiting rooms in the hospital where I worked were filled with clouds of cigarette smoke. I can’t imagine how that could have been permitted.

There was a guy who manufactured televisions. I think his name might have been Mathis. Were there such things as Mathis televisions at one time? In any case he was on an airplane. At that time you could smoke on airplanes. So children got to inhale cigarette smoke in this cylindrical tube. But they didn’t really have to worry about that in this case. Because someone lit up when using the rest room and dropped their cigarette into the trash receptacle.

Unfortunately it was still lit. And the airplane never made it to its destination. They did a study later on as they always do and discovered the cause. I can’t imagine how they figure stuff like this out. They are so smart. But on the other hand they are pretty dumb too. Because they allowed people to smoke on airplanes. “Hey Charlie! How long do you think it will be before some guy with early stage Alzheimers forgets to put his cigarette out in the lavatory?”

Apparently no one ever asked this simple question.

I really become so cheerful when I have the flu. You really have something to look forward to if I do. Better pray it’s an Alien baby. That would be much more entertaining. Maybe I can take some photos of it waving good-bye.

This is the last thing I want to do before leaving this earth. Take a picture. Hopefully it will be of something nicer than an Alien but you can’t really be too picky at a moment like that. “Hey. Alien baby! Could you hold still for a second and smile. Show me those teeth. And stop drooling all over the carpet.”

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VIRGINIA BREEZE:  “David’s blog has some of the most beautiful and cherished poetry I’ve read in a long time. It has moved me to tears on more than one occasion. If you enjoy heartfelt honest sentiments that speak of the core issues of our lives then grab a cup of tea, slow down and read some of David’s poems. They are written by someone who feels deeply and has an open heart. You will go away feeling like you know him. They are easy to understand and are mated with beautiful photos. My post this month was inspired by David’s poetry. His writing sets me free and encourages me to be authentic. He also writes about a variety of topics I find interesting, warm, real (and sometimes funny).”

“A Nice Camera Can Change Your Life”

–David

Or, at least, a very nice camera can change your life. It changed mine. I won’t say it was a religious conversion or anything as dramatic as that. But taking photos has made my daily life much more interesting. I am never bored now and I used to find time to be bored. When you watch television a couple of hours every day it could be a sign that you are bored!

And I wasn’t that interested in going out either. Being in an interesting place like Virginia Beach or DC or even Disney World was not that fantastic an experience. I would become involved in watching people and seeing all the stuff that’s not so attractive about them. And then my feet and back would start to hurt too.

I was ready to go back to our home or the hotel and have a drink in short order. But taking photos changed that. Because I started looking for things that are beautiful instead of things that are ugly. I became enthusiastic about the search for the interesting and the artistic in nature or in the things man has created. I became very happy when I found it and ignored my physical discomfort. And I am sure my wife appreciated the new more happy, outgoing and energetic me!

I share this with you because I believe there are a lot of folks out there who could benefit from taking up photography. When we went up to DC recently I was standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial and watching everyone taking photos of Abe. Ninety nine percent of them were using those little digital cameras that take about five seconds to capture a photo. Five seconds is an eternity to try and take a photo. People were moving in front of the photo taker. And I am sure the results were uniformly generic. Do you see what I mean? Did you ever want to take a photo that is unusual or original? Did you ever want to express the artistic side of your personality this way?

Try taking this photo with a small digital camera.

And then try taking it with a Nikon D70. You are standing on the beach just after sunrise. You have your camera in hand and your finger is on the button. As you watch the waves coming in a bird takes off behind you as you whirl, focus and shoot in less than a second. Because that is all the time you have and the camera is up to the job.

Here are a few photos I took when we were up in DC. Having a nice camera and a telephoto lens really makes things much nicer. Sure it can be expensive but not any more expensive than a new computer or a flat screen HDTV.

And it’s not just the taking of the photo. In these days its the editing with one of the many fine software programs that are available. You almost become a painter when you start working with the raw material of a new photo. But you need to start out with a great camera and probably a powerful lens or two in order to get that photo . Then you can capture what most are too busy to see with their own eyes and edit it until it is very clear. Finally you can share it with the world. And believe me people will thank you for it. Everyone wants to know that the world they live in still has beauty left in it.

Photography is an art form and you can become an artist. You don’t have to be an intellectual to be an artist. That was something that always put me off. Because I am not that smart. But I can practice taking photos by the hundreds and the thousands. And you know what? Some of them are going to turn out very well.

People have lots of nice things to say about them. And you can see them in my blogs and on Flickr and Picasa Web. But more importantly you can begin to see how someone with no experience or training like yourself perhaps can become a photographer and an artist.

You can create something that is beautiful and meaningful to thousands of people. You can share it in a blog just like this one. And you can become an artist and change your life.

My Photos here in Virginia Breeze

My Photoblog

My Photos on Flickr

My Photos on Picasa Web

I started taking photos in earnest about nine months ago. They have made my blogs much more entertaining according to my readers. And because I was learning to be creative I also started writing poetry. So one thing can lead to another and soon you will feel like you have done something that will be remembered twenty years down the road. You will be able to look back and see something about your life that was pretty nice. It will be much better than an old, musty diary. (There’s a reason people grab just average photos when their house is burning down).

But NOW in the present you will find out things about yourself and your world.

You will grow.

And you will discover the creative and energetic soul that is in there somewhere and hoping to come out and play!

Virginia Breeze is here to help you along this path. I’m not here to give you much technical knowledge about photography. But I can help you to see that you can do this too. You can take the photos and you can present them in a blog so that many readers will enjoy what you have done.

You can share your life in a way that is interesting and useful to your readers while it is fulfilling to you.

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Bahamas Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/29/bimini/

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Beach Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/10/22/sunrise-photo-virginia-beach/

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Bird Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/10/picture-of-big-old-owl/

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Blogger Photos

http://davidlind.blogspot.com/

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Butterfly Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/16/picture-of-butterfly/

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City of Richmond Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/10/18/something-new-richmond-building/

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Fall Foliage Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/11/24/finding-a-way-home/

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Family Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/12/11/i-bet-charlie-would-like-a-candy-cane/

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Flower Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/07/botanical-flower-photo-ginter-botanical-gardens-richmond/

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James River Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/12/01/river-breeze/

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Martha’s Vineyard Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/23/signs-of-marthas-vineyard/

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Mountains of Virginia

http://davidnotes.com/2007/11/13/this-is-why-they-are-the-blue-ridge-mountains/

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Park Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2008/01/06/waiting-for-someone-in-the-park/

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Sailboat Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/10/more-sailboats-at-marthas-vineyard-2/

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Snow Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2008/01/09/my-imaginary-winter/

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Surfing Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2007/09/30/well-balanced-surfer/

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University of Richmond

http://davidnotes.com/2007/09/08/the-university-of-richmond/

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Wildlife in Virginia

http://davidnotes.com/2007/09/23/my-favorite-commercial/

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