Shadows of My World

Apache Sunset

During my last tour in Korea, I was a First Sergeant for an Armor Company in an Infantry Battalion. In the past, I had been in a Cavalry unit and seen mostly OH-58D Kiowa Warriors. As part of a Combined Arms Battalion, we trained with an Attack Helicopter Squadron. On a maintenance day, with some awesome weather, I was able to capture this shot of an AH-64D Longbow Apache sitting on the pad. It is reminiscent of the image a few years before in exactly the same spot of the Kiowa.

The Fountain

In the lobby of the Aseana Resort in Langkawi, Malaysia was a hand carved fountain. Floating in the lower basin were these plants. The spray from the fountain's water falling, left droplets on the leaves. The colors seemed to almost glow. I repeated this view in several other images and other locations.

Maranta

Another image from the Singapore Botanical Gardens. I regret not spending more time taking pictures like these. This is a plant from the maranta family. The display where this was located was quite shaded and the images taken farther out were a little fuzzy. I enjoy the botanical gardens and arboretum I have visited. They are a wonderful display of diversity.

Church Monument

I researched the history of this part of Washington considerably while researching Fort Lewis. Steilacoom was significant for many reasons, not the least of which was the first Protestant and Catholic churches in the Pacific Northwest. This monument sits on the site of the first Protestant church. The first catholic church is up the hill a few hundred yards and will be posted at a later date. I took this on my way to work one morning recently. I hope to submit it for next year's contest.

Brothers

To me, this speaks volumes about civil war. This monument is called "Brothers". It is located outside the Korean War Museum in Seoul. I found several opportunities to visit the museum and tour the grounds and museum. I am a student of history and find the museum interesting. This, compounded by the fact that I was there defending the same positions fought over during the Korean War. Back to this image. It represents two brothers fighting on different sides of the Korean War meeting on the battlefield. It is reminiscent of the situations that existed in the Civil War. Brother against brother and families torn apart. This was my entry into the All-Army Photo Contest for 2004.

Fall Colors 2

While Jonathan and Shanti were eating lunch, I took the camera and grabbed this shot of leaves in the park. From here I could see the ferry to Vashon Island, boats sailing and a bald eagle soaring below us. On the hill above were a small herd of elk from the Point Defiance Zoo. It was a lovely day for early fall.

Beach Crow

After church, we usually get fast food and go to the park to eat and have a little quality family time. We ended up on Owens Beach taking family pictures and letting Jonathan play in the sand. He kept chasing the crows and seagulls up and down the beach. This one dodged and landed nearby. I was able to catch it before Jonathan did.

Fall Colors 1

Fall is a flash in the pan in Washington State. First, there are few deciduous trees and the ladscape in western Washington is dominated by towering evergreens. Second, when it comes time for leaves to change, the seasonal changes drive a change in weather. Soon after the leaves change, the rains come and with it high winds. I miss the brilliant colors of the hardwood forests of the North Carolina mountains. In my yard we have a variety of japanese maples. These chang color quickly and last.

Sunset Flight

The weather had been pretty bad and we had a break in the clouds and rain. I grabbed the camera and headed to Sunnyside Beach. I saw this flight of UH-60s and CH-47 flying down the sound. As they flew past the ferry, I saw the opportunity and made this shot. Moments later an Amtrak came through glowing red in the sunset.

Columbia Ground Squirrel

Sometime in 2002 I made a trip to Mount St. Helens. (You can see it in the top gray area of the picture. I stopped to take pictures at this rest area. As I parked, this squirrel ran out and stopped right beside me. I ignored him and when I did not give him any handouts, he dozed in the sun. I saw him before I drove away and had to capture this shot.

Moonlight Sail

I was on a rare planned photography shoot, and after I drove the streets around the Thea Foss Waterway, I headed down to Ruston Way. After sunset, I saw this boat round Point Defiance, so began to try to position myself to get a shot of it as it returned to the marina. I could not get a position to photograph it in Commencement Bay, so I raced ahead of it to the park at the end the Waterway. I took several shots and then I saw Mt Rainier and the moon. I took a few more as the boat passed between me and the mountain. The low light made it difficult and this is one of the few that was focused and reasonably sharp. Most people thought the moon was a light on the far shore, but I enjoyed watching it rise over the mountain.

Seoul Station

One of the first digital photos I took in 2004. I had borrowed a 5.1 MP from an officer in my unit and was experimenting with it. I went to Seoul to the Post exchange to pick up a few things and ended up on the subway. After a few hours of visiting places around Seoul, I ended up eating at a restaurant nearby before catching the train back to Munsan. This is the old Seoul Station. It is now the Korean Railway Museum, but then it was still an active station. I wanted to take this shot again during my last tour, but the vandals have done their damage.

Guardian

While in Malaysia, Shanti took me on a driving tour of Penang. One of my favorite sites was Kek Lok Si. This is the largest Buddhist temple outside of China. It had a number of beautiful sculptures and, of course, the main temple which you can see as the small golden stupa spire to the right side of the image. It was a beautiful day and Shanti and I really enjoyed this visit.

Fishing Village

Another from the Island Hopping tour we went on while in Langkawi, Malaysia. As we returned to the docks at the end of this adventure, the scene was reminiscent of the classic scenes of the South Pacific. I took a couple of quick shots and by that time we were at the jetty. We ate a quick lunch at the hawker stand in the building at the right and then took a taxi back to to the resort. It was a beautiful trip.

KLI-63

You find out about points of interest in many different ways. In this case I found it in the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Periodically, they ran tour information and I found great tips for visiting Seoul. This is the KLI-63 Tower at dusk. I took the train to Seoul Station and then used to subway system to get to Yeouido Island. I spent the day walking around Hangang Park. It was an interestng experience watching the people in the park. As the sun began to set, the building turned to pure gold. The light and reflections were amazing.