North Carolina Monument at Gettysburg

Gettysburg National Military Park features hundreds of monuments and tributes to those who fought and perished during this critical Civil War battle. North Carolina's sacrifice at the Battle of Gettysburg was humbling. It is estimated that one in every four Confederate soldiers who fell at Gettysburg was from North Carolina. This monument is dedicated to the forty-two regiments and batteries from North Carolina which served at Gettysburg.

Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, who also designed the four presidents' faces on Mount Rushmore, the monument represents a group of North Carolina soldiers in "Pickett's Charge." Of all of the sites visited during our tour of the park, the faces of the North Carolina Monument have stayed with me, illustrating Borglum's moving artistry with faces.

Raising the Flag

Recently, the last surviving American World War I veteran passed away at the age of 110. Frank Buckles of West Virginia lied about his age to join the army at age 16 and served as an ambulance driver in WWI with nearly 5 million American service members in 1917 and 1918. As if one war experience in a lifetime was not enough, Buckles was captured by the Japanese as a civilian in the Philippines during World War II.

Whenever I look upon military memorials like the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, I pause and think of Buckles and all our war veterans and thank them for their service and sacrifices.

To the Moon

Do not be deceived by today's post. I did not travel to the moon recently and forgot to mention it on the blog. Actually, this is a photograph of the Apollo Lunar Module on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. This is a real lunar module -- one of 12 built for the Apollo Project -- whose mission was cancelled due to the success of the first Apollo Lunar Module test vehicle. According to the museum, lunar modules are meant to be used in low Earth orbit to test the techniques of separation, rendezvous, and docking with the command and service module. During moon missions, the lunar module is released when the astronauts enter the command module to return to Earth, leaving the lunar module to remain on the moon.

Now with the end of NASA space shuttle missions -- the last shuttle launch occurred last week -- there is no need for this type of space vehicle. Like the other air and space relics displayed at the Air and Space Museum, this lunar module becomes just a reminder of America's ambitious space exploration program and that once upon a time, Americans traveled in space.

Green, Blue & Gold

People often ask what are good conditions for great nature photographs. The answer to that question really depends on the photographer. For me, I love crisp, but slightly overcast, days for great photos. My barometer for good photo excursions is looking at the color of the sky. If it is a bright blue, like in today's image, I usually grab my camera when heading out the door. Clear, partly sunny conditions really create vibrant colors in photographs, even if the photo subject is as plain and simple as a park bench or city building. Plus, a few clouds in the sky add drama to the composition. However, if wind accompanies the bright blue sky, you may want to keep the camera at home unless you have a tripod or shoot at a fast shutter speed. Wind often makes either the photographer, camera and/or photo subject move and create blurry images.

Scarlet Ibis

The beautiful Scarlet Ibis is one of the national birds of Trinidad & Tobago, the Caribbean nation where my parents were born and raised. When I lived in Trinidad as I child, I remember visiting Caroni Bird Sanctuary and seeing the thousands of Scarlet Ibis roosting and flying around the mangroves. Imagine my surprise during my recent visit to the National Zoo to see they had Scarlet Ibises! Like Flamingos, their plumage color is the result of their diet. Scarlet Ibises eat red crabs in tropical swamps which gradually turns its grey and white feathers to scarlet. In the wild, its color is much redder, probably due to increased access to their natural diet.

Last Conversation Piece

The Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is one of the modern art Smithsonian art galleries. The other day I was passing by the museum and one of its outdoor sculptures caught my attention. An installation piece by Spanish artist Juan Munoz, the Last Conversation Piece in the Hirshorn sculpture garden consists of 5 human-like figures with rounded bases, resembling punching bags, scattered across the lawn. Only four of the sculpted people appear in this photograph. The fifth person is located out of frame to the left of the cluster of three. Munoz's sculpture reminds me of life in high school, when gossip was delivered in groups while the object of their talk, like the person on the right, were left outside and isolated. Oh, how I wish these tactics were just isolated to high school. Unfortunately for some, old habits can die hard.

Stark Lines

Here's another image from my Sunday walk at Burke Lake. While I find the fullness of spring and summer so interesting as a photographer, the starkness of nature's winter also creates appealing compositions. The bare trees along the lake have such elegant silhouettes. This image reminds me of  ballerinas grouped together along the shore with their arms raised and moving back and forth. I love how cameras allow us to see common or even unattractive subjects in new beautiful perspectives.