Since I joined flickr, I have really enjoyed the interaction with other Flickr members. There is so much talent here !!! I have learned so much from the site, and I'm sure that I'm becoming a better photographer because of it.

I'm an Air Force retiree living in rural Central Pennsylvania. Since I'm now retired, I have more time on my hands than I am accustomed to, so I spend much of it traveling (still!) with my camera stuff and an old chocolate lab who loves to sneak into my pictures and to frighten the wildlife away before I get a shot off.

Anyone that want's to use any of my photos is welcome to do so for free if it's for a non-commercial purpose. The only thing that I ask is that you send me a note and let me know what it's going to be used for. I like to see my stuff in nice places! It does my old ego some good. In many cases, there is a a higher resolution version on my hard drive that I can email.

Right now, I am busy fulfilling a lifelong dream. I am exploring the United States with a camera and a Chocolate Lab, using the National Parks as stepping stones. It's a photographer's dream come true, and we are both loving every precious minute of it !!! Life is good.

Recently, I have heard rumors of some massive budget cuts to the National parks, so I feel compelled to add this paragraph:

I really believe that the National Parks are much more important to us than most of us realize. I have visited a dozen or so of them in the past couple of months, and I have seen the way people react to them. I think it gives them a sense of pride in being a part of this country, if only because it is so beautiful, and having a little pride in the country where you live is not a bad thing. Just suppose that you lived in a country where the economy was failing and there were no jobs for many who needed them. Imagine that this same country was waging two or three different wars in different countries, and that this same country’s youth were worn-out and weary from fighting them. And if your imagination isn’t worn out yet, imagine that in this country, environmental compromises were being made to help the economy so that it can do important things like fund the wars. I know that if I lived in such a country, it might be a little hard to find much to be proud of, but I also know that if I were to then experience the unique beauty of a place like Zion or Yellowstone or Yosemite or Bryce Canyon, it would be hard not to feel a little pride in being a tiny part of something so magnificent.