Cats Love Christmas Also...

Sorry today's post was a little late, I got on this morning at work to find no photographs, I was sure I had something ready and uploaded last night. After getting home this morning I found out I did have the post ready but never uploaded it for a scheduled time.

These are our three cats Kyle, Cappy and Alex in order of the photos. They have all been on the site before but never at the same time. They love Christmas also mostly jumping into the open boxes or hiding under the wrapping paper. They also love to sleep under the trees, but they never get into trouble or break anything. I guess we got lucky there. They are all family members but they each gravitate to a certain person, Cappy is all Linda's kitty, Kyle is Shane's and Alex is my little girl.

This being the last post for the year I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. See you all next year.

New Harrisburg Tower 1...

Harrisburg received their new tower truck right before Thanksgiving, it is scheduled to go in service tomorrow morning so I thought I would introduce to the kids and adults that are still children at heart and like fire trucks, plus I didn't know what else to post.

The rig is a 2008 Pierce Arrow XT with a 75 foot aerialscope boom remounted from our old 1989 CF Mack tower. I was spending the morning out doing driver training when I realized that a great place to photograph it would be in front of the old Reily Station 10 now used as our fire museum. The weather was gloomy but it is not my rig so I may not get another chance to photograph it in this spot. The city is also getting a new engine with the same cab that will run out of my firehouse, you can expect to see it soon.

The Vigilant Hose Company, Shippensburg, Pa...

The Vigilant Hose Company has been decorating their fire station for many decades. The past few years I have not had the opportunity to get to Shippensburg to photograph the building for one reason or another. This Christmas Eve I finally had the chance. The conditions were not the best as it was raining all evening, but when it turned to a drizzle I set up the tripod to get some photos. My luck ran out three photos into the shoot, one of their young guys pulled up and parked on the street along the yellow line right in front of the building, I waited but he never returned to his car so this is the best I got. Maybe I will try again next year.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does...

It is amazing the stupid things you see people do at National Parks. I guess they forget the first part of wild animal is WILD. These are some of the most unpredictable and dangerous animals you can run into and they just walk right up to him and spoiled photo opportunities for those of us that respect the wildlife and play by the rules. This incident was even worse than the photo shows, but I will not go into that right now. I am sure there are plenty of you out there that look at this site that have run into similar events.

Merry Christmas Everyone...

Good morning everyone and Merry Christmas. I thought I would change things up a bit today and post someone else's photograph. I can only assume that my mother took this picture with a Kodak camera. This is from a Christmas past, 1965 that is. I know by looking at my profile photo you all thought I was maybe mid twenties at the most, I get that all the time, I look very young for my age. Remember it is Christmas so be nice.

During this Christmas we lived in an apartment on Burd Street in Shippensburg. The girl behind me is my sister Elizabeth, I could not tell you what she got that year but you can see Santa was very good to me. By the way I still have the pedal fire truck, it is in my office in excellent condition. Funny thing is 43 years later and I am still playing on fire trucks, they are just a little larger now.

Waiting For Santa...

This Could Be A Coors Add...

Maybe This Year I Can Pull The Sleigh...

This is not the same Elk as Friday's post and it was shot in a different area of Yellowstone. Had I paid attention to the weather I would have switched these two post around as cold as it is this morning, Brrrrrrrrrr!

A Cold Morning...

A Beautifil Place To Visit...

It Must Have Been A Wonderful Time...

Teton Moose...

Velvet Elk...

More Yellowstone...

Old Faithful Ground Squirrel…

Cody, Wyoming...

Yellowstone...

Camp Charlie...

Does anyone else out their that does a daily photo blog ever get tired of doing it? Well I am, sometimes I tire of looking for a photo to work up because I have not shot anything new for awhile, I tire of working on the photo and I just become blank with what to say. Maybe it is the time of the year, maybe it is just one of the times I get down on my work, I really don't know but lately it has been getting harder and harder to do this.

I don't have a huge audience but I do have a decent following so I would really hate to take a break now and loose what I have worked the last year to get. With that said I will post a photo everyday this week but I plan on doing so without much if any text.

Camp Charlie is located on the Lower Horse Valley Road in Franklin County Pennsylvania. It was built in 1965 by my father and grandfather. After my grandfathers passing my uncle purchased his half of the cabin. This was once a thriving hunting camp, now it is more a get away and relaxation place than a hunting camp. I posted this today since we are starting the second week a deer season here in Pa. and also because it is the only thing I had ready and handy at the moment. With any luck I will get the opportunity to keep this cabin in the family for many more decades to come between my son and I. Of course it would not be for hunting, but for fishing and photography.

A Little Late For Picking Corn...

Another one of those days when I can think of nothing to say. This photograph was taken this past Sunday at a farm behind my house. I was coming home from work on this dreary morning when I spotted these sitting close to the road they just looked like they were screaming for me to photograph them. Pressed for time since I was picking up my son and heading to a toy and train show I grabbed him and my camera and headed off. A couple of quick shots from the truck window and away we went. Every year I say I am going to go out and photograph the fall colors and the farmers out working but in never seems to happen. Maybe one of these years I will follow through with it.

More Hershey Bears...

I really didn't want to do three days in a row of the Hershey Bears but I had these ready so, I am anyways. The Bears and Caps just keep winning. Last week the Bears sent four players up to the Caps because of injuries but they are still winning. This is a scheduled post but at the time that I am typing it the Bears have more wins, more points and 26 more goals than the next closest AHL team. All this with seven kids just 20 years old, I might have underwear that old. The Caps also keep winning with the Bears filling in their lines this just may be my year. A Stanley and Calder Cup, that would be great.

The top photo was taken a few days before these guys got called up to the Caps. The #21 Graham Mink and #17 Chris Bourque were both called up last week, #26 Quintin Laing spent the last third of last season playing for the Caps and helping them reach the playoff by blocking shot after shot. The second photo is a close of of Mink. The video was taken October 26 at the Giant center it last 27 seconds and shows Laing scoring a goal after the face off.

No hockey on Friday, I am hoping to post something recently photographed.

Hockey Family...

As I said yesterday we are a hockey family, so I thought I would put up some of my family at a Bears game. The first photograph is of the scoreboard in the Giant Center, home of the Bears. Each game for the last two seasons they put this photo up called the nut of the game. People get up and act like nuts while the camera men pan the crowd and put some up on this screen. The reason I post it here is because it is my son on the left and his friend Dillon on the right. The photo was taken a few years ago when the Bears were playing a playoff game. Last season when the Caps made it to the playoffs it was a photo on their home page.

The other photo was taken two Saturday's ago at a home game, that is my wife Linda and son Shane during a stop in play, we set in the fourth row close the Bears bench. With the team we have this year it looks like we will be watching hockey into June again this year. GO BEARS.

Let's Go Bears, Let's Go Bears!!

After all the wildlife photographs it is time to slip some hockey photos into the mix. For those that have followed this blog for sometime now you know my family is a big hockey family. We have season tickets to the AHL Hershey Bears and travel to Washington to see our NHL team the Capitols. The Bears and Caps are in first place at the time I am posting this, I do scheduled post to make life easier. The Bears have also been a scoring machine already out scoring the next closest team by 26 goals. The other week we watched them blow out Binghampton 9-0and just this past Saturday they did it again in a 9-0 rout of the Phantoms. The photo is of Greg Amadio, Greg is playing his first season with the Bears coming over from Binghampton this year, Saturday he scored two goals, one short handed for his first prefessional multi goal game. Greg bring toughness to the team and also plays good hard hockey. The video was taken with my phone at the November 15TH game against the Philadelphia Phantoms. Hershey was losing the game 3-2 in the third period before scoring five goals to take the win. The video last 1 minute and 13 seconds and is Grant McNeil dishing out some punishment. Unfortunately Grant fractured his wrist and will be out for awhile.

A Firehouse Thanksgiving...

Being a fireman means spending time away from home during the holidays. We are not alone in working the holidays many others like police officers, ambulance workers, Doctors, nurses and military personnel also work holidays. After working a few you get used to it, except for Christmas. This Thanksgiving my platoon worked the daylight shift. It ended up being a busy day running eight calls during our daylight, all oven fires or cooking related.

Starting the Thanksgiving after the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil a tradition began in the Fire Bureau. The Kesher Israel Congregation began cooking a Thanksgiving meal for the on duty shifts. The congregation shows up shortly before noon to feed the on duty platoon leaving enough food to feed the night shift when they come on at 4:00 p.m.

Part of the contingent is the Rosenberg family. Some of us have gotten to know them and watch their boys grow each year. A few years ago the middle son earned his Eagle Scout and my truck partner and I attended his Eagle court of honor. This year I learned that the youngest son is awaiting his board of review for Eagle. As an Eagle Scout myself I enjoy attending the ceremony, knowing the commitment it takes to earn the rank and plan on attending his court of honor when it takes place. We greatly appreciate the effort the congregation puts forth for us on this day and know that it comes from their hearts.

Part of doing this is seeing the press show up at the firehouse, some of us because we have been around awhile are able to avoid them, but we do not mind sacrificing others for the camera. In the top photo Leon Cliatt (Wagon 3) does an interview from the drivers seat of the tower for channel 21 news. Not wanting this to go unnoticed I had to snap a few photos. The second photo is channel 8 interviewing El Shakkur (Tower 3) about his hot sauce. We have another tradition in the Fire Bureau, when a firefighter gets their photo in the paper or show up on the news they owe a us a beer. I hope to reap the rewards later this month after the local meeting, so bring money guys.