Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween Revels

The youngest son of Eric and Annise Haney — whose band Crimson Flow performs at the Daily Grind — in his elephant costume with Sam Jarrar.

Jenine and Ferris Jarrar work the stores at Regency Mall for Halloween treats. The mall sponsors a night of holiday trick or treats for children each year.
 
Other costumed participants include a lady bug ... 

... and a devil.

As the evening concludes, Jenine's face paint begins to disappear.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008


Fall color in Short Pump



Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Guest blogger Dianne Bangham

Good friend Paul Steinberg hangs my photo exhibit of Lebanon next to some of his fabulous paintings at the Daily Grind. There are now five local artists exhibiting at the coffee shop.
 

Wednesday, October 22, 2008


The weather is turning cooler. Sadie and Tobie crowd Dianne's lap for warmth.

Laim McLean is no longer a baby and now toddles about after the men at Cambridge church, helping them clean up after dinner.

Cool nights set the stage for Fall colors about to break out in the annual grand display along Copperas Creek.

Empty glass reflects the colors in Thai Diner Too.

Monday, October 20, 2008


Some additional photos from my trip to Nairobi.

Mother and child in the Githurai slum of Nairobi.

Debbie McFerron with her favorite giraffe at the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi.

Giraffes are incredibly magnificent creatures.

Nelson Trent and Wahokia with their favorite giraffe.

Nelson considers the sobering reality of refugee children at Christ's Academy. The work done by the staff at the academy is, "The real deal," he says.

The children sing and dance for their visitors.

The headmaster, Rafael Mutua, is a magnet for the children at the academy. They know he loves them and they respond.

As well as singing and dancing, the children recite poetry and Bible verses from memory.

Sunday, October 19, 2008


Sadie absconds with Allan Mitchell's chair.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

October 18, 2008
Gayton, Virginia

Erie Mitchell's 90th Birthday

David Graham plays for Erie's birthday celebration at his parent's house.


As she opens cards from friends and family gathered to celebrate the beginning of her 10th decade her daughter-in law, Ann, and son, Allan, stand behind her.

Grandchildren, left to right, Allison and Andrew watch the festivities with their spouses Melissa and Steve. David Graham stands behind them.

Allan produced a book with 90 images documenting her life.


All shared a meal before ...

... the arrival of the cake ... 

... and the blowing of the candles.

October 17, 2008

Short Pump, Virginia

Duane Horst, left, and Bill Kaffenberger perform at the Daily Grind.


Paul Steinberg stands before the exhibit of his paintings at the Daily Grind. The Grind has become the center of a community of artists and musicians in the Richmond area.

October 12, 2008
Deep Run Park

Shawn with Sadie after a Fall picnic in the park.

October 9-11, 2008
Nashville, Tennessee

Participants in the three-day photojournalism track at the Collegiate Journalism Conference in Nashville do edits of their work before presenting to the faculty and their peers.

Awards stack up for participants in the conference.

Joni Hannigan, left, from Florida and Morris Abernathy, from Tennessee, play ping pong during a Friday evening break during the journalism conference.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

October 8, 2008

There are a lot of stories about my friend Eloise, far right, during the recognition of her 40th year of employment on Monument Avenue.

Singer and drummer during recognition service.

James, Ashley and Justin waiting for me to do a voice over. Ashley and Justin will be married in a couple of weeks.

Fredericksburg, Virginia
October 7, 2008

Old fashioned milkshakes at Coolrich's Pharmacy on Caroline Street in Fredericksburg.

Horses sleep in the harness along Caroline Street, waiting the next customer.

Monday, October 06, 2008


My daughter, Sherianne Shannon, and I spent a father/daughter day at Wakefield Plantation, the birthplace of George Washington. The original house burned in 1779. This house was built in 1931 as a memorial in the style of an English planter's home of the period. It is considerably larger than the original whose foundation was found and excavated in 1936. 

Dawn Palmer, one of the best National Park Service interpreters I have ever encountered, displays a replica of a certificate of indenture. Indentured servants and slaves were necessary for the economic viability of the plantation; the indentured for skilled labor, the slaves to work the fields. A slave, costing 30 pounds sterling at the time, could produce tobacco worth 1,000 pounds sterling from an acre of good land per year.


A curious cow on the plantation.

 Mushrooms form a fairy ring near the graves of George Washington's ancestors. including John, his great grandfather who emigrated to Virginia in 1659.

Sunday, October 05, 2008


Elephant and calf carved in ebony, a gift from Christ's Academy in Nairobi to the members of Cambridge church. It symbolizes the nurturing of the young by the mature. It is the relationship the director, the headmaster, 10 teachers and four cooks have with the 161 students at the academy. Through their support efforts, it is a relationship Cambridge shares with the staff of the academy.

Friday, October 03, 2008


A Maasai woman selling beadwork at the Friday Maasai Market in Nairobi.

Giraffes gather to gaze at the tourists outside Nairobi. An afternoon in the Giraffe Centre with these magnificent creatures is good for the soul.

The centre is principally a an educational facility where Kenyans learn about Giraffes and how to interact with them. Many school children come to the centre as part of their primary school curriculum. 

Nelson Trent, from Richmond, Va., in the midst of what centre interpreters call a giraffe sandwich.

Wahokia carrying on a tradition and renewing an old acquaintance.