Short Pump, Virginia

Cambridge Church

Vicky's fingers grace the keyboards at Cambridge church this Sunday morning ...

... while children greet each other at the front of the church before ...

... praying and returning to their parents.

This is a special morning at the church, a solemn occasion. Servant leaders for this year are confirmed by the congregation by ...

... laying hands on them and offering words of encouragement ...

... followed by prayer for their discernment.

Copperas Creek

Sadie settles next to Dianne for a head scratch at the end of the evening.

Photographed with a Canon 5D Mark I

Henrico & Short Pump, Virginia

Car Shopping

Henrico

Dianne checks out the Prius while car shopping, but ...

... at the end of the day chooses a gray Volkswagen Jetta diesel, foreground, saying goodbye to the red, Jeep Liberty, background.

Short Pump

After dinner with at Firebird's Rocky Mountain Grill, Farris enjoys a moment at the fire pit in Downtown Short Pump.

Photographed with a Leica M8

Short Pump

Open Mic Night

The Daily Grind

It is open mic night at the Daily Grind. Local musicians from Short Pump — including my good friend Chris Branch — gather for night of great music ...

... Farris, center, and his buddy Jack, left, debut as a brass duet ...

... Farris' brother Shawn — who is majoring in music at a local college — treats us to his growing skill as a performer, guitarist and singer ...

... Keegan — who just began studying guitar — is progressing at a phenomenal rate. He is unfazed by playing before a large audience ...

... Sarah, left, and her brother Sean, right, treat us to duets. Both are incredible musicians. Sean is in his last semester at Virginia Tech, Sarah is majoring in music at NYU ...

... the evening also included many established local musicians. I wish I had the space to ...

... post all of them here ...

... the evening is a audio and visual feast, reason enough to see live performance. The flying fingers, nuanced expression, blending of voice and instrument ...

... with rapt attention of a good audience of friends and neighbors make for a memorable evening ...

... Autumn comes with one wrist dressed dressed to the nines ...

... the evening guided and moderated by local musician Ricky Allen. To sample videos from all the performers, go to Ricky's FaceBook postings at Open Mic Night, Richmond, Virginia

Photographs taken with Leica M8 and Canon 5D Mark II cameras

Short Pump, Virginia

Lenscrafters

I've had a problem with these glasses. They have transitional lenses that darken when exposed to sunlight. I like them because I don't have to carry a pair of sunglasses around with me. But they work so well I can't see the light meter in the viewfinder when shooting in full sun with the Canon 5D. So ...

... I ordered these frames and lenses. The lenses are clear and don't darken in sunlight. Problem solved. They also have ...

... click-on sunglasses held to the frame by tiny magnets. With them on I get protection from the sun when I'm not using the Canon and with them off can see the meter when I am.

Daily Grind

At first glance it looks like a sweet moment between brother and sister. But all is not as it appears. Ferris, foreground, and Jenine, rear, are not loving on each other. They're wrestling for a kazoo Jenine has in her right hand.

Photographs taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

Copperas Creek

This is a replica of lamps used in the Middle East for several centuries bracketing the First Century A.D. It is fashioned from clay dug from Nazareth, Israel. A small, cloth wick extending from the lip drew olive oil from the base for fuel. Imagine how little light it gave off when lit. Yet also imagine how comforting it must have been deep in the night in a darkened room. 

Photograph taken with a Canon 5D, Mark II

Short Pump, Virginia

The Leica M8 at rest.

Photograph taken with an Apple iPhone

Short Pump, Virginia

Daily Grind

Greg Mattice is one of my heroes. He has a debilitating neurological condition that in a short time took him from Ironman triathlete to someone who has difficulty getting around. It is his attitude that astounds me. It is remarkable what it allows him to accomplish under conditions that would crush many. Today he holds court at the Daily Grind. This is the first day since the holidays he has felt like getting out of the house.

Pizza Fusion

The end of a good day. Sierra serves up a fabulous pie at Pizza Fusion — the all organic pizza shop in Short Pump — for a leisurely meal and conversation with a good friend.

Photographs taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

Over the past week winter weather added a skim of ice to lakes and ponds around Short Pump. Ducks and geese hop from the ice to open water while sea gulls circle ...

... occasionally a goose takes lifts off ... 

... rises gracefully into the air ...

... seeking out open water ...

... while gulls continue to circle.

Photographs taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump & Richmond, Virginia

Daily Grind

Short Pump

Aly displays her latest portrait. Her skill as an artist has progressed exponentially during the past year. The pencil drawing is of Rayme, a worker at the Daily Grind.

Richmond

Su Casa

Jenine, above, mugs in another hat at Su Casa — this time a Russian, red fox one while Farris, below ...

... shoots cocktail toothpicks into a styrofoam cup with a blowgun improvised from a straw. He nails several shots, piercing the cup.

Photographs taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

Copperas Creek

A cold front passed through Short Pump last night and left a dusting of snow. Early morning sun lights the interior of one the backyard birdhouses, vacant for the season.

Photograph taken with a Leica M8

Richmond, Virginia

Monument Avenue

Terry leads discussion on a design concept, looking not so much for consensus but the spark that will ignite the design and take it to levels beyond the predicable.

Photograph taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

In a forest of legs Lindsey pulls off her socks. When everyone claps, she does too. But with socks in her hands it sounds like one hand clapping.

Photograph taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

Copperas Creek

More than a week of sub-zero nights and cold days encase an oak leaf in ice.

Photograph taken with a Leica M8

Richmond, Virginia

Nothing like an ice cold "Leninade" to quench the chill of a Bolshevik soul on a brisk winter day.

Photograph taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

Cambridge Church

Children at Cambridge church gather to hear Chad, below, talk about people around the world ...

... asking two of them to hold up a map to illustrate his talk and ...

... giving each a piece of foreign currency to help them remember what he said.

Three of our young women — left to right: Kelsey, Amber and Megan — leave with Pastor Jay this week to work among indigenous people high in the Andes Mountains of Peru ...

... we commission them, wish them well and celebrate communion.

Daily Grind

Matthew, right, tells his mother that for her next birthday he is going to give her something she can use every day. "Is it a kiss," she asks?

Emilio's

Tapas tonight at Emilio's include Spanish tortillas and chorizo flambeed.

Photographs taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

Short Pump Town Center

Ashley, above, saw my camera and asked how photographers create images where the foreground is in focus and the background is not — she wants to try that with her camera — I shot a few frames and showed her. 

It is a blustery day with Arctic air streaming out of the north. Water from the Short Pump Town Center fountain swirls in the gusts and freezes as it falls.

Photographs taken with a Leica M8

Short Pump, Virginia

New Year's Day

Copperas Creek

It is a lazy day on Copperas Creek, filled with naps and football games in front of the fire.

Photographed with a Leica M8