Washington DC

When I think of Washington DC, I think of Politics, Government Elections, and other not so fun stuff. However, there is a lot of history there and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed visiting DC with Fe Lyn and her friend Evelyn. We only had a day and so made a very quick tour to some of the landmarks we wanted to see.

Early in the morning the first place we hit was the White House, we found a parking space nearby (the roads were blocked off since 9/11) and we walked up to the front.. 

The next stop was the National Cathedral... so majestic..



The inside was breathtaking as well..



We visited Arlington Cemetery and visiting the John F. Kennedy Memorial... Jackie Kennedy was buried next to her husband as well as their daughter who had past away in the 60's and also Patrick. JFK Jr. if you recall was not buried here with the rest of the family as he was cremated and his ashes were scattered where his plane had crashed at sea..



And then the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier... one of my favorite places. I admire these soldiers who guard this tomb, as they are relieved every 30 minutes by another soldier. While on guard, they take 21 steps back and forth while pausing 21 seconds before each turn, in honor of the soldiers who were lost in battle and could not be identified..



And of course you can't leave Washington without seeing the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monuments..




Our last stop was a new landmark, the Air Force Memorial.. Amazingly tall steel rods (if you call it that) in the sky..

Michael and Laurie

Yesterday, I had a chance to have lunch with two of my cousins, Michael and Laurie. We haven't seen each other in quite a while so it was very pleasant to be able to spend some time with them. Michael who is a very successful Photographer in the New Jersey/New York area with AG2 Photography took us to a quaint restaurant in Perth Amboy NJ across from Staten Island NY.

Terrific food, terrific company and great ambiance. Here are couple of pictures that I took below. Did I mentioned that Michael squirted lobster sauce all over my shirt? Check out his blog for a picture.

Philadelphia

For those of you who travel often, it seems more difficult to adjust to the difference in time zones when you fly from West to East. I always end up sleeping late, and getting up late. 

Fe Lyn and I woke finally woke up around 10AM, took our time getting ready, having lunch then headed off to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell. We weren't sure we were going to make it before they close for the day, BUT we did make it, just Barely. 

We've been to Philly a handful of times, and enjoy walking around the city. It has that historic feel to it, with a lot of landmarks to see. We didn't have much time to walk around, but we did take a few pictures below. 

The view from our room in the morning was even better than at night


 

Looking at the Liberty Bell can't help but make you feel a patriotic..

This is where they signed the Declaration of Independence

The Weather was nice.. so we decided to take in the view downtown and sat by in a nearby park..

My favorite photo of the day..

Isabella Villaflor's Baptism Slideshow

I thought I would take a moment to post a slideshow just some of the pictures my brother Eric and I took at Isabella's wedding. Check back next week for the final slideshow. 

Atlantic City

I was probably around 12 to 13 years old the last time I was in Atlantic City. For those of you keeping count, that was in the early 80's. Fe Lyn and I finally arrived here around 11PM EST after a slight delay in our flight in Dallas. 

It feels good to be back, when I was here last there weren't as many casino's as there are now. Our view from the Taj Mahal is spectacular. I am going to try and get up for a sunrise view if I can, feeling real tired at the moment.

Isabella Denise A. Villaflor

I had the honor to photograph the Baptism of Isabella Denise A. Villaflor. Isabella was very calm and serene through out the ceremony, even yawning at one point, trying to surmise the curious actions of those around her.

Gabe and Cherryl Villaflor, the proud parents, can only look on and smile. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Free Golf Balls!

I was over my brother Eric's house today. He had just moved into his new home last week, which is in a PERFECT location right next to a Golf Course. I don't think he will ever need to buy golf balls again. LOL.

Blog Blog Blog

Ok, so I've been too wrapped up on Facebook over the last week or so I almost forgot to Blog. I don't know what it is about Facebook, but it is really addicting and there is still so much I have to learn about it!

Some exciting things coming up. I will be heading out to the East Coast next week, visiting Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Washington DC and New York City. I'm really excited to go out there on Vacation, rather than business. So I hope to be blogging while I am there.

I'm excited about this weekend before my trip, I have a Photo Shoot on Saturday with a fabulous couple and their pet, and a Baptism on Sunday. Looking forward to both of those events.

Keep it real.

Facebook

I finally decided to create a Facebook page. You can click on my profile here and add me as your friend. I think Facebook is much better than Myspace and it seems like a lot of fun and easy to use. Great way to keep up with your friends on what they are up to on a day to day basis.

[B] School for Photographers

One of my favorite Photography blogs is by Becker. He's been a leader in the Photography industry for such a long time. The [B] School which will be coming out in October is something he's been working on for quite some time. It's a social referral site for Photographers. I am excited to see the launch and see how this new website can help grow my business.