Twice a year I head back to Virginia Beach where I visit my family and childhood home. For occasions like this, I have found that lugging a large bag of photo gear is not the best plan for me.
First of all, the visit is so hectic that I rarely get to use the equipment, no matter what my intent might have been when packing it. I hate to admit that sometimes it never even made it out of the bag. Secondly, I am technically off-duty as a photographer and a 3 lb. camera is not casual. These snapshots are not meant to be serious, but they mean a lot to me.
The real draw for me is seeing my parents, my siblings and their children. Here are a few of them.
I think that some of them like to ham it up...
What do you think?
Sometimes a stroll around the block reveals strange things like a discarded mirror.
According to my nephew, he found "bigfoot's bed" less than a mile from my parent's house at Turtle Lake. To me it looked like a shallow pit with some branches, but I am not an expert.
My parents have been in the same house since the 1960s when they were younger than I am now.
Pets are part of the family, and always underfoot.
The backyard is made for adventures of all sorts... in this case a daredevil's play ground.
In the spring, this horizontal vine turns into a mass of purple flowers.
My Dad at his computer... I guess that is where I get my interest in these things. As a child, I remember him letting me listen to a record of an early computerized speech synthesis which sounds like Siri's great, great grandfather... You can hear that at http://youtu.be/ebK4wX76RZ4
I'm not sure how to describe this one...
Lots of attitude... Her green eyes will burn holes right through you.
From serious to nutty in 2 seconds flat...
Our little gymnast is incredibly strong. Here she is demonstrating an "easy" handstand.
I can almost see why this one will look like when he is older...
This is a strange blow up balloon animal with a light shining through it.
The newest nephew...
My Dad made those butterflies for my mother at least 200 years ago.
The trampoline provides hours of fun.
My mother always has a hug for each of us... I might miss that the most.
