Peaceful Mountain Gets Moving: More From Tai Shan's Early Days

More from our first couple of visits with Tai Shan and his mom (Mei Xiang) at the National Zoo in early 2006. Shooting through a fence and willow branches with insufficient light for good, sharp photos, but oh well - he's still a cute little bear.

Bang, Zoom Go The Fireworks - 2010

Happy Independence Day, everyone! In honor of my country's 234th birthday, here are a few of my favorite fireworks photos, taken at July 4th celebrations in Germantown, Rockville and Washington (and a couple from the Desert Storm Victory Celebration in Washington). There are a few repeats from last year, but who cares - FIREWORKS! Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pandas At Rest

The more peaceful moments at the National Zoo's Giant Panda Exhibit in March, 2001. Mei Xiang grabs a few winks in between wrestling bouts, above.

Tian Tian, sprawling.

Mei in her sleeping trees.

Mei in her "escape from Tian" tree.

Mei and Tian - nap time. That is why they don't do two shows a day, anymore!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pandas At Play

In March of 2001, [Maris] and I had our first visit with the newest residents of the National Zoo in Washington, DC - Giant Pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. Like the hundreds of other visitors there that day, we were immediately smitten. We had grown up with the Zoo's original pair, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing and although we loved them, too, they just weren't fun to watch. Mei and Tian like each other, and arrived at a younger, more energetic age. Here are our first few shots. Below, Mei Xiang amuses herself...

"I am a panda. Love me!"

Tian Tian's favorite game is "chase, tackle and bite Mei until she squeaks."

Mei's favorite game is "wait for Tian to chase, tackle and bite me until I squeak."

Pushing each other is fun, too - apparently.

Ah, a 5-gallon water jug filled with apple slices. Tian is not nearly as coordinated, nor as patient, as Mei, so this "enrichment" item is all hers to inspect...

... and bite...

... and shake. She did, eventually, get every last bit of apple out of there, too.

One last head-butt, and we'll say so long for now, fluffy little ones.

So much more to come. Thanks for visiting. Seeya!

Weirdness and Miscellany

While I go about the ugly business of attempting to decide where to go next, subject-wise, please enjoy this little collection of photographic whimsy. I'm nothing if not . . . random. Above: Jolt Cola Cans - Rockville, MD - 1987. Jolt was among my very best friends, that year.

Jack-O-Lanterns - Rockville, MD - 1991. Guess which one is mine.

Sand, Water, Light - near Indian River Inlet, DE - 1992

Nor'easter Damage - Rehoboth Beach, DE - 1992

My first nephew rearranging my tape collection in 1991. He's putting a Simple Minds tape under "Q." He's gotten much better at his alphabet, since then.

Statue at St. Mary's - White Chapel, VA - 1999

Is that a castle, you ask? In Berkeley Springs, WV? In 1996? Yes. Yes, it is!

Dancers at the resort hotel in the middle of nowhere - Dominica - 1993. I had slow film, no tripod or flash, low light and fast action, but I fired away, just for fun. This is about a quarter-second exposure, and it ends up saying what it needs to say just fine, IMHO. Note the "Cheers" dart board in the background. Can't get TOO far from home, can we?

Rear View - Gaithersburg, MD - 1992. Neat!

Airman Autographing Kid's Shirt at the Desert Storm Victory Celebration in Washington, DC in 1991. 'Nuff said.

MORE TO COME! Seeya!

Close To Home

There isn't a lot to say about the pictures in this post. I grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, so a lot of my early photography centers on DC, Baltimore and the surrounding area. Not many people seem to be FROM the DC area, but I am and I still find it a great source of photographic subjects. Above: Looking north on Rockville Pike from Montrose Road in December 1992.

The Smithsonian Institution Castle - Washington National Mall - 1992

The Lincoln Memorial - Washington National Mall, 1992. I didn't want the same old postcard, so I shot through the fountains. The fencing is there to keep the public out of the fireworks launching area.

Okay, so this is pretty much the same old postcard shot of the Jefferson Memorial through cherry blossoms, across the Tidal Basin in 1997. I could not resist that pink sky. There's a reason everyone takes this type of shot: It works.

Chief Zee and 54,566 friends at RFK Stadium, cheering the Washington Redskins to a playoff victory over the Los Angeles Rams on December 28, 1986.

The north span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge under an ominous summer sky in 1985. No, I wasn't driving. This time.

The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, destination of my first train trip with my dad. This photo comes from over two decades later - 1996. The museum was closed, so this rainy scene was actually shot through a chain-link fence.

The Montgomery County Fair - Gaithersburg, MD - 1991. There are actually dozens of people between the camera and the ticket booth near the lower left corner, but the long exposure helped them to do what I love having people do in my photos - vanish!