If most of you are like me, you are suffering from a “turkey hangover!”

Last week was wonderful with friends opening their homes and adding another plate for the boy from Bama. Can’t get enough of those “day after” turkey sandwiches.

The weather has been absolutely fabulous in the Outer Banks making the island the perfect place for families to come together for the Thanksgiving holiday. Black Friday was really Wonderful Weather Friday.

With winter approaching, my favorite time of day comes early here in OBX and Mother Nature continues to provide the best in photographic opportunities. Last week we had the sun setting and the full moon rising within minutes of each other.

The thanksgiving crowds have come and gone and the gallery was quiet Sunday, so I decided to close early, with the approval of the “boss”, and go chase sunsets. With the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse striking poise, I think I caught a good one.

I hope it shines a little golden light on your Cyber Monday – Enjoy!

What better gift is there to give for the holidays than ART? All the photos appearing in the blog are available for private, corporate or stock purchase.

Best wishes ……….
~dK~

What more needs to be said than it is Thanksgiving and my apologies to all those turkeys because I sure do love a good “day after” turkey sandwich.

More importantly and all kidding aside, it is that time of year when we give thanks for family and friends and for all that we are so blessed with, both spiritual and physical. 

One of the things that I am truly grateful for is that my mother has come through her ordeals and she and my dad are now safe and sound with my sister in Arizona. I am not sure what we would have done without her care and support and I am very grateful for all that she sacrificed for them.

In giving thought to what might be an appropriate image for Thanksgiving, I could not help but think “where” we give thanks the most. It is the one common place where we all find solace, our choice of a house of worship. I think of all the years I spent with my family in worship and when I return home to visit, it is the one place that my family and I continue to share.

On a recent trip to Portsmouth Island, off the coast of North Carolina, I came across the islands house of worship, which has endured the test of time and all that Mother Nature has thrown at it. In 1913 a hurricane destroyed the island’s two churches. The Methodist church, rebuilt the following year, was left leaning after a 1944 storm but still stands proud today.

As I stood in reverence and marveled at the majestic beauty of this simplistic structure, I could not help but wonder what testaments to faith all those that came to worship during those years of residence had professed. I am sure to those that survived and to those that perished this was the one place where they found time to give thanks.

I hope that you all take time to reflect on what the year has meant to you and how much we all have to be thankful for with family and friends – Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

With the holidays fast approaching what better gift to give than that one of a kind memory. All photos appearing in the blog are available for private, corporate or stock purchase. More importantly, if you have a corporate shoot upcoming or you need stock imagery, I am no further away then a phone call or email.

Best wishes ………. dK

 For more information about Portsmouth Island you can go to:
http://www.friendsofportsmouthisland.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_Island,_North_Carolina

Last year around this time the coastal Northeast was dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Ida. There was massive flooding caused by the huge surf and gale force winds from the tropical storm which the media affectionately named Nor-Ida (nor-easter).

Fast-forward one year and the Northeast finds itself once again dealing with the leftovers from Tropical Storm Tomas. I have yet to hear the term Nor-Tomas and luckily the storm has not caused near the damage its November sister did a year ago.

The one great thing about these storms is the huge swells it creates and with that comes the pageantry of surfing. The North Carolina coast and specifically the Outer Banks is known internationally for its surf and last week was no exception for why it is such a popular east coast destination. The surf was large, the tubes went forever and the surfers were out in record numbers.

Here are a few shots taken at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse where the surf was “cooking” and the “brahs” were totally “smokin”. The locals called it  “wicked”!

With the holidays fast approaching what better gift to give than a one of a kind photograph. All photos appearing in the blog are available for private, corporate or stock purchase. More importantly, if you have a corporate shoot upcoming or you need stock imagery, I am no further away then a phone call or email.

Best wishes ……….
~dK~

This week we honor those Men and Women that have served our country in the Arm Forces. On November 11, Veterans Day. It is a time for us to reflect and pay our respect to those that have served and fought for the freedoms we share. My gratitude to each and everyone of them.

Knowing that the last day of daylight savings was upon us and that sunrise on the island was to step back an hour, Cheryl and I decided to get up early Saturday morning and drive on the beach looking for the perfect spot to capture the morning light. As we drove we came to realize that the weatherman’s prediction for a clear and sunny day had gone array and instead, we encountered gray skies, heavy winds, large surf and a slight drizzle of rain. But as they say, when one door closes another opens.

As we drove the beach we spotted an object on shore, off in the distance, just beyond the reach of the surf. Much to our surprise, as we approached, we realized that is was a fully-grown loggerhead turtle that had come ashore. You cannot imagine how mesmerized we were, to be so close, by the presence and beauty of this incredible creature.

The loggerhead is the worlds largest hard-shelled turtle, measuring up to 84 inches ( 213 centimeters) long when fully grown. The adult loggerhead sea turtle weighs approximately 135 kilograms or 300 lb. Loggerhead sea turtles spend most of their life in the open ocean and in shallow coastal waters. Loggerheads are considered an endangered species and are protected by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Coming face to face with such a majestic creature was well worth the early morning rise and the weatherman’s missed forecast for a beautiful sunrise. In fact, the once in a lifetime opportunity was better than anything we could have imagined we would have encountered or witnessed that morning on OBX.

With the holidays fast approaching what better gift to give than a one of a kind photograph. All photos appearing in the blog are available for private, corporate or stock purchase. More importantly, if you have a corporate shoot upcoming, I am no further away then a phone call or email.

Best wishes ……….
~dK~

Fall has definitely arrived and what better way to announce its arrival than to celebrate the spirited and goulish annual holiday Halloween. It is the one day where dressing up as pirates, ghosts, devils, drag queens and Madonna is acceptable and all for the bounty of chocolate and kernel korn. 

Cheryl and I decided to take the ferry over to the island of Ocracoke and take advantage of the cool weather. The village was full of little pirates and costumed characters trick or treating. We could think of no better place to be on Halloween than the one place where the most infamous of all pirates, Blackbeard, sought refuge and was eventually captured and beheaded. 

As history has recorded, Blackbeard (Edward Teach) roamed the Caribbean to the Virginia Capes robbing ships in 1717. In the fall of 1718 Teach returned from his piracy at sea to his favorite hideaway, the island of Ocracoke. He hosted a huge, wild pirate get-together with dancing, drinking, and bonfires. Other famous pirates sailed in for the days-long event. In November 1718, Lt. Robert Maynard of the British Navy, commanding a sloop sent by the Governor of Virginia, captured and killed Blackbeard in a bloody duel near Ocracoke. As a warning to other pirates, Blackbeard was beheaded, his body tossed to sea and his head suspended from the bow of Maynard’s sloop..

As we past through the heart of the village and Silver Lake Harbor came into view, a ship gave us cause to pause and reflect back on the history of the Island and the pirate Blackbeard. Moored out in the middle of the harbor, was a sleek but aging black sailboat sporting a pirate flag. For that brief moment we found ourselves wondering if the ghost of Blackbeard was back sailing the high seas and had returned to Ocracoke to reclaim his bounty. Happy Halloween!!

All photos appearing in the blog are available for private, corporate or stock purchase. If you have a corporate shoot upcoming , I am no further away then a phone call or email.

Best wishes ……….
~dK~