I hope this week finds you still basking in Holiday Spirit and for most of you, still enjoying your Holiday vacation. Best Wishes for a very memorable but safe New Years celebration. I look forward to spending the night celebrating with good friends, great food and wonderful times.

I have said this more than once but I do believe that Huntsville has one of the most spectacular cityscapes of any town its size. I know the first time my parents visited, as they topped the mountain coming over Monte Sano, they commented how much all the city lights made it look just like Christmas. I must say over the years the lights have gotten brighter and the city just continues to beam with beauty.

Right after another incredible sunset, the view of the city from atop Monte Sano.  How majestic the Saturn Rocket stands as it points skyward. I would say the city is looking All Grown Up …..Enjoy the View!!!

If you have not heard, my first year of blogging photographs and comments, “Postcards From My Miss-Adventures” is now in book form and can be viewed and purchased on-line by going to…..
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1065856

Have a Wonderful New Years - See YOU in 2010!!
~ dK ~

Happy Monday before Christmas and I write to you from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I can only wish you the best for a short week at work. If you are traveling for the holidays like I am to be with family and loved ones, I wish you safe travels.

Over the weekend and with the promise of snow coming to the Northeast, my girlfriend “suggested” we needed to do a road trip to Williamsburg, Va and enjoy a white Christmas.  With the threat of a winter nor’easter coming to the Outer Banks (10′ – 15′ swells) it seemed like a good idea, that was if we could get off the island. Surfing through the many over wash areas on Hwy 12, I wondered if it was going to be a surf White Christmas we might end up participating in.

I had never been to Williamsburg with its rich American history and beautiful colonial homes but once we arrived it was everything that had been advertised. We arrived after sunset but with the snow coming down decided to tour the city and make plans to return the next morning to capture what I hoped to be a spectacular photo for this weeks’ holiday blog. How could I go wrong with the beautiful snow, gracing all of the homes, as the sun peeked through the clouds. There were the beautiful churches, the colonial homes, and the majesty of the Governor’s Palace and the Capital. Anyone of the captures would do. How wonderful it was to have had the opportunity to visit such a historical location. With the natural holiday decorations adorning the doors, houses and sidewalks of the city, it was the perfect time of year.

With our mission accomplished, we headed south and on the way opted to stop at one more location, the Hampton National Cemetery, in Hampton, VA. The cemetery is located in the vicinity of where the historic Civil War naval battle between the Confederate Merrimac/Virginia and the Union Monitor ironclad ships occurred in 1862. The cemetery’s first burials took place in 1862 and the cemetery is among numerous national cemeteries with origins that date to the Civil War. As you pass through the cemetery you cannot help but feel a sense of humility and reverence for those that are buried there. You could not stand in the presence of the thousands of headstones and not mutter the words, “Thank You!”  In that moment a true sense of the meaning of Christmas overcame me and I knew, as much a Williamsburg was the beauty of Christmas, the gift of all that they have given really defined the true meaning of Christmas.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Holiday with family and friends.
“Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards Men”

If you have not heard, my first year of blogging is now in book form and can be viewed and purchased on-line by going to…..
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1065856

Have a great week
~ dK ~

It’s been another wonderful week in Huntsville, beautiful sunsets but  quite the chill with temperatures dipping into the upper 20′s and low 30′s.

Saturday morning with the threat of potential freezing rain in the forecast, the 32nd Annual Rocket City Marathon was scheduled to kick off at 8 am in downtown Huntsville. Over the years this has been one event I have found somewhat difficult to get “up for” photographically speaking.  It is scheduled for an early morning after a pre holiday Friday night and historically speaking it is always cold.  Well this year proved to be no exception … I was reeling from a festive holiday night, and then the morning came way too early.

As I stood cameras in hand, waiting for the shot gun start, I could not help but think what would drive a large group of individuals to get up at the crack of dawn, subject themselves to a wet freezing cold morning and endure running 26.2 miles through the neighborhoods of Huntsville. There must be a few loose screws I speculated until I realized other than the 26.2 mile, here I stood early morning and in freezing temperatures. I felt a little bit of a kinship even if was a foggy freezing fanatic kind of connection.

At the precise moment, the gun shot went off, the multitudes of marathoners raced towards me and all I could think of was the lyrics from Born to Run, by Bruce Springsteen …..
“Together we could break this trap, We’ll run till we drop,
baby well never go back. Will you walk with me out on the wire …..
Where we really want to go and we’ll walk in the sun,
But till then tramps like us, baby we were born to run!”

The electric start of the 2009 Rocket City Marathon …..

If you are looking for a last minute present for the holidays, take time to look back through my blog’s miss-adventures. The perfect holiday gift awaits you. 

Have a great week!
~ dK ~

It appears Mother Nature has announced her winter arrival in Alabama with quite the statement. Out with the shorts and in with pants and jackets.

If you were in Huntsville last Friday, hopefully you were lucky enough to avoid the “Snow is Coming Food Frenzy.”  What is it about any mention of snow and off the shelves goes milk and bread. I have yet to understand that fanaticism. Must be a southern thang!!

Finally the weather men got one right, an Alabama dusting on Saturday morning that stayed on the ground just long enough to give early morning drivers a few headaches. For anyone fortunate enough to get up and out, the thinly veiled white blanket was a thing of beauty. That was, until it started playing hide or melt with the sun peaking in and out of the morning clouds. Knowing I did not have very long to capture the beauty, I headed to Cummings Research Park to photograph the area and enjoy the solitude as I listened to the virgin snow crackle under my footsteps.

As I raced around the park, many of the buildings were still graced by the dusting but one that captured my eye appeared to be in perfect harmony with Mother Nature. The majestic design of the Digium building sat perfectly on the hill as the snow slowing melted away.

If you are looking for a last minute present for the holidays, take time to look back through my miss-adventures. You just might find the perfect gift to hang on a wall of your residence or office.

I would be remiss if I did not leave you with one last note. Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide on their win over the University of Florida to secure the SEC Championship.
It is now on to Pasadena  … Roll Tide Roll!!! I know the “Bear” is smiling!!

Have a great week!
~ dK ~

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday behind us, it is back to work. I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Mine was spent with dear friends who took mercy on a bachelor that was “home alone” for the holiday.

Leftovers! Is there any thing more satisfying than a turkey sandwich, stuffing with gravy and a piece of pecan pie as you kick back and get consumed by the best of home town college football rivalries. I guess you could argue that each rivalry, in it’s own right, is the “best” but for sake of discussion I would have to say there is no greater battle than the Auburn vs. Alabama “Iron Bowl”!! This year’s game was no exception. For Auburn fans it was heartbreak and for Alabama fans it was a heart attack. The emotion that surrounds this game is nothing short of a religious fervor.

I have no greater memories than those being on the sidelines photographing the last four years of Bear Bryant’s Alabama football career. I can honestly say there was nothing more mesmerizing than to be in his presence. Arguably, he was the greatest college football coach of all time. I stood in awe every week, mesmerized with hundreds of other photographers as he leaned on the goal post watching the Tides pre-game warm-up. It was a spectacle of infectious proportions. I was fortunate enough to be at 315 and fortunate enough to be in Memphis for his very last game. His influence on the game we so cherish today is unmistakable.

Sometimes you have to look behind to see and appreciate what lies ahead  … Paul “Bear” Bryant in post game interview after the 1971 Iron Bowl, “I know one thing, I’d rather die now than to have died this morning and missed this game.”

If you are looking for a special gift for the holidays, take time to look back through my blog and consider giving a photograph as a gift.

Happy Week After Black Friday!!!!
 ~ dK ~