Entanglement Simulator

Saint Albans firefighters, Eric Tucker, Mike Lively, Jeremy Roncaglione, Luke Adkins and Sean Lowe make their way through the entanglement simulator during some Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training Monday morning.

They call it the entanglement "simulator", but when you're in the middle of the box the entanglement isn't simulated.  You're just plain ole tangled up!

WV State Capitol

This is a photo of part of the rotunda inside the West Virginia Capitol building.  I liked the way the light was hitting the marble walls and the painted part of the ceiling.  It was only when I got home and looked at it on the computer that I noticed how symmetrical the photo was.  I shot this hand held at a pretty low shutter speed of 1/40th of a second.  This shot hasn't been cropped or straightened at all.  I don't think I could've lined it up any straighter if I'd been using a tripod.  Pretty cool if I do say so myself.  I usually don't get that lucky.

Monday Evening

There's not a whole lot that beats a pretty sunset.  This is a 2 shot panorama.  Click on it for a better view.

Saint Albans / Nitro Bridge

The Weeping Woman

Riverview Cemetery, Parkersburg, WV.

Haunted Parkersburg

We went to Parkersburg last weekend to do the Haunted Parkersburg tour that's hosted by author, Susan Sheppard.  It was pretty entertaining.  We were in a big group and we made several stops so Susan could tell stories of ghosts around the area.  At the bottom of the Quincy Hill stairs we stopped to listen to the story of the Quincy Hill water tank disaster when this young lady sidled into our group.  She was humming, Rock a Bye Baby.  Interesting.

If you click on the water tank disaster link, you'll see the house that's directly behind her in a couple of the photos.

Opening Day!!

A couple of photos from Friday morning.  The bridge is open!!!

Roger's Spider

59 Hours...

...and 38 minutes from now the bridge is going to be open!  I took this photo at around 10 a.m.  The fog didn't burn off 'til about noon today.  This a 4 shot panorama.  Click on it for a better view.

Saturday Morning

A View From The Top

Friday Evening At Beauty Mountain

We decided to run up to the gorge Friday evening to see if there would be a nice sunset.  When we got to the Beauty Mountain "parking area" there were 4 other cars there.  That's the most I've ever seen there at once and we've been going there for about 32 years.  All the cars were other photographers that had the same idea as we did.  We were still able to find us a nice rock right on the edge of the gorge.  The same rock where Molly and I left a snowman a couple of years ago to watch over the gorge.

New River Gorge

A coal train heads north through the New River Gorge Friday night under full moonlight and a sky full of stars.

This photo is a 30 second exposure at f/5.6 and ISO 1000.

6 More Shifts...

...and I'll go back to my 1 mile commute.  Woo double Hoo!!!!!

Shavers Lake Sunrise

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;          Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,          And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.          I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

Almost Done!

A crescent moon and Venus look over Saint Albans and the almost completed Saint Albans / Nitro bridge Tuesday evening.

I talked to some bridge workers last Thursday and they said the bridge was going to be done around the end of the month and yesterday the lead story on WSAZ was about the bridge and it's early completion.

I converted this photo to black and white because of all the different color lighting in the area was kind of distracting.  This was shot hand held at 1/17th of a second at f/3.2 and iso 3200.

Purple Mountains Majesty

Sunday morning looking east towards Virginia from Snowshoe.

Rosie the Riveter

Doesn't Everybody...

...sit around and take pictures of their cameras?  Huh?