Hawaii

Sometimes timing aligns with simple luck! The weather in the Carolinas has been miserably hot and sticky this month with last weekend expecting 100 degree days. It just so happened that I was scheduled to photograph a wedding in Hawaii on the 24th which allowed me to miss 4 days of scorching heat and instead enjoy beautiful vistas and a cool trade breeze! Timing and luck shone through!

This was my 3rd visit to the Kanapala Resort on the southeastern shore of Oahu. It's a beautiful resort complete with a Dolphin lagoon - if you just have to touch a dolphin! The lagoon features lovely tropical fish, stingrays and sea turtles. As a very popular destination for Japanese vacationers, the resort is secluded on its private beach and prides itself on the service and fine dining available.

In addition to the wedding photography, I was able to get out and visit Pearl Harbor for the first time. With the museum under renovations, I'd have to say I was a little disappointed in the overall presentation of the National Park. The Arizona Memorial was quite nice and the tourists very respectful.

Here's a link to a few shots I got during my short stay.

Cheers,

Monty

Savannah, GA

Savannah has been on my list of places to visit for a number of years now. For most of my life I have heard stories and read history books concerning the role Savannah has played in the history of the United States. Tales of architecture rivaling New Orleans and Charleston have always lingered in the back of my mind.

Finally, my journey through life has led me to Savannah. Day one was a simple walk through what is a fairly spread out town. The Historic District is large, encompassing many city blocks. Sprinkled throughout the district are many "squares" which are really small parks with plenty of shade trees. Several of them have a fountain as well.

Savannah in July is exceedingly hot and humid. A simple short walk will result in you being wet from sweat. So be prepared for that. There are many reputable tour companies operating in Savannah offering transportation ranging from bus service to horse carriage along with knowledgeable nuggets of historic information concerning many of the period houses, churches, and public buildings .

There are many museums occupying the more well known houses. If you have the time and are willing to hand over the cash to walk through the house you'll witness beautiful interior architecture and furnishings. Talk about antiques!!

Here's a link to images I captured during my short visit to Savannah.

Cheers,

Monty

Hunting Island, SC

After a short few days in Washington, DC and an even shorter July 4th weekend at home we headed back out to the Carolina coast. This time we headed to Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina. I'd read that this was a special place. It's use as the backdrop for the Vietnam war scenes in the movie "Forrest Gump" made me wonder just how "tropical" a South Carolina beach Island could be. It met the hype - and more!

This is a very nice island that is undeveloped (State Park), a protected turtle nesting area, very family friendly, and has a very beautiful beach front. The grassland salt marches that are along the inter-coastal provide a great habitat for a variety of birds as well as an estuary for many species of sea-life.

This would be a great spot to spend time in the spring watching the migration of sea birds. There were a few present in July, but the flocks found in the spring would make that a worthwhile trip.

Good fishing, wonderful sea-shell hunting, morning walks on the beach - it simply doesn't get any better.

Here's a link to some images of coastal Carolina.

Cheers,

Monty

Washington DC

After a couple of weeks on the beaches of North Carolina Outer Banks, we headed north to visit our nations capital. Camping at the Capital KOA proved to be a good decision as they provided a shuttle service to the Capital Building. Being our first visit to Washington we were truly "tourists".

While the signature buildings and sights were beautiful and full of history, it was the museums that I found most interesting. Looking at paintings that were created several hundred years ago, many of which documented events of the period, caused one to pause and reflect.

I did learn that you really need to plan a solid week if you want to visit all that is available. It would also be a good thing to check the weather and be sure the temps would be conducive to walking around. 98 degrees with humidity at 90% is not such a condition.

The Mall, which forms the centerpiece of the 'tourist circuit" is about 1 1/2 miles in length and insures that you don't get lost looking for the attraction that interests you. While the big items which are famous are very interesting and shouldn't be missed, don't pass the smaller memorials and sites that are all along the mall.

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Congresswoman Sue Myrick and her staff for the wonderful tour of the Capital building. The young man that took us on the tour was really nice and did a great job providing the history of the various parts of the building.

I did learn one thing - Capital Hill is really a hill and the high ground provides a little safety from flooding if the Potomac were to crest.

Here's a link to a few of the sites I photographed during the visit.

Cheers,

Monty