Gustav continues to move towards the Gulf Coast.  Looks like it could be a rough ride ahead for a lot of people.

  Big story today is tropical storm Gustav.  Where will it end up tracking and how strong will it be?  Right now it appears to be heading towards MS/AL.  Landfall would likely not occur until Sunday-Tuesday.

  Grandmother is doing well.  A lot better than she was a few days ago.  She was in good spirits and is in recovery mode.  They did not expect her to make it.  This is her third stroke.

  My dad and I drove up yesterday and came home this afternoon.  It was actually chilly up near Chicago!  The news said there was frost across portions of Minnesota!  The Farmers Almanac is predicting a VERY cold winter.  🙂

  Busy week ahead.

  We came home yesterday.  My grandmother (dad’s side of the family) has had a stroke.  Daddy and I are going up north to see her on Monday morning.  She lives near Chicago.

  Had a safe trip back to Paducah. 

  I have been looking for this photograph of Cheetah.  Norman found it for me.

 There are very rough days ahead of us.  Economic collapse is right around the corner if those in charge don’t do something soon.  I look for multiple bank failures, including Merrill Lynch going under or being bought out – Fannie Ma – Freddie – Lehman – others.  They are all going down soon. 

  I am still thinking the stock market will go below 10,000.  I was thinking it would bottom around 9-10,000.  Hard to say.

  Then toss in Iran and Russia?  Eventually gas will be 6-8 dollars a gallon, once the war starts.  Oil will go above $150.  I don’t think most people understand what could happen in the coming months and few years.  None of this is a pretty picture.  No politician will save us from this mess.

  I can’t help but comment on the state of affairs.  Syria signs a deal with Russia – U.S. signs a deal with Poland.  Russia does not appear to be moving out of Georgia.  Russia threatens to attack Poland.  U.S. says an attack on Polland will be considered an attack on the Untied States.  Iran says they will bring on more nuclear power plants.  Israel waits to attack.

  I see new alliances forming.  Russia with Syria and ongoing with Iran and perhaps eventually China.  New alliances with some European counties to include Georgia and the Ukrain – perhaps more. 

  Ugly days ahead of us I would imagine.  I don’t see any of this ending well.  A bumpy year or two ahead.

  I know one thing and that is that the islamic radicals can not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.  For the sake of my nephew and nieces that can never be allowed and for the sake of millions of other people.  If it means going to war then we go to war.  Talk doesn’t seem to work with these freaks.

  I hate war.  I can’t stand war.  War devastates and sets back nations for decades.  Unfortunatley I have learned that war is part of life.  The reason war is part of life is that it is sometimes that only way to bring peace.  You can not allow evil men to destroy good men.  You can not allow evil goals to subvert the goals of good people who simply want to leave freely in their own lands.

I read this is an editorial:

  WAR doesn’t change anything! How many times have we heard the claim from self-righteous leftists protected by their betters?

   Tell the dead in Georgia that war changes nothing. Tell it to the 100,000 or so people driven from their homes. For that matter, tell it to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin – he may finally crack a smile.

   Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew to Brussels to huff and puff, but NATO isn’t about to blow Putin’s house down. We’ll get an earnest statement of concern, the cancellation of military exercises with the Russians and an easy-to-retract suggestion that, just maybe (if the astrologers approve unanimously), there might be a place in the Atlantic alliance for Georgia and Ukraine in the distant future.

   In an act of breathtaking daring, NATO ministers even put down their teacups and agreed to term the Russian invasion "disproportionate." Boy, Putin’s scared now.

   Meanwhile, Russian troops and their mercenary auxiliaries remain on Georgian soil – and the West doesn’t have a single means of moving them.

   War doesn’t change anything? Wish it were true – but war has been humankind’s preferred means of effecting change.

   We’re all – right and left – getting an in-your-face lesson about how the world really works. Passive resistance only has a chance when your opponent believes in the rule of law and respect for human rights. Gandhi was effective against law-abiding Britain, but he would’ve frozen to death in the Soviet gulag – if he’d lived long enough to reach the camps.

   I’d love it if we lived in a world where war truly didn’t work. But war does work. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pursue other means of resolving international crises – but effective idealism has to be grounded in a practical grasp of present reality.

   To make the world a better place, we have to begin with a clear-eyed assessment of what kind of place the world is.

   Putin just showed us what stirring words about democracy and freedom are worth in the face of tanks and combat aircraft. The Georgians had the noble ideas and lofty dreams; the Russians had the troops and ammunition. Guess who won?

   Over the years, as I’ve tried to explain the human reality I’ve encountered, the leftist response has been "Shoot the messenger!" (presumably, with a water gun). When I wrote that a dangerous minority of men enjoy tormenting and killing others, the response was that I obviously believed killing was good.

   I’ve never even kicked a cat. But the critics didn’t want to face a reality that contradicts their pleasant campus theories. Berkeley radicals don’t take midnight strolls through the toughest streets in Oakland. They know that some human beings are innately violent – but admitting it would be unbearable.

   Does it really make you a warmonger if you recognize that war is the collective activity at which human beings are most adept? Does telling the truth make the truth-teller guilty?

   In the twisted, pretzel-logic world of the hardcore Left, it does.

   Well, what solutions does the war-doesn’t-change-anything Left bring to the party now, in Georgia? We’ve seen how earnestly Putin & Co. take negotiations and cease-fire agreements, how carefully the Russians observe UN resolutions and international law. What measures should we take to remove Russia’s boot from Georgia’s neck? Send yet another diplomat or publicity-hound senator? They’ve done a great job in Darfur . . .

   The bitter truth is, none of us can move Russia. Only force could do the trick – and, brutally put, we don’t deem Georgia worth any serious risks. For the record, I don’t think a military response at this point would do any good – only more harm. But the West has no alternative tools that impress the Russians.

   Putin believes in force. Just because we don’t share his values doesn’t mean he’s going to see the light. (Imagine a President Barack Obama pitted against Putin – the Left’s new messiah would be gobbled up in one bite.)

   Putin doesn’t think we’re naive fools. He knows it.

Ralph Peters’ latest book is "Looking for Trouble: Adventures in a Broken World."

  Mihai’s grandfather has passed away.  We are taking him to the airport in the morning, so that he can fly home.  We are going to Toronto.  Our flight leaves around noon and will arrive in Toronto tomorrow evening.

  The Pope was away from the Vatican today…he was at his summer residence – Castle Gandolfo.  So we drove out there to see him.  We arrived three hours early.  Had a great spot though, once he arrived for his morning "talk" and prayer.

  Here are a few photographs that I took…

Looking for the Pope

The Pope

The World

A bride came to see the Pope for a blessing

Joey in the crowd

  Afterwards we went out to eat.  Nice view of the volcano…filled with water now.

Joey – restaurant is overlooking Lake Albano (volcano)

View from the restaurant

Lake Albano – old volcano crater

  Today we left for Florence, Italy.  We were going to see the Statue of David and the large church (Duomo) with the dome.  We were able to see some of that.  Three hundred stair steps to the top of the church.  It was well worth it though.  You could see the entire city/area.  Beautiful!!!!

A boy draws artwork beneath the statues of gods and goddesses

A snapshot into Joey’s glasses

Lot of bikes here in Florence

A VERY long climb to the top and bottom of the church

On top of the world – Florence, Italy

‘
Joey

Mihai looking below

We made an attempt to go and see the Statue of David.  This is what we found!!!  🙂

  Some more photographs I took today:

They are big on blown glass here in Venice – beautiful!

This guy needed a nap 🙂

  Tony Crouch – my brother in law – fixed this one for me.   🙂  One of these days I will learn a bit more about PhotoShop.  🙂

  Here are some photos from today.  These are some of my favorites.  Hopefully my photographs are getting better.  Slowly learning to be a bit more brave with the "people" photography.  Probably one of my most difficult subjects – mainly because I am always afraid to take photos of people.  Getting there though!  Tony, from National Geographic, told me to "just do it."    🙂

Venice,  Italy

Childhood wonderment

A night in Venice

I took this one for Gail 🙂

 
 Tony fixed this one for me.  Isolating the colors (this one is from Rome a few days ago)

  Long day.  Fun day.  Beautiful weather here.  I guess the cold front cleaned everything out.  Air is fresh.

  I will have to take some time and write down more about the area.  Venice is a lot further north and east than Rome.  I would imagine this also helps with the cooler temperatures.  I can see the snow capped mountains from here!!!  HMMMM SNOW!!!!!  🙂  Soon enough, I am sure.  It will almost be fall when we return home.  Can’t beat that!

  Hopefully my time with Tony yesterday taught me a few more things about photography.  I think the greatest lesson was to make sure you change your "perspective" when taking a photo.  Go higher up or lower down.  Think outside of the box.  I can’t wait to spend more time learning about photography.  Another year to go!!!!

🙂

   Okay, here are some more photographs from today/this afternoon/evening.

Mihai on the Adriatic Sea

David out on the water 🙂

David – I had to get a photo for his mother!  🙂

BEAUTIFUL VENICE

Joey out on the water today

Our water taxi for this morning

We visited one of the many glass blowers.  David bought something from this shop.  It is amazing
how they can take sand and turn it into glass.  🙂

That would be me 🙂

Mihai

  Here are some more photographs that I took this evening, in Venice, Italy.

You can see the beautiful sky – nice cirrus clouds.

Venice is FAMOUS for its blown glass.  You see it everywhere.  Beautiful as well.  🙂

I saw these sunglasses and immediately thought "SUE HENTY"  🙂  She has some "classy hollywood" 
sun glasses!  I can’t seem to keep a pair myself.  Lose them or end it squashing them in the car!!!

Some outdoor music.

  Just amazing weather here in Venice.  Temperatures are in the 70s and 80s.  The air is so fresh.  The thunderstorms cleaned the atmosphere out.  Stunning is the best word for this weather.

  We walked around the city for most of the day.  Venice is amazing.  I love it!  I could definitely see spinning some time in this city!

  Here are some photographs that I took today.

Venice, Italy

Joey and Mihai

That would be me 🙂

We came across this old shop – closed up with padlocks.  Everything had dust and cobwebs.  I noticed
Donald appeared to be trapped.  🙁

I noticed these weather instruments 🙂

Joey

Joey

Joey

Joey

Mihai

 
Mihai – from Romania

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN VENICE, ITALY!!!!

  Here are some photography that I took in Venice on Friday afternoon and evening

Joey walking down on of the many small alley ways in the City of Venice.  It rained most of the evening.  We
even had heavy thunderstorms with strong winds! 

At the restaurant last night

Joey waiting on his dinner

A rainy night in Venice, Italy

Our water taxi awaits us in Venice!

Venice, Italy – Evening

Making our way to the hotel on the water taxi

Venice, Italy

Our water taxi drive

When we first arrived in Italy (back tracking a bit) we had to get into a water taxi.  This is how you get around
portions of the city.  The streets are made of water.  So here we are in the boat heading for the hotel.

This was our water taxi driver

Venice, Italy

  Here are some photographs I took in Rome today.  We left Rome around 3 PM for Venice.  Took the train.  Amazing views of Italy! 

Rome, Italy

Rome

Rome

Rome

Rome

Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

  Here are some more of my photographs from my trip with National Geographic Photographer Tony Boccaccio.  Still working on my technique but here are some of the shots that I took on Friday afternoon.

  Well, it was an exciting day to say the least.  I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous about meeting Tony.  In the end, though, he was a wonderful teacher.  Very patient, knowledgeable, and helpful.  He taught me a lot in a short amount of time.  I think i will try to meet up with him again in the future.  Perhaps Brazil?  He says he is moving there!  Sounds like another trip in the future.

  I know Sue will be wanting a full report – that will wait until I get home though.  I can show her better than tell her what I learned.  I would definitely recommend a photography session with someone like Tony. 

  So, here are some photos that I took today.  Still learning and always will be!!!  But I gave some of his tips a try and came up with these.

The Collisium

That is me taking a picture with Tony on the right.

That is Tony on the left taking a photograph

I took this photograph near the Collisium.  These guys sell
these umbrellas on the streets.  Helps keep people stay cool in the 100 degree weather!

  It is already warm outside!  When I open the window I can feel the heat.  We are expecting thunderstorms later.  Especially across northern Italy.  I am hopeful that we get some decent rain and thundershowers.  Would be nice!!!!

  Meeting the photographer in a few minutes.  This was some kind of program that David found on-line.  Former photographers (or current) will take you out for a day and teach you "how to take photographs".  I am hoping it will be interesting.  The guy sounds fascinating.

  Heading out.

  I just received this email from Sue Henry.  Sounds good!

Have you ever —

Now you CAN fulfill those wishes (and perhaps even more) by joining a new group that is organizing in the Paducah/Purchase Area. 

Take note of the who, what, when, and where’s.

  Here are some more photographs that I took this afternoon.  Most of these are in the downtown Rome area.

  Should be an interesting day ahead (Friday).  I am going out with Tony Boccaccio.  Tony is the artist in residence who both directs Imaging In Italy and leads the photography tours. His career began with National Geographic Magazine in 1971. A world-class photographer, presenter and teacher, Tony has photographed in over 30 countries in as many years with a client list that is straight from the Fortune 500. Fluent in Italian and familiar with Italian culture and history, he is the ultimate combination of photographer, artist, guide and coach.  That is from his site.

  Tony Boccaccio began his career with National Geographic Magazine in 1971. Since then, his camera has taken him to over thirty countries in as many years. Like most photographers, he is a series of contrasts: His lens has captured the frozen landscapes of Iceland and the sweltering jungles of the Amazon. He is probably most known for his beautiful travel photography, yet while working with the human figure, his sensitivity rivals that of the great painters. Indeed, his artistic life began as a young painter trained in the classical manner. He studied classical piano at the prestigious Eastman School of Music and taught himself to play the bluegrass banjo. He lived in Brazil as a teenager and Italy as a college student. In 1995, he returned to Rome, Italy to continue painting and to learn how to sculpt in the classical manner under one of Rome’s most gifted sculptors, Alessandro Nocera.

"Painting was my first passion. My grandmother catapulted me into oil painting when I was only 12 years old. To get me out of her hair one day, she sent me to Washington Square Park in New York City loaded up with canvas, brushes, paints and easel. I told her I did not know how to paint; she told me to just put the canvas up, look cute, and all the old ladies in the park would gather around to teach me. That is exactly what happened and by the time I was 16, I was painting on commissions and selling my work for more than the monthly mortgage payment on our home. I discovered the camera when I was 17. My high school art teacher took me into the darkroom to see how printing was done. When I saw that first image miraculously appear I was hooked. That night I announced to my family that I was no longer going to paint, that I was going to be a photographer. My father, old Italian that he was, almost killed me, since I gave half of all my commissions to him. My mother intervened and the rest is history."

While a student at the University of Rochester, he was invited by the director of photography at Eastman Kodak to spend time with their photographers who provided him with valuable training, free film and development for four years. This opportunity proved invaluable and eventually led to working with National Geographic Magazine

"I believe this first impulse to point my camera upward, to the heavens, is what set the framework for my future photography: to capture what can’t easily be seen by the naked eye. To capture the mystery and beauty of the world around me."

From Iceland to the Amazon
While on assignment in Iceland for National Geographic Magazine, he fell off the Surtsey volcano into the Arctic Ocean. It was October and the water was below freezing. His young Icelandic guide jumped into the surf and pulled him out unconscious and not breathing. He gave him mouth to mouth and a half bottle of good Irish whisky to revive him. During the same assignment, he crashed in a plane but he and his pilot survived to tell the story.

In 1972, he read a small article in the New York Times about the construction of the TransAmazonic highway, an impressive road cut across the Amazon jungle. Without hesitation, he dropped everything and headed off into the world’s largest rainforest. He survived a forest fire, a boat sinking, a gold miner who tried to have him shot and was lost in the jungle alone for 3 days until by chance a helicopter pilot saw him and brought him back to civilization. He returned in 1998 and spent one year photographing the story of the gold miners and their search for gold in the Amazon and the resulting social and ecological destruction of the region. The work, entitled "Where Madness Follows – The Search for Gold in the Amazon Jungle",  is  presently being considered for publication as well as for a TV documentary by Canal Azul in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"China was amazing! The hardest part of the trip was the language barrier. The only thing I knew how to say in Chinese was "Hello" and "Thank you", but the Chinese people were warm, hospitable and always willing to help me get around. From Hong Kong to Guilin and Beijing, from Shanghai to Fuzhou, I was somehow found by people who were willing to help me get the photos I wanted. But, after a year in the Amazon and then 4 more months in China, I was beat. I slept 16 hours a day for 2 months when I returned home. My friends thought I was depressed, but I was just worn out from all the traveling."

CLIENTS – AWARDS – EXHIBITIONS – REPRESENTATION

His photography is represented worldwide by Getty Images / The Image Bank and JupiterImages / WorkbookStock.   His photography is in the Neikrug Gallery’s New York permanent collection of fine art.

Boccaccio has served as an associate professor in the department of Computer Education at Gonzaga University in Washington State, taught Photography and Visual Thinking at Spokane Falls Community College and served as a member its Advertising Arts Advisory Board. He has a Masters of Education from Gonzaga University.

SOME CLIENTS:
National Geographic Magazine, Time Magazine, Eastman Kodak Company, McGraw Hill, Saturday Evening Post, Psychology Today, Natural History Magazine, British Broadcasting Company UK, Digital Microwave Corporation, Reader’s Digest, Hewlett Packard Corporation, Fortune, Washington Evergreen Magazine, The Smithsonian, Dana Perfume Corporation, Hilton Hotels, Vogel Associates, Franciscan Communications, Holt Rinehart Winston, Apple Computer, CBS Records, Newsweek Magazine, Simon & Schuster, H.T.H. Corporation Japan, Banco do Brazil S.A., Montreal Engenieria S.A., Brazil Invision, Ltd., IBM, Woman’s Day Magazine, East / West Magazine, Doubleday, Inc., Ikegami, Inc., Independent Minds, UK.

PUBLICATIONS:
Il Libro Dell¹Anno ­ Loyola University Rome Campus Yearbook,. Rome, Italy (Limited Edition 1971)
Beyond Service – Eastman Kodak Company (1985)
Conquering the Amazon: Brazil’s Jungle Highway – Gannet Publishing (1973)
Where Madness Follows: The Search For Gold In The Amazon Jungle
The Marvels of Animal Behavior – 1972 National Geographic Society
This Changing Earth – January 1973 National Geographic Magazine
We¹re Doing Something About The Weather – National Geographic Magazine April 1972
The Great Lakes – National Geographic Magazine August 1973
The Rebirth of Mount St. Helens – National Geographic Traveler
Am I Free? – Argus Communications Book
Street Urchins of Colombia – Natural History Magazine
Sports Photography – Eastman Kodak Company
Hawaii – The Land and the People – Gallery Books, New York
The West – Images of America – Gallery Books, New York
Understanding the New Testament – Franciscan Communication Center
The Mass – A Catholic Perspective – Franciscan Communication Center
Mary: A Woman For Our Time – Teleketics, Franciscan Communications
The Kodak Book of 35mm Photography – Eastman Kodak
Faces of Washington – Washington Evergreen Magazine

CINEMATOGRAPHIC WORK:
Los Gamines (Colombia) Documentary for Don Bosco Films, NY
The Dream (Brazil) Documentary for Don Bosco Films, NY
All The Questions – Promotional film for Eastman Kodak Company

  We spent the day walking around.  Temperatures were between 95-105 degrees all day.  So, it was warm!  BEAUTIFUL sky though, not a cloud in it.  Just blue sky! 

  The forecast is for heavy rain and storms tomorrow as we travel northward into Venice.  They even mentioned some severe weather.

  Took a bunch of photos today…no time to go through them.  Here are a few though.  🙂

Pathion – you can see the sunlight coming through the rooftop.

Some of my clothing models 🙂

David and Joey walking down one of the streets in Rome

Me in front of the Pathion

Beau – Mihai – Joey

Cheetah, of course, had a great time.  HI KRISTY 🙂

  Warm morning outside.  It is 8 AM here and about 1 AM back home in Kentucky.  Sort of tired, but hopefully I will wake up after I take a shower!  Maybe get something to eat.

  This is a nice hotel building a block down the street from us.  Thought the building was cool.

  At the request of my friend, Doug, in Toronto and through my own self interest I have started to study or explore Zen.  At first it was more about intrigue or casual interest.  Then i discovered that there are a lot of truths in what Zen teaches.  About myself, at least.  i can’t speak for anyone else.  I only know what my experiences have been.  Truth is usually not about someone else telling you how you should or should not feel.  Truth normally is found by seeking it ourselves,  It can’t be forced or given to someone else.  It may have different meanings to different people.

  Over the last few weeks and months I have learned a couple of important lessons in life.

1.  The "moment" IS the destination.  Silly me, for a long time I thought the destination was the goal.  It is not.  Some people say that it is all about the journey.  I would suggest that it is all about the moment.  That moment then becomes part of the journey. 

2.  Moments are like brush strokes on a canvas.  Each moment is a stroke of your life’s paint brush.   Slowly the brush strokes paint a picture – a masterpiece.  Much like seconds on the clock.  Alone the seconds are not worth much, but together those seconds add up to minutes and those minutes add up to hours.  Hours then become days and days become weeks.  Weeks become years and years become decades.  Before you know it your life moments are gone.  Each moment is important.  Actually nothing is more important than the moment.  Where you are right now.  The moment is all we have.  We are promised nothing more or less.  You can OWN the moment.

3.  Searching for happiness is a waste of time.  You never arrive at happiness.  You can’t "find" happiness.  It is not a place.  It is not a destination.  It is not something you can give someone or take away.  It is a place in our mind.  A moment.  It is more than a feeling but it is not tangible.  It is something you can not show someone else.  You can’t tell someone "how" to be or become happy.  You are either happy or you are not.  If you are not happy then a destination to "somewhere else" will not achieve anything except for frustration and regret.  Find happiness in the moment you are in.  Regardless of where that might be or what your situation is.

4.  Decisions are best made while at peace with where you are.  The best decisions I have ever made in life I first knew in my heart were the right decisions.  Every bad decision I ever made was preceded by a feeling of regret (before the fact) or "that little inner voice" that tells you "hey this is not the right direction".   This has been true even when logic would dictate that choice A is better than B – when reality ended up being that choice B was the correct answer all along. 

 5.  Clarity comes from breathing.  When you can find your own space and simply breathe.  Clearing everything from your mind – breathe.  Leaving everything else behind you.  All your emails, mail, phone calls, cell phones, radios, television, and other distractions – leave them in another space for just 10 minutes.  It is a miracle what happens to your body and mind when you learn to simply take the time to breathe. 

Learn to paint with your moments.  Master your paint brush.  It is all you have.  It is all that you truly own.

Beau Dodson Photography

We have conquered Rome

  Here are some photos of all of us…

That would be me 🙂

I don’t think Joey and Mihai would fit into this car!!!!

Mihai – Beau – Joey

Beau at the Colosseum

Beau in Italy

Cheetah needs a new sweater (or t-shirt).  The whole "France" thing isn’t working – not to mention it is
100 degrees.

Joey lisening to the tour guide

Mihai and David lisening to the tour guide

Joey – Beau – Mihai