Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Quicker

Candy Is Dandy, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

I finally made my first foray into bourbon yesterday with some Woodford Reserve. For my first try, I have to say that I am really digging this.

Baby Jason Has Arrived!

With everything going on, I had neglected to make a post here about the arrival of my son...

On February 20th, my wife gave birth to a beautiful, baby boy named Jason Fitzpatrick. He was 9 lbs, 4 oz and measured in at almost 21 inches. It has been six years since we last had an infant in the house, but it is a joy to watch a new, little life again. Just as we continue to do with Katrina, I'm excited to watch this little lad grow.











That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Sayler's Creek Battlefield Re-Visit - 01/29/14

The day after my previous post about visiting the Sayler's Creek battlefield, Virginia received a bit of snow. Out in the Farmville area, it was only about 2 inches. That was enough though to blanket the countryside and make everything look beautiful. Not wanting to waste a rare opportunity, I made my way out the battlefield again. I'll let the images speak for themselves in this post.





















That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Sayler's Creek Battlefield Visit - 01/27/14

I'm in Virginia this week, taking a much needed vacation. I've been spending lots of time with my mom and grandma, and I've managed to catch up with some friends from the 23rd Virginia Infantry as well. In fact, the latter group elected me First Sergeant of the unit. I'm extremely excited to take the field as such this year and really help out.

One of my favorite places to visit, every time I come down to Farmville is the Sayler's Creek (also known as Sailor's Creek) battlefield near Rice, VA. I spent quite a bit of time there as a teen after getting my drivers license, and I still do not tire of the peaceful location. A chance to meditate on what took place there almost 150 years ago. Yesterday's visit was a little chilly, but it was a beautiful day otherwise. Yesterday also marked the first time I had gone up to see the Lockett House where a significant portion of the battle took place.

A view from the position of Lieutenant General Ewell's Department of Richmond forces looking east toward's Federal positions at the Hillsman House. On this clear winter day, you can see the house off in the distance.


A 3-inch Ordnance rifle and caisson represent the Federal artillery positions during the battle.












The Lockett House. In the fields across from this house, Major General John Gordon's Confederate 2nd Corps made it's stand against pursuing Federal forces. Gordon's corps had been slowed down when the wagon train they were protecting became bogged down in the muddy road near Double Bridges. The 23rd Virginia Infantry fought at this location as part of Terry's Brigade (Col Williams commanding) of Gordon's Division (BG Evans commanding).






This is Double Bridges (there used to be two bridges here...ta da!) where Confederate wagons became bogged down, forcing Gordon's 2nd Corps to slow down it's retreat.




After being pushed back two separate times, Gordon's Confederate 2nd Corps made their final stand at this portion of the Lockett farm that is adjacent to Double Bridges.


I hope you enjoyed this little photo tour of the area. I will definitely be posting more photos from my Virginia trip this week.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Sunday Morning Workflow

It is a chilly Sunday morning here in central Maryland, but I'm cozied up inside with a cup of coffee while working on photos. That is one of the things I am very thankful to God for. While I had rather long hiatus from seriously taking pictures (probably about 4 months), I'm getting back into the swing of things, and it has been a great outlet.




That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The Pumpkin End

The Pumpkin End, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
I closed out 2013 with a very tasty pumpkin beer brewed in Richmond, VA.

For 2014, I look forward to more craft beer, more history exploring and more photos on flickr. I hope all of my friends on here have an awesome year!

Enter At The Door

Enter At The Door, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
The front entrance to Bethpage Christian Church just outside of Mineral, VA.

Beer & Football

Beer & Football, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
A winning combination. Especially when that beer is Hardywood Pumpkin Ale.

Brass I

Brass I, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
A macro of a brass Confederate Block "I" button taken with my 17-40mm lens and an extension tube.

Lamplighter

Lamplighter, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
A lamp mounted on the wall in front of the historic Baldwin United Methodist Church in Millersville. The church congregation began in the area around 1770 and this lovely granite building was constructed in 1896.

Progress

Progress, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

I was finally able to get trackside today for the first time since July. It was cold, but it was still fun.

Via Flickr:
A stack train passes under a new signal bridge near Bailey Wye in Baltimore, a sign that the former B&O CPL signal in the foreground has its days numbered.

Home For The Holidays

Home For The Holidays, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
I am thankful today for sunrises. For just as God renews the earth each day with them, so He also renews my soul.

In All Things, Give Thanks

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." - Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

There is so much I have to be thankful for this year, that I cannot even begin to count all of the blessings. I've always been thankful for many things in my life, but this year I look at it with a different heart. A heart transformed by Christ. First and foremost, I am thankful to Him for my salvation this year. For while I was in the darkest hours of my life, He plucked me from the path of destruction I was on and set me on the straight and narrow. This doesn't mean that I'm perfect now or that I won't have to face earthly consequences for my sins. I falter every day, but through the grace and mercy of God, I am able to get back on the path that He laid out for me.

I am thankful to him for my family. He has blessed me with a beautiful (and very patient) wife. Kristin is indeed my rock on this earth, and God definitely new what He was doing when her and I had a course collision on Halloween night in 1998. I'm thankful for the beautiful daughter that He blessed us with in Katrina. She was my little angel that kept me sane at time when I was dealing with the death of my father and a force move from the house we were living in at the time. I'm thankful to Him for baby Jason that is growing inside Kristin. I'm thankful that God melted down the heart of stone I had, and allowed me to reconnect with my brothers this year after almost 2 years of no contact. Having them back in my life has been a huge blessing.

I'm thankful for the friends that God has put in my life to help me along on this journey. My friend Jason, who has been with me through many ups and downs for almost a decade now. I love him like a brother. I'm thankful for Chad and Jes. We met them through mutual friends, but then our friendship took on a life of it's own. I'm thankful that God used them to find us a church home. I'm thankful for my brothers in Christ: Matt, Mack, Dan and Darren. They have been instrumental in my life as a baby Christian. I thank God everyday for the opportunity to bare my soul to them and grow with them.

Above all, I'm thankful that no matter what may happen in my life, I know that Christ walks beside me and my family.

Please take the time to remember my brothers and sisters in uniform who are serving in harms way today. May God bless all of you on this day of thanksgiving.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Pewter On Jean

Pewter On Jean, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
A study of the pewter Block "I" buttons on my reproduction Confederate jacket made from jean cloth.

The Lovely Layla

The Lovely Layla, originally uploaded by T-3 Photography.

Via Flickr:
I haven't used my Canon 5D Mk II since the end of July due to some ongoing issues that I am facing. I felt it was time to pick the camera back up though, and Layla was the perfect subject to do that with.

Veterans Day Thoughts

I want to first wish all of my fellow veterans a very Happy Veterans Day, whether you are still wearing the uniform or have since taken it off. For those still on active-duty, I hope you enjoy the extra downtime to spend with your families or simply relax by yourself. While things are winding down in Afghanistan, we continue to maintain a fairly high operations tempo across the military branches.

In the almost 15 years since I enlisted, I've seen quite a bit change. I've watched politicians come and go. I've witnessed over a decade of war (the majority of my time in service), and while I have been spared the grief of losing someone I knew personally, we all grieve when yet another flag-draped coffin passes by. I still never forget standing on the flightline at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan watching the plane I had just landed in become the flight home for the flag-draped coffins of 5 brave Marines who had just been killed the morning before. The playing of Taps at that moment caused me to instantly tear up. I don't care how many times I hear it, that haunting song will get me emotional every time because of what it represents.

We live in a nation where people have become extremely polarized when it comes to politics. Sure, those of us who serve have our own political inclinations as well as our own unique set of morals, beliefs, values etc. We realize though that we're an extension of politics. It really doesn't matter who the President is or who is in Congress. To quote a line from the movie The Green Berets, "...[the military] goes where it's told to go, and fights whom it's told to fight". Not that we're robots or we cannot think for ourself. We simply understand that defense of this nation requires the highest levels of loyalty and discipline, and that is not going to change just because politicians do.

At the end of the day, it's about the person standing next to you. Sure, we serve to keep this country safe. That's the very reason for our existence as a military. It goes deeper than that though. At the end of the day, we serve for each other. This doesn't stop just because you take off the uniform either. Veterans are part of the biggest brother and sisterhood this nation has ever known, and it has been this way since it's very founding. Whether you served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or just got back from your first deployment to Afghanistan, we share a commonality that instantly turns strangers into brothers and sisters.


I've built relationships during my service that are more like familial ones than friendly ones. People like my best friend Jason. We had quite a bit in common outside of our service, but that service together was the concrete and steel that formed the foundation. So many other people who have touched my life in ways I can only feebly express. There are so many I've served with that have touched my life, making it difficult to try and name all of them here. When it seems like it's time to turn in the towel, you guys are the reason I keep doing what I'm doing.

     
May our Almighty Father in heaven bless you, my brothers and sisters. May we never forget those of us who paid the ultimate price.

In memory of Ernest Warshaw (U.S. Army, WWI), Thomas T. Warshaw (77th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, WWII) and Kenneth Fitzpatrick (27th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, WWII).

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I Remember

It is September 11, 2013, and I just finished participating in an installation run here at Fort Meade to honor those who lost their lives these 12 years ago.

I'll never forget being a sleep in Japan as it was the middle of the night. I was awakened by my mom calling to tell me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. Thinking it was an accident, that a small Cesna or something had accidentally hit the building, I said goodnight to her and went back to bed. It wasn't until about midnight (Japan time) or so on September 12 when we were called and told to report to work that I suddenly realized something was terribly wrong.

At this time, Kadena Airbase was not lonely locked down in then Threatcon Delta, but Okinawa was getting hit with a typhoon that had hit us only a couple of days earlier before turning around and slamming into us again.

I remember that we were unable to get the Armed Forces Network on the TVs at work. We had to watch the events unfold live on Japanese TV. By the time I got to my office, the second plane had already hit, but both towers were still standing. We tried to get some work done, but we were glued to the TV. 

Then it happened. The first tower began to collapse in a pile of rubble. A short time later the second tower fell. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. These proud and mighty symbols of NYC and our country were gone. I grew up near these, and on clear days it was not uncommon to see them from the northern part of the Jersey shore where I grew up.

Then it hit me. My father used to work at the WTC 2-3 times a week. I felt my heart drop, and I began frantically trying to call him. I couldn't get a hold of him on his cell a first and began to grow increasingly worried. Finally, after the third try, I was able to reach him. He had decided to work from home that day instead of going to the WTC.

God spared me loss on that day, but my father was not so fortunate. He had many friends in the firm Cantor Fitzgerald that had an office in the towers. In the span of two weeks, my father had attended 13 funerals for friends, some for people he had known since elementary school.

I remember thinking when I finally arrived back in the states in December of that year that the country was a very different place then when I left for Japan in 1999.

Today, I also think about and pray for my best friend, Jason. Jason was in Manhattan on that terrible day and was forced to walk to Brooklyn to escape the chaos. He is a 9/11 survivor.

I pray for comfort for him and his family as they remember a father, brother and uncle. Firefighter Thomas Sabella of Ladder 13 died along with 342 of his brothers when the towers collapsed. I pray for the family of those fallen heroes.

I pray for the families and friend of all the victims on this day, but my brothers in bunker gear will always hold a special place in my heart.

As I go about today, it is my fervent prayer that I will not only remember those fallen, but that I will do whatever I can to help honor their memory.

Waxing Poetic

Poetry is normally not my thing. It is not that I do not like it. I've just never been very good at writing it. Every now and again though, I'll have a nugget or two that will escape the gray matter rattling around in my skull (see post entitled, A Couple of Poems).

Yesterday was one of those rare moments. I was having lunch with Kristin at The Bakery in Farmville, VA when I snapped the photo below.



While thinking of a title for the photo, a thought came to me of someone walking into restaurant and asking for "a table for none" and then walking out. It was at that moment that the poem came to me...

A table for none
No reservation needed
The time has come to be gone
The traveler's call must be heeded

Experience sustains me
Knowledge quenches my thirst
I await the next sight I'll see
But I must arrive there first

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

6 Years On The Job

Today marks 6 years since I completed rookie school with the Sumter Fire Department and embarked on one of the greatest ventures of my life. On October 26, 2006 I received my certificate of completion for rookie school and raised my right hand to be sworn into the fire service. I look back, and it is hard to believe that it has been that long. It seems like it was just yesterday. Like the military, it did not take very long for me to figure out that it was indeed a calling for me, and now that I've been doing it for this long I cannot imagine myself not doing it. Lord knows it was very frustrating for the last 6 months to be off the job while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Me learning how to put up ladders.

A big part of my love for this job comes from the Brotherhood that exists within the fire service. No matter where I go in this country, wherever I find a firehouse it feels like home. Check out my post, Virginia Visit Recap from earlier this year for an example of what this Brotherhood means. My two Brothers from Roanoke that are mentioned in the post, Rhett Fleitz and Willie Wines, Jr have written extensively on the Brotherhood and I definitely recommend checking out their sites. The fire service practically became my second family overnight. From my brothers at Station 13 in Sumter, SC, to my new family in Odenton, it continues to be that way. In fact, I find no more fitting way to celebrate my 7 years of service, than to be on shift tonight with my crew at the Two-Eight.

I absolutely love doing this job, and feel fortunate to be able to. While the adrenaline rush is still there somewhat, this job for me is about helping the public and being there for the guy or girl next to me. Lord-willing, I hope to continue doing this for a long time, whether I stay a volunteer or get paid for it after the Air Force. It has been a great 6 years and I look forward to what the next 6 years will bring.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Me after completing the final certification burn for the basic firefighter course.

On The Path To Home Ownership

The words in the title of this post are ones that I always hoped to use together one day, but was never quite sure if I actually would. As of today though, we officially started down that path with our offer on a house being accepted. As I'm sure anyone who has ever purchased a house probably knows, this is a huge milestone in the my life and the life of my family.

In reality, the process actually began about a month ago or so. We were informed by our landlord that he would need his house back by 1 November. We briefly toyed with the idea of looking for another rental, but quickly abandoned that for several reasons:

1. We plan on finishing out the last 6 1/2 years of my Air Force career here (there's a good chance we can do that in this day and age). We might as well put down some roots for awhile.

2. If we're going to shell out big money, we should be putting it towards our well-being and not someone else's.

3. The third, and definitely one of the most important factors behind it was a recent ruling by Maryland's highest court listing pit bulls as inherently dangerous and putting greater liability upon landlords. I love my Layla, and I'll be damned if I'm giving her up.

Purchasing a home, allows us to take care of all three factors. There's still some things to be done before it is actually ours, but at least we're moving in that direction. I couldn't be happier!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.