#hampton roads photographer

[photosbymarkk]

Empowering Clients in Photography: A Collaborative Journey.

A new addition from Veronica’s previous session arrives and how we got here. As I always tell my clients, they hold the reins throughout the entire journey—from deciding what we capture, where we do it, and when, to selecting the final edited images. They have the power to determine whether any of the images are shared publicly: every single one, just a select few, or none at all, keeping them…

[todaysdocument]

Lt. Almonzo M. Frazier and Personnel of 370th Infantry Regiment

Record Group 336: Records of the Office of the Chief of TransportationSeries: Photographic Albums of Prints of Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation

Original caption: "Lt. Alonzo M. Frazier, 0-1301126, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Platoon Leader, Company C, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division (Shipment 2262-A), leaves the Railhead platform with his unit for Area 8, Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia. Company C later embarked on USAT Mariposa (HR-407), 15 July 1944. Official photograph U.S. Army Signal Corps, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, Virginia."

This black and white photograph shows two columns of African American soldiers in WWII era fatigues and helmets.  Each carries a rifle over his right shoulder.  They are marching down a ramp in a rail yard.  Two white soldiers stand on the side looking on.

[judgemark45]

USS Canberra (CAG-2)

Moves into position for the International Naval Review, in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 12 June 1957. The harbor tugs Segwarusa (YTB-365) and Ganadoga (YTB-390) are assisting her. Photographed by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Castiglia, of Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va. Official U.S. Navy Photograph

[mogai-sunflowers]

MOGAI BHM- Belated Day 17!

happy BHM! today i’m going to be talking about Black influences on various genres of music! obviously i won’t be able to cover every music genre in this post so im just going to do the ones i know most about!

Spirituals-

[Image ID: A black-and-white drawing of a gathering of Black people in a small, crowded room. At the front of the room, a man dressed in a tuxedo is gesturing grandly at a podium with two other men standing beside him. The rest of the people in the room are all dressed formally and in various positions- some sitting, some bowing, some kneeling, and some standing with their arms raised in the air. End ID.]

Cultures from across the continent of Africa placed huge emphasis on music. Music in many African cultures was very rhythmic, enthusiastic, and depended on participation from entire gatherings of people, not just one person. When people began to be kidnapped for the slave trade, that connection to their specific culture was often lost- but spirituals became a way of reviving that.

Derived from the term ‘spiritual song’ from the Bible, a spiritual is a religious folksong that expressed deep religious themes, and usually themes of resisting oppression in the context of slavery. In the decades leading up to the abolition of slavery in America, spirituals became a very popular musical form amongst slaves at plantations. While their white masters and white populations in general hated the music form because it represented Black freedom and resistance, and therefore gatherings to sing this kind of music were banned, many slaves found ways to still sing spirituals. Spirituals involved call-and-response singing, clapping, and stopping amongst an audience.

Starting in the 1700s, slaves began to gather informally in what were known as “praise houses”. They also held outdoor meetings called ‘brush arbor meetings’. In these gatherings, they would dance, sing, and play music together, as well as pray. At these meetings, they sang ‘corn ditties’, which developed into spirituals. Spirituals developed as a way of maintaining African musical culture in America, uniting against oppression, building hope for a better future, singing praise in a uniquely Black Christian way- and of actually building roads to freedom.

Spirituals were not just used as a way show praise- they were often codes in relation to methods of escaping slavery like the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself used spirituals like “Go down, Moses” and probably “I got my ticket” to identify herself to slaves seeking escape. Spirituals and their lyrics were often codes of escape for slaves- in this way, spirituals were not just an outlet of rage and pain over oppression, they were a way to actually physically escape it. Other spirituals like “Wade in the Water”, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, and “The Gospel Train” spoke about and directly referred to escape methods of the Underground Railroad.

In the 1860s and 1870s, two groups formed- first the Fisk Jubilee Singers (from Fisk University, an HBCU), and then the Hampton Singers, both of whom gained international following for their singing and performing of spirituals. Since then, spirituals have grown as a genre, and have played a part in the development of another major music genre- gospel.

Gospel-

[Image ID: A black-and-white photograph of a group of six Black women. They are standing in two rows of three. Most are wearing fancy white blouses and a wide-brimmed hat, but one is wearing a plaid shirt. They are all holding books and looking at them as they sing. End ID.]

Although early gospel music centered mainly around white churches, it has an undeniably rich place in Black musical and religious history. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it began to be sung and used more in Black churches. Gospel music as a form, developed from hymns, sacred songs, and other religious musical genres, including spirituals, and was a form of religious music that had one key distinguishing component- church choirs.

Church choirs had long been staples across churches, but especially Black Churches. In Black Churches, choirs were opportunities for people to express their pain through movement and song, as was typical for Black church services at the time. Church choirs were a perfect avenue for the spread and popularization of gospel music within Black Churches.

In the 1930s, a man named Thomas A. Dorsey became known as “the Father of Gospel Music” when he founded a publishing house for Black gospel musicians. He helped push Black gospel music into the American mainstream, and since then, gospel has become a wildly popular musical genre, especially within Black communities.

Hip Hop and Rap-

[Image ID: A black-and-white photograph of people in an outdoor area enclosed by a tall chain-link fence. There are groups of people wandering in the background, and in the foreground, five Black men are gathered around a cluster of tables that are cluttered with musical turntables, fans, papers, wires, and other various objects. One man is crouched in front of the tables and the other four are standing around them. End ID.]

Hip Hop music and rap music developed simultaneously during the 1970s in the Bronx, part of New York City. Black, Latino, and Caribbean communities would hold events known as ‘block parties’, where people gathered as a DJ played music like soul and funk. These events were collaborations between Black and Latino people living in New York City.

At these block parties, some people began to experiment with different types of rhythms and beats. It was common for DJs and performers to play around with various techniques like beatboxing, beat breaks, percussive sounds, scratching, and turntable techniques. This experimentation led to the developing sounds of hip hop and rap. The two genres, characterized by strong rhythmic beats and rapping tracks, began to take hold. A decade later, hip hop was a thriving musical genre.

The first hip hop record released was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979. Since then, hip hop and rap have become some of the dominant musical genres in America. They have produced many, many sub-genres, like trap, nu metal, and grime. These genres have expanded to include different lyrical styles, drum kits, and lyrical contents- all owing to the collaboration between Black and Latino musical artists in the 1970s.

Hip hop and rap have had a huge impact on American, especially Black American, culture. They have helped popularize different combinations of jazz, soul, and hip hop, breakdancing, beatboxing, and other musical styles and techniques. Many hip hop and rap artists have deepened the meaning of the genre by using their lyrics as an expression of yearning for societal liberation, and challenging the systems that be with raw, honest lyrics has become a staple of many areas of rap and hip hop.

Black Influence on Rock’N’Roll-

[Image ID: A black-and-white photograph of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a heavier Black woman with short hair. In the photo, she is wearing a large fancy dress with very puffy sleeves and a tiny bow, and is smiling widely as she plays guitar at a microphone on stage. End ID.]

Although the development and popularization of rock’n’roll is usually attributed to Elvis Presley, that is simply not historically accurate. Rock’n’roll began to develop in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s- and it developed out of southern Black musical genres, namely blues music, which proliferated during the Harlem Renaissance and spread from the South. Blues evolved into the famous R&B (rhythm and blues) genre, which evolved into rock’n’roll. A lot of rock’n’roll’s sound also owes itself to the rhythmic patterns of much West African music.

In the 1940s and 50s, blues artists began experimenting and developing the blues sound into what we now know as rock’n’roll. Taking inspiration from other musical genres like country (which has also been heavily influenced by Black people). Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a Black woman who started out as a blues singer. She was a self-taught guitarist, and through her work on developing the sounds of the guitar she played, she pretty much singlehandedly set the tone for the guitar sounds that defined rock’n’roll- her style and influence directly inspired and impacted Elvis Presley.

When rock’n’roll first developed, the genre was pretty much exclusively occupied by Black artists from the likes of Ike Turner and Bo Diddley to Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Black women have also had a huge impact on the genre of rock’n’roll. From Sister Rosetta Tharpe herself, to the all-Black girl group “The Shirelles”, Merry Clayton, and Tina Turner herself. Rock’n’roll has from its birth been built and defined by Black artists, and Black rock’n’roll has heavily influenced music by some of the most famous rock’n’roll groups of all time, like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Odetta, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, all Black rock’n’roll artists who have left an invaluable footprint on music and history. Other incredible Black artists who shaped the genre include Odetta, a Black woman who experimented mixing blues, jazz, and folk music and sang with Martin Luther King Jr. at the famous 1963 March on Washington, Martha and the Vandellas, whose music was a call for solidarity, and the Supremes, arguably one of the most iconic, influential all-female musical groups not just of rock’n’roll, but of all time.

Black Influence on Country Music-

[Image ID: A black-and-white photograph of Charley Pride. He is a Black man with a small afro, and he’s wearing a patterned suit jacket over a white collared shirt and strumming the guitar as he stands by a microphone, smiling. End ID.]

Country music is one of the most popular, well-known musical genres of all time- and it developed in the 1920s as a blend from several other genres- the two main ones being blues and folk songs, both of which originated as Black musical genres. Spirituals were the first folk songs of America, and they defined the roots of the folk musical genre. Blues music developed on Deep South plantations and was a popular musical genre amongst enslaved populations in the South.

Jimmie Rodgers is a white man who is often hailed as the “Father of Country Music”- but he learned everything he knew from Black workers with whom he worked at a railroad track. They taught him how to play guitar and banjo, influenced the musical style of yodeling which he popularized, and taught him falsetto notes and styles. Hank Williams, another white figure hailed as a key builder and trailblazer in country music, also learned his musical style from another Black musician named Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne.

DeFord Bailey was a Black man who popularized the usage of the harmonica in blues and country music. He was the first country artist to be recorded in Nashville, and one of the most popular regular performers at the Grande Ole Opry, part of a popular Nashville radio station.

Two of the most defining instruments of the country genre are the banjo and the “Euphonica” (large acoustic guitar). Both of these instruments were invented by Black people. The banjo was invented by enslaved Black people in the South, inspired by some West African musical traditions, and the “Euphonica” as it was called, was developed by a Black man named Robert Flemming, Jr. Early Black artists like Charley Pride were Black staples of the genre.

Today, country music is filled with Black artists making a difference- from Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen, to Darius Rucker and Mickey Guyton, to BRELAND and Tiera Kennedy- country as a musical genre has always had strong roots in Black music, Black resistance, and Black pride.

Black Influence on Alternative/Grunge Music-

[Image ID: A color photograph of Tina Bell. She is a Black woman who is wearing a messily tousled blonde wig and a black leather jacket. She is smiling widely as she writes on poster boards with a black permanent marker. End ID.]

Alternative and grunge music developed as a blend of various rock genres, like punk. The distinct sound of grunge music has been called “The Seattle Sound”, as it developed in the Seattle music scene. Known as the “godmother of grunge”, Tina Bell was a Black woman who, with her husband, started Bam Bam, the band that pioneered the genre of grunge, in 1983. Tina and her band were the first to record at the studio that would eventually sign and record such famous grunge bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

Since Tina’s success with Bam Bam and the boom of the Seattle music scene, Black bands have helped define the alternative music genre- from groups like Meet Me At The Altar and Pulses, to One Life To Lead and Big Joannie, Black alternative and Black grunge music has remained an integral part of the genre.

Summary-

Spirituals are a rhythmic form of call-and-response singing which developed during slavery in America and are the earliest of American folk songs

Gospel music developed from spirituals, hymn songs, and other religious songs, and became a staple of both Black religious and Black secular music

Hip Hop and rap both developed together at block parties in the 1970s as a collaboration between Black and Latino DJs and other artists in the Bronx

Rock’n’roll developed out of blues music, a Black musical genre, and its sound was developed and pioneered by Black artists like Little Richard and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who directly inspired the biggest rock’n’roll names of all time

The banjo and the larger acoustic guitar, staples of country (which developed out of Black musical genres like folk songs, or early spirituals, and blues), were both developed by Black people

Alternative music was pioneered by a Black woman named Tina Bell and her band, Bam Bam

tagging @metalheadsforblacklivesmatter​ @intersexfairy​ @cistematicchaos​ 

Sources-

https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495/#:~:text=A%20spiritual%20is%20a%20type,legalized%20slavery%20in%20the%201860s.

https://www.negrospirituals.com/history.htm

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/hip-hop-guide

https://www.npr.org/2007/02/22/7550286/the-birth-of-rap-a-look-back#:~:text=Rap%20as%20a%20genre%20began,generally%20interacting%20with%20the%20audience.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gospel-music-guide

https://zora.medium.com/the-black-mother-of-grunge-who-inspired-nirvana-95886f21eccc

https://distortedsoundmag.com/black-musicians-in-alternative-music-that-you-absolutely-should-be-listening-to/

https://www.altpress.com/upcoming-black-alternative-bands-artists/

https://www.mic.com/articles/136969/who-invented-rock-n-roll-these-are-the-black-pioneers-who-laid-the-genre-s-foundations

https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2020/november/the-black-women-behind-rock-and-roll-.html

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-pictures/black-women-who-shaped-rock-1122749/sister-rosetta/

https://theboot.com/black-country-music-history/#:~:text=Negro%20spirituals%20sung%20by%20enslaved,the%20genre's%20established%201920s%20roots.

https://baytownsun.com/local/article_754833c2-838a-11ec-8466-efc641316abb.html#:~:text=Robert%20F.,patent%20on%20April%205%2C%201887.

https://music.si.edu/spotlight/banjos-smithsonian#:~:text=The%20banjo%20was%20created%20by,of%20rural%20and%20urban%20settings.

https://time.com/5673476/ken-burns-country-music-black-artists/

[eptodaytommorowforever]

A Very Confident And Happy Elvis Presley Departs From Is Evening Show Wearing The Beautiful And Striking Light Blue Nail Jumpsuit And Cape Here At The Coliseum At Hampton Roads Virginia Knowing Thar He’s Given A 100 Percent To The Fans The Audience At The End Of Every Show Performance Concet Here On The 9th Of April Here In 1972 Live In Action! Candid Photo Here By Approved By Elvis Presley Himself Friend And Photographer Sean Shaver

[lonestarbattleship]

USS YORKTOWN (CV-5) anchored near Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Photographed on October 29, 1937.

Dencho Digital Respository: ddr-njpa-13-50

[louderfade]

if you decorated your apartment/house/homespace to be beige/grey/off-white/basically a noncolor i automatically do not trust you. why are you afraid of colors. why do you want to live in a realty photograph or a hampton inn. i asked my sister why people do this (she's my go-to for explanations of normies bc she would've been one except she does drugs and was raised by me so got early immunity from full frontal lobe shut down) and she said "people find it calming" like wow really how strange. expressing zero personality/taste calms them down? that shit makes me feel like there could be a threat lurking near. it puts me on edge. it sets off alarms in my instinct center. i feel like a dog who senses an approaching animal has rabies. warning: some shit is deeply wrong with this organism and they pose a threat to your well being. flee without engaging. my grandparents are 90 and conservative and even they had a house with colors and patterns and art they enjoyed. millennial apartments terrify me. our boomer parents were hit or miss with their ticky-tacky suburban houses. some of those houses had a soul but many didn't. "hanging stuff on the walls decreases the property value" and other such statements that prove you're already dead. millennials seem worse though bc they do it to rentals bc they LIKE it. maybe those old women haircuts all the girls had in hs in the 2000s (this is my fav gen z criticism of us millennials bc so fucking true in hs i was like wtf are these middle aged hairstyles how did this become cool everyone looks 35) are responsible for this particular variety of brain damage. from now on i believe in this link. 32 year olds live in light grey horror boxes bc sporting 40 year old hairstyles at age 16 makes you permanently boring and unable to display any taste or personality. these are people who get uncomfortable looking at art or when a friend cries. these are the people who say "i'm sorry for your loss" to a grieving person instead of "life is cruel af my brother no answers come still we must try to survive do you need a fierce hug at this moment or not also i brought you a xanax" like a real human being would. the craziest thing i ever saw my mom do was pay to paint our foyer "eggshell" when the damn walls were already white. this is actual mental illness. not me screaming in the road about how the modern world makes no sense and all the food is microplastic poison. not a single child on earth says their favorite color is light grey or dark white. your soul is sick if beige calms you down. i diagnose you with a severe deficiency of humanity. you need to be hospitalized and forced to discuss philosophy and engage with music until you remember what is valuable about consciousness, which is beautiful as well as cruel, both a gift and curse but it's worth it. i'd rather be awake and have to go to the hospital sometimes when it becomes too much and i end up sobbing drunk in the yard than lobotomized to the point of trading my precious time on earth for money i then spend on beige curtains and a sign that says "caution: caffeinating" to hang in the kitchen proving i am a corpse whose bland heart forgot to stop beating. i mean they shoot horses don't they.

[lois-bryan]

Sending out my thanks to my 5/31 #FineArtAmerica client from Hampton, New Hampshire, USA, for their purchase of an 8x10 print of "Almost Home."

This beautiful road is one of my favorite parts of the drive to our tiny ski cabin at Blue Knob All Seasons Resort. To the right is Chappell Field, a part of "Blue Knob State Park" on the extension of Pavia Road (4035), and is frequently the site of fairs and concerts and happy picnickers. Blue Knob All Seasons Resort is in Claysburg, Pennsylvania, between Altoona and Bedford.

This photographic image was not created using any artificial intelligence programs.

See it and all the products it's available on at my website: https://lois-bryan.pixels.com/featured/almost-home-lois-bryan.html

Or at Fine Art America, here: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/almost-home-lois-bryan.html

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

Just some thoughts from Old Point Comfort

NEAR OLD POINT COMFORT, HAMPTON, VA: One of a number of small communities in the Hampton Roads region just outside Norfolk to become the City of Hampton sometime in the early 1960's, about the time yours truly made his television debut, Old Point Comfort seems to have one of those interesting sort of names about it ... and makes you wonder about its origins. Even if it requires crossing Hampton Roads via the Hampton Roads Bridge/Tunnel (alias I-64) to so reach.

Yet yours truly, as much as Huckleberry Hound, something of a compadre in these journeys of late, got to thinking in the laziness of a mid-spring morning segueing into the afternoon about the glory days of the Old Bay Line steamers (1840-1962) arriving in the early morning at Norfolk after an overnight run across Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore ... or just leaving Norfolk in the evening heading to a morning arrival in Baltimore. Pretty wistful, you might say, to little ol' Huck.

"Ahhhh yes ... just to sit on a deck chair on one of those Old Bay Line steamers heading from Baltimore to Norfolk ... especially after something of a dinner of the choicest local specialties--fresh oysters, terrapin stew, roast turkey, steamed blue crab ... kind of makes me hungry to be so yearning...."

"I couldn't concur with you more," replied I.

Whereupon Top Cat called us up from his mobile phone unto ours. It may not have been a treasure-seeking assignment for the Jolly Rodger, since repurposed to serve Peter Potamus' Magic Divers, but to have such come "out of the blue," and three hours behind us--

"Welllll, hello Snagglepuss, you old charmer!" was how TC started things along. "How goes it there on the road?"

"I certainly have to admit, speaking from Old Point Comfort--"

"Obviously unrelated to Southern Comfort" was how TC rejoindered that remark, to which I replied "It's just outside Norfolk," for which TC quickly apologised for the humourous misunderstanding. "But at any rate, I understand you paid homage to a certain photograph of one O. Winston Link out Luray way--"

"Correct, TC ... and if I may say so, for some reason or another, the thought came across my mind of maybe having one of our Character Convocations in some small-town July 4th celebration."

"Now THAT would have to be an interesting prospect, especially where the boys can get some meet-and-greet time, yours truly included, no doubt!"

"You still recall the July 4th parade in Bristol, Rhode Island a few years back?"

"Now that you bring that up--"

I handed the phone to Huck, who responded, "Now we were thinking of hosting such somewhere in the Midwest, somewhere a little on the Middle American side."

"Without, I hope, tasteless propaganda overtures as could play--"

"After all, TC, we Funtastics can't help but be the sort to show warmth and good feelings. Especially when we have our Character Convocations, replete with plenty of meet-and-greet opportunities ensuing as much as some convocative time among us...."

(You can imagine how the conversation ensued, but I don't think you'd want to hear further, as such would be unlikely to interest you, the average Old Hanna-Barberian.)

"So where to next, Snag?"

"Make it a surprise."

*************

@warnerbrosentertainment @iheartgod175 @jellystone-enjoyer @ultrakeencollectionbreadfan @funtasticworld @archive-archives @themineralyoucrave @thylordshipofbutts @screamingtoosoftly @thebigdingle @warnerbros-blog1 @groovybribri @indigo-corvus @theweekenddigest @zodiacfan32 @warnerbrosent-blog

[rhyspalmer]

was that [ HARRY STYLES ] spotted down at the shoreline of east hamptons main beach? must just be, [ RHYS PALMER ] the [ TWENTY EIGHT ] year old [ HOCKEY PLAYER ]. whenever i hear [ LET’S FALL IN LOVE FOR THE NIGHT BY FINNEAS ] it reminds me of them. they are known for being [ RETICENT ] but they make up for that by being [ CHARISMATIC ]. they have been living in the hamptons for [ SIX MONTHS ].

born in London, England and relocated with his family when he was 9 to Breckenridge, CO — a popular vacation town at the base of the Rocky Mountains where his family now owns a big ski resort

has two siblings: an older brother and younger sister, both of which he’s close with and very protective of

growing up, he tended to be quieter than most people would expect of him now and far less assertive whereas his brother and golden child, Archer, had always been the outgoing one, the likeable leader who everyone knew was sure to go places.

TRIGGER WARNING ( ACCIDENT, DRUNK DRIVING)

the shift happened after an accident rhys's sophomore year of high school. he and archer, a senior that year, decided to go for a joy ride to celebrate a victory after an important match that had their hockey team on a one way ticket to state.

he wasn't supposed to be driving but the roads were quiet that night and rhys was only a week out from getting his license at the time. unfortunately, a drunk driver had come out of nowhere, running a red at an intersection and barreling straight for the palmer boys. it could've been worse for rhys. it should've been, doctors had said, if it weren't for the way archer had shielded him that night, sustaining most of the injuries.

rhys only pushed himself hard after that. both out of guilt and determination, especially in hockey, feeling like he owed it to archer to prove him self in the sport he no longer could. archer himself has never blamed rhys, but rhys blames himself and knows while they've never voiced it, his parents do too.

it's left an incredible weight on his shoulders

got a full ride to NYU on a hockey scholarship where he studied business with a focus in sports management. after graduating, he was drafted by the ny rangers, where he has played ever since.

has had plenty of fun being a bachelor in NYC, but after a minor altercation with a photographer seven months ago, his management decided to set him up somewhere a little quieter.

has had a few knee injuries over the years that he still gets physical therapy for

pops in sometimes for visits home, but its rare and his parents, mostly his dad who's a decorated olympian and retired nhl player himself, rarely acknowledge his existence outside of the texts about what he could’ve done better in his matches or formal holiday cards surely signed for him by his mom wishing him well and the occasional be safe.

rhys mostly just stops in to check on his brother and bring his sister, Gwen, things he's picked up during his travels to other states and places before dashing off like he was never there.

can seem mysterious and guarded, while simultaneously coming off as a lothario because of his image in the media, charming and calculating, always around someone new.

some say that he's different when he’s in a group of people who know him well opposed to a group of people who only believe they do. but he’d much rather you think he was some cocky, detached bastard than lay all his good guy cards out on the table.

thoughtful, and willing to stick up for you or step in if needed unless you’ve given him a good reason not to.

casual hobbies are cooking, reading, flying helicopters, and playing his guitar.

Connections:

best friend

teammate(s)

physical therapist

sibling like friendship

family (i.e. cousin)

past hookups

neighbors

childhood friend

pr stunt

[photosbymarkk]

Christin's Family and Senior Portrait Session.

It was a pleasure working with them to capture these moments in time. Photographing Christin’s family was a delightful experience, filled with warmth and genuine affection. The session captured the essence of their close-knit bonds, with each member’s personality shining through. From shared laughter to tender moments, every shot reflected their love and connection. It was a joy to document…

[todaysdocument]

Officers of 366th Infantry Regiment

Record Group 336: Records of the Office of the Chief of TransportationSeries: Photographic Albums of Prints of Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation

Original caption: "Captain O. T. Thornton, 0-331267, Washington, D.C., Battalion Adjutant of Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 366th Infantry (Shipment Unit 2240-C) on pier 4 preparing to embark on USS General William Mitchell. A graduate of Howard University 1935, Capt. Thornton went on active duty 3 March 1941. Official photograph U.S. Army Signal Corps, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, Virginia."

This black and white photograph shows two African American army officers (two others are just visible behind them).  They are dressed in uniforms with helmets on and holding their equipment.  They both carry overcoats over their arms.  The man on the left wears sunglasses.

[mdiverphotography]

Mary Eleanor Photography

Motherhood & Wedding Photographer Specializing in Destination Weddings & Lifestyle Maternity, Newborn, & Family Photography. Serving Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, & Hampton Roads. Passionate about creating not only beautiful heirloom photographs for our clients but creating a memorable experience for them in the process.

Virginia Beach Family Photographer

https://www.instagram.com/mary_eleanor_photography

[guerrerense]

UP CNW 6935 - Hines - 7/10/1997 por Jeff Hampton Por Flickr: Following up on my last post of the Union Pacific power idling at South Itasca the morning of July 10th, 1997 - here two of those four units, a CNW SD40-2 and a UP SD60, are leading Union Pacific train ITPRA upgrade away from Lake Superior and approaching East County Road V near Hines, Wisconsin later that same day. This UP freight was utilizing trackage rights on the Wisconsin Central here with a final destination of Chicago via Junction City and Wisconsin Rapids, then re-entering UP (ex-CNW) trackage at Necedah and continuing on down through Adams and Butler enroute to Proviso yard. CNW SD40-2 #6935, part of the UP motive power roster by this point, was the highest road number SD40-2 on the CNW, the last in a group of ten delivered in November of 1976. The CNW had accumulated 135 of this popular and dependable EMD model in a little over a three-year period starting in August of 1973. This particular locomotive eventually ended up with CIT/Capital Finance Leasing (CEFX) retaining the same road number, but receiving a blue paint job, and spending quite a bit of time working on the Norfolk Southern before disappearing sometime after the year 2010. ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Okay on Saturday we meant to leave at 3 in the afternoon. Instead we leave at 5 after a full day of packing camping gear (Kimmer) and cleaning the house (Dave) plus a little last-minute shopping.

Out the door, on the road, we cruise 405 to Hamptons Seattle/ South Center where we check in around six

We're missing a few things, though, like a luggage strap for one of our giant bags that's actually missing one of its handles so the remaining one just sort of flaps about. We shop some Target and Dollar Tree between six thirty and seven fifteen for the luggage strap (settled for duck tape instead), Easter candy for Kimmer's cousin, a chocolate bunny rabbit for me, and then some additional food for the evening and breakfast the next morning so we can eat on the fly if we have to.

By the time we're back in our room, it's 730. We figure we'll be in bed around 830 because that's the smart thing to do. Instead, we don't settle down for sleep until a little after ten. Kimmer studies. I score a hot chocolate downstairs by the lobby as well as water and a chamomile tea packet to go with the hot water Kimmer's already got going in the room. I decorate my thermos with Harry Potter, National Parks, Cheeky & Dry, Mod Pizza, and some other random stickers. I finish the evening coordinating with the gentleman looking after our cats. Did a huge text dump into his messaging app on the care and feeding of two cats that's so much more complex and complicated than taking care of just the one. Then I set three alarms on my phone. 245. 3. And 305. 245 did the trick, though, because we weren't sleeping at all deeply through the little less than five hours we could. It was more like we were playing tag with sleep. Sometimes we'd catch it. Most of the time it would get away. Not sure what that was all about. Maybe it was excitement on our part. Maybe it was the people, a family Kimmer says, who were arguing in the room next door during the wee hours of the morning.

So when my first alarm goes off at 245...

No big deal.

Our bodies weren't that invested in sleeping anyway.

In no time, we're outta bed, snagging the breakfast Kimmer scored at Target the previous night, mango yogurt and berry yogurt and split a banana. Then I hit the shower after taking a photograph of the alarm clock that reads

Because I can't believe it myself.

While I'm in the shower, Kimmer repacks what little we unpacked the night before, then she gets ready and we're outta there. 

Three thirty five AM we're walking out the front door.

We embark on an eight-minute basically nighttime drive to Doug Fox Parking, during which we travel part of the way almost directly beneath the light rail track that climbs the hill west of South Center Mall.

For the first time ever we're confronted by a Lot Full sign. Not a problem if you have a reservation. Which we do. Unfortunately, I've got it tucked in my bag in the back of the van. So I pull forward, get out the car, grab my reservation which the attendant checks, then we snag parking just as he pulls a shuttle right beside us. The whole process seriously moved. And now we're on our way in a packed shuttle to the Southwest drop-off just before 4AM, mere minutes behind our projected schedule. We check our bags, the two massive ones clocking in at 44 and 47 pounds, meeting the 50-pound limit so thus they travel free. Then we're into the TSA line where, because it serpentines, we get to see all the different ways family resemblance manifests across generations. Also, we're getting our first look at bleary-eyed human beings of all ages. Children, especially. It's like they just pulled an all-nighter. 😳 The morning, in fact, is marked by a lot of kids who look like this. 😕 They're wiped out even though they haven't done anything yet. 

By the way, some are wearing their PJs, some are dressed pretty jazzy, and all are wearing the eyes of being up all night. ☹️

Once we're through TSA and down the concourse, it's three minutes until it's time to take our place in line.

Our super early morning's timing wasn't tight... but it kind of was without us thinking too hard about it.

And the thing I said before about bleary eyed human beings? 

That was definitely the missus 'n me who slept deeply on both legs of our flight, short as each one was.

Landing at LAX around ten thirty was kind of a woozy experience recovering our bags and rolling everything out front and then a coupla blocks over to catch our Lyft at the new transportation hub.

Annoying. Exhausting. Kimmer was not pleased.

A few minutes later, our Lyft driver scoops us up and drops us at Escape Campervan around 11:15AM. Within a half hour, the staff at their  Inglewood location gets us checked in, set up, and on the road with our full complement of camping luggage.

To where, though?

Kimmer's idea is that she'd like to drive down the coast before cutting inland to her cousin's place. 

We're also hungry though.

Plus, earlier at one of the airports we were both remarking on how often we end up traveling on Easter Sunday. Mostly by car or van. This time by plane. But yeah.

Over the years we traveled a lot of Easter Sundays. 

At the same time we're thinking about that, I remind her of that one time we were traveling with Linzy. I think this was in the Rialta RV and we were driving down the coast from Crescent City California. It was taking longer than we figured, though, so we cut inland earlier than intended and Kimmer figured out a hotel for the three of us as we traveled through the middle of the night.

The next morning (of course) after that midnight ride, it was Easter Sunday. Having no plans, we decided on a brunch at the local Denny's. The place was absolutely packed. We did get a booth, though. And, I'm guessing, a bunch of grand slams.

So.

With that memory freshly recovered, we drive down to one of the Denny's restaurants in Long Beach on the Pacific Coast Highway during a relentless rainstorm, water pouring in streams off the roof of the restaurant as we scooted ourselves down the block from the parking lot, along the side of the restaurant, up the stairs, and into the lobby. At our table, we order a Mile High Denver Omelette, a side of fruit, sausages, and brioche French toast along with a coffee and a tea.

Later, we shared our experience there with our waitress and the manager. Our waitress encouraged us to contribute a Google review.

Which I did.

"My wife and I actually had to travel today, Easter Sunday. We were up at 3 in the morning for a 520AM flight with one stopover. So by the time we arrived in California we were pretty wiped out.  😕 We were really hungry, though, and decided to stop in Long Beach for breakfasts for lunch. The service and attention we received from everyone from the manager to wait staff to assistants was the loveliest thing. We were welcomed and attended to in ways that surpass some of our fine dining experiences where there's only one point of contact. We're definitely leaving here feeling more energized and ready for the rest of our day ☺️"

And yes.

It really was that lovely.

We were at the Long Beach Denny's from quarter past noon to one thirty at which point the rain let up.

By this time, with rain dogging our travels, we travel first to the Irvine Sprouts to pick up groceries before heading to Kimmer's cousin's place where we roll in around 230. Kimmer's cousin's prepping his teardrop trailer he's taking camping because that's what we're doing this week: our annual Family Camp on the Hill Above Laguna Beach Adventure! If the weather permits (and it usually does) there's beach exploration to be had, sunsets to watch, stars to see, family campfires to experience and, since this is right along the PCH, I always think good grief, Veronica Mars lives down here. 😉

For now, we pull our bags outta the van, Kimmer and her cousin take it all into his place while I park up the hill. Afterward, Kimmer's cousin, Derek, continues his work, and Kimmer gets cozy upstairs for the papers she's gotta write and the tests she's gotta take for her doctoral program before the day is over.

Yeah. Her doctoral work is ongoing. Even while we're in sunny California.

Around 430 I head out to do some grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and Ralph's for dinner (and dessert) as well as a little bit for the week.

Back at 630, we all break from our late afternoon activities for a meal featuring bacon-wrapped, slow-cooked meatloaf and a viewing of Jesus Christ Superstar, a movie that I've never seen before.

Crazy stuff. 🤔

Afterward, Kimmer's back to papers and tests, Derek finishes his work before turning in for the night, and I hang out with Kimmer's nephew, Kyle, while he plays video games and I write. We do those things and talk at the same time and, eventually, it's just talking about neuroscience and academics, if you can believe that. Plus the story of my cousin in Europe who, whilst interviewing for the job of bodyguard answered the question Would you take a bullet for me? with a prompt No. But if there's time I'll push you out of the way. 🤣

By n by, Kimmer comes downstairs, triumphant in her day's doctoral accomplishments... and joins us.

By now, the day's just nudged into tomorrow and Kyle finally asks the obvious question.

Why are you guys still up???

Hmmm. Good question.

We were gonna take a nap just as soon as we arrived but that never happened.

I guess we just caught our second wind, I tell him. And then proceed to tell the tale of our earlier experience at Denny's, the experience that gave us the shot of energy that sustained us through the rest of the day.

Apparently.

To which Kyle says

Do you know you could've paid way less for breakfast?

Wait. What?

Yeah. Turns out Denny's gotta menu (back of the menu) for kids over 55. Now, I'm not saying the missus 'n I are over 55... but my spin on this is that Hey.

No one there thought we were over 55 so they never suggested we check out that menu.

Yeah. I'm going with that. 😑

In the end, we cruised the full twenty-one of a twenty-four hour filled day. We absolutely did chunks of it bleary eyed... but caught our second wind and just kept going.

Tomorrow, then, Laguna Beach!

😁

[rafeny]

Can I Tell You...about my Spring / Summer 2024 Collection featured on Vogue Philippines.

Rafé Totengco’s Latest Collection Has The Sentiments Of A Sweet Escape

written by Chelsea Sarabia for Vogue Philippines

For his Spring/Summer 2024 collection, bag designer Rafé Totengco presents glistening miniaudières swept over North Fork shores, celebrating femininity, vibrance, sunlight, and the season.

For a summer away from New York City, it might seem like there’s no better destination than the Hamptons. If it were up to Rafé Totengco, however, he’d tell you that being there would feel as if you hadn’t even left Manhattan. “I mean, it really is a fabulous location,” he says, but “I’m just not there.” On the weekends, the Rafé New York designer would rather be on the peninsula opposite the Hamptons, up in the North Fork. “I swear to you, your trip will feel so different if you just go away for two days. Just come out,” he urges, reenacting the convincing he had to do to get a few of his friends to come and visit. “Just come and see it for what it is, and you’ll see. You’ll come back.”

With the locale’s sprawling vineyards, lush gardens, and secluded beaches at every turn, it seems that taking the road less traveled would have you reap the most rewards. “You could kind of call it a bucolic scene or state of mind. I mean, every time I go there for the weekend, as soon as I cross this threshold, immediately, [my] stress level goes like whoosh.”

Totengco spends every weekend in the North Fork; it’s become something of a necessity for the designer. “Having lived in the city for so long, you need that escape. For me, it’s like, I need that balance,” he tells Vogue Philippines.“I mean, I used to love being in the city every weekend. But now that I’m able to go away, I look for it. I need it.” 

He knew it would inspire his next collection as the vases in his home seemed to overflow with the fan shells he would collect on each of his visits. In such an idyllic setting, it was hard not to find beauty everywhere you went, says the designer. “I take my mom and my husband from Thursday night on. It really is our happy place. I kind of wanted to be able to share that happiness—of the location, of the moment, of the feeling.”

Totengco is the kind of designer who never stops designing, finding inspiration in just about anything. The collection is largely informed by the details you might ignore in passing: the North Fork’s pebbly beaches, fresh flowers from the local farmer’s market, the frequent bachelorette parties hosted in the vineyards. “You see these girls all dressed up, but [because] it’s so windy and it’s so natural,” he shares. “They’re all dressed, but it’s not, like, super fancy. There’s a casualness to it all.” 

He approaches his clutches the same way; each piece in the collection is meticulous in its beadwork and craftsmanship, but still conveys something of a sense of ease through its design. “There’s a sequined clutch that I did—[there’s] no way that can be done by machine. When you see it, you see that each sequin is individually stitched into place,” he explains. “And yet, when you look at it [from afar], it’s not a very complicated bag. It’s a frame clutch, done. But it exudes so much femininity and color and vibrance… It catches the light. It reflects sunlight. [This bag] is a way to celebrate light and the season.” 

That same effortlessness is evident in Totengco’s campaign images, starring model Hannah Locsin and photographed by Martin Romero. That shoot day, it would be the three of them in the designer’s car, driving around until they stumbled upon a scenic patch of land fitting for the collection—something not at all difficult to find in the area. “The whole day was just so relaxed,” Totengco recalls. “We shot a lot in one day, but it didn’t seem like it. It felt like we weren’t even rushing. Somehow, there was just this ease into the company.” 

More than the actual work, Totengco remembers going with Locsin and Romero to buy greens from the farmer’s market and sharing a salad under a comfortable midday sun. The day lacked the frenetic pace that creatives in fashion are so used to, but it didn’t make a difference in the designer’s desired results. “I was so happy when I saw the pictures because they’re exactly what I wanted,” he says. “Her hair’s blown in the wind, and she’s just there in the sun… I don’t know, [they’re] exactly how that day felt.”

In thinking of this collection, Totengco had meditated on his moments of peace spent in nature, wishing the same for the Rafé New York woman “whether it’s just for the weekend, for the evening, [or] even if you’re stuck at home.” Everyone needs solace between all the noise. “I think, more than ever, everyone’s looking for an escape,” he says. “We’re all dreaming of getting away. So even if you can’t go somewhere like the North Fork, I think, just visually, we want to be transported.”