While in Charleston, we went to Kaminsky's, a dessert shop. When I was leaving, I spotted this great looking gargoyle.

1-29-11 Charleston Firefighter Memorial

In the Charleston, there is a small firefighter memorial park, honoring those firefighters who have died in the line of duty. I noticed that in 2007, nine firefighters from differing stations lost their lives. Upon further digging on the internet, I discovered the reason. On June 18, 2007, there was a very large fire in a furniture store, the roof collapsed, covering debris over about two-dozen rescue workers. Nine of those workers, firefighters, lost their lives. The fire was investigated and three days later..."The store had been converted from a 1960's era grocery store with a metal truss roof system. The fire and smoke spread rapidly and the firefighters became lost and separated from their hoses. With air in air-packs running out, they could not find their way out. They died from smoke inhalation."

1-28-11 Kaminsky's

Here in Charleston, if you want an awsome dessert, you head to Kaminsky's. That's all they sell are desserts--banana pudding cake, apple-carmel spice cake, key lime mousse, double chocolate fudge cake (pictured). Y-U-M-M-Y!!

1_27_11 Charleston, SC

I am in Charleston, South Carolina, for a technology conference for the next few days. After we arrived (yesterday) we "hit the streets" to explore this lovely city by the bay. Over the next several days, you will be seeing some of the sites we explored. This is one of the many homes we found along Charleston Harbor. You can just imagine what it must have been like in the mid-1800's, sitting out on your porch, drinking mint julip with your friends and neighbors.

1-22-11 Old Telephones

I was looking at pictures on my phone today and forgot I have taken this picture. A coupd of weeks ago I attended a "Technology Lock-In" at The Hotel at Old Towne in Wichita. The "lock-in" was an excuse for a bunch of us "tech geeks" to get together and play on the Internet. Anyway, this hotel is located in an old warehouse in the downtown area. The hotel had a 1940's motif, right down to the phones in the room. The hallways had pictures of Wichita back at the turn of the century. It's a neat place!

1-20-11 Keilo

Haven't posted a picture Keilo recently. He's so fun to shoot!

1-17-11 Antiques Collectibles

I see antique shops and junk shops as a journey into the past. I love looking at what has been collected, then think about what stories that item can tell.

1-16-11 Blue, Blue, My World is Blue....

Turned to "The Daily Shoot" for inspiration today. They suggested making a picture that has the color blue predominate.

1-15-11 Dutch Mill Bakery

This has to be one of the best bakeries in the state of Kansas. The Dutch Mill Bakery is located in the Amish Town of Yoder, just north of Hutchinson. Here, Amish ladies bake the freshest breads, cookies, and nothing beats their homemade cinnamon rolls. Yummy!

This was a storefront in the Amish town of Yoder. I love antique, old-looking shops. I didn't have time to go in, but looking through the window, looks like it's an art gallery of sorts.

1-13-11 Machines of the Past

Last week when I was in Hutchinson, I had to pass through the town of Yoder. Yoder is an Amish community where some still drive horse and buggies. As I was driving through, I spotted these old thrashing machines. By the look of the rust, I don't think they had been used in quite a number of years.

1-12-11 Wonder What It's Thinking?

Ever take a picture of an animal and want to put a speech bubble above it's head? That's what I wanted to do with this bovine I saw in a nearby field.

1-11-11 Perspective

When I was in Hutchinson last week, I stopped at the grain elevator to take some pictures. These are some railroad tracks that run next to the grain elevator.

1-10-11 First Snow of Season

Two months ago today, I took a picture of my neighbor's tree, full of beautiful orange & red leaves. Now, in a different season, the same tree is covered in snow, laying dormant until spring comes.

1-9-11 Sun Peaking Through

Yesterday, on my way to a tech meeting in Hutchinson, the sun decided to shine through the clouds for a moment. It looked like a flood light was shining on this farm.

1-8-11 Ridin' the Rails

Took advantage of the sunshine today to find some pictures before the snow hits later in the weekend. I was able to position myself so sun reflected off of the rails.

1-3-11 Underwater tropics

With it being so cold outside, I looked for something more "tropical" for today's picture. This is the castle in our fish tank. The fish seemed to be uncooperative in getting their picture taken.

1-2-11 Racing into 2011

This is how I feel heading into 2011. Snoopy, you'd better watch out!

1-1-11 Happy New Year

Happy New Year, from me and my friends! Hard to believe it's been a year since I started this picture blog. I've learned alot, and hopefully, have improved a little on my photography skills. So I resolve to keep watching the world around me and continue to improve taking pictures.