August 29

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August 29 is a memorable date. On this day forty years ago, Jean and I were married; we've had a wonderful life.

On this day five years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Jean and I were in Chicago on a business trip that was extended to an anniversary vacation until Katrina entered the Gulf. As Katrina changed course, we realized that if we did not beat the storm to our home in Baton Rouge, then we might not be able to return for several days. We were able to get a flight to Houston and rent a car. On the road to Baton Rouge from Houston, we had the eastbound lane mostly to ourselves. The westbound lane was packed from Houston to Baton Rouge with cars moving about 30 or 40 mph. That was a long and strange trip.

Our own house had little damage from Katrina although we were without electrical power for several days. Our families and friends on the Mississippi Gulf Coast did not fare very well at all.

This panoramic photo of the damaged Ocean Springs harbor was stitched from photos taken with my Canon G3.
 
 

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Gustav – Day 1 (Morning)

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Yesterday I switched my emphasis from photography to personal reporting on Gustav. Here’s my report on the morning of the first day near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Last night, I mentioned the concern about tornadoes. Sure enough, just after posting that entry, a tornado warning popped up on the television and radio. The announcement even indicated that the tornado was heading towards my house and would arrive in about 15 minutes. Fortunately, that tornado passed several miles to the south and probably did not touch down.

This morning, we awoke to a stormy day knowing that the weather would continually get worse. Actually, except for knowing that a hurricane was approaching, the early morning weather wasn’t too bad. On the other hand, it was that kind of gusty wind and sheets of rain that precedes a hurricane.

My daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and nephew have temporarily moved in so we have a houseful of folks. While helping with that move, I was on the road a little while early this morning. The roads were almost empty. I was surprised to see a few trees down and several limbs broken. A few power lines were down.

We still have electricity but are seeing reports of power outages already; kind of surprising. We’ve turned down the temperature in anticipation of losing power. My wife is cooking a big meal. People usually eat very well under these circumstances. Knowing that a power outage is coming, it seems reasonable to take food from the freezer and cook it instead of losing it to the hurricane. OK, maybe we just like to eat!
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A Return to the Great Reify and Redact Project

Having completed the PopPhoto 2007 Shootout, it is time to complete the Reify and Redact Project. Here are two more pictures for my portfolio.

On my birthday a few years ago, these pelicans put on a great show and I was in the right place with the right equipment. The evening sun was low and the marsh grass was glowing. This was a case of “F8 and be there” and I was there. My wife calls this picture “Happy Birthday”.

Not so happy, but quite beautiful in its own way, this pier, damaged by Hurrican Katrina, was glowing in the early morning light. I bracketed several exposures and was rewarded with a very nice photo. About a year later, I realized that those bracketed exposures could be combined to make a High Dynamic Range image. I like the HDR version even more than the original.