A Bit of Cool Things!

I mentioned in my last blog entry about Washington DC. Well, I was going through some of the images I shot and a couple stood out. The first one is of a New York State Trooper and his K9 partner. The trooper was in Washington for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to pay respect for a close friend and fellow trooper who was killed in the line of duty. As an old K9 officer myself, the German Shepard caught my eye right away, and coupled with the troopers standing tall awaiting their fellow officers name to be called out, I snapped this shot.

As darkness fell on the Police Memorial, thousands upon thousands of police officers stood around the wall of thousands more officers whose names are engraved in stone. The throng surrounding those seated in folding chairs in front of the stage known to us are as "The Survivors". These were the families...wives, husbands, mothers & Fathers, children of the officers slain in the line of duty in 2007. I pondered in my mind the two other times I attended the Memorial, and thought to myself, it's getting bigger. More men & women called to service of protecting our communities are giving the ultimate sacrifice. As the night fell, a thin blue laser beam went from the stage into the night representing the "Thin Blue Line". Everyone was issued a candle and as the first candle was lit, each person turned and lit the candle of the person next to them. We are all fellow brothers and sisters under the badge. As I walked through the shoulder to shoulder crowd, I saw this young boy. His Father is a Nevada State Trooper and he and his entire family made the trip to the Memorial for the first time. The innocence in this little boy's eyes somehow gave me a feeling of hope. Maybe he will be the one that stops the violence in the night. It brought to mind this quote... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf" -George Orwell, 1903-1950

On another note: I did a photo session today for the local bike magazine I work with called Go For A Ride, (GoFAR). It will be next month's cover and is of a remarkable teenager and his little brother. They not only work at their Dad's motorcycle salvage yard, they build bikes. Joey's latest creation...a bike frame constructed of chain link! The welded chain completely replaces the tube style frame. Joey scoffs at people that don't think the chain-frame can hold up. In fact he has been riding this one for some time. He may be one of those big shot chopper builders with his own TV show before to long. I'll write more about him soon. Until next time....be safe and......cya!