Photo: "Fallen Plaster"

Corridor inside the Walker Building at Central State Hospital, Georgia.

The Walker Building was constructed in 1884 for male convalescent patients. It remained in operation for 90 years before being abandoned in 1974. Three decades of heat, humidity and rain have taken a toll on the building and the hallways have become a collection of falling plaster, moldy walls and stale air. 

Photo: "You've Got A Way"

Glacier National Park, Montana 

There is something about nature that changes me completely. I've always been an observant person, but in nature that escalates to an even grander scale. I observe every vibrant flower, falling leaf, crawling inchworm, tiny singing bird, glimpse of a snowcapped mountain and still pond. I notice things most people don't see, but I rarely photograph those things because in nature, sometimes I love just being an observer. 

During the hike to Avalanche Lake a few weeks ago when I visited Glacier NP, I saw this still patch of water along the river and the only way I could imagine it as a photograph, was if I shot it with the camera resting on the ground. I guess a part of me always imagines what the world would look like if I were 2" tall. 

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USS Holland AS-32 Being Recycled

The USS Holland, the second Hunley class submarine tender, was removed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on Thursday, July 10, 2013. She was transported to Mare Island where her hull will be cleaned, by Mare Island Ship Yard, prior to her final journey to Brownsville, Texas to be recycled.  

For me this is a big moment, as USS Holland was the first ship I ever visited in Suisun Bay back in 2010. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to wander her corridors a few more time over the years, exploring the memories and artifacts left behind by the men and women who served aboard her. 

Docked at Mare Island Ship Yard, taken during twilight

Just before the workers arrived to begin work on the hull 

The bow of USS Holland in the Mare Island Ship Yard dry dock

USS Holland was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company in Mississippi and commissioned in 1963. Her mission was to service submarines, replenish food supply, fuel and weapons. She carried a machine shop and was capable of repairing any portion of a submarine. 

Her first major mission began in 1964 across the Atlantic Ocean in Rota, Spain where she took over for U.S.S. Proteus, restocking missiles and supplies to the Polaris Submarines.

During her thirty three years in service, USS Holland was recognized ten times for battle efficiency. 

She was decommissioned in 1996, while in Guam, and placed in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet shortly thereafter.  

Looking towards Mare Island, from Vallejo, at the dry dock 

The ship name has faded since being moored in the Fleet 

Read more about the USS Holland here.  

Travel: Montana 2013

Last week, I spent four days with family in Montana, around Glacier National Park. 

My brother and I flew into Spokane on Wednesday to meet up with my Dad, who is on a 6 week road trip with his girlfriend, traveling in his 1950 Ford Woody pulling a 1947 teardrop trailer. 

On Thursday morning, we drove to Glacier National Park and camped at the West Glacier KOA until Sunday morning. 

We spent our time driving, hiking and paddle boarding in the park and though the trip wasn't a photography trip, I still managed to get a little shooting in. 

I am definitely looking forward to making a return trip to Montana specifically for photography, adding Banff and Jasper into the mix as well. 

Kalispell, Montana

Woody's in Kalispell, Montana

Entrance, Glacier National Park

Polebridge, Montana 

Polebridge, Montana

Halfmoon Lake, Montana 

Glacier National Park, Montana

Golden hour from the West Glacier KOA

Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park

Trail of the Cedars, Glacier National Park

Trail of the Cedars, Glacier National Park 

Trail to Avalance Lake, Glacier National Park 

Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park

Logan Pass , Glacier National Park 

Sunset, Glacier National Park 

Deer, Glacier National Park 

Deer, Glacier National Park 

Deer, Glacier National Park 

Black Bear, Glacier National Park 

Photo: "Always Take the Backroads"

Antioch Baptist Church, Georgia

While on road trips, I like to avoid the major freeways and take backroads when possible, because most often, the best finds are off the beaten path. 

While cruising through Georgia, in between shooting abandoned asylums, +ed roppo and I stumbled upon this church. It appeared to still be in use, the front door was open, but it was a great fine nonetheless. 

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Photo: "Nurse's Station"

The 1932 Gothic Revival style Polk Building, designed for psychopathic use, on the Western State Hospital campus in Tennessee was constructed to assist with overcrowding. Originally designed to house 400 beds, the building was constructed with the mentality that "the prime demand was patient treatment with an architecture providing friendliness and warmth."

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