Revs heading to the play-offs

I covered the Revolution’s final regular season game, Sunday, at Lancaster. The Revs had already secured a place in the play-offs, but needed a win at Lancaster to bring home the Community Cup.

Patriots Day

Like most Americans, I still vividly remember where I was, what I was doing, and all the sadness and anger when our country was attacked on September 11, 2001.  So much has happened, both good and bad, since that day but the one thing that stands out most to me is the loss of the pride I had in Americans in the few weeks following 9-11.  A few weeks is all that the national pride lasted, when everyone, no matter Republican or Democrat, Black or White, everyone stood together, when American flags hung proudly on almost every home, were seen on every street corner.

This morning, at the exact time that one of the planes crashed into the World Trade Center, I was at a 9-11 rememberence and supreme sacrifice program in downtown York. A soldier’s muster was being read with members replying “Present” as their name was called. “Cpl. Luke Runyan”  No answer  “Cpl. Luke Runyan” still no answer “Cpl. Luke Runyan”  a third call, yet the only thing that answered was silence and tears. Cpl. Runyan had been killed in action in Iraq in February.

After the service I approached a woman I’d photographed crying during the muster. I didn’t know that she was Cpl. Runyan’s mother.  After talking for a few minutes she asked me where all the people are. I looked around and realized, as she did earlier, that out of a city of several thousand, a county of a hundred thousand, twenty five or thirty people showed up for the service. While the veteran’s honor guard fired their rifles in volley, people passed by, as Taps was blown and the few past and present soldiers saluted their fallen comrades, the traffic sped by.  The question today is “where has that pride gone?’

Hanna’s Goodbye

Saturday was a wet and rainy day as tropical storm Hanna dumped close to 4 inches on us. It was one of those days where you just sit around doing nothing.

But after more then ten hours of gloom, a brilliant double rainbow formed as Hanna headed northeast.

Sunflowers

Local portrait photographer Bill Schintz called the office yesterday and told us about a field of sunflowers. He was taking his grand-daughter Bernie there for a photo shoot and invited us along.

While Bill was making portraits, I was looking for a different angle.

The best photo was the last image I made, kinda shot from the hip, as Bernie ran back to the car after the sitting.