 | Frank is what is commonly called a webmaster. To help him develop and manage various web sites, we have set up a "server farm" in the basement. One machine performs as a web server, similar to the kind of system you connect to when you view a web page on the Internet. Having our own web server allows Frank to test web pages for errors before placing them out in the real world Internet. One machine keeps all the computers on our network connected to the Internet. Another one tracks usage on Frank's web sites. Still another computer keeps track of the data from our weather station on the roof. A picture of the roof unit can be seen later on. |
 | The beautiful Shenandoah Valley as seen from the Skyline Drive in early winter. The Shenandoah National Park is truly one of our gems of Virginia and one of our favorite places for a weekend drive. |
 | Frank with the Shenandoah Valley as his backdrop. He and his father and family took many visits to this area as he was growing up. The National Park Service has cleared the view on most of the overlooks back to the perspective of 50 years ago. |
 | Winter weather did hit us, but is was fairly light last year. We did, however, have a nice snow storm. |
 | Looking out the front door of the house we see our winterized trailer. It is nice to have the trailer available. If we are expecting severe winter weather, we can fill the on-board water and we have a backup home for a few days in the event of a power outage. |
 | A picture from the study as Tom shovels the drive. We do some shoveling, but try not to get carried away with the task. |
 | As the evening approaches the trees weigh down with a heavy snow blanket. |
 | In February, Frank purchased a Kodak professional digital camera. This is actually a 35 mm camera which has been modified by Kodak into a digital. Having the ability to use standard 35 mm lenses and all the exposure and focusing features of a SLR camera, enables us to make spectacular photographs far exceeding the capabilities of the point and shoot cameras we have had in the past. All the pictures from here on were shot with this camera. |
 | One of the first photos with the new camera, makes use of a 300 mm telephoto lens to view a pileated woodpeckers home in our front yard. Due to the peculiar optics of the new camera, this 300 mm lens takes on the properties of a 700 mm lens. This nest is actually about 100 feet up the tree. We try to leave our dead trees, called snags, standing until mother nature brings them down. The slow decay, provides food for woodpeckers and homes for many small animals. |
 | In late February we took a trip to Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. Here Tom bundles up from the biting wind on the boardwalk of Virginia Beach. |
 | A picture of Virginia Beach's motel high rises during winter. During summer these places are packed, with rooms renting for as much as $ 250 a day. |
 | Frank with Virginia Beach as a backdrop. Again...it was a clear, but chilly day. |
 | One of Willimasburg's famous old colonial taverns, Christina Campbell's. We had lunch here, Frank had a stew served inside a loaf of homemade bread. Williamsburg is famous for its period taverns which serve food in the manner of the inns of colonial Virginia. |
 | There advertisement was not misleading. They really do have good food. |
 | Duke of Glouceter street, with the Capitol building in the distance. A stroll down the streets of Williamsburg is like steping back in time to the mid 1700s. One can almost hear Patrick Henry proclaiming "Give me liberty or give me death!" |
 | Experimenting with our new camera, we ventured forth for some night photography. This is a time exposure of Tom in front of one of Williamsburg's restored taverns. This was a 1.5 second exposure, f3.7, 28.1 mm focal length, and was shot at 8:39:52 pm, on Feb. 20, 2000. That is just some of the details this camera stores with each picture it shoots. |
 | Williamsburg's court house by night. This was a 15 second exposure. If you look closely you can see a ghost as an interpreter walked across the steps. |
 | Burton's Church in Williamsburg. Amazing they, the colonists, made their politically points by prayer not by arguement. After all, who can argue with prayer? |
 | Finally a squirrel supervising the entire scene. Another long lens photograph with a 299.7 mm focal length, 1/500th second at f5.6. This is a good example of the specialized photography I have dreamed of but was unable to do with a point and shoot camera. |