Sunny day on the river with precious little Weston, my handsome man Hootie, and my 17 year old dog Dingo. We’re going to miss those days with old Dingo, but at least we have the pictures to remember them by.

Brazos River, Bluff Dale, Texas.

I saddled up and away I did go,
riding alone in the dark.
Maybe tomorrow
a bullet may find me.
Tonight nothing’s worse than this
pain in my heart.

Here are a few more shots to add to my last post.

The future of America! I absolutely love taking pictures of kids… they are just so expressive! 

As I passed through Andrews, TX this past Thursday, I noticed that people were slowly gathering on the side of the highway. Store owners were lowering their flags to half-mast, while mom’s were picking their kids up at school. I quickly pulled over, grabbed my camera, and asked the nearest car-load of patriotic, small town Americans what was going on. The whole town had come to a halt, all to show their support for their hometown soldier who had given his life in Afghanistan the Friday before. Sgt. John Paul Castro, only 25 years old, was fatally wounded on April 22nd by small arms fire in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. This was his third tour overseas. Some of his awards and decorations included a Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart Medal; Army Commendation Medal with Valor device; Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization medal and Combat Infantryman Badge. Not only was he a husband, but also a father and stepfather. It was obvious to me that this man was well loved in his community. Hundreds of people poured onto the streets, the old, the young…. EVERYONE. I was immediately surrounded by a group of people telling me, “Welcome to Andrews!” and loading me up with little American flags. The longer I waited, the more the streets filled up. By one o’clock there were hundreds of us, and the police department was finally forced to shut down the highway. I cannot even begin to describe how awesome it was when the funeral procession finally made their appearance at the edge of town. The sounds went from parade-like, to complete silence. Not one word was spoken. They all took a step out onto the street, and raised their flags up in the air. All I could say is, God Bless America!