Paul Lester Photo

Thanksgiving is done for another year. All of the dishes, pots, pans, and accessories are washed and put away. For us, it was a small Thanksgiving, but a reason to give thanks, nonetheless.

My son, Pedro, was in town from school, Ohio State. It was good to see him. This year there were only 6 of us: Myself, my wife, Tony, Pedro, Hobbs, and a friend of Vera’s, Aneela. As we gathered around the table, I was very thankful to have my family, friends, and my health.

I was also very happy to have this hobby, photography. One of the most pleasing things about photography is that it allows me to see things that others do not. Many people simply do not notice the subtle changes that take place during the day with regards to the light.

I rejoice each morning that I am able to awaken before sunrise, go for a walk with my dog, toting my camera all the way, and see the sunrise. Today was such a morning.

Hobbs and I left home about 7:00 AM. Sunrise was scheduled for 7:05 AM, but it was very cloudy and it just wasn’t happening. I had decided that we’d go for our longest walk ever. I wanted to walk for about a solid 90 minutes, which would take us about 4 or 5 miles, depending on our speed. In the end, we made about 4.5 miles. What a glorious time it was. However, my feet hurt, but it’s OK. The walk was worth it.

The sun stayed hidden for a while, but we were determined to wait it out. Finally, about an hour into our journey, the clouds began to part and the first rays of the day shown through. Nothing beats this. Most people were still snuggled in their beds, dreaming of the days events, but not us; we were on a mission. A mission of discovery.

We saw so much. Displayed here is just a small fraction of what we saw. When we returned, Hobbs slept soundly for a good while, while I started cooking the food for the day.

I’m happy to say that I did not overindulge in the least. Tomorrow, I will make my way to the YMCA, for my normal workout. I know that I will be joined by a number of individuals who will be doing penance for their “deeds” on Thanksgiving day. I won’t be one of them.

Tomorrow should be fraught with traffic, tempers, and massive spending … I think that I’ll just go to work and stay away from the malls, although there could be some great photographic opportunities that present themselves.

Although the sun sets much earlier, I love the light in the late fall and all winter. It’s at this time of year, that no matter the time, the light is friendly and inviting.

Today, I went to lunch with my wife. Of course, I had my handy Canon Sureshot A530 with me. We were to meet at 1:00, but she was slightly delayed. So, in the mean time, I decided to just go and take a few pictures. Wachovia plaza is beautiful all year round. There are a few fountains, lots of places to sit. There’s sun, shade, wind, sound, people, and just great atmosphere.

Today, even though the temperature was in the lower 50′s, there were people milling about and enjoying the sunshine. So, not wanting to be different, I decided to sit and enjoy the sunshine myself. Fancying myself as the photographer type, I started noticing things as I sat in the chair. Things like, the reflections off of the building, the shadows that played off of the water fountain, etc.

Out comes the camera and I continued to take pictures until the wife-a-roni showed up. Time passed quickly. She was actually about 15 minutes late, but I didn’t mind a bit. I could have even taken it if she was 30 minutes late. I was in heaven.

What a great lunch break!

Lastly, even though the US Post Office guarantees that neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor hail, nor even darkness of night will stop the mail from being delivered, they never said anything about it not being delayed a little bit due to sunshine! Perhaps the postman does always ring twice, but it might be a little later today!

It’s been a long time since I’ve had cause to say that! But, I am glad that it is Friday. My first week back at work was, to say the least, uneventful! Even though the bank (Bank of America) had 3 weeks to prepare for my arrival, the only thing that I had when I arrived was a desk, laptop, and monitor. I have no access to anything. As I cannot log onto the system, there is nothing that I can do.

So, the first 2 days I spent reading some documents. Well, that took up about 2 hours of the first 16! On Wednesday, I brought in my own laptop and starting writing some programs and surfing the Internet.

Today, I’m going into work late because my best friend is coming into town. He’s visiting for the weekend. He lives in Dallas, TX. So, we are just going to hang out this weekend and have a good time. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen him, but we talk on the phone frequently.

The first photo is shot of Bank of America tower. I was on the way from the parking lot, heading towards my building, when I saw the moon positioned right next to the tower. Fortunately, I had my handy dandy Canon Powershot with me and took this.

The second photo is of the inside of the International Trade Center, which is where I work. Bank of America has offices on all floors of this building. In downtown Charlotte, buildings are either owned by B of A or Wachovia. Probably about 90% of the Information Technology employees work for either B of A or Wachovia. No wonder I returned … where else are you going to go?