The fall season on the Florida Gulf Coast panhandle has very little of the summer overactivity and more temperate weather. We visited unique beach towns from Rosemary Beach to Ft. Walton, including Watercolor and Dune Allen which have grown into their own small, beautiful little beach towns. Long walks on the beach, relaxing under a beach umbrella, just sitting enjoying the views from the condo balcony were all memorable. Rain or shine, it didn't matter. Yes, the area is more commercially developed than ever and hurricanes have taken their toll on the beaches, but pockets of beauty still exist. Fall is where it's at on the Florida Panhandle.

I've been in business for well over a year and have been remiss in acknowledging the person responsible for my Tartuga's Pond logo. As a matter of fact, this person just happens to be my daughter, Kari Lennox Gonsalves (recently married). So this is a heart-felt shout-out to Kari for her help and support in getting my new photographic fine art endeavor started. Currently employed as a Graphic Designer at CNN International, she is, in my opinion, a very talented graphic designer, illustrator, and multimedia artist. Lucky me.

On a recent trip out west to Oregon, my wife and I decided to extend our trip by driving from Portland to Seattle. We had never been there and wanted to experience a little of what Washington state had to offer before returning to the East Coast. In planning our trip, Mt. Rainier was on the way, so we decided to spend a night and day at the mountain as the Mt. Rainier National Park was definitely on our bucket list. Our oldest son, who had previously been to Mt. Rainier, suggested we stay at the Paradise Inn up on the mountain. What's not to like about a place called Paradise - right. It's gotta be great. So we booked it.

A while back my youngest son moved to Oregon to begin a new life with his soon to be fiancee. Of course my wife and I miss him, so this was a good reason to visit a place we had never been before. We began to plan a trip soon after my son and his intended settled in Beaverton, a suburb of Portland and the home of Nike. Our plan was to travel in the spring, visit with our son and meet his girlfriend's family, and spend a few days out on the coast. Being first timers, we weren't fully prepared for the natural beauty we were about to see.

This July 4th not only marks Independence Day, but the passing of my twin sister, Pamela Lennox Tynes, four years ago. Recently, while reviewing and attempting to organize my New York studio photography from over thirty years ago, I came across a group of photos taken in the late seventies when my sister and mother came to New York for a visit. We were still young in our early thirties with most of our lives and experiences still ahead of us.