Hey Kids, Comics!

This weekend started out with a blast! Took the family up to the west side of Cleveland to a really cool event at Carol & John's Comic Shop.  I was first introduced to the shop last year by my friend and have been wanting to go back.  The stores Free Comic Book day midnight event last Friday night was a great opportunity to watch some artists draw, check out some excellent cos-player and pick up some new comics!

SPRING 2014!

Spring has sprung in the valley of Tuscarawas and this weekend it was in full force!  Saturday and Sunday were both beautiful days and I spent as much time as I could out and about with the camera.  Saturday I headed down to Tuscora Park to see what the local fowl inhabitants were up to and on Sunday I took a walk on the Ohio-Erie Canal trail to check out the new bridge over the river that's just north of Bolivar.  With the new bridge construction complete, the trail now fully connects northern Tuscarawas County to Cleveland.  Would be a great adventure to take it the whole way up there.

Article published about my photography work!

I was very happy to have been asked not too long ago by the editors of the Ohio Amish Country Guide for an article talking about my work in photography.  As anyone would be, I was thrilled for the opportunity.  Today, that article was published online and I wanted to share it here as well.  It's great to be able to do something you love doing.  It's an honor to be recognized for it.  Please enjoy!

Click here for the .PDF

The Grapes of Tusc

Working with the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau over the past several months has truly been an exciting and rewarding experience.  One of the best aspects of the job is that I get to visit some great local establishments.
Since this morning the weather was a lot better then it's been for a long time on a Saturday, my wife and I headed out to the gateway of Amish country and stopped at Breitenbach Wine Cellars.  Located just off of Rt. 39 west of Dover, the family owned and operated winery has been making award-winning wines since 1980.  From the moment you walk in the door, you're greeted by the welcoming staff and you can pick up the pride that they have in the products that they make.  We were there in time to join the tour of the winery and if you are there on a Friday or Saturday, I highly recommend on do it too.  

Last year when we were in St. Louis, we took the Budweiser tour and I remember that it kind of left me wanting more.  It was neat to see where my favorite beer was made, but it just seemed too scripted.  Today, our tour guide, Scott, took us thoroughly through the wine making process and was open to any questions that we had.  What stuck out most about our tour today was the deep passion the family has on making a quality and enjoyable product.   He described what goes into making wine and it is a very labor intensive and exacting journey. As with all my travels throughout Tuscarawas County, passion has been the key element that I have experienced with all of the places we visit.  The owners want to provide a great product, they enjoy what they are doing and they want to share it with you.  Passion is no stranger at Breitenbach.

So if you are ever heading down I-77 and are about to pass through our county, be sure to exit at Rt. 39 in Dover, head west a couple of miles and stop by the winery.  I think you will find it to be a very welcoming experience.  They are open Monday-Saturday.  See their website for more details.

Oh, the places you will go

I know I haven't been posting too much lately.  January turned into a month of projects for the "day job" and some much anticipated travel.  Plus, I kicked back a little after a busy few months of assignments for my favorite client.  A few weeks ago I traveled down to my annual technology conference located at World Disney World's Swan and Dolphin hotel.  I've been fortunate enough to have been able to go for the past 13 years and it's always a week of learning, seeing old friends that I've made through the community of like-minded geeks and a little R&R thrown in on the side.  Since the event is held on the grounds of the "Happiest Place on Earth" I've made it a point to bring my camera gear along with me.  And since it's held at the aforementioned magical place the "party" held on one of the nights is usually at one of the local parks.  This year there were actually two trips to different parks. Epcot and Hollywood Studios. At both events, fireworks were the major entertainment and when Disney is involved, they don't skimp on the show. Another part of the conference is that there is usually a big name band to kick off the conference on Monday morning.  This year the band American Authors kicked things off and they were fantastic.  So here are some pictures from the week around the conference.
So with the conference behind me and hopefully a little bit easier end to this winter that doesn't seem to end, I will get things rolling again with adventures in Tuscarawas County.  I'm also planning on kicking things into high gear for the studio business this year including a contest for a free sitting for a high school senior.  But that will be coming in a few months so stay tuned for that!  For now, enjoy these pictures of my week away.