MERRY CHRISTMAS… Praying for Peace…
For the past several years, I have designed and printed my own Christmas Cards to further personalize my wishes for one of the most special days of the year.
I put nearly 100 of these cards into the mail and here is a virtual view of what others have received via the US Postal Service.
The second page of the card has a number of my photos highlighting some of the results of my photography.
The top line of four photos show a sequence of the Victoria waterlily captured at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC — A night blooming variety, it’s lilypads are up to 5 feet (yes FEET!) in diameter. The bud of this species resembles and is the size of a football and when it first opens, the flower is a snowy white. The veins of the petals begin to turn pink and finally the flower heads into a pink to almost red color before fading over the two days that this takes. The fourth photo on that line is a purple (a fave color of someone special) waterlily. This gem in the national park system also has ponds and ponds of lotus.
The second line of photos are captured from spending over a dozen final honor missions and the rigourous training of the Presidential Salute Battery of the 3d Infantry Regiment – “The Old Guard” and the distinction on the third line of the challenge coin that I was awarded when made part of the platoon and their photographer in October.
Finally, the last line of photos contain two photos from my other work in Arlington National Cemetery.
On a regular basis I have photographed the final honors at ANC as my way of “giving back” to those who have served to keep the United States free and allow those who live here to enjoy things the rest of the world envies. From those photographs, I then produce a memorial book that is presented to the next of kin – A fitting tribute to their loved one.
Tags: 3d Infantry Regiment, Arlington National Cemetery, Christmas, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, National Park Service, Presidential Salute Battery, The Old Guard, US Army, waterlily
