| Virginia |
| As a native to Virginia, I was always surprised when I heard it was one of the top 10 states for Americans to visit. I suppose this does make sense being that America's first president George Washington, the former capital of the Confederate States of America, and the first permanent English colony are found in Virginia. In addition to the historical cities and important landmarks, Virginia also offers a national park in the Appalachian mountains with many large beaches on its Atlantic coast. |
| These photos are of the area in Virginia where I live, often referred to as Northern Virginia. Below on the lower left is the Masonic Temple in old town Alexandria built by the Free Masons. The photo directly below is the famous US Marine Iwo Jima memorial with Washington DC in the background. On the left is the world's largest office building, the pentagon, which is the headquarters of the US governments Department of Defense. The pentagon also suffered in the attack of 9/11 but has since been repaired and the damage is no longer visible. During the attacks of 9/11 I was in the US Marines, but just happened to be home on leave. Many famous places such as the pentagon or the Iwo Jima memorial are thought to be in Washington DC but are actually located right across the Potomac river in Virginia. |
| Virginia Links |
| The capital of Virginia is Richmond which is located right in the middle of the state. It is a decent sized city and carries with it a lot of history. The photo on the right is my first panoramic picture, and was taken of the downtown area. Even though it looks like a large city it only has a population of 220,000. |
| state capitol building looks much different than the other states. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson and is the second oldest state capitol still in use after Maryland. Thomas Jefferson used this design to represent America's European heritage. On the right is a photo of an old wall in Richmond when Cokes still cost only 5 cents each! |
| When I visited Richmond, St. John's church was being renovated so the best picture I could do is the photo of the gate seen to the upper left. Saint John's Church was the location where Patrick Henry gave the famous speech urging Americans to fight the British for independence. His speech ended with "give me liberty or give me death!", and death was eventually what he got. |
| Several other significant colonies existed in other parts of Virginia, one of the famous areas is in Alexandria, Virginia which is just outside of Washington DC. Here is George Washington's mansion called Mt. Vernon, the first president of the United States. George Washington lived in Mt. Vernon well before the Revolutionary War and his presidency. As he fought in the revolutionary war, he was not able to reside in the mansion for about 8 years. After his presidency, he retired back to the mansion where he spent the rest of his life. On the left is a photo of the main mansion that he lived in, on the right is the tomb of George Washington located in Mt. Vernon. |
| Right across from the state capitol building is the old treasury building of the Confederate States of America, or CSA. Richmond is not only Virginia's capital but was also CSA's capital during the civil war. The southern states in the south wanted to seperate from the United States which resulted in America's bloodiest war. Even though this city is very close to the Washington DC which was still under control of USA, Richmond was chosen as the CSA capital because it had so many resources which were used to fuel the war. The world's first Ironclad warship was built and used in battle in Virginia. On the upper right is a photo of a train carrying coal next to the James River. |
| The cemetery seen above is called Hollywood cemetery and is located in Richmond. The cemetery has tens of thousands of buried soldiers, mostly from the confederate armies. There are also 3 presidents buried in the cemetery. On the upper right is a statue of Jefferson Davis, who was the president of the Confederate States of America. He believed that the Union had been corrupted and that the Confederate government had to be pure in order to survive. When the war was over, Jefferson Davis was captured and put in prison. He was never charged and released two years later. He spent the rest of his life running different organizations and even won a political election but was denied the job by the US. Like all politicians he wrote a book, called the 'Rise and fall of the Confederate Government'. |
| The upper left photo is of Burke lake located in Fairfax county. It was actually rated one of the best city parks in the country due to the activities available and because of its proximity to densely populated areas. Northern Virginia has over two million people, so places like Burke lake give people a good opportunity to go jogging in the morning, or fishing and boating on the weekends. The upper right photo is of Great Falls Virginia which is a small park right on the border of Maryland and literally only minutes from the capital. Great Falls has some good trails and great scenery, as well as some rock climbing and kayaking. |
| The first fighting of the civil war took place in South Carolina, but the first major battle of the war took place in Bull Run which is in Manassas, Virginia. The cannons you see on the left are replicas of the ones that general Thomas Jackson brought with him as reinforcements. It was on that exact location where Jackson was first seen entering the war and this is where he earned his famous nickname, Stonewall Jackson. The stone bridge to the right was destroyed after the battle by fleeing Union soldiers. It has been rebuilt exactly as it was. |
| The first permanent British colony was built in Jamestown Virginia in 1607. Jamestown is considered to be America's oldest city and in 2007 it celebrated its 400th anniversary. The original Jamestown settlement is for the most part destroyed from time, but a replica of Jamestown has been reconstructed in the area and is a major tourist attraction in Virginia. On the left you can see some people dressed up as the original settlers were, on the right is a large replica of a building that you are able to go inside and explore. |
| These two pictures are of Lake Accotink which is only a mile or two from my house. The best thing about the lake is its 4 mile trail which I usually run when the weather is nice out. In 2007 I went jogging and for the first time ever I brought my camera. I was pretty lucky that day because I caught over a dozen turtles on the same log! |
| Above are common mule deer, found in all 50 states. Notice that the deer on the right has white spots, indicating it is less than a year old. White Tailed deer are usually born in the spring, and lose their white spots after the first summer. |
| The white moth with black spots is known as the great leopard moth, and was found in my front yard. The large butterfly on the right is quite popular in the east coast and is called the Pipevine Swallowtail. There were dozens of others around it when I took that photograph. |
| There are many places to enjoy the outdoors in Virginia, but the state is also home to one of the few National Parks on the east coast. Shenandoah is found along the western border of the state along the Appalachian mountains. Shenandoah is home to large populations of black bear, deer, bobcats, and even the rare flying squirrels. Camping, hiking, and several other outdoor activities are available here; the above photos are from a hike to the top of Old Rag Mountain, one of the best hikes in Virginia. You can see in the background of the first photo that the mountains are completely covered in trees, while on the right, some steeper and rocky sections support only small plants. |
| I've hiked Old Rag almost a dozen times for the purpose of training for larger mountains like Aconcagua or Denali. These top two photos I took of my dad after I was able to get him to join me. On the left is him looking over one of the view points a few thousand feet above the surrounding land, on the right is my dad on the summit of old rag, at 3,200 feet. Old Rag is a great climb because of its challenging trails and it is a single mountain, not part of a mountain range so you can enjoy a 360 degree view from the summit. The photos from the above trip where in January, and the trail was covered in ice. |
| The northern Virginia population is in the millions, so many people use the subway to commute to DC and around other parts of Virginia as well. On the left is a photo of one of the subway stops in Virginia that actually directly connects to the shopping mall on the right. The mall on the right is called Pentagon City, located in Arlington, Virginia. |
| I usually don't keep my camera around me when I'm at home, but I was lucky to happen to have it in my car one day when I was coming home and I saw a huge cloud of smoke. I quickly followed the smoke to find a huge fire engulfing a strip of townhouses in Springfield. The fire was pretty dramatic, and was brought under control by the fire department within an hour. Three townhouses were completely destroyed with others receiving significant damage. |
| While many Americans typically see Virginia as rural southern state with a country like atmosphere, northern Virginia is actually one of the most diverse places in the country. There are large populations from countries like Korea, Vietnam, El Salvador, Afghanistan and other random places in the world. One Sunday I was casually hanging out at home when one of my Afghan friends called me and asked if I wanted to meet the Vice President of Afghanistan. Opportunities like this don't come very often so we drove 20 minutes up to Arlington Virginia and I was able to have tea with 2nd VP Abdul Karim Khalili. Abdul Karim Khalili was visiting the area to attend a peace conference with Dick Cheney and Condaleeza Rice. |
| The first settlers travel to what is now Virginia aboard ships owned by privateer Christopher Newport of the Virginia Company. The voyage from Europe to the new world took 5 long months, nearly twice as long as average, landing Christopher at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Above are replicas of the ships that the Virginia Company used to sail to the new world. The largest was called the Susan Constant, also known as the Sarah Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. |
| The Jamestown location was selected because no native tribes were currently living in the area although there were significant populations nearby. The tribe that the settlers first had contact with where the Powhatans, whose capital was about 20 miles from Jamestown. The first decade and a half was peaceful with the Native Americans, but after the natives had concerns with the British settlers expanding colonies they launched an attack known as the massacre of 1622. Above is what a Powhatan hut looked like; on the right is fur being dried out in the sun. |
| The early colonists had a difficult time finding more people willing to move to Jamestown and to get further investments for the settlement. Other workers from different countries such as Italy and Germany also came to the colony in its early years. On the left is a photo of what early homes from Jamestown looked like, on the right is a craftsman doing some type of wood work. |
| Although George Washington will forever be famous for his accomplishments as a statesmen, an officer at war, and the first President of the United States, he was also considered a great farmer. Before and after his presidency, he spent a lot of time maintaining gardens and farms which are still maintained to this day. His property has plenty of other interesting areas, and even has an overlook of the Potomac. |
| I returned to Shenandoah in the summer of 08 and found it to be a whole new world from my winter trips to Old Rag. The forests here now seemed like a jungle in comparison to the dry and lifeless place it had been in the winter. The large bird on the left is known as a turkey vulture and is common all year around. Can you find the camouflaged moth in the photo on the right? I only noticed it because I saw it move. |
| Lots of insects are found in the mountains during the warmer months of the year. When spring first comes around you'll see hundreds of caterpillars walking around the trees and forest floor. In June they began to make cocoons along the branches and tree trunks like on the left, nasty! On the right is an enemy of the caterpillars, this is a species of ground beetle, specifically known as a caterpillar hunter. |
| Northern Virginia has several million people, but it is not the most populated place in the state. Driving to the southeast of Virginia is where the state's largest cities are found such as Norfolk and Virginia Beach. The area is made up of channels and is connected with several underwater tunnels, some of the longest in the world. Norfolk also has the largest naval base in the world, home to several US aircraft carriers. On the right is WW2's USS Wisconsin at the Nauticus museum. |
| The southern most part of Virginia along the coast is much warmer than the west and northern areas. This is probably as far north as you'll find this many palms growing outside along the east coast. Virginia Beach is the state's largest city and one of the biggest travel destinations. On the left is a statue of Neptune located on the Virginia Beach boardwalk. |
| I went to Virginia beach for the 4th of July weekend so it was pretty packed. On the left you can see hundreds of people in a small area swimming and relaxing along the beach. The large cargo rig on the right stands out a lot while you are at the beach, seems like a strange location to put it but the tourists don't seem to mind. |
| Many people know Virginia beach for some of their strange laws. Cussing for example is illegal in Virginia beach and is punishable by a fine. I'm sure cussing is technically illegal everywhere, but in Virginia beach it is strictly enforced and $30 fines are common. Above are a do not cuss sign and a police hummer. |
| For those who don't want to get up close and personal with local wildlife, Virginia beach's aquarium has lots of native animals that are found in the local marshes and the ocean. The huge snapping turtle on the left is probably about 3 feet in height while it is standing up vertically and lives in swampy areas of the state. On the right are puffer fish and a shark that are both common in Virginia's ocean. |
| Everywhere in America on July 4th people celebrate our nations independence with the day always ending with fireworks once the sun goes down. In Virginia Beach, ships out in the ocean launched hundreds of fireworks while people crowded along the boardwalk and beach to watch. On the upper left an unseen ship launches dozens of fireworks at the same time, almost looking like missiles. |
| After the firework celebration, everyone goes out to party and continue the celebration. The above photo is one of a few free concerts in Virginia beach on July 4th. On the right are people crowded in a bar getting drinks. |
| Above is another butterfly seen out in a field, it was one of several that were attracted to the plant it is feeding on. The spider on the right is called the barn spider, and was the same type of spider as in the book Charolette's web. These spiders usually come out during the fall time when the temperatures just start getting cool. |
| Here are some rare wildlife from Virginia, at least I don't see these very often. The yellow bird on the left is an American gold finch. I haven't seen one for years, but someone I work with claims he sees them all the time. I took this photo with my new Nikon D80 so it came out blurry since I am still learning how to use it. The black squirrel on the right is pretty rare in Virginia but becomes more popular as you head farther west. The photo of the squirrel was taken the day after the Blizzard of 2010, as it struggles to run across a snow covered powerline. |
| Above are two more photos from the city of Arlington. Arlington is split up into different districts such as Crystal City or Rosslyn. The downtown area of Rosslyn is seen on the upper left. On the right is a photo of a company building that is contracted with the US government. Many people living in Arlington either commute to Washington DC, or work in Arlington itself with government jobs. |
| Above are some examples of typical homes in northern Virginia. Townhouses and apartment buildings are very common in the area, but there are many single family home communities as well. |
George: This spider is known as a barn spider, the same one as in the book Charlotte's Web. It is aggressive to
other insects but as far as humans go it is nothing to worry about, although I still wouldn't want to get bit by it!
other insects but as far as humans go it is nothing to worry about, although I still wouldn't want to get bit by it!
Staci from USA: I encountered a spider that looks very much like a Virginia spider. I live in Georgia. Is this spider
poisonous?
poisonous?
| I've been wanting to get a macro lens for a long time and finally in Nov of 08 I got one! The upper right photo and photo below are my very first photos with the macro lens. I never found out what the insect on the upper right is, but below are two stink bugs that were actually inside my house. The photo on the upper left is a wheel bug, a member of the assassin family. Apparently it is a pretty mean bug and can cause a painful bite to humans which can leave scaring. |
| With Washington DC being only a 15 minute drive from Northern Virginia, almost everyone visits the National Mall when they want to go see museums. I think the best museum that I know about in northern Virginia is the Air & Space Museum, which is actually just an annex of the Air & Space museum in DC. It is located outside the main population areas so has a lot more room than one of the museums would in the capital. The museum has everything from early aircraft to space shuttles and satellites. On the upper right is the SR-71 Blackbird, once holding records for fastest speed and highest altitude during its career. During its 30 plus years of service, not a single SR-71 was lost due to enemy fire. Above is a photo of some type of satellite that has returned from space. The highlight of this museum is easily the Enola Gay that is seen on the right. This is the actual aircraft that dropped the Atomic Bomb that ended World War II in Japan, one of the most controversial events in history. |
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| The Masonic temple seen on the upper left is also a museum and monument dedicated to George Washington, who was also a Free Mason. The date of the origins of the Free Masons is not for certain, but most agree that the fraternity started at least 500 years ago. Inside this Masonic Temple you will find several different floors dedicated with Masonic objects that have helped influence the Free Masons. The century old fraternity continues on today, with some 5 million members. On the left is the Grand Master of 2008 |
| The Free Masons are not part of any religion, but do require members to believe in a higher power. These surrounding photos are taken inside of the Masonic Temple in Virginia, and show influences from other religions that helped form their beliefs. Essentially the Free Masons believe in simply being a good person and contributing to society in a positive way. New members can only join by invitation, and must come with a good reputation. |
| On the left is a drawing of the burning bush from the Christian bible, the lower left shows the remains of Solomon's Temple which was once an important location to Jews. Below on the right shows an American Free Mason wearing a Fez with the word Islam and an Arabian sword and crescent Moon. The plate above has the Free Mason symbol, with the Egyptian Eye of Horus in the center, also seen on the US dollar bill. |
| Another neighborhood in northern Virginia but a bit older is old town Alexandria. Alexandria is another city in northern Virginia with a population of several hundred thousand people, but it's mostly known for it's historic district that is on the waterfront along the Potomac River. Old town Alexandria is a short distance from George Washington's house, and many founding fathers of the nation lived here. Above are two photos of it today, with some older townhouses on the right, and a cobbled street on the left that reminds many people of Boston. |
| There are a few bars in old town that can be fun for nightlife, but with Arlington and DC so close this normally wouldn't be a typical place to spend your Saturday night. There are however, a lot of historic places to explore and fancy restaurants along the waterfront that have a nice view of Washington DC. These three photos were just random pictures I took around the neighborhood. There are a ton of locally owned and specialty shops such as the ones on the right. |