Fort Monroe (5/18/2014 posted 8/20/2014)

I am posting this photograph today as my answer to the photographic challenge by Cee Neuner, one of the blogs I follow.  The challenge was for a black and white photograph of any type.  So back in the archives I found on I took in May of this year at Ft. Monroe in Hampton.  Ft. Monroe was continually active as an Army base since the civil war and it is my understanding that Abraham Lincoln even visited the place.  Part of it is a real fort with walls and a moat.  A few years ago it was closed, made a national monument and parts were turned over to the state.  Absolutely no better place to take pictures.  I have posted sifferent pictures of Ft. Monroe, just check out the "labels" section of this blog.

I love black and white photography.  In my far distant past I had the ambition to become a photographer.  I did an online course, got all the books from Ansell Adams and even bought a second hand copy of the Time Life photo course.  I studied the various photographers of the time and I experimented with all kinds of filters, including red filters to make skies and clouds even more dramatic.  At home my bedroom also served as a dark room.  I landed a few wedding shoots and I taught darkroom techniques when I was drafted in the Army.  I guess I was an instructor in those days already, which is probably why I drifted into the direction I am in right now.  But I’ve never forgotten my love for photography.

While I usually shy away from posting pictures of people, I can’t help myself posting this picture of my beautiful wife.  This picture was taken near one of the access points to the real fort, at a point where a foot tunnel exits the wall inside the fort.  It just felt right for this picture.  If you are in the area, it is a place well worth visiting; a place that drips with history.

Fort Monroe (6/6/2014)

D-day!  Actually there was a 70-year anniversary celebration concert at Fort Monroe.  In addition it was our 37- year wedding anniversary that day as well.  So what better reason to celebrate and listen to some good music, on the lawn.  It was a concert by the USAF Heritage of America Band, and it was fun.  We had a good time followed by a late dinner.

The photo below shows the Hampton Roads.  A ship is going over the tunnel while there was a guy in a fishing kayak in the foreground.  He had a hard time paddling, the current was very fast that evening.

Fort Monroe (5/18/2014)

We visited Fort Monroe this weekend for another concert by the Hampton Roads Philharmonic.  We had a nice time and the music was excellent like last time.  After the concert we took a walk through the fort, which is now a National Monument.  This was our first walk through the area and you could feel the history of the place.  The thick walls, the moat, and the old buildings are amazing.  Much different to what is outside the fort, which is nice as well.  Particularly impressive were the old live oaks; I expect some of them might have been there since the civil war. 

One issue I found was that at least one building appears to be boarded up, because of what I expect is the dismal structural shape it is in.  I hope there will be money to rehab this building and actually rehab the facility.  We could see some decay all over the place; and this is such a gorgeous historic place.  It is such a shame that we even have to play politics over a place like this.  It is my understanding that some members of congress got bend out of shape because President Obama declared “too many National Monuments.”  I find this sad, at least when it comes to Ft. Monroe, the place reeks of history and needs to be preserved and maintained.  It would be great if there was a visitor’s center and some more information for the visitors (if there is one, it is difficult to find).

During our walk on Sunday we climbed the walls and I took this picture of the lighthouse just outside the fort.  In the background you can see Fort Wool, another interesting feature of the Hampton Roads.  In all, it was a great late afternoon stroll through an historic place.

An update (5/23/2014) in today's newspaper it was reported that the state has allocated 14 million per year for the next three years for some rehabilitation work at the fort.  Naturally first on the list is the Fort Monroe Authority's own office building.

Fort Monroe (3/16/2014)

I tend not to show pictures of people that can be recognized by someone, but on Sunday we went to a great concert at Fort Monroe.  It was by the Hampton Roads Philharmonic.  This is an orchestra that was started in 2013 and they played remarkably well.  It was a very enjoyable afternoon with music from Mendelssohn, Ravel, Sibelius, and Mozart.  This is a picture of some of the cello players and the big base.  Absolutely worth going to listen to when they come to your area. 

Fort Monroe used to be an Army base that was handed over to the community.  Hopefully they will be providing more concerts and events for the community.  Last time I was there was to see the tall ships coming in.