2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Basque & Sounds of California

I try to make it a point every year to make it to the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival, which is an annual celebration of two different World heritages; this year it was Basque Country and Sounds of California.  Adrianna and I grabbed some tacos, and checked out this year's exhibits - it was her first time to the festival.

Freer / Sackler Gallery

After exploring the festival, which seemed a bit smaller this year because of the National Mall's ongoing renovation project, we popped into the Freer / Sackler Gallery to see the Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan exhibit; I highly encourage you to go - it's some of the most beautiful, ornate, hand-crafted woodworking you'll ever see.

National Museum of Natural History

Moving along, we dropped into the National Museum of Natural History, mostly to get out of the heat.  We didn't stay long because we were both feeling overwhelmed by the outrageous crowd visiting in the height of DC Summer tourism.

DCA 75th Anniversary

Happy Birthday, Ronald Reagan National Airport!  On this day, June 16th, 75 years ago, Washington National Airport (as it was originally named) opened its doors in 1941.  American Airlines was its first air carrier; a tradition that was repeated on this, DCA's 75th Anniversary, by American celebrating their aviation heritage with swing dancers, and uniforms in period American Airlines uniforms to match the Douglas DC-3 aircraft on display outside of the Historic Lobby.

In the afternoon, passengers enjoyed music by The Adrian Duke Project.

And of course I can't resist a few selfies when being part of something so cool - A huge thank you to Rob Yingling for taking these photos of me in and around the DC-3!

Nina and Ian: Married April 4th, 2016

Nina and Ian met me through Nina's brother Bayard, who I've had the pleasure of working with now and then since we first met in 2005, most recently working together at the Castleton Festival's annual gala.  The weekend Nina and Ian got married was a twofer; Amy and Brandon's wedding in rural Maryland was two days beforehand.

Nina and Ian's wedding day was threatened by rain showers, but luckily the bands narrowly missed Ida Lee Park, located in the heart of Leesburg, Virginia, only kicking up some wind and sprinkles during our portrait session.  By evening, the sky had cleared for a pink and orange sunset.  The party continued that cool night until Nina and Ian's friends and family gathered to light sparklers and send the newlywed couple off to their honeymoon.

As always, the fantastic Eddie Kyle assisted me in photographing Nina and Ian's big day.  Check him out on Facebook and his website!

LATAM Airlines at Washington Dulles International Airport

Yesterday, LATAM Airlines began non-stop service from Lima, Peru, to Washington, DC, with the inaugural flight landing at Dulles on a stormy afternoon.  Currently, LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines operate as independent air carriers under LATAM Airlines Group, but in the coming months will merge and rebrand together to form LATAM Airlines.

The aircraft arriving from Peru, landed on R/W 19R due to a quickly approaching storm cell a few miles off of the airport.  After battling a significant crosswind, the first LAN flight to Dulles arrived with the thunderstorm brewing behind it.  Guests were shuttled to the gate to witness the ceremonial water arch before heading inside for the ribbon cutting ceremony... and of course, cake: an airline tradition!

Amy and Brandon: Married April 2nd, 2016

On a cool, Spring day, Amy and Brandon, who I first met last Summer at Rachel and Andrew's wedding, tied the knot in beautifully rural Walkersville, Maryland.  Their wedding day started out looking like it would be rainy, but the clouds parted during the ceremony and let the blue sky shine through.