"What do you collect...?"

Part of the fun of international travel is adding to my airline spoon collection. (Sort of like the actress Helen Hayes in the movie, "Airport", absconding with airline property.) Spoons from (L-R): LAN Chile, South African Airlines, Kenya Airways, JAL Japan Airlines, Austrian Air, Lufthansa, and Emirates. Thought this would be a fun picture to share. Besides, they make for great coffee stirrers... -cg.

"Transport..."

An unmarked Boeing 747-100, under French registry, is parked away from the Main Terminal at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, NY on April 17, 2008. It appears that the aircraft is used for parts, as a starboard side engine is missing.

I've been looking over at a lot of my aircraft imagery lately, and figured they'd make for a nice post here. Throughout my years of international and domestic travel, I've come to know of some wonderful professional people working in the aviation industry. I've been fortunate to have flown in cargo & military aircraft, commercial & rescue helicopters, in the jump seat in aircraft cockpits, and even in the left seat of small private airplanes. *Dreaming of another international working vacation getaway sometime soon perhaps...

*"Happy Birthday Natasha..."

Natasha Banks-Gordon born on this day, 21 years ago in Portland, Maine. April 24, 1987.

Semper Fi...

On Wednesday I met Marine Corps Sgt. Eddie Ryan at home with his mother Angela and two of his therapists. Sgt. Ryan is 24 years old and was severely wounded in Iraq three years ago. He's been rehabilitating at home, and the VA has now announced it's going to cut the funding for the the home visits by therapists that he desperately needs. The VA says that Sgt. Ryan can receive the care he needs in a VA residential care center, or have a live-in aide/therapist. Here are more links to my paper's coverage of Sgt. Eddie Ryan:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=NEWS43 also the family's personal website:
http://www.helpeddieryan.com/news.shtml

*A good week (month) of Sports...

The weather's finally getting better, and so are the sports assignments. Here are a few favs from this past week, both at the college & HS levels.




*(read more about my philosphy on shooting sports here from an earlier post): http://chetgordon.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-thoughts-on-photographing-sports-or.html

#48.

A few favs through the years now that '#48' is here. "It's been a heckuva ride so far..."

*(from top - in no particular chronological order): #1. w/ a Masai grandmother. Kenya Nov. 2001. #2. Arriving in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Nov. 2005. #3. Last stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Vladivostok, Russian Federation. June 2005. #4. w/ a bedouin family. Petra, Jordan. Sept. 2006. #5. Snorkeling in Bermuda. Oct. 2003. #6. San Diego, CA. July 2004. #7. San Francisco, CA. Aug. 2004. #8. Mae Moi City, Thailand. Nov. 2007. #9. Operating Theatre - Empangani, South Africa. Sept. 2006. #10. Onboard a South African Air-Mercey Rescue helicopter. Empangani, South Africa. Sept. 2006. #11. Army- Navy Football. Baltimore, MD. Dec. 2007. #12. HS Skiing Championships. Belleayre Mountain, NY. Feb. 2008. #13. Splashlight Studios, NYC. Feb. 2008. #14. w/ NBA player Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls. Feb. 2001. #15. onboard a cargo aircraft. El Salvador. Jan. 2001. #16. haircut. Mobasa, Kenya. April 2006. #17. Rice field, Mae Sot, Thailand. Nov. 2007.

"Go early. Stay Late. Get the uniform dirty..." -cg.

"Into April..."

April is usually a funky month for me. First of all, it's my birth month, after just quietly celebrating my mother's birthday in late March. I've been in this business for 20 years now. Wow, feelin' old yet...? With folks jumping around cause 'Spring is just around the corner', the Yankees & Mets both playing their last seasons in their respective ballparks and all sorts of other mindless B/S to occupy our time with, things continue to march on in the world stage & in life. Far more important things to worry about here than A-Rod's batting average, oh and get this one - Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy (Britney's sister.) *uggh.

Anyway, back to the work. The month has started off pretty good in the image making dept. Here are a couple of favs from the first few days of April 2008. (top right): *passed by the brownstone on Friday in Jersey City, NJ where I lived in the early '90's while freelancing for the NY Times & just breaking into the NYC markets. That image is from last Friday when working with the West Point cadets in JC on the story below. (lower left): Former NY Giant & current Today Show broadcaster Tiki Barber spoke at Mt. Saint Mary College here in Newburgh, NY (below right): State ranked HS athlete demonstrated how he throws the hammer in practice. During a slight rain, I never realized that I could've been nailed in the "brain-housing-group" if he'd slipped or let that thing go in his routine, as I was squatting right there only a foot or so away from the blurring weight. (bottom left): A nice play at second from a girl's HS softball game and (bottom right) a batter is nearly hit with an inside pitch from the same game.

Here's some of the take with the West Point cadets in Jersey City, NJ. Working again in my old neighborhood & walking those streets and in the mosque with the cadets kept my "visual antennae" up most of the day: