Taking off from Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington is quite an experience. First, the airport itself feels more like a bus station than an international airport. Second, the aircraft have to climb quickly and bank sharply away from the city. One thing strikes you looking down on the nation’s capital is how short it is. Unlike most capitals, there are no tall buildings. The Washington Monument, which is not technically a building, is the tallest structure in the city. Click on the image for a larger view.

Washington is really clean, at least near the mall. It is also not very colorful. It is certainly not new. But strangely it does not feel very lived in. Click on the image for a larger view.

The view from a flight from Washington to Florida. Click on the image for a larger view.

The method of photographing lightning by opening the shutter over a period of time allows for images over time to be recorded. Each strike causes an exposure of the landscape to be captured, showing both the passing forest and open pasture. Passing a moving car records the red tail lights across the bottom of the picture. The reflections of our car’s dashboard are reflected in the window. Click on the image for a larger view.

Driving west across central Florida, we headed toward several lightning storms. Since lightning strikes are unpredictable, I had to simply open the shutter for a period of time hoping a strike would occur. Click on the image for a larger view.