A few weeks ago, out of the blue, Kortnee sent me an email about the possibility of taking some family portraits.  As we talked, we discovered similarities in our backgrounds; her husband is a Navy pilot on the same aircraft as I am, we both have young children, and we both posses a creative spirit. […]

The boats bob, coated in the morning damp, lowly creaking against half-hearted lines. Golden pools of sunshine leak across decks and piers and asphalt, mixing with the dew and car oil sluicing along the drainage channels. With a throaty yawn of a forklift’s diesel engine, another day on Pier 38 blinks it’s bleary eyes awake. […]

Anybody who has been on a deployment will tell you that the slowest part is the last month, and in particular the last week.  This especially rings true in a community where your departure is contingent on another squadron relieving you on time, with weary aircraft, and (in this case) returning over the Easter weekend. […]

Stepping off the plane in San Salvador was an assault on the senses, a wet blanket of heat wrapped itself around me, amplifying the smells of street food and clamoring crowds.  A woman dressed in a brightly colored dress towered over me, balancing on stilts under her dress. She bent over and handed me a brochure […]

Flying a crewed aircraft for nine hours leads to many memorable conversations, and recently on a long mission our crew discussed Christmas traditions.  I expected stories of big meals, flag football, and opening presents on Christmas morning; to be fair there were a few stories like that, but what struck me were the majority of […]

The great Scottish poet Robert Burns penned a poem called My Heart is in the Highlands, an ode to his beloved home country, trying in a literary method to convey the arresting beauty of this rugged land. From the moment I arrived in Scotland the land felt almost familiar; I had tasted it’s earthy peat soul […]