This past weekend I was finally able to get away to do some personnel shooting. I wound up heading down to Virginia Motor Speedway to shoot the World of Outlaw sprint cars and enjoy the company of a couple of great photographers - Al Goulder and Bill Carr. I don't know what it is about hanging out with like minded individuals but these two guys have treated me like family ever since I met them two years ago.

Al is the track photographer down at VMS and he shoots a lot of racing in the Richmond area, including at the Cup level at RIR. He is one of the nicest persons that I have ever met and has always treated me with kindness. I have not processed the photos that I shot down there yet (I need to free at 30 gigs of space first) but will get around to it.

So the real story behind this outing is what happened near the end of the evening. I met this great lady who left me with some lingering thoughts. Thoughts that I am still piecing together in my mind.

When I met her I was standing at the top of a ten foot tall ladder leaning over the inside fence of the back stretch. I was all excited about getting ready to shoot the parade lap that the World of Outlaw sprint cars do before the main event. She was standing at the base of the ladder and she spoke up to me - "Hey are you going to stand on that ladder all day?". I did not quite understand and I began to explain to her about how the cars come down the track side by side as a tribute to the fans, fireworks a blazing etc. etc.

She stood there patiently as I went on and on and until I finally stopped and came down to talk to her. It turns out that she is the publisher for Bay Splash magazine - a beautiful periodical that caters to the area. What interested me the most about our conversation was her story and how she came to live in the area.

She (Betsy) said that she was never truly happy until she simplified her life. She moved away from the city and out into a little town with a population of 14 people. I explained to her how I used to shoot a lot of motor sports but was now really invested in learning to shoot landscapes and scenery. She smiled and said "You want scenery come down and see where I live". "You can walk out into the marsh and look in any direction and all you will see is scenic beauty and not a single house." She said it was the best thing she ever did.

The thought of this is still reverberating with me. At this point in my life all I do is concentrate on business and trying to benefit our company and our employees and I am fine with that. But in the back of my mind is this other world. One based on a simple life without the complications of trying to eek out an existence in some small corner of the universe.

I can see that vision and I know that one day I will actually live it, and I (like many others) hope to do so through photography and perhaps writing. I guess only time will tell - but I do know that one day soon I hope to visit Betsy and spend some time out in the country where the simple life is the key to happiness.

Cheers!