12.24.2005

Xmas 2005

Christmas Eve

Elise, my niece, climbs her first tree while on a short hike in Florida.

Below is a photo of my nephew, Ethan, as he finds the newsprint-Christmas wrapping more appealing than what’s inside.

Xmas 2005

09.12.2005

Fence Painting

Donald Haughton isn’t afraid of a hard day’s work.
“Somebody’s got to do it,” he said.

White paint spits off his brush as he quickly runs it over the old, weathered white wash that continues to bind with the wood surface.

Usually working on home improvement projects, he’s been working for the past two years doing odd jobs on a farm.

Haughton has been mending, scraping and painting the fence on the west side of the property for a week. And he hasn’t been entirely alone working under the strong summer sun. “Sometimes the cows come up to the fence,” he said. “They’re gentle creatures, I never worry.”

09.10.2005

091005 Vermont Trail

The view from atop Green Mountain in Vermont’s Green National Forest via the Green Mountain Trail. I hiked up the mountain to the top where I rock scrambled a bit and then descended into the valley below to finds a little glacier pond called Little Rock Pond.

This was the first camping/traveling adventure I had done solo in a while. The excursion was also to celebrate my new single status, having recently rid my life of an extremely toxic boyfriend. It was much needed to find the inner Nikki and search for some self in the surroundings of Nature!

090805 Vermont Pond Reflection

09.01.2005

113003 new orleans street

A Tribute To New Orleans

The Paris of the Americas, America’s International City, The Gateway to the Americas, The City that Care Forgot, The Crescent City and The Big Easy are all nicknames for New Orleans.

Some of us have family or friends in this city full of history and culture. Many of us have visited the historical area on vacation to experience the colorful sights.

But after this week’s tragic visit from hurricane Katrina, the deep-rooted enchanting sounds of jazz and blues won’t be heard on Decatur or Bourbon streets in the French Quarter for some time.

The exotic smells of Cajun, Creole and Caribbean foods won’t be filling the streets.
Poor boy sandwiches won’t be made with fried oysters.

Tourists won’t be wondering the streets with a drink in hand and a bag of trinkets.

Locals, like this man pictured above, won’t be dressed in costume to panhandle money.

Instead, this romantic city and the surrounding metropolitan area now lie under the flood waters of Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico.

But this city and its famous French Quarter are no strangers to strife. Inhabitants have resurrected their city after fires and have adjusted to different rulers throughout its existence. The hurricane is only another hardship to overcome.

After the healing of losing loved ones, the reconstruction of roads and rebuilding of homes, New Orleans will bounce back with its original character of blending the old with the new.

08.03.2005

Swimming Hole

I shot this photo for our weekly photo column we used to do for the newspaper.

These kids were having so much fun a the swimming hole. They reminded me of the innocence of summer and spending time with great friends.

AFTER NOTE: I actually had a woman call into the paper to complain about the image.
She called it an “orgy on a rope.”
Her statement says more about her than the image. How sick is that?

These kids were only preforming for the camera and taking stupid risks to do stunts that only kids can do. There is nothing remotely sexual about this image and if you are someone who thinks so, then you’re the one with a perversion of morals.