The Rend Collective Experiment.

  One thing I've come to love photographing is a concert.  The lighting is amazing most of the time, which makes for excellent photographs. The best part is when I find an image where the mood of the stage leaks through. There is something spectacular about a great performer.

   This is the Rend Collective Experiment. They are amazing live performers from Ireland. The excitement they share with each other pours onto the crowd who immediately soak it up. They had the audience jumping up and down with them during their last song. I have a musical background, so I know my instruments. But they had one I hadn't seen before. It's like a stick with a hubcap on one end with jingle bells attached to the other. String connects them both which is played with a bow, all while banging the thing on the ground for percussion sounds. 

   I had the chance to meet them, and they are nice, regular people just like the rest of us.  I heard they've flown across the Atlantic 72 times. 72! That's a lot. Dedicated to their craft, they deserve support to keep going. If you get a chance to see them or buy their album, I highly recommend it.

The Washington National Cathedral.

   Kathleen came up to visit as an early birthday celebration. We hadn't seen each other since the end of June, and going to Mason, we'd been to D.C. quite a bit as students. There are few attractions that we have yet to see, but we found one!

   This is the Washington National Cathedral. It's a beautiful church used for official ceremonies like senator funerals and the like.  They've updated the outside on occasion and added some interesting gargoyles to the sides. Apparently Darth Vader resides somewhere on the facade, but we didn't find him.