Blue Angels in the Sky at the NAS Patuxent River Air Show 2026

I didn't have time to watch the Air Show this weekend, so I watched the rehearsal of the Blue Angels from Lexington Park and brought a picnic lunch and a very long lens, about 840 mm equivalent on a tripod.  It was fun to get a few shots of the stars of the show.  I have seen quite a few air shows, so I didn't feel too bad about missing the static displays and such.  Since my foot injury, standing for long periods gets quite painful, so it seemed like a good compromise.

Four for the Show.  I liked the cloud diagonal

I liked the smoke

Loopy

Twisty

Poppies Galore!

I visited the local poppy field three times this year.  It was spectacular and got prettier each time I visited.  We are having some drought conditions, so it probably took a lot of work to keep them looking nice.  

Here are some of my favorites from my first visit this year.

Solomons Island Visits

We visited Solomon's Island several times lately to deliver photos to Annmarie Garden for exhibits.  For fun, we wandered around the boardwalk and the Veteran's memorial before the big summer crowds.  Both were nice spots to have a car picnic.

Annmarie Garden Alliums

Seagulls

Our Lady Star of the Sea looked somewhat castle like from this angle

Red Barn

Cruisin' Tikis

Veteran's Memorial

Annmarie Garden After Hours Artist Reception June 5th, 2026

This Friday June 5th, Annmarie Garden will be holding an After Hours artist reception for the opening of the next exhibit "Winging It:  Bird Art" 5-7 pm.  I will probably get there about 5:30pm.  I have one photo in the exhibit and three in the Landmark Exhbit upstairs in the Kay Daugherty gallery.  There will be music, wine, a food truck and of course, art.  The winners will be announced.  There is also a hands on bird exhibit in the nature nook downstairs.   Come out and enjoy or at least tell your friends about it!

For more information

Playing with Red-Yellow Tulip Still Lifes

I found some inexpensive baskets online, but it wasn't easy to find.  I like how the curves set off the flowers.  Most of the baskets this size new were maybe $80.  I just checked online every once in a while.

I like playing with my white ceramic vase.  The ceramic doesn't show as much glare as a clear glass vase does.  The first one got broken, but I found the same one later.

Azaleas and Other Spring Flowers

 Pink Azaleas and Swallowtail

Lavender Azaleas

White Azaleas

White Dogwood

Tulips at Lyon Family Farms

We visited Lyon Family Farms to photograph the tulips on April 11th after Sotterley.  They were somewhat past prime, but I managed to photograph some pretty ones any way.   I also brought a few home for still lifes and they seemed a little on the expensive side to me, but they were more unique than the usual grocery store tulips. (i.e. some with fringe or pink and white).  I had to think about the angles to photograph to avoid poor backgrounds.  There aren't many local tulip gardens within a small distance.

Photographing beneath the tulip looked nice, but it was more difficult to get down low.

Bee