Tony Snow Loses Battle with Cancer

When I was the local pool Photog riding in a press van in the Presidential Motorcade in October 2006 I saw Tony Snow and thought, 'Cool, Tony Snow, now there's a man with his hand in the pocket of the world.'

I didn't know too much about him, not that he graduated from Davidson College in 1977, that he worked at a newspaper in the very town I work, (the same town we were in when I popped this picture) and that when I was just graduating from high school he was already playing presidential polictics with George Senior.



What I did know was that he would convey the information like no other press secretary, was a friend to the media like no other and loved his jobs, whatever he found himself doing.

At the time I took that picture, I didn't even know he had cancer...and today when I read he died, I didn't even know he hadn't beat it completely.

4th of July at High Rock Lake

It's become almost a tradition for me and my family now. We head down to High Rock Lake to see what I think is one of the best Fireworks shows in this part of North Carolina.



In the past 3 years it's been and even better view for us because while everyone pushes and shoves for the best spot to park on the Highway 8 bridge or along other surrounding roads, my friend and coworker Caron Myers has the best seat in the house, and we're always invited.



The view is great from the Deck or out in a boat...because of rain this year we stayed on shore.




Caron and her famous NASCAR husband Chocolate Myers started building their lakeside cabin about 3 or so summers ago. It's grown from a lake retreat into a full time home that you'd have to see to believe. (I didn't get any pictures...darn.)



But on this day, one of the best things is their proximity to where the fireworks are launched from....in the lot two doors over. To watch the fireworks you have to look almost straight up.



One drawback is falling debris. It's so close that if the wind is blowing just right or not at all pieces of unburned morter shells and still glowing ash will fall on you. Ask my wife, she took a chunk to the leg that drew blood!



I took all these pictures with Caron's digital Canon SLR on a tripod. See all of them on Flickr.