Georgia on my mind

In the wake of the tornadoes that hit the Southern U.S., my buddy Colin and I were dispatched to follow a crew of electric linesmen down to Georgia to capture their part in the relief efforts. In emergencies like these, linesmen from all over the country stream into the disaster areas to repair downed power lines and to get the electricity working in homes again. In fact, if you ever wander into areas recently hit by storms or hurricanes, all you'll find are linesmen and policemen (or, in some cases, the army/national guard). It's something I never really thought about or considered, but these guys are the lead-off hitters in breathing life back into flattened towns and cities.

It was an eye-opening experience, seeing that kind of devastation first hand. Despite all the damage, the Southern hospitality still showed through. There wasn't a day when we were out in the field where locals ranging from high school students to retired seniors didn't drive by to offer the crews food, drinks, and heartfelt words of thanks.

We were pretty busy everyday, but I managed to sneak in some shots during the occasional downtime:

Colin and I standing by while one of the linesmen crews goes over plans. These guys are all characters. It takes a particular breed to do this kind of job. When the displaced are evacuating storm-hit areas, these are the guys going in to turn the lights back on.

Despite the upturned tree, the house behind it was in surprisingly good condition.

Australia, Part III - Melbourne

Melbourne was the last city we stayed in for our trip down under. The urban culture is so diverse and rich and vibrant that it's hard not to find inspiration of some kind or other every time you turn a corner. Unfortunately, I was running out of film at this point, so I didn't get too many shots of the city and its many colorful offerings, so I can only point you to Ryan, our trip historian, for more complete coverage. Some of what I did get in Melbourne and from our road trip down the Surf Coast:

Of course, we had to cap things off with a trip to the Twelve Apostles (as promised earlier). We arrived a couple of hours before sunset, and stayed until about an hour after. Some of what we saw:

Great trip. Ridiculously friendly people, probably the most beautiful coastline I've ever seen with my own eyes, and a healthy appreciation for drinking the night away - what more could you want?

Australia, I'll be back.