Well, so much for being able to concentrate on work today. I just got a call from long-time Your Mac Life listener (and iStockphoto exclusive contributor), Charles Silvey. He's arranged for me to meet The Most Amazing Metal Band of All Time tomorrow afternoon!

:::::dances around house:::::

I arrived in Orlando the other day to teach at the CRE8 Conference (otherwise known as the Adobe Acrobat & PDF Conf). During the flight, it looked like half the continent was on fire! Every morning when I leave my room, the air is thick with the smell of smoke. It's very odd and makes me crave roasted marshmallows.

During a trip to DC this past weekend to do a preso at Washington Apple Pi (a Mac User Group), Shawn and I got to visit Mount Vernon. I'd never visited George Washington's home before and had no idea what to expect; and wow, I was shocked at both how much there was to see and how spectacular it was. Click on the photo above of me in "macro mode" or the beautiful daylily below (both shot with a Canon Rebel XTi) to see the photo gallery. Some of the flowers in this formal garden were planted by George himself!

Those of you who have followed my photographs for some time have surely noticed a recurring theme—that of food.

This past weekend I found myself in Old Town Alexandria, VA at the Chart House restaurant with good friends Ron and Pat Faquet and I ordered the most amazing dessert I've ever seen (click photo for slight enlargement).

This was taken with the kit lens on my Canon Rebel XTi. The only thing I did in post was adjust the white balance in Lightroom. No sharpening, no additional color correction, no cropping.

After flying out of Dallas en route to LA in the midst of multiple killer tornadoes (seriously) I arrived in LA to speak at the Travel Writers Editorial Conference. I sat in on a panel about crowdsourcing and how iStockphoto is a crucial image resource for publications with declining budgets.

After finishing work early, I decided to take a much needed break and retire to Kat's back yard in Fort Worth with my Rebel XTi and all her animals (click this picture to see the whole gallery). The acoutrements in this photo just made the afternoon that much more enjoyable.

I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this week and am *loving* getting to spend some time with my great girlfriends, Kathryn and Missy. Kat is a graphic design teacher at UTA and was honored to drop in on her class and spread the iStockphoto faith.

Of course you would, and so would I. Most recently, I donated $25 hard earned bucks to get my name onto The Great Gold Board in the Sky.

I'm speaking, of course, of the Hertz Gold Canopy board. This board entitles me to bypass the long line of other equally tired/hungry travelers and proceed happily to the car parked in the numbered spot listed next to my name without actually having to engage in conversation with other humans (sometimes I like this when I travel).