brucestambaughsblog

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Please Don't Hug Me Right Now

Departing Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh I love giving and receiving hugs, especially as I age. The fact that my four siblings and I received little physical affection growing up might play a significant role in my desire to be a hugger in my senior years. There’s nothing better than giving my grandchildren a hearty hug after an athletic event or concert in which they…

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Do the Math...

Prices for small-eared sweet corn. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh A produce farmer near where we live in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley has a small self-serve stand where he sells his homegrown sweet corn. My wife and I stopped to get a few ears and saw this confusing pricing. We just chuckled at the skewed mathematics. When our neighbor, who also buys corn there, told us that he had informed the…

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Riding into the Sunset

Sunset from Mole Hill, Dayton, Virginia. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh Being at the right place at the right time is an essential part of photography. That’s what happened recently when I went to photograph the sunset from my favorite location, Mole Hill, near Dayton, Virginia. When I arrived on the west side of Mole Hill, a noted area landmark, I discovered I was not alone. Several cars were…

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Kiss at Sunset

I went to the aft of our cruise ship to photograph the sunset over the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Of course, other passengers did the same. As the evening quickly cooled, most people returned inside the ship after the sun set behind distant clouds. A few people lingered, including the couple pictured. I intended to use them as foreground silhouettes when the woman spontaneously stood on her tiptoes,…

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One of these is not the same as the others

Sailboats on the Charles River, Boston, Massachusetts. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh My wife and I had a lovely view overlooking the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. I chuckled when I saw this lone sailboat with the white sail when all the others were red. I’m sure the colors had some meaning, but I wasn’t able to discover what it was. Being different is really insignificant. Regardless of…

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Frustrated by the Medical System? Advocate for Yourself

Our local hospital. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh I got the cruelest call on April Fool’s Day. My doctor’s office informed me that the MRIs I had the previous day indicated an aneurysm on my left carotid artery and some disturbing white spots on my brain. My head spun with all sorts of possibilities, none of them good. My primary care physician (PCP) referred me to a hospital in another city. I…

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Spring's Last Sunset

Spring’s Last Sunset. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh When I saw the high, thin clouds 30 minutes before sunset, I thought there might be a chance for spring to say farewell in color. As it turned out, it was more about the setting than spectacular sunset colors. When I arrived at my favorite location to photograph sunsets, I wasn’t alone. Four other cars were ahead of me. However, they soon left, and…

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Summer Solstice!

Welcome to summer! The summer solstice arrives this evening at 10:42 p.m. I took this photo of the 2016 summer solstice sunset when we lived in Ohio. The silhouette is our neighbor’s farm. A summer solstice sunset. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh Enjoy your summer! © Bruce Stambaugh 2025

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Juneteenth!

An artistic presentation of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Photo by Bruce Stambaugh When I took this photo at an art museum in Jacksonville, Florida, several years ago, I had no idea of the depth of the meaning of the song. It’s known as the Black National Anthem. The song was initially composed to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, but quickly became popular in Black communities. It was…

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Late Spring Flowers

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In Search of Mountain Laurel

Mountain Laurel blossoms. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh I went for the birds and the blossoms, but forgot about the bugs. They didn’t deter me, however. My neighbor had told me that the Mountain Laurel bushes were blooming at various locations in Shenandoah National Park, just a short drive from my home. The laurel blooms from late May into mid-June, depending on elevation. Of course, I had to see…

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Prickly But Pretty

Appalachian Blackberry blossoms. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh On a recent day hike on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park, I came upon these lovely flowers. They are the blooms that, in a month or so, will turn into Appalachian Blackberries. With all the birds and black bears around, they likely won’t last long. © Bruce Stambaugh 2025

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A Morning Walk in the Woods

Where I walked. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh After an 8 a.m. doctor’s appointment, I took a long and much-needed walk in the woods. It happened that the doctor’s office was adjacent to one of my favorite places in the Shenandoah Valley. The Edith J. Carrier Arboretum on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is a life-giving oasis among 21st-century din. There, birdsong,…

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Helping Others, Even on Her Birthday

The quilt we gave our grandson for his high school graduation. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh Today is my wife’s birthday. How is she celebrating? By doing what she does every day: helping others. Whether it’s her birthday or not, she spends the better part of nearly every Tuesday volunteering at a local thrift store. She runs the cash register, sorts clothing and knick-knacks, and answers customers’…

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A Man and His Dog

This scene stopped me in my tracks. My wife and I enjoyed a walk around the Genesee Country Village and Museum on Mother’s Day with our son, his wife, and their three-year-old grandson. Jess’s family also joined us on the lovely Sunday. With wide open spaces and many attractions to investigate, several of us scattered to do our own thing. That’s when I spotted this gentleman, dressed in…

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Happy Mother's Day!

© Bruce Stambaugh 2025

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Petals on Medals

Spent pink petals on a manhole cover. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh I was walking in downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia, when I came upon this improbable scene. Spent petals from pretty pink blossoms on an ornamental tree had fallen and stuck between the metal grids on manhole covers. I marveled at the beauty of the pattern the contrasting elements had made. Natural pink on human-made rusty iron…