Brock B.

Happy Birthday Dad

Just wanted to use this post to say a happy birthday to my dad who is spending a week in Nashville for his birthday so i figured id take this opportunity to share a few moments from my favorite adventure together: Africa

In early May of 2014 my brother, (Ben) my dad, (Earl) and I took a two week trip through Kenya and Tanzania. From meeting incredible people to seeing incredible places and animals I’m still anxiously waiting to go back and those memories still vividly run through my head when I look back on the photos.

The first of the two weeks of the trip was spent with a local pastor who ran an orphanage and school for kids who’s parents couldn’t afford the public schools in town. While there we helped build a new outdoor kitchen, as well as buying livestock such as ducks and goats.

Taken while we were helping get material to put a new roof on the outdoor kitchen at the local orphanage.

Along with the money to buy livestock, we also took a few basic necessities for the kids such as a toothbrush, tooth paste, some body wash, and most importantly brand new soccer balls. Seeing as they busted their last ball the day before we arrived the kids from the orphanage couldn’t wait to break out the new balls and get out on the dirt field behind the orphanage.

Photo not take by me credit goes to Earl B.

Showing the kids photos of themselves in the Cam Wow app is always a great way to break the ice and get a smile out of them.

Ben and Dad hanging out with some of the local kids from the orphanage after a fun game of soccer.

Once we finished helping out with the orphanage we all decided to take a week to head to Tanzania for a bit of a safari. I still credit this trip as the reason i got into photography in the first place. We first went to Ngorongoro Crater which is essentially a giant zoo where all the animals are able to roam wild. While there we were fortunate enough to see the Big Five all in the first day. After leaving the Crater we headed out to the Serengeti for four days, and man were those four days incredible.

Looking out at a small pond after breakfast, where there were three or four huge hippos hanging out.

We started the trip to the Serengeti off with a bang immediately running into a pride of lions where we hung around taking photos for about an hour before heading farther out fighting our way through the hordes of the tsetse flies to where we’d be staying for the few days we were there. After getting settled in we were told a very comforting story about how the week before a leopard wandered into camp and was stalking one of our guides as he was walking to the outhouse.

Earl (my dad) up close and personal with a big lioness while in Tanzania

After a great four days we begrudgingly had to pack up all of our gear and head back home. Once back in Nairobi we were up bright and early (4:00am local time) and headed to the airport to find a line out the door of people trying to get checked in. Turns out that the entire bag checking system had shut down on all but one of the check in terminals. So after two and a half hours of standing in line in an airport with no air conditioning we were elated to finally get on the plane and sit down. Eight hours later we arrived in the Netherlands and had to run to the next plane thanks to the delay at the airport in Nairobi. Another eight hours later we finally arrived on home soil in Atlanta and immediately went to Buffalo Wild Wings to get some wings and watch some soccer. After filling up on hot wings and soda we proceeded to our last gate, where we were forced to sit and listen to someone complain about how they had to wait for 45 minutes in the air conditioned and comfy Atlanta airport.

It was quite the conclusion to an unforgettable journey through a beautiful country with extraordinary and kind people. All this to simply say happy birthday dad and I can’t wait for our next adventure.

Best way to spend a Rainy Day

Waking up hearing the light pattering of rain off the roof, I would have never have guessed I’d be spending my whole day fishing out of a kayak. After sleeping in for the first time on this trip I woke up only to find out Ben was already out on the water in his kayak. After rushing through breakfast, only grabbing a handful of sausages, I quickly gathered some gear and got out onto the water, finding Ben after only 15 minutes. One of the key things forgotten in my sprint out the door was an anchor for my kayak which as it turns out is very important in windy and rainy weather. Thankfully nearby there was a small grass island I could beach on. We didn’t have long to wait before getting a plethora of fish in quick succession. After bringing in two Red fish ,he first, and second Redfish i’ve ever caught, I hear Ben holler out that he had a “giant” on his line. Once pulling it in and finding out it was 25 inches I had to concur that it was indeed a giant. After bringing in the giant we decided to head back to the dock for some lunch, bringing in the haul of two fish (a smaller Redfish that Ben caught before I caught up to him)

Ben with the morning haul, a giant 25 inch Red along with an 18 incher.

Once getting back in for lunch the rain really started coming down for an hour or so, leaving us stuck inside to watch syfy movies most of the afternoon. The skies cleared in the late afternoon allowing us to get out of the house for a bit. Since our luck had be so good in the morning we decided to head out once we got home from dinner. Seeing dark clouds in the distance and the sun dropping quickly we knew we only had around an hour to get in the water and get fishing. We stayed out till after the sun had dropped without catching a single thing, but that didn’t phase either one of us. I’ll include a few pictures below to show you why…

I’m currently writing to you at 12:26am, since I have to be at the tackle shop in a little less than 6 hours this is where I leave you, hopeful that ill be back tomorrow with more fun stories (and hopefully less of a sunburn) so this is me signing off till next time.

The Red Kayak

As expected, the day started out bleak , with around 30 minutes of pouring rain during breakfast. Thankfully the rain soon cleared and not long after there were beautiful blue skies. Ben and I decided to take advantage of our good fortune, so we headed to the beach to try a bit of surf fishing. this time we decided to try something a little different for getting our baits into deeper water. We were gonna use a kayak to paddle out past one of the sandbars where the big fish like to sit. But as you can see in the video below my kayak paddling skills need a little work.

Once past the breakers, I was able to drop one of our baits out deeper but on the way back in of course I got caught by a wave breaking over the back of the kayak and ended up having to swim back to shore for the third time. Eventually our efforts paid off resulting in a little shark on the end of one of our lines.

After a few more hours without catching much (apart from a few catfish) we were treated to the company of a nearby pod of dolphins as the were chasing bait fish. I was able to quickly throw my drone up in the air to get a glimpse of the large pod before they all disappeared back into the murky water.

Not long after the pod passed us by we decided it was time for some dinner, so we packed up all our gear and headed out on the search for food. I’m currently writing to you after having successfully found a “tasty burger” and placing second in a riveting game of put-put. We’re not exactly confident we’ll be able to get back out on the water tomorrow due to weather conditions but if today is any indication, we’ll definitely remain hopeful that the rain will hold off a bit longer.

The Day of the Drum

Like most good fishing days it started out with an early morning run to the local tackle shop to resupply on gear and snacks. After a quick pit stop to grab a new battery for the trolling motor, Ben, Chris,Colton and myself soon set off into the bay. As we cast off we all shared a mixture of feelings from uneasiness and trepidation due to the weather. We quickly forgot about the weather due to Ben hooking our first fish of the day,which turned out to be a huge 25 inch Red Fish.

Confidence was high from bagging our first fish of the day after only being on the water for 15 minutes . This newfound confidence soon turned into a bit of frustration as we were soon plagued by a swarm of Lady fish stealing our baits. After trolling along the shallow grass flats, we decided enough was enough and headed to a nearby railroad bridge to attempt to bring in some Sheepshead.

Despite it’s appearance this bridge is still in use.

As we soon came to realize the bridge itself was not only still being used, but two osprey had made it their home. They then treated us to the spectacle of watching them bring home their dinner, a large catfish caught not too far from where we were fishing. After passing under the large structure, graphing the ocean floor as we went, we soon decided to drop anchor and get some bait in the water. We didn’t have long to wait as our baits were soon being stolen by arguably the most annoying fish in the ocean the infamous: Sail Cat. We were slowly becoming annoyed and disheartened by the vexing and slimy fish. Our persistence though, soon paid off with a reward no one was expecting.

After a 5 minute fight we received the surprise of the trip so far, with Colton reeling in a massive 21 lbs. Black Drum. Sadly once they get to that size they become infested with parasites, so instead of keeping him we let him go back to his gloomy underwater dwelling between the pylons.

Not long after catching that monstrous fish we felt the winds and barometric pressure change, the telltale signs of an incoming storm. We quickly packed our gear and headed back for the dock getting off the water just in time to avoid the rain and wind. After only being on the water for a few hours we filled the rest of our day with numerous games of poker, Halo, and even a game of tennis when the weather allowed. After diligently looking over the radar we’re hoping to get back out again tomorrow wether that means fishing either on the boat or just off the beach. Till then I’ll just leave you with a view of a gorgeous sunset we witnessed on my first night of being here.

A photo I got soon after arriving the first night of the trip.

Destin, Florida (Day 1)

After an early morning and four hour drive, we finally made it to the beach. Of course our first order of business was to gather and arrange some fishing gear and head straight to the beach. Once getting our baits into the water, we didn’t have to wait more than five minutes before Ben snagged a huge Redfish.

We couldn’t have imagined a better start to our trip. After this we were full of confidence and were ready to set out the next day on Ben’s new boat.

We set off early the next morning, only to find out the boat’s battery had died, so after a quick run to a local auto repair shop, we finally were able to set off and get out on the water. We had a pretty slow morning fishing for Jack and Grouper under a nearby bridge. Once the tide started going back out we decided to a small inlet to try and catch some redfish or trout. We worked the docks for around thirty minutes. Soon after, it was as if someone flipped a switch and within five to ten minutes Ben had to fish on the line, the first was a Speckled Trout.

Only moments later we had our second Red of the trip, this one was a bit smaller than the first one on the beach but it was definitely a welcome change from the slow morning.

We stayed out for a few more hours without catching anything, a the sun started dropping we decided to head back in and grab some dinner and get our gear ready for the next day.

U-51

WW2 National Museum

Had a great chance to visit The National WW2 Museum in New Orleans and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the history of the bloodiest conflict the world has ever seen.

DKN NZ350 Motorcycle was the preferred motorcycle for the German Wehrmacht.

The MG-34 the predecessor to the infamous MG-42

The Smallest Soldier

In the early morning hours before the sun arose on June 5th infamously known as D-Day, the 82nd and 101st U.S airborne alongside the British 6th Airborne division launched a preemptive strike to secure roads and key bridges to prevent and German counter attacks once the invasion had begun. A tactic that was employed during amidst this attack was a deceptive strategy designed to intimidate the Germans, the planes the paratroopers would jump from would also throw “paradummmies” out of the planes which were small dolls designed to look like falling paratroopers. These dolls became affectionately known as “Rupert Dolls” by the British and “Oscar” by the Americans

A small radio used by French Resistance while under the German rule.

The standard carry for U.S Paratroopers during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.

This helmet was worn by PFC Joseph K. Berrineau, while he was with allied forces pushing further into France after the successful invasion of Normandy. While he was advancing towards the German occupied town of Vidouville, France he was hit by shrapnel across his shoulder and back. It was only after he was being medically evacuated did he notice that a machine gun round had gone straight through his helmet miraculously he was completely unharmed by the bullet.

The Merchant Marines

A very under appreciated group when talking about WW2 are who are known as The Merchant Marines. This group before the war consisted of around 55,000 civilian sailors this number increased to about 250,000 sailors during the height of the war. The ages of these sailors ranged from around 17 to 70 years old. The Merchant Marines delivered supplies to allies on the front line all throughout the war despite heavy casualties. There are no exact records of how many casualties they accumulated over the course of the war but some sources estimate over 9,000 men were either lost at sea or killed. Bear in mind these were not soldiers they did not receive any honors or any recognition of naval sailors, they were simply brave men who were willing to lay down their lives for their country.

The Messerchmitt BF-109 was put into production in 1939 and was the the fighter of choice for the German Luftwaffe.

A standard Japanese uniform during the Pacific theater.

The Japanese made Type-92 used all through the Pacific campaign by Japanese forces. Known by the allies as the “woodpecker’ due to the noise it made while firing.

Snow Day

After being a bit under the weather and not getting much sleep I woke up to a pretty awesome surprise. Being from Alabama we don’t get much snow so I knew I had to get out and try to get a few pics before it all melted.