Thursday Arch Series, French Division

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A photoblogger's dinner in Paris a week ago. Cieldequimper of Versailes Daily Photo joined us. We brought some St. Louis souvenirs for our French associates. Above, le plus grand fan de mon blog (well, but then there is Virginia) our friend and colleague Olivier Perrin of Evry Daily Photo. Olivier received a prized Gateway Arch tee shirt and may now be the only person in the Île-de-France to wear such a treasure.

Below, Lucie of the Cergiepontin photoblog, Olivier and me earlier in the day at the opening of his photography show at the departement building of Essonne, the region that includes Evry. We were the first visitors. Photo courtesy of Mrs. C.

Ex-New York/New Yorker Photoblogger Meetup in, Um, New York

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When I was new to CDP almost four years ago, I saw a picture on a New York City photo blog that blew me away. I was taken from an el platform in Queens on a wet day with the towers of Manhattan in the background. Wait a minute, I thought, that was my stop in Sunnyside when I lived in NYC. I commented and soon got to know Conrad Dhing, who lived on the same block I grew up on. We met and walked and lunched and took pictures in NY a few times when I was home to see family and a nicer guy you could not meet. A year and a half ago he took a job in Maine and is now the proprietor of Bangor Daily Photo.

Well, he's in town this week visiting friends and we met in the snow chaos of Manhattan yesterday. We had lunch in Chelsea Market and then walked the Highline, the amazing strip of elevated freight rail line on the lower west side that's been turned into an ingenious city park. Fabulous.

The top pic is me, Mrs. C and Conrad just before we went our separate ways (Penn Station was bloody pandemonium yesterday afternoon with the trains still operating on a weekend schedule). Thanks to nephew Mike for the snap. Below, the beautiful old apartment buildings of W. 23rd Street and the Empire State Building in the sunset. Bottom, Conrad's autograph in a snowplow canyon.

Home today.

I love New York.

STL DPB On The Road: Blogger Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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I'm in Washington for the Arthritis Foundation meeting. Last night, Janet of D.C. Confidential, the Washington daily photo blog, met for dinner at a Spanish restaurant. Another friend of mine, a local photographer, joined us and took this picture of the meet-up. We always have flamenco dancers and roses growing out of out heads.

There was a good deal of snow here Sunday night and Monday morning. I spent some time out in the cold yesterday afternoon, shooting on the National Mall. More soon.

TOMORROW: Lincoln Memorial