picnic

Lone Star Beer Riddle...it is an omen.

Picnic Beer

Group Photo

K and Kate

Kate

old yellow dog

old yellow dog

afghanistan and motorcycles

This is an old photo of Getty photographer John Moore (left) and me (right) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I had been in southern Afghanistan for several months and was looking for a little release.

One day my fixer and I spotted an Afghan man riding an old Kawasaki dirt bike. I had to meet this guy...

We went on to chase the man down and spent the better part of the afternoon sipping green tea and talking about motorcycles in his small sign shop in Kandahar. The owner of the bike was a painter and artist. He ended up renting me the bike whenever I wanted to ride.

On slow days, I would run over to his shop and take off on the bike. It was so surreal racing across the desert and through the mountains on that bike...

Eventually my fixer located a second dirt bike in town and John would join me on occasion.

It was fun while it lasted. I ended up having a close call after clipping a rock and having a front flat at high speed, it was time to return the bike.

I pushed the bike to a roadside tire shop and had the flat repaired.

After that day, I never rode dirt bikes in Afghanistan again.

I will return and ride there again one day...

jazz festival

Saturday evening Kenda and I met several friends and went down to the Jazz By The Boulevard music festival. Good times.

Milton, Tom, Ralph

Milton

Ralph

new path

"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." Author Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

I look back at 10-years full-time at the Star-Telegram in amazement! I have been very lucky, not many people can say that they have had their dream job for that long. I consider it an honor to have honed my skills with the best in the business. You guys are amazing.

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." Author Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

I have been fortunate enough to have traveled around the world countless times; I have had the chance to document some of the most historical events of my generation; I have seen my friends killed in combat; and I have met the most amazing people every step of the way. I have no regrets.

"There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth." Author Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

It has been a fun ride, but the time was right for me to look in a different direction. I am still putting together my road map for the future, but I will still be around and I will still be chasing the news.

If you have never read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, find a copy.

www.tompenningtonphoto.com

Cheers,

tp