Thursday, December 29, 2011

Top pictures of 2011, part 1

Like everyone who has worked in a newsroom, I feel compelled to do some sort of year-in-review roundup. Last year I chose one photo from each month. This year is different. I started with a Top 10 list that grew to Top 15 and then Top 18.

I could have gone further, but we'll call it the Top 12, to be delivered in four installments. Yeah, the numbering is off, but that will be explained later. These all appeared on this blog or on my Flickr photostream.

So here we go, starting with ...

Number 12, two towboats on the Kanawha River. It looks like one was making the turn from the Ohio River into the Kanawha when another came to its aid.



Number 11, a heron in flight at the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam.



Number 10, a damselfly at the wildlife preserve at Greenbottom, in Cabell County, W.Va. This area is a wetlands that was expanded to mitigate for what was lost for construction of the lock canal at R.C. Byrd.



This particular wildlife area is a great place to photograph insects, by the way.

And Number 9, people at the public fishing area at the Belleville Locks and Dam.



This fishing area was added when the hydroelectric plant, at the right in the picture, was built. The fishing area used to be a weir made of some deadmen, and it was attached to the landward pier on the West Virginia side of the river.

To be continued ...

M/V Michael J. Grainger

Adam and I saw the Michael J. Grainger at about Mile 302 today.



An hour or so earlier, we saw that the Grainger had overtaken what I think was the Jean Akin at around the East End Bridge (Mile 305). The Akin was moving pretty slow.