Find somewhere new. The popular places are cliche and the undiscovered places are unknown.

 

A monk from the United States tours the ruins of Pompeii with some of his brothers.

Well, it was our last day in Italy and we got a day off. My liberty buddy wanted to go to Mt. Vesuvius and I was up for anywhere. Well, we didn’t make it to the volcano and got anywhere instead.

 

We found that to get to Mt. Vesuvius, we had to take either the Sorrento or the Sarno lines from Garibaldi Station in Naples and get off at Arcolano. Well, we got on the Sarno line. What we did not know was that there was a Red and a Green line. We took the Red line and wound up in the countryside.

A statue of Jesus stands in the middle of the village square of Pollena-Trocchia.

We got off at Pollena-Trocchia, a quiet little village tucked beside the foot of the volcano. Authentico Italia! We had a good day there and saw the quiet rustic version of Italy. We saw butchers preparing their meats in windows, a funeral procession through the streets, and villagers.

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Father and son enjoying a pastime together as Star Wars enthusiasts.

I decided to visit the Star Wars Celebration V event at the Orange County Convention Center on Saturday. I had never attended any event such as this, so this trip was very interesting. Normally, I would have not gone. I believed that another such event would come up in the future. But, when I saw the number of times that this event has been held and the global span of locations that they have been held, I decided that this would probably be my only time to attend an event of this scale.

When you are going to a photo shoot you should go with an intent to tell a story. I allow the moment to reveal the story instead of forcing one. Immediately upon entering I sensed the story. Science fiction events are often derided as being a haven for socially awkward nerds who cannot have a meaningful relationship or have a family. I found that to be wholly inaccurate.

Proud parent with his baby dressed up as Yoda.

A family dressed as Star Wars characters have fun at Celebration V in Orlando.

What I saw, was a sub-culture that was well on to its second if not third generation of Star Wars fans as I saw not individuals but whole families sharing and enjoying a devoted pastime together.

Star Wars is a family affair for young and old alike. Thousands of Star Wars enthusiasts gather at the Orange County Convention Center to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.

Reprints of these images can be ordered here.