The Florida Connection

Dead Bonsai Society

Sam Ogranaja, from Ft Meyers, Florida, visited the Aquia Line today. Sam (aka Saimir - his Albanian and much cooler name) is a professional photographer who specializes in architectural and interior photography. He was in Virginia to shoot photos for a hotel. Sam is also a bonsai artist and friends with my brother, Rob. When coordinating the visit beforehand, Sam asked if there was any thing he could bring. I asked for dead bonsai trees. He scoured his local network and brought a nice assortment of dead trees with him that can be used as armatures for trees on my  layout.

Sam was also very interested in learning about how I shoot videos and photos of miniature scenes. Most professional photographers that don't shoot model railroad shots are surprised to learn of the myriad tricks and tips we employ to get realistic images. He also wanted to test out my Rhino slider. So we ran trains, shot video,  and generally had a great time.

  

  The mail also brought my new Civil War era flag. This is a replica of  the Ft Sumpter flag with 34 stars. West Virginia entered the Union in June of 1863 and became the 35th state, so this is the correct flag for my time period.