Senator Casey Comes to Dinner

Those of us from Pennsylvania know of Freshman Senator Robert P. Casey, one of the two Senators representing the Keystone State on Capitol Hill. He has been a champion of all the right causes, backing measures that have a positive impact not only on his constituents, but also America as a whole. As a freshman Senator, he has taken on key leadership roles in Congress. He is a member of the Comittee on Foreign Relations - chairing the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs. He is also a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry - chairing the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Food and Agricultural Research. In addition to those responsibilities, he sits on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Special Committee on Aging; and the Joint Economic Committee. We here in Western Pennsylvania hold him in high regard as one of the good guys.

Few of us have had the opportunity to meet and spend time with the Senator in a small gathering. Those of us who have had this pleasure can attest to his warm and genuine nature. He truly listens to people's concerns and responds with more than the usual rote speaking points. So it was a great pleasure and honor this past Monday when Senator Casey joined us for Iftar at the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (MCCGP) in Monroeville, PA.

It was a short visit in which the Senator partook in the traditional snack to break the fast, observed the evening prayers and then participated in the dinner that followed. All of this was followed by a welcome address by the President of MCCGP and a short presentation by a member of the MCCGP youth group who described the meaning of Ramadan and the purpose behind fasting; the key tenets being patience, tolerance and mercy.

The Senator spoke about the need for and importance of tolerance and mercy in today's world. He then jokingly invited the young presenter to Washington DC to give the same presentation to members of Congress. After his brief talk, the Senator hosted some questions from the community. To the issue of regulating gas drilling, he stated that he has introduced legislation to create a set of guidelines at a national level. While he does not have the votes to get the measure passed, he is working on it.

At the end of his visit, Senator Casey was presented with a copy of the Qur'an as a token of appreciation for his visit. This copy contains both the Arabic script and an English translation. The Senator graciously accepted the gift.

So all in all, it was a nice visit with a remarkable man. Following are some pictures from that evening. Enjoy.

You can catch the whole set Here.

Thank you for reading!

The Great White North and a wedding

True to form, I am about a month behind in posting to the blog. Early July we went to Mississauga, Ontario to attend the wedding of my cousin's daughter. I was not the official photographer, but I took my equipment nonetheless.....I feel naked without it :) Some of the pictures I took of the bride are at the end of this post. The complete set can be seen at my website.

We drove up the day before and stopped in Niagara Falls to fuel up and to eat lunch. We picked a local "tourist trap" restaurant over Denny's, because Denny's minimal parking lot was full. The food was okay and even the gulls were being picky about scraps they scarfed up. I guess that's why there were open parking spaces. Their menu touted a Buffalo-specific (town, not animal) sandwich which my brother and I opted to get. Unfortunately, it was nothing like the original according to my brother who went to UB. So, on to Mississauga.

This was a short trip because it was a short event. Everything took place on one day. Those of you who have attended weddings that span multiple days may be surprised to learn that it doesn't have to! The proceedings were very nice and elegant and nothing was over the top. We had a wonderful time while we were there and the weather cooperated very nicely. I took pictures of the bride while trying not to interfere with the official photog. We actually got along nicely. He was new to the business and a little shy about posing people during the formal portraits, so I helped out by being the "director" :)

One of the nice things about Mississauga was the quality of the roads, and the cleanliness of the surrounds. It really seemed like the city took care of the infrastructure, while the residents took care not to litter (are yinz listening Pittsburghers?).

The border exchange in both directions was too serious. I remember driving to Canada before 2001 and the Canadian official was very jolly, friendly and welcoming. On this trip he was pleasant, but serious. I miss the old Canadian welcome. By the way, the US official was pretty much the same as before 2001. What does that say about our border welcome to our neighbors?

So, thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures :)

The gorgeous bride

The flip side with flash

Spotlight on the bride

Ethereal

Looking at the "real" photographer

Under a harsh spotlight she shines

Have we met?

A fun pose that turned into a great shot

Waiting

Hanging out

A moment of reflection

End of the evening

 Now go see the complete set Here.