I had so much fun covering Dyngus Day, that I decided to cover another event. Historic Bolton Mansion hosted a Food Truck Festival that included, picnicking, pony rides, games, soapy suds, and a craft show. It was a lot of fun and I hope I get to do it again.

In addition to my first year covering New Foundations Charter School (NFCS) Cheer Team, I also returned to cover their softball team for a second year. The NFCS Bulldogs swung their bats all the way to the championship game. It was a fun season and great to be back.

When the school year was over, Savanna and I had a day off together. I wanted to find something for us to do, something we could share an interest in and maybe return to whatever we found to do. While re-listening to a podcast, I got the idea that maybe she would be interested in the place that the podcast was about. In June, we discovered our fascination of Laurel Hill Cemetery. The first week was a little rough going. The place kind of creeped her out. I thought “well that was a nice one-time thing”. However, the following week, Savanna was dragging ME back there. There was something peaceful about the place that brings a certain calm over us. Of course, it's not just ANY cemetery. It's a historical landmark, a nature preserve, arboretum, a sculpture garden, a park, and I even heard it describe as a “people museum”. It's a place where historical figures are scattered among the regular folk who were laid to rest there. We began photographing and researching some of the more interesting people there. We see it as a long-term project to constantly work on. More on that later.

The 1776 Collection also opened with a new piece, “Brotherly Bond”. It's a simple portrait of soldiers at ease in The Soldiers Barracks. It was pulled from the archives of another collection that does not have the potential of being released anytime soon. This was such a powerful piece that I decided to install it into The 1776 Collection.

My family and I were down the shore for vacation. It was the first time being back to the Jersey Shore in quite a while. The vacation was overshadowed when Savanna and I learned of the passing of Barrel Racer Ashley Formato. Ashley made huge impact on our lives. She was the first one to believe in my work enough to give me my first paying gig and was inspirational in me becoming a rodeo photographer. While she was inspiring me, she took Savanna under her wing and encouraged her to become a barrel racer. It was a huge loss in the rodeo community. We hope that Ashley is now at peace.

It took me quite some time to curate, but it The Legacy Collection finally opened in August. This was designed to be the permanent collection housed at 1133 along with the limited-run exhibitions that come and go. With 16 pieces of my best works over the years, this collection opened with a brand new piece, “Rock N' Roll”, a portrait of the members of The Mark Evans Band as they wait to get up on stage.

One of our weekly visits to Laurel Hill in August, must have been set up by fate. While strolling around the grounds Savanna and I just happened to run into Dr. Joe Lex, host of “All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories”, the podcast that led to our interest in the cemetery to begin with. We are honored to now call Joe our friend he has even helped us out from time to time with our research. He is such a generous man.

We also attended our first Market of The Macabre at Laurel Hill and was not quite sure what to expect. It was interesting to say the least. There were craft vendors selling everything from handmade goods to antique funeral home equipment.

There were a number of collections that made their 1133 debut this year. The Fall Collection, The Christmas Collection, and the most popular, The Eastern State Collection. Two brand new pieces were debuted in The Eastern State Collection this year. “Waiting Room” and “Cell Block Fourteen”.

I was able to attend the Ribbon Cutting ceremony of Jacobs Playground on Linden Avenue in September. The much needed face lift is a huge improvement to the old playground which had concrete that had been pushed up from tree roots making it a trip hazard.

Knowing that my sister has a love of lighthouses, I named a new piece for her. “Big Sister” is a reflection piece about always having a great example to look up to.

Later in the year, we opened a new wing of 1133 called “Spotlight”. A section to highlight some articles from time to time. The first piece featured debuted the work that Savanna and I have been doing at Laurel Hill. Early Pioneering Portrait Photographer, Frederick Gutekunst, was the subject for the first Spotlight. He was most notably known for being the most poplar portrait photographer during the Civil War. He is responsible for the famous portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant.

Next up in the Spotlight was the woman known as The Mother Of Thanksgiving, Sarah Josepha Hale. Although she campaigned hard to make Thanksgiving a federal holiday, that is just one of the many practices still in use today that she is responsible for. After writing the article on her, she became my favorite woman in United States History. Both are buried right here in Philadelphia, at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Since we are back at the cemetery, Savanna and I had a very successful photo shoot there. They are some of my favorite portraits I've taken due to the artistic nature of them.

Just when I felt that this year was not quite as active as last year, I look back now and I'm proud of all that I have accomplished in 2023. I am so excited to see what 2024 will bring.

I have to thank each and every one of you for all your support. Thank you to all of my followers, my viewers, my readers, my collectors, my commenters. If it were not for you, I would not be living this dream. All the support inspires me to keep grinding, keep working hard on my craft. From my house to yours, we wish you a Happy, Healthy and prosperous New Year!