Jonathan Smith is a web designer, graphic designer, and photographer in Harrisburg, PA.

Back in April I went on a vacation. The biggest and best vacation to date. Erica and I left the United States and flew to Italy to visit some of her family.

We flew our of Harrisburg International Airport for convenience. The weather in Harrisburg was cold and rainy.

And we were getting on this little prop plane to fly to Philadelphia. I’m not a fan of flying in the first place and this little plane didn’t make me feel any better.

We flew into Philadelphia International Airport where we awaited our flight to Brussels, Belgium.

This is the plane that would take across the Atlantic Ocean and into Europe. The thought of flying over the Atlantic Ocean amazes me. It wasn’t long ago when the only way to reach Europe was by boat. And here it would take us a matter of hours.

There wasn’t much to do to pass the time crossing the Atlantic Ocean. We were flying into the night, the cabin was noisy and the air was dry. What better time for a self-portrait?

My Harrisburg city utilities bill just arrived and contained a green letter titled “The City of Harrisburg Dog License”. The front of this document says that this document was enacted on 1/1/1999 and revised on 3/30/2011. As I read over this document I have a few concerns.

The document reads:

• Prior to March 1st the fee is $6 for a yearly license, $14 for a multi-year license, and $35 for a dangerous dog.
• After March 1st, the fee is $12.00 for a yearly license, $20 for a multi-year license, and $70 for a dangerous dog.

Since the document was just updated on 3/30/2011 and I only received this on 5/4/2011, that makes it impossible for me to pay the lesser amount of $6 for a yearly license and instead will need to pay $12. I’d like to know how many dog owners in the city actually admit to owning a “dangerous” dog or skip having a dog license all together.

The document also does not cover any exemptions for dog owners who have had their pets microchipped. Maybe I was misinformed but I thought one of the benefits of having your dog microchipped was that it acted as a lifetime dog license.

Also, under Fee Exemptions it reads:

• Owners who have purchased a Lifetime Dog License from the county of Dauphin prior to January 31st, 1999. Owners who decide to obtain a Lifetime License after this date must still obtain a yearly or multi-year license from the City of Harrisburg.

A Lifetime Dog License for Dauphin County is $51.45 for one neutered male dog. Unfortunately the city of Harrisburg doesn’t seem to have a Lifetime Dog License so you’re stuck with a yearly or 3-year license.

Erica and I volunteered at the 2011 Pennsylvania Garden Expo held at the Farm Show complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania over the weekend. We didn’t start work until 1PM so we took the morning to explore the show and take some photos. All of my photos were shot with my Nikon D70 with 50mm f/1.8 lens. Notice the depth of field (DOF) and bokeh.

More photos available in my 2011 Garden Expo photo set on Flickr.