Rescue personnel led by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, NJ www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org prepare to net a seal beached at the Delaware River near the Scudders Falls I-95 bridge. This character was spotted in the area for a couple of days and he was starting to look lethargic, so the professionals were called in. I thought he was dead, but he perked right up when the put the net on him. I literally had to go over the river and through the woods to get to a spot where I could make this picture, but it was worth the hike, the trek down a hill in chest-high undergrowth and the brush with the law for where I had my car parked.

At Trenton's Annual Heritage Days Festival, diversity is the word. Aside from all the expected festival stuff like ethnic food, dance and culture, here, candidates for US citizenship take their oath in front of the State House right during the festival. I thought it strange that one of the people in this group of seven didn't want to give me their name, but here's their country of origin from left, India, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, Liberia, Ecuador, Jamaica & Poland.

And here's an image of what one might expect at Heritage Days, a performance by members of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers.

My father was a WWII veteran. He was injured during the war and had trouble with his leg his whole life after doctors did what they could in the field. That was probably the least troublesome of what he had to carry around with him for the rest of his life, although he didn't act weighed down. He passed on almost 10 years ago and whenever I get an assignment involving his peers, I feel a special kinship with these men of "the greatest generation".

Elephants walk from their train stop to the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton for an engagement with the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.

After the trip, the parched pachyderms were treated to a shower courtesy of the Trenton Fire department.

After being pulled from the field due to the threat of impending thunderstorms, players at West Windsor North High School pass the time doing what baseball players do when they have downtime, fool around and sharpen their skills.

In flood-prone Lambertville, NJ, there's a movement to put up some gates to stop the river from flooding into town. To illustrate this story, I picked up my tripod, put on my hip waders and made my way into this tunnel behind a man-made waterfall. Cool.

Here's an example of a small town story getting international attention. A resolution was passed in Hightstown, NJ enacting a no-questions-asked policy on immigration. A Washington Post article has inspired interest from media organizations around the world. (They have a great website). Being mayor of Hightstown may only be a part-time job, but mayor Bob Patten is putting in full-time hours, last week alone, entertaining crews from CNN, German & Austrian TV and appearing on "The O'Reilly Factor, on Fox News. Patten calls his town "one square mile of paradise".

When I arrived at borough hall for our appointment, nobody could find Mayor Patten. Rather than wait, I hit the streets and found him just as he was saying goodbye to a news crew from CNN.

I started photographing him in the center of town and a guy came out from a restaurant and said "Hey! Aren't you the mayor?" I hopped the fence like a track star to get into position for what I knew was coming next - the handshake. There went the artistry of my posed pictures, but this relates to the story much better.