I updated the look of my blog today.  This new format gives me the opportunity to add some new widgets. For instance, I have added a map on the left side of the page that geographically tracks my visitors.  More to come….

I submitted the Haystack Rock photo to the Oregonian and to my suprise they ran it online today!

www.oregonlive.com

Ashley, Ellie, and I went to Cannon Beach on Sunday. We got one of the last hotel rooms due to the first cloudless day that Oregon has seen in months. We relaxed, played on the beach, and I got the shot of Haystack Rock that I have always wanted.

Ash and I went over to a friend’s house on Saturday night for a wine party. Everyone was to bring a Pinot Noir for tasting and then vote for a winner. My father would be proud of me, I selected my favorite with the following note: Well balanced, darker in color, spicy. After the paper bags came off I found that I selected “Seven Deadly Zins”. Some guy brought a Red Zinfandel to a Pinot Noir party. I’m not a wine buff, but that’s like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

Craig, who shot my wedding, let me tag along to help shoot a wedding on Saturday. By help I mean hold lenses, move lights and suck up as much information as I possibly could. We were outside on the patio shooting the groom’s family when Craig told me to move one of the strobes on a tall light stand. As I was doing so an elderly woman, who was in the wedding party, took a spill right next to me. She went down hard. It resembled Frazier going down in the fight against Forman. Here is the video incase you have never seen it. I was VERY close to her, but I swear I didn’t trip her with the light stand. She caught her foot on an uneven brick. Never-the-less, it was interesting couple of seconds while Craig and I were looking at each other trying to decide if I was at fault.  

I shot this same tree about a month ago. At the time I mentioned that I thought it would look good with a sunrise illuminating it. The problem is that would require me not only getting up, but getting dressed, gathering my gear and then driving to the site. This is a major feat for me, especially on a day off. This past Saturday however I for some reason woke at 6:30 and managed to get over to it. My real motivation is that it is near my favorite coffee shop, Long Bottoms. The blue haze is from the fog that was present and  setting my white balance to the tungsten setting.

  Greeting all! I have a hodgepodge of photos for your viewing. Basically I have been too busy to get these up over the past few weeks, so I decided to just throw them up and move on. Ashley and I have been in Bend, Breckenridge and Seattle over the past three weekends. It will be nice just to stay home for a while.

Beer:

Hank and I just brewed our second batch of beer. These photos were taken two weeks ago when we bottled it. It should be getting close to being ready to drink; I’m thinking we will probably open one soon to try it out. We are hoping for hoppy pale ale, but I will be happy with anything consumable. Let me rephrase that, anything consumable that won’t put me on the toilet with an IV in my arm.

Breckenridge:

As promised here are a couple of other photos from the trip to Colorado. My brother’s poor dog was subject to animal cruelty when we discovered the dog boots in a dog store downtown. To accurately picture the scene, imagine a rodeo where the bulls were twice as angry and also forced to wear Converse High-tops. Oh, and it was on ice.   I always feel a little guilty because I never just snap photos of the town just to remember it. I guess that’s what postcards are for. Never-the-less, I do have one point and click photo of a little shopping area downtown. The whole town has this feeling to it. You almost expect a family of bears to walk out of one of the shops, baking cinnamon bread and awaiting the arrival of the candy cane train to the North Pole. I’m not talking about an acid trip, it just has a “story book” feel.

Seattle:

Ashley, Elliott and I went to Seattle last weekend for the Microsoft Alumni Conference. My work was one of the sponsors so; I guess you could call it a business trip? It was held at the Pacific Science Center under the Space Needle; which I have come to conclude was designed after a 1970’s lamp. We stayed at the Hotel Monaco, a pet friendly hotel downtown. They were very friendly and even watched the dog for free. I was expecting for them to have a facility to do this in, but to my surprise they just let her roam around behind the front desk. Not everyone can say their dog has peed on the lobby floor of a 5 star hotel. I awoke early the next morning and walked down to Pikes Place market to shoot some photos. This is probably one of the better ones from that morning. I enjoy photos that have one item in focus, but tell a story with the background.