At World’s End

Did a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon, and took away three things;

a) Johnny Depp is my generations’ best actor

b) ‘The world is not getting smaller, there’s just less to it’ – Captain Jack Sparrow

c) “It’s a small world after all” could be a theme song for the 21st century.

Brigham City-1523_5

Last Saturday we went to our favorite eatery in Box Elder County (if that’s not one of the nation’s best names for a county, i don’t know what is) after contributing to our retirement fund.

This weekend, a front moves in with sustained winds of 50mph. i always knew Wyoming sucked, because Utah’s windy . . .
Today is the weekend before Thanksgiving – one of my favorite times of the year. They’re only expecting me to show up for work three times next week.
With a half season of Jazz tix and three home games next week, i’m not going very far.

Jazz vs Clippers-1102

i get to work at home as well as at work – just ordered another mobo for all the parts i had laying around, enough to put another machine together. i swear to all that is holy i will throw every computer part out, once i get this damned Frankenmachine going – everything i’ve squirreled away that doesn’t contribute to my network. After being a PC enthusiast/paid worker for the last 15 years, i’ve got a small mountain of parts and screws laying around.

Being six weeks before this year ends, and the fact that it’s dark when i both go to work and come home, the next quarter is dedicated to cleaning up my picture library. i leave you with a capture fom 2008, my trip to New York

New York 08-4902

[original jpg redone in Photoshop cs5, with ‘Perfectly clear’ plug-in enhancements.]

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Autumn 2010 – before DST ends

Recently i posted about the new Jazz logo/uniforms and since then we’ve bought a half seasons worth of home game tickets. With the team only winning a third of their games (they are one and two w/l right now) i’ve allowed my attention to drift towards a different game this weekend.

UofU-0770_2

The unbeaten University of Utah hosts unbeaten Texas Christian University in what could be;
a) the last meeting in some time for these Mountain West powerhouses
b) springboard to a possible National title for the winner, and
c) the best hope for a non BCS school to crash the payout party that is the current Bowl Championship Series.

Next year, Utah joins a BCS conference when they join the PAC 12. That fact still won’t allay my hatred for the system, or the fact that undefeated Utah teams from 2004 and 2008 had no real chance to claim a national title, despite beating BCS schools both years in their respective bowls.

The game itself is getting some national love –  the roadshow that is ESPN’s College Game Day will be in town to incite, er, broadcast from the stadium parking lot before the game.

Jazz v Celtics-7839

i kid about our basketball team, and have every confidence in them. There was a big turnover in the line up this off season, and despite the fact of winning every preseason game, i didn’t expect them to be world beaters out of the gate. i rarely grab the mail, but this being trash day, emptied the box when i brought the cans back to the house. My wife got a personal letter from, as the return address said, “Jazz”.

Now, don’t get me wrong – i’m not the jealous type as much as i am the envious type. i wanted to know why my pro basketball team was sending my wife hand written letters! Being the dutiful husband and checking for anthrax/bombs, i opened it to find four tickets, two each for the Boston (pictured above) and Miami games! [Personal shout out to my wife – this has positively re-enforced me to open more of your mail].

Today was the mid term elections. If you want soap-boxing about politics, go somewhere else. i only mention it because we went to the local polling place early, was there when the doors opened. After committing my right to vote as a citizen (strangely enough, my ballot allowed me to make a choice other than “R” if i were so inclined) the ride to work seemed uneventful. Same 26 miles (same distance as a marathon, heh)  i usually make, but it dawned on me (this idea, not the actual sun) that this would be the last week that it wouldn’t be dark going both to and from work.

Screw Daylight Savings Time, i want a choice on my next ballot to vote it away . . .

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Photography, an early present, and dinner with an old friend

The weathers changing, we’ve already been to a Jazz game, and the nights are getting long.

Feels like we’re running out of time . . .

Slat Lake City-9604

Tonight we went to another photography class. It’s nice to hear about your obsession from other people. There was nothing new in the class, but it was about composition. It’s always good to get a professional’s take, along with a little in-depth metering thrown into the discussion. As we went to class, with the shadows racing up the mountain out the front door, the nearly full moon put in an appearance. It was distracting, and so was i – i kept looking out the door as it made it’s way over the shoulder of the mountain into the darkening sky. i did get an early gift, a Manfrotto ball head to go atop my tripod.

496rc2

496rc2

An old friend breezed through town, and invited me out to dinner.

KC-0582

He was here for a short trip, but it was nice to catch up, shoot the breeze, and eat a nice meal. The picture above was from an earlier trip, but it makes me glad to have my camera with me. Pictures have become a hobby, and when the subject is meaningful, priceless.

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Eureka

Eureka

So in the week that was the end of summer, the end of September, and the beginning of the end of 2010 – i look back and see that i’ve been out of the country, been out of the FaceBook, and out of television. The last one doesn’t bother me, the former not so much but the first was pretty awesome. Sitting at my PC in my environmentally controlled den, i see that not much has changed weather-wise, there’s a new page to the calender, and being home is a triumph of laziness over knowing the weather will change.

The picture above was taken a week ago in the hamlet in central-western Utah. We had left behind Seattle on Labor Day, embraced our hometown since, and not experienced any change in the weather. Why is this pertinent? Because it lulls you into thinking (this recent global warming) that things won’t change, that everything will remain the same, and that the garage doesn’t really need cleaning out.

The old fridge is gone, the forecast calls for radically different temperatures, and the pumpkins are out.

harvest time

harvest time

As i sit here contemplating change, something occurs to me that pretty much occurs to me every year – that the seasons come and go, that the cheapie calender i’ve been looking at loses pages as fast as i’m losing hair, but the one constant this world offers is the depth and breadth of the world is unknowable.

What a mystery tomorrow offers, what a divine revelation – even though the weather guesser tells you, you are in for more of the same it’s really a crapshoot if you*re going to pass the come line and get to roll the dice again.

i started to take pictures to bring the world in (well documented vision probs) but i realized that i take pictures to share a baseline, a common thread that someone could pick up and weave

row your boat

row your boat

after i was gone.

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One awesome trip, and 17 years of good luck

Rings

Rings

Here it is, September 15th. A week and a half since i celebrated my wedding anniversary. i was on vacation on the actual day, the picture above was from when Tania and i were on a ferry. We went to Canada – Victoria B.C. i could blame the database being down on the website, but the truth is, i shot 67 gigabytes of pictures and have been wading through them.

What a splendid vacation, and what a beautiful place – we went to the northwest corner of the country, then sneaked out for a couple of days – and were shown around Washington by our friends Kevin and Lori, locals to the area. We found ourselves in Seattle on the evening of the fourth, trying to get a table @ The Crab Pot

the Crab Pot

the Crab Pot

and found a wait of two hours. seriously? heard good stuff about it, but c’mon – we were hungry. So we put our name down on a list and wandered down to the end of the pier. Where we found The Fisherman

The Fisherman

The Fisherman

i really wanted a shrimp cocktail, but the waitress talked me out of it. Why? Because we got the ‘crab feast’ and she was right – it was a full meal. (i tipped her nicely, if you were wondering.) What a nice end to the day, i sneaked out on the pier as the sun went down (pictures to follow) and we made our way back to a hotel.

What a nice day, one of six thousand and twenty-five . . .

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The Jazz, the dancers, then and now

Last night the Utah Jazz unvieled their new logos and one of their new players. Thanks to Tania’s relentless quest for new pictures, somehow i got talked into going. As usual, Tania got her ‘picture of the day’, while i picked up 200. Anyways, here’s a first look at Al Jefferson, sporting a new Jazz logo jersey;

new logo? two thumbs up

new logo? two thumbs up

If it looks vaguely familiar, you can be forgiven. It bears a striking resemblance to the one the Jazz sported back in the Salt Palace days;

the Salt Palace Jazz

the Salt Palace Jazz

For the record, that is yours truly hanging out with two Jazz Dancers on the floor. But i’m not like that anymore;

yours, truely

yours, truely

Now i roll with four. [picture credit goes to Tania, who twisted my arm to pose.] i just noticed the hair and glasses changed, but same cheesy grin. Anyways, another thing i’ve noticed is one big irony, no racist;

a jazz band . . .

a jazz band . . .

What do ‘jazz’ and ‘Utah’ have in common, besides a basketball team? oh well, here’s hoping Treme returns . . .

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The dog days of summer, and 100 posts

i owe a debt of gratitude to Tania, who has been my inspiration. Her original blog was lost, and i picked up blogging because she didn’t think hers’ could ever match the flow and diction it had before. She has recovered nicely, and introduced me to a form of self expression i’d never thought i’d use.

self portrait

self portrait

One hundred posts later, i’ve found a medium i don’t mind sharing in. i can give a raised middle finger to the world, if i chose, or kudos, or deafening silence. The web has proven surprising and engaging to me, and given me the opportunity to interact with people all over the globe. It has also given my family a rare peak, and my wife a barometer into the mood i’m in. Whether the posts have been profound and uplifting, or pedestrian and mundane, my biggest cheerleader and harshest critic has been vigilant in letting me know she read the dam thing.

So i find my self in the doldrums, the dog days of August. The dentist has abused me and so has the weather. The road ahead includes a visit to the North West, and possibly one to ‘the Greatest City in the World’. However the lottery numbers turn out, i’m convinced the best way for me to deal with it, is through the lense of a camera . . .

the road ahead

the road ahead

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The Capitol, revisited

The last time we took pictures at the Capitol building was in April of ’09. This last Saturday we went downtown again, to take pictures and go to the Farmer’s Market. We never made it to the market . . .

the north side of the Capitol

The Capitol building has been very photogenic for me. Some of my earliest attempts of trying HDR were of the building, and alot of people at the time liked the pictures i posted. A few things have change since that April, including the camera i’m using. But the Capitol has had for me a timeless feeling, and it still has been good to me;

the reflection pool

the reflection pool

Having seen the building thousands of times from every angle, i was still surprised to see what i hadn’t seen before.

the Lions on the East Stairs

the Lions on the East Stairs

And it wasn’t just the Capitol Building we explored, we ventured around the capital city, as well. Salt Lake has hundreds of streets and dozens of neighborhoods too . . .

Second and Second

Second and Second

So, after being here for almost twenty years, i feel there is still a lot more to this city than i’ve already seen.

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Pioneer Day, a homecoming, and one of the best places on Earth to take pictures

i was born and raised in California. My adopted state celebrates the day that pioneers first entered Utah, and as irony would have it, i spent that day in Yosemite National Park.

The East Gate

The East Gate

A lot of time has past since i lived in Yosemite, and i have been back for a couple of brief visits, but this trip was especially special for the company i keep. Tania and i have been into photography and travel for awhile, and if there was one place that I knew, that offered the best of both – that place is Yosemite.

Toulumne Meadows Lodge

Toulumne Meadows Lodge

Half  my life ago. i had darker hair, a minimum wage income, and no camera. i knew at the time that i would be back, with a fine machine to capture what i saw. In the mean time, real life happened, i almost lost my sight, i gained a house and a wife – and most importantly, someone who i could share this corner with.

Tunnel View

Tunnel View

i came on a day my adopted state celebrated an arrival, i came half a lifetime later, i came as half of a couple. i came to a place i called home for awhile, a place alot of people have taken pictures of before – but i came back to a place i felt i knew and missed. i’ve published a few of the captures i’ve managed to process, but here is the story of the man behind the lense.

A sort of homecoming

A sort of homecoming

When i moved to Yosemite, it started the long, slow process of me getting out of the way of me. Remnants still remain, i still shoot myself in the foot and i’m closer to a teenager than my contemporaries that have kids, but the time i spent in the Park released me from the demons of childhood and the mores of my upbringing. Today the influence of raw Mother Nature is a bigger part of me than the tradition of my parents. i’m glad for the fact that my natural mom has a part of my life as my adopted mom – spending time in the wilderness made me believe that i needed both to learn the lessons i would need to make my way in the world.

Today, a safe home and a warm bed are my prerogative. In the Park i was able to park my shoes by a door we pre-paid for.

home for a night

home for a night

Twenty Four years ago, i found humility and a work ethic waiting on people that used the same amenities that i paid for last weekend. Being the one parking my boots at the door, i realized i did give something – to live in those shoes . . .

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Quail, taking pictures, and brides galore

i’ve been being dragged around, kicking and screaming, to take pictures with Tania. But that’s not the worst part~ we get home, go through the pictures and she’s saying “You’re ahead of me, i can’t take the same pictures as you!” Now, i’ve seen her pictures and haven’t told her yet – my pictures are not better, they’re just different. If there is a difference in the quality, it’s a) in the camera (i’m currently using a Canon 7D, she’s using a Rebel 450D) and b) i’m a bit more familiar with the programs we use for post processing.

A family amid the flowers

We had gone downtown Saturday afternoon on one of these expeditions, Tania with a purpose and me to kill some pixels. We’ve been seeing brides for the last three times we’ve went out. Wednesday, when we went to Gardner Village;

Frantic phone call

Thursday, at Thanksgiving point;

A bridal glimpse

And then at the City County building;

Waiting in the shade

And on the Main street plaza, where the quail first come into the picture;

Photographer first, wedding photographer second

So i think this might be an omen – my friend Kevin mentioned that i would be a good choice to shoot his wedding, when we were in Vegas. Since then, i’ve seen plenty of brides. Every morning i see quail, but the family that lives in the Main street plaza was the first that posed for me.

Families are forever

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