Whomever coined the term "dog days of summer" must have lived in Texas. It's hotter than a dog out here! Since returning home from Italy at the end of June, I've spent approximately three full weeks in the Dallas area. During this time, the temperature has ranged from a low of hot to a high of hotter. Once in a while the weather changed and it was hottest.
I'm not sure what was worse, spending the month of December 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska or spending three weeks in Dallas, Texas during the heat wave of 2011. What am I talking about? This isn't a heat wave, it's always sweltering hot here in Texas during the summer! Ninety eight degrees...one hundred degrees...tomato....tomma-toe.... it's doggone hot every summer!
Okay, enough dog references. Here's a picture of Paisley. She's a pretty good dog, reminding me a lot of Rusty. Like Rusty, she loves to counter surf, sneaking a free meal from the unsuspecting.
Paisley is pretty hard-headed at times. When it's time to go into her kennel for bed, she sits at the door of the kennel and makes herself really heavy. When one tries to push her into the kennel, she raises her head, preventing it from going into the kennel. Paisley is also pretty smart. Throw a dog biscuit into her kennel at bedtime and she doesn't go for it.
Despite her stubborn nature, we all love Paisley. I, for one, am used to stubborn, having lived with three stubborn people for so long. But, I love them too...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dog Days of Summer
Saturday, August 13, 2011
More Family Fun
It sure takes a long time to finish a roll of film! At 52 cents a frame, I take my time and shoot in moderation. The manual exposure, manual focus, and manual film advance on the Nikon FM2 all help slow down the capture process as well.
Here are a few photos from my latest roll, capturing more of the recent family fun.
Welcome Paisley!
Please welcome the latest addition to our household, Paisley! They say a dog is a man's best friend, but Paisley sure is getting a lot of love from a woman, a girl, and a boy...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Life's Been Busy
Work's been busy lately, I've been traveling a lot, and haven't been home much. In the last few weeks, I've been in Alaska, Texas, Utah, and Idaho, and I will be in Texas for the better part of the next two weeks. But, I've managed to find some time to tend to the important things in life....family and friends.
I got in a few hikes during the week after work and on the weekends. We also had a chance to go kayaking at Shadow Cliffs, enjoying the warm, beautiful weather. The East Bay Regional Parks are wonderful places to spend quality time in nature.
We were even blessed to have family visit from Hawaii. The boys had a blast playing basketball (uncles against the nephews), grilling beef, drinking beer, grilling more beef, doing a walking tour of San Francisco, and grilling even more beef.
Kevin had a couple of basketball tournaments, one in Reno and another in Rocklin (near Sacramento). It was a great excuse to get out of town on mini family vacations. On the way home from Rocklin, we picked up a new addition to our family, Paisley, a cool Golden Retriever. I just finished my roll of film today, so pictures of Paisley are forthcoming.
Life's been busy. I need to win the lottery soon because I'm too busy to work 40 hours per week. Too much fun, not enough time...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Lost Coast Trail
Life's been a bit hectic lately and I have no idea where I'm going to find the time to work. We completed a two week holiday in Italy in June and I moved straightaway into a backpacking trip on the Lost Coast Trail during the Fourth of July weekend. More on Italy later...hopefully.
In 2010, the family spent the summer in Guam, leaving poor me at home....and free to go fishing, hiking, and....backpacking with the guys in the Trinity Alps during the Fourth of July weekend! We decided to continue the tradition this year and Patrick, Ruben, and I set off on the Lost Coast Trail, 30 June - 2 July 2011. We backpacked from the Mattole River trailhead, south along the California Coast for 26 miles, finishing at Shelter Cove.
We left Pleasanton on Thursday night after work. Ruben took care of the driving duties, while I sat comatose in the backseat, still suffering from jet lag. We spent the night in a motel about an hour out of Shelter Cove.
The next morning, we drove to Shelter Cove to meet up with our shuttle driver, Roxanne. It's a 1.75 hour drive along a windy road to get to the Mattole River trailhead, so we hired her to shuttle us to the start of our trek.
Roxanne was very nice, talkative, and just an interesting person. To keep this brief, I'll just mention everything they say about the "crop growers" in Humboldt County, CA is probably true. Her conversation made the trip seem a lot shorter than it was, which was good because I was comatose in the back seat but couldn't quite get to sleep.
Upon our arrival at the trailhead, we unloaded our packs from the car and wished Roxanne well. As I applied my sunscreen, Ruben pulled out his camera to snap a few photos....at which point I realized I left my camera and hiking sticks in Roxanne's car! Have you ever had one of those "ah shucks" moments? Okay, it was really an "ah shit" moment, but I was keeping it clean in case one of the three loyal blog readers happened to be a child, priest, or my mom. Anyway, there was no cell phone coverage along the Lost Camera Trail, so there was nothing to do but proceed down the beach for our first day of hiking.
The coastal views were beautiful, but hiking on sand really sucked. It's like snowshoeing, but not as fun. We traversed approximately six miles of sand on day one and camped along a creek. On day two, we extended our planned hike and hiked 12 miles, stopping at this wonderful campsite at Shipman Creek (see photo below). I snapped this photo with the camera on my Droid 2 Global phone. Who needs a DSLR anyway?
Most of my backpacking experience is in the mountains, so it was interesting to do a trip on the coast. On some sections of the trip, the trail is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the right and steep, rocky cliffs on the left. Camping upstream along the creek, there were few places to do a number two (e.g., a pooper, a doo doo, a Mr. Hankey, well you get the picture). The ranger advised us to dig a hole in the sand below the high tide line when nature called. The idea is the tides would wash the excrement into the vast Pacific Ocean, feeding the Dungeness crabs (which the tourists in San Francisco would be enjoying later in the season).
Not many people can say they crapped on a beach....and I must say, it was one of the most scenic and serene BM moments of my life!
Okay, I know everyone is in suspense about my camera, so I'll wrap this up. At the end of the trail, we drove to the General Store and borrowed their good old fashioned land line telephone to call Roxanne. Fortunately, she was kind enough to return my gear. Thanks Roxanne!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Italia
Buongiorno from Italia!
Italy is a beautiful country and has incredible landmarks, including the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Leaning Tower of Pisa. I, however, came for the wine, cheese, and meats. I packed a pocket knife and corkscrew before leaving home, allowing us to enjoy some really nice food from the supermercato.
Just two more days until we return home. :(
Here are a few photos from my Droid 2 mobile. More photos and stories later. Arrivederci for now.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Happy Birthday Kevin
Happy Birthday Kevin! Well, his birthday isn't until next week, but since we will be in Italy next week, we had a small family party today. We'll celebrate it again in Italy, perhaps with his new Italian girlfriends.
Kevin wanted to go bowling, so we bowled a couple of games at the Dublin Bowl. I'm not much of a bowler, but I had my secret weapon today....Pyramid beer!
I finished my roll of Kodak BW400CN film today at the bowling alley and got it developed and scanned at Wolf Camera while we were in Dublin. Here are a few more pictures from the roll.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Reflections of a Volunteer Sports Photographer
I read an interesting article by Peter West Carey, titled “Photograph For Yourself Then Ask For Specific Advice.” In this article, the author addresses two key points.
1.Shoot for yourself.
2.Seek constructive and actionable feedback.
In March 2010, I initiated a 365 photography project. I joined a Flickr group, created to support members pursuing a 365 project. Back then, it was a bit intimidating posting my photos online, putting myself “out there” for critique. I, however, felt the feedback was a critical part of my development as a photographer. I sought constructive and actionable feedback so I could improve my skills. However, upon receiving feedback, I felt obligated to implement the changes to my photos. Many times, one person’s feedback conflicted with another person’s feedback. For example, one person would love the saturated colors, while another thought it was over-saturated. One thought a horizontal frame would work better, while another felt the vertical frame was stronger. Over the course of time, I came to appreciate something my dad used to say, “Opinions are like buttholes…everyone has one.” As it applies to photography, art is subjective and everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and there isn’t necessarily a “right” answer.
I came to trust my own vision and became less concerned with making my photographs look the way others thought it should look. One could say I began to shoot for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still welcomed constructive feedback and many times the changes strengthened the final image dramatically. However, I didn’t feel like I “had to” make the changes. At the end of the day, I made absolutely sure I was happy with “my” image.
Now that I am done with my 365 project, I feel like I have broadened my horizons a bit. I still go hiking and backpacking, and shoot the landscapes I so love. I still shoot the family candids at birthdays and holidays. But, I now shoot black and white “day in the life” images with an old film camera. I don’t shoot these images to impress anyone. I don’t shoot them to hang on the wall. I just shoot them for the fun of it…for pure, simple, photographic pleasure.
I’ve also ventured into sports photography, shooting my son’s high school basketball games and my daughter’s softball games. As the volunteer team photographer, my “job” is to capture the season in photos. But, the beautiful thing about being a volunteer is I feel no pressure to impress or please anyone (unlike a paid professional). I feel entirely free to shoot what I want and how I want it. I’ll shoot the typical action shots one moment….then an artsy, creative shot the next. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me. Personally, I find great pleasure capturing a slice of my children’s lives in photos. I also enjoy sharing my work with the other parents. They are extremely appreciative of the time I spent shooting all of the games and they cherish the photos of their children.
One of my goals for 2011 was to be more active in the community as a volunteer. Being a volunteer photographer this year has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my adult life. Having parents and players come to me after the games to tell me how much they loved the photos is priceless. I have come to realize I will never become a professional photographer, for the pressure and expectations would ruin the experience…..and the pay is much less rewarding.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Champions
The Thunder played the Giants on Tuesday in the championship game. The Giants started out fast, with a three run lead. The Thunder came back with five runs. However, the Giants quickly tied the game with two more runs. In the sixth inning, the Thunder retook the lead with four more runs and then held the Giants scoreless in the seventh inning to secure the win.
The level of competition in the PGSL Teal Minor Division was tough this year, but the Thunder emerged as the champions.
Congratulations Thunder!
Kami had an incredible season this year. She was a starting pitcher, shortstop, and lead-off batter. She really developed into a wonderful player this year, especially her rock solid defense.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Championship Part 1
The Thunder played the Giants today. A win would have earned them the championship. Since this is a double elimination tournament, a loss would force a rematch for the championship.
The girls started out a little flat on defense, but fought back in the final innings. They came up a little short, losing 6-4. Tomorrow's game will be for the championship.
