blah blah BLOG - - - - - - - - - - - August 7, 2008 So Scotty B is getting married, and we had to run up to Donnor Lake for his get-away party. It involved nothing; absolutely nothing - just biking and beer, and it was so necessary. Figures he was the only one who got hurt, being his party and all... Pete made a rule you can't fall asleep in the common area or you deserve to get chiefed by the group. Well about (2) hours later he HIMSELF fell asleep - in the living room! Pete - I was taking pictures and had nothing to do with the markers... Posted at 10:27 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 6, 2008 I was asked to create an ad for a magazine we will be advertising in... Posted at 10:27 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - July 21, 2008 Ventured up to the Pacific Northwest for a few days...what an amazing part of the country! Due to the whole lack of free-time thing, I’ll post pictures over the next week or so. For some reason I’m posting in reverse order – this is our plane trip out of Roche Harbor of San Juan Island to Seattle. And I highly recommend a pontoon sea-plane if you have never done it – it was so fun! We felt like celebrities! Posted at 11:57 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - July 7, 2008 Made it up to Camp Nedjedly for the weekend...took a bunch of photos, but my 6GB Microdrive crashed and I lost virtually all my pictures - especially the ones of sunset on the way out...AHHHHH!!! I'm so upset about everything I lost. Somehow I was able to save only (1) of the sunset - this was the very last photo I took; hardly the one I wanted. AHHH!!! Anyways - the drive was sent to Hitachi and perhaps they can recover the lost pictures (i.e. camp & the lake & the boathouse & AHHH)... I think my favorite light is from campfire; they always turn out pretty fun... Posted at 8:22 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 29, 2008 Ahoy! Posted at 10:05 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 25, 2008 Northern California is on fire and the smoke has filled the air. I thought the sky would be more orange. It was amazing to see that the sun couldn't break through the smog... Posted at 10:22 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 23, 2008 Sonoma Coast! It is amazing the wide variety of territory in California. If you have time to venture to the Northern Beaches of California – I recommend it. Posted at 10:23 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 15, 2008 It took WAY too long, but I have finally finished an Album for my trip to New Zealand… > CLICK HERE < Posted at 11:08 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 15, 2008 Flathead! Posted at 9:53 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 14, 2008 Yuba Pools! Posted at 11:14 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 7, 2008 My buddy from UCSB, Mr. Chinn, got married in Atlanta - so we had to travel to Georgia! If you ever make out to Hotlanta, I highly recommend the Georgia Aquarium - the fish were HUGE and the tanks were enormous (they had to be 3 stories tall). All I had was my small Canon Elf so I couldn't get the full wide angle... Posted at 10:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 2, 2008 UCC in San Francisco! I had the opportunity to visit a project and take a few pictures of the job...I was so impressed with our crews in San Francisco - it is amazing how much infrastructure is underground... Posted at 10:21 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 18, 2008 NOTE: All images are from my camera phone! Spent the weekend in LA. I recommend Virgin America - it was very nice, and the same price as Southwest... Posted at 9:55 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - April 7, 2008 Spent the weekend in San Diego. We were able to visit Seaworld - I could have spent all day watching the flamingos...they simply defy physics... Posted at 9:44 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 21, 2008 We went rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend. My college buddy Cory was our rock climbing guide through the park - such an amazing experience. I had more fun taking snapshots the entire time and would like to do it again... A new album has been created - Joshua Tree 2008... Posted at 4:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 18, 2008 I had the opportunity to create a "youthful" t-shirt for Emily, as she is the coach for the REV swim team... Posted at 9:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 9, 2008 Escaped down to SB and SLO to ride bikes all weekend. We camped on the ridge of Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara one night, and on the ridge of the Questa Grade in San Luis Obispo the other night. Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - February 18, 2008 Yosemite in winter... The Horsetail Falls were completely amazing. We arrived at the Merced River base to view the side of El Capitan at about 4:50PM. The sun set at about 5:15PM and the falls looked like flowing lava. Absolutely no photoshop work - just as I took the picture. Amazing... We built a snow wall about 8 feet tall to block the wind and help with our camp. We also went snowshoeing on Badger Pass to Dewey POint which has to be the best vantage point to see El Capitan and Half Dome. It was a lot of fun... Posted at 10:28 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - February 16, 2008 Snowshoeing on the PCT in Tahoe... Posted at 11:48 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 31, 2008 Going through all the New Zealand images is a slow process, especially when each picture is 12MB a piece... The New Zealand Gallery should go live in a few weeks so here are a few more samples... Posted at 9:18 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 23, 2008 Muir Woods National Monument... Posted at 10:08 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 27, 2007 One of my photos was slected for the 2nd year in a row and will be published into the Engineering News Record 2007 Images of the Year photo contest. The full story can be viewed by the link below... > CLICK HERE < Posted at 8:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 26, 2007 A new gallery experiment coming very soon... > PREVIEW < Posted at 11:17 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 25, 2007 Experimenting with 14mm @ f2.8... Posted at 8:42 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 22, 2007 Thanksgiving in Sebastopol– you could spend all day there with a macro… Posted at 7:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 21, 2007 Wide open aperture and wide angle – my itinerary for New Zealand… Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 21, 2007 "Ain't no better time than now, for Mexico..." An album has been created - Mexico 2007... Posted at 6:17 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 11, 2007 The Napa Valley is an amazing area...I know they are a bit cliché, but the vineyards are a pretty place, especially during sunrise... Posted at 10:13 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 10, 2007 I went out REALLY early with cousin Richard to find some cool locations outside Bodega Bay. We had no plans, just get lost out in the country and try to find some fog at daybreak. The result was some really high ISO pictures, really early in the morning. It was really fun, and I want to do it again. Richard is my photo-comrad, so its always a good time... Posted at 11:38 AM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 4, 2007 The weekend in Monterey and San Francisco... Posted at 10:20 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 31, 2007 I put together an album of the construction photographs I took while in Texas... > CLICK HERE < Posted at 8:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 28, 2007 I was able to visit Yosemite with some friends...now I see what all the fuss has been about. Amazing. An album has been created - Yosemite 2007... Posted at 10:48 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 21, 2007 Downieville... Posted at 11:02 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 3, 2007 In the South-West corner of Texas is Big Bend National Park. Amazing. It is located way out in the boondocks, and I’m happy I made the trip down. From the entrance of the Park to the Rio Grand is probably a 3 hour drive each way. Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 2, 2007 I’ve left Texas, working my way towards California. The South-West is a pretty part of the country… The first picture is so cliché, but I always wanted to take the "road" picture. The second picture is inside of my truck–every damn electronic known to man was used during the trip (I don’t know how we survived before the time of the iPod). The last picture is a thunderstorm "wall" of water that formed right in front of Highway 385 on my way south towards Big Bend. Posted at 11:57 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - September 23, 2007 I’m planning my escape; back to living in a hotel with 1 week to go - California here I come… Christmas 2006, my aunt gave me a copy of Frommer’s guide to Texas…I’m reading it now trying to figure out what to see during my drive West. I must say I’m happy that I inadvertently accomplished most of the “Must See” that the book outlines: Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse, Bob’s Chop & Steak House, Joe T. Garcia’s, South X Southwest, Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, The Nasher, Hill Country, the Blue Bonnents, Billy Bob’s, the 6th Floor, and even the very 1st home of Neiman Marcus… I can’t wait to be back on (as a true Texan would say) the Left Coast… Posted at 2:22 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - September 17, 2007 I was able to escape to Seattle and walk in the 2007 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day September 7 through September 9. Along with 4,000 other walkers, we trekked over 60 miles through Seattle to generate support, exposure, and donations to help fund Breast Cancer scientific research. It was amazing, and I will participate in another 3-Day. Out of all the 4,000 walkers, there must have been (and I’m serious) 20 male walkers – the rest female. I wore pink, I walked for my aunt, and I enjoyed every minute of it – thanks to all of those that donated… Posted at 10:08 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 31, 2007 Maybe this is a sign to get out of Texas and move back to California. This was taken atop (1) of the (3) 420,000 GAL JET A Fuel Tanks we built here at the Dallas Love Airport (DAL). The fuel farm is adjacent to the runway, so I see planes landing and taking off all day. This was the first time I saw the California theme plane. The larger version shows the motion blur in greater detail... Posted at 8:39 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 24, 2007 I was able to escape and see some details of an airplane...an amazing industry... Posted at 10:12 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 22, 2007 SURVEY! Some people do drugs - I like to take snapshots. I'm on a silhouette binge... Posted at 11:23 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 20, 2007 I was able to visit some friends out in Boston - what an amazing city. Saw a Redsox’s game, visited the MFI, had a cup of Chow-dah, and saw the Frank Gehry designed building at MIT. I could have spent all day staring at that building – amazing. A new album has been created - Boston Trip 2007... Posted at 11:14 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 2, 2007 This is my first post of a picture taken from the jobsite. Today we installed a shoring system for an excavation process here in Dallas. Posted at 9:02 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 30, 2007 I was able to meet some friends and ride downhill bikes for a few days up in Tahoe. Specifically, we rode Downieville and Northstar. I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, but I did play around with my new camera; which is always fun... Posted at 11:15 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 22, 2007 My comrade Ian and I have been trading art for a few years. I had his birthday present ready to give – but he is off in Qatar for a work transfer and can’t ship it out to him – so I thought I could post a picture of what it is on my blog... We both used to joke about how we never could afford a real Ralph Steadman…funny what one stumbles upon from time to time... Posted at 4:49 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 21, 2007 I did something bad...Hello 5D. Posted at 5:10 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 18, 2007 My camera broke! I can’t believe it – I feel naked without it. I used my Rebel just about every day so it is an unfamiliar feeling NOT to have a camera. I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement and am leaning towards the Canon 5D. It’s a big jump and a serious piece of equipment. Stay tuned… Posted at 8:46 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 12, 2007 I’ve taken a handful of questions on what it’s like out here in Texas; where do I live, where do I work – what is it like? So being as ambiguous as I can; here is where I spend almost all of the time – my office and conference room... Posted at 10:52 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 11, 2007 I’m not good at taking pictures of people – it scares me. In my opinion – people don’t like it, and they especially don’t like catching some knit-wit with a camera taking their picture – so I don’t do it. Most of my favorite photographers are those who have the courage to take people-pictures… I have a handful of snapshots of family and friends; I think I’ll put together an album for them… Posted at 11:12 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - June 21, 2007 I was able to escape Texas for a weekend and venture up into a section of Tahoe National Forest to get some backpacking in. Along with my brother Ian, and buddies Scott and Weston; we went exploring around some great backcountry lakes inside the triangle formed by the Black Buttes, Grouse Ridge, and Old Man Mountain. A new album for the trip has been created – Tahoe 2007... Posted at 10:52 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - May 15, 2007 My buddy Scott came out to visit Texas and packed his road bike with him. Our goal was to find some cliché country back roads. We headed down to Fredericksburg, a town south-west of Austin, deep into the hill country. The hill country is famous for the rolling hills and beautiful scenery; miles of wild flowers and open sky – I highly recommend as a stop for any trip through Texas... Posted at 9:15 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - May 2, 2007 I lived in Lost Angeles for (3) years and loved it. One year was spent in Venice Beach, one year in Santa Monica, and roughly one year in Pasadena. There are a lot of clichés associated with LA that I experienced, but there is also an incredible amount of amazing things that I did not expect… Since I have moved out of LA; I have updated the LA Unexpected album... Posted at 8:46 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - April 28, 2007 This is a first – I’ve never uploaded a picture of myself, yet alone a picture that I didn’t take. I wanted to post as a thanks to all those who donated funding during my participation in the Houston to Austin MS150 Bike Race. During April 21 through April 22, I rode (175) miles through the Texas hill country with over 12,000 other riders to generate support and donations for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Collectively we are working to raise $12,000,000.00 for the society. It was an incredible event, and I hope to participate in events like these in the future – even if that means I have to wear bike shorts... Posted at 9:41 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - April 8, 2007 I went exploring and found some great Texas country back roads – the Blue Bonnets are in full bloom... Posted at 9:31 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - March 18, 2007 I stumbled upon these junk cars on my way back from South by Southwest in Austin Posted at 5:11 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - January 14, 2007 I entered the Engineering News Record (ENR) 2006 Photography contest, regarding "The Year in Construction" and won. I was published with (2) of my photos from (2) different projects. A new album has been created – ENR Photo Contest... Posted at 7:40 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - January 13, 2007 After much resistance; I have finally caved to the BLOG Empire. The goal is to allow site visitors to notice updates and new galleries without searching the entire THSNAPSHOTS.com site. Also, as little text as possible; we like pictures, not text. The Blogger platform also allows for easy site updating from any machine in the world, without having to update the backend of THSNAPSHOTS.com. This way I can provide a picture update at anytime, from anywhere. Enjoy. Posted at 3:44 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - January 12, 2007 Hello World. Posted at 8:21 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - -