It's a Burger, Baby!

Working 7am-9pm. I don't really want to put a lot of effort in to dinner. Slapping a burger patty on the skillet sounds perrrrrrfect.

Be a Better Blogger

In an effort to blog more, I've decided to take a new approach.  A Photo-A-Day.  Blogger resource websites recommend it, and amateur photography resource websites also encourage it.  So not only will I be a better blogger, but I will also be practicing my photography...which is very near and dear to my heart.

Some websites suggest picking a topic for each day of the week, but I don't want to limit myself and get frustrated if I can't capture "the day's" topic.  But I will make a promise to not post a picture on the same topic/subject two days in a row.  If I didn't have this "rule", there is a very real chance that you would get a picture of Lincoln every day of the week.

And I may occassionally post a video.

The photos may not always be taken on the same day of the post.  I got a analog fisheye camera for Christmas, and I would love to post some of those pictures...but I have to take the time to finish the roll and then develop it, so instant posting isn't possible for the fisheye.

I'm also in the hunt for a good mobile uploading app, so if anyone has suggestions, let me know.

In spirit of the New Year, I leave you with a photo from last night.  Brad happened to be taking a photo of Danny at the exact same using a flash, so that's what the odd light effect is.  And Maria is just stirring up trouble.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy Holidays

Haven't really been motivated to post anything lately.  Still not motivated, but I will entertain you all with a recent video.

We call this the Gargoyle.  Enjoy...and hopefully it won't be too long before the next post.

The Mountains that Made the [Wo]Man

Minarets by Peter Essick

National Geographic Magazine had a feature in their latest issue - The Mountains that Made the Man.  Photographer Peter Essick ventured in to Ansel Adams Wilderness to pay tribute to the wilderness' namesake.  The NatGeo article includes black and whites photos from Peter Essick.  If you want to see some of Ansel Adam's photos, you can go here.

In 2006, I had the privilege of hiking along the John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail from Florence Lake to Tuolumne Meadows.  Along the way we passed through Ansel Adams Wilderness.  This wilderness spans 230,000 acres of Sierra National Forest and Inyo National Forest.  The wilderness includes 14,000 foot peaks, crisp cool alpine lakes, and Devil's Postpile National Monument.

Me at Donohue Pass (below) and Peter Essick's creation at Donohue Pass (right).






















My trek past Garnet Lake (right)...beautiful day, beautiful colors.



(Below) Peter Essick's version of Garnet Lake.  AMAZING!  In my defense, Essick did have some incredible thunderheads rolling in.

There are more great photos by Peter Essick at NatGeo's website.  Check 'em out, or BETTER YET...explore Ansel Adams Wilderness first hand.  Especially you California folks; this is in your BACKYARD (metaphorically speaking).  Go see what the California wilderness is all about...without all the suburbs, RV parks, resorts, and litter.

Just A Photo

Back in high school when we had to take our team photos, we could never be happy with just posing for a photo.  Sure...there was the typical tall-people-in-the-back-short-people-in-the-front-arms-behind-your-back photo, but when we got the opportunity to take our individual or group photo, we spared no expense.

Here I am with Wendy, Dominque, and Jen.  This is our sophomore year at Carondelet High School.  Varsity Basketball 2000.  I think it's safe to say we were going for a beach theme.  I remember borrowing the surf board from my neighbor, and we still had life jackets left-over from our Sea-Doo phase.  But I think my favorite part about this photo is Jen applying sunscreen.

Go big or go home...right?

B & W Photos

I haven't forgotten about my blog. In fact, I think of it often. But when I have time to actually write something, my mind goes completely blank. Well, to solve this problem, I opened my closet and looked for inspiration. I found it in an old bin of black and white photos. One of my favorite classes at Cal was the 8 week summer class on Black and White Photography. I learned to develop my own film, enlarge negatives, "burning", "dodging", and processing prints. It was amazing! Creating my own darkroom and processing lab is on the top of my list of things to do when I'm a millionaire. ;)

Over the course of the class, I directed my lens towards many subjects, but I did my final project on animals at the SF Zoo. Some of the photos from this project can be seen on Facebook.

But perhaps the most meaningful photos were of the critters around the house - Bonnie, Rexy, and Molly. Lincoln was not in our lives...he wasn't even born yet!

Enjoy these negatives...I know I did when I dug them up. Click on the photo to make it bigger.

**Bonnie is the doggie in the pool. Rexy is the doggie lounging around (RIP Rexy). And there is 1 picture of Molly the cat (RIP Molly).**

Hot-lanta, Georgia

Just got back from Atlanta, Georgia - site of the 2011 Junior National Volleyball Championships. The team I coach qualified to participate (by the skin of our teeth). It wasn't a successful weekend volleyball-wise, but I was able to enjoy some of the sights of Atlanta. We explored the Coca-Cola Factory and the Georgia Aquarium. Both attractions were great. My supervisor from the Alaska SeaLife Center is now working at the Georgia Aquarium, and I was able to meet up with her and get a behind-the-scenes tour through parts of the aquarium. VERY COOL!

Tunnel vantage point of the Ocean View exhibit.

Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world, houses 4 Whale Sharks shipped over from Taiwan.

All the Whale Sharks are trained to eat from ladles. Each keeper floats along the top of the tank trailing chunks of fish bits. This allows the keepers to accurately record their daily food intake and do a brief visual exam of the animals.

Here are some of the girls (and team mom) posing above the gigantic Ocean View tank at the Georgia Aquarium. Shout out to Lynda Leppert for going out of her way to take us around.

This was the last volleyball tournament of the season. Now it's time to enjoy my summer...maybe start working out again after I recover from the cold that Atlanta gave me.