Stopping Down

Bright Eyes

2012-01-16T22:32:00.001-07:00

This little guy was dressed up for church on Christmas Day. I bet you didn't know that he could tie a double Winsdor. I like how his bright blue eyes match his shirt. He's a good looking young man.

Probably Worth Double

2012-01-08T23:12:00.001-07:00

Here's Spee with his stuffed Tabby cat named Toby, or is it his stuffed Toby cat named Tabby? Either way it's his little friend which he loves. This picture was taken a few days before Christmas and you can almost see the excitement in his eyes. With Christmas over and only a few months of cold in front of us, it would be wise for each of use to snuggle up with our Tabby cats, stuffed or the real deal.

I don't usually include pictures of the man behind the camera, but when I do, I make sure my sister-in-law does a whizbang job. And she did no less than that here, good job Kristy. I find a lot of joy in photography. One of the things that I really like about it, is the ability to document a person, time, event, feeling, or anything else that matters to you for not only yourself or your facebook friends, but your posterity. I like looking through pictures of my grandpa, who I never met because he died a month before I was born, and wonder what the story is behind the picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, but the background of the pictures is probably worth double. I find my self looking back at my own photography and remembering the good times of each pictures. I remember the good memories of family and friends. I was just looking back at some pictures from the Utah State Fair a couple of years ago and got quite emotional. It wasn't because of the butter sculpture or the big yellow slide, but because of the people I was with.

In 1932, a man named Goro Yoshida in Japan had an interest in photography and marveled at the exuberant cost of a camera--nearly a half years wages of a decent man's pay. Leica and Contax were the main camera companies of the time and were both the pride of Germany. Mr. Yoshida saved up and bought one of these cameras just to disassemble it to see why it was so expensive. To his surprise, he didn't find any diamonds or gold that would justify the high price tag, but only brass, aluminum, iron, and rubber. This made him pretty angry. From that, he started a little optics laboratory on the third floor of a quaint little apartment complex and within a year released the Kwanon prototype camera--the forerunner of Canon (source).

I share that because many times we can't put a price on photography that impacts us in such an emotional way. The first thing that goes in a breakup is usually the pictures because it vividly reminds the couple of the good and bad times together. Good photography is worth a premium price. Probably not a half years salary like the cameras in Japan in the early 30's, but whether that price is monetary or emotional it will mean a lot to you.

Now, I'm not saying all this because I want you to invest in a pricey package. I don't have any pricey packages, in fact I don't have any packages at all. I'm happy if I can take a picture that you hang up in your home or set as a background on your computer or make as your profile picture. It means a lot, and to you I say thank you. This blog contains four years of pictures of family, friendships, and events. I hope it will contain many more years of family and friendships (new and perhaps reformed) and events that not only look nice on screen or print, but contain emotions and feelings of times worth remembering.

It's a Good Thing

2012-01-06T21:10:00.001-07:00

As the first post of the new year, I thought it would be appropriate to put a picture of these good looking dogs: Simba and Kali from Dallas. Even if you're a casual follower of this blog, you'll know that I love the pictures I have of these dogs. They are happy animals that instill hope of a good year in their eyes. Do you see that? They are looking to the right of the picture and see something that we don't. It's a good thing, I'm sure it is.

Sculpted Pecs

2011-12-28T23:21:00.004-07:00

This is Bauer. A Boston Terrier that is a little big for its breed and who also has a cleft pallet as you can see from the picture. He's my roommates dog and is a very nice asset to the home. He likes tug-a-war, running, eating, and long walks on the beach. With an obedient and mild personality, he's a pretty low maintenance dog.

Tonight, I was working on my computer at my desk and noticed that Bauer was going to go into his room, which isn't uncommon because that is where his food and bed are. This time, though, he froze at the doorway at started a long, low growl which transformed into some barks. Now, he very rarely barks, in fact the last time I really heard him bark like that was at his own reflection. He was stiff as a board with his eyes peeled on whatever was in the room. I have to admit that I was a little nervous to peek in there because I didn't know what I would see. Would it be a burglar, a monster, or maybe death itself? I thought of that Far Side comic where the little wiener dog is watching a terrifying alien/monster come in through the window and the dog thinks to himself, "Whoa! Maybe I'll just pass on my usual barking frenzy." Anyway, when I peeked into the room, I saw an Abercrombie bag sitting on my roommates bed with one of those typical Abercrombie models. You the ones: sculpted pecs, spiky hair, and a smug look on their face. I guess Bauer did not appreciate the smug look and he was going to let everyone know.

Lincoln

2011-12-27T18:52:00.003-07:00

It's been a lot of fun to have Lincoln and his parents visiting. He's a cute little boy. Here he is army crawling along the ground; maybe he's just trying to hold up his head, but he's doing a great job.

Oscar Says

2011-12-26T11:57:00.001-07:00

From his kennel to yours, Oscar wishes you best holiday season!

Happy Meal

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's the curly hair or what, but this little man is very photogenic. Now notice I said little man, don't you dare take a glimpse at him and throw a girl's toy in his happy meal. That is a simple way to an angry little man. He won't touch his nuggets until the situation is ameliorated.

Seriously though, I'm very pleased how this picture turned out. You would never guess how cold it was that day when we took these. The boys took turns enduring the cold long enough for a few pictures before hopping back in the warm car. It's the type of cold that would make Canadians glad they lived in Canada. Alright, it wasn't that cold, but it was close.

Barb

2011-12-22T18:39:00.001-07:00

A picture that is mostly out of focus. It draws your eye to that single barb, which probably has never been photographed in it's entire existence. Everything deserves a day in the sun, I'm glad to give that to it.

In Front of a White Church

2011-12-11T16:46:00.001-07:00

We took some pictures in front of this pretty white church in Texas back in October. Here's one of Erin. I'm the first to admit that I still have a long ways to go with my photography skills, I still look at all my pictures wondering what I can do better next time. This one turned out pretty well though. Like I said in my last post, I haven't had the chance to take many pictures. The only pictures I've been taking lately are of frog embryos and cancer cells undergoing mitosis. I hope to get out and take a series of Christmas themed photographs around Salt Lake. I mention that to make myself accountable, so I'll actually do it. So stay tuned for some more pictures that aren't 3 months old.

Peacemaker

2011-12-02T07:20:00.001-07:00

It's Kim's birthday and I realized I haven't put a picture on my blog in quite a while. I've been pretty busy and haven't even been able to take a picture. This is from a few months ago, but it's the most recent picture I have of her. Even though she's not looking, she's still beautiful. Kim was always the peacemaker in the family. She watched over Amber and me and helped us stopped bickering those few times that we did. I'm grateful for family, I'm grateful for Kimberly. Happy Birthday!

Asleep

2011-11-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from September. I don't really do a lot of new born pictures, I guess you could say that it's really not my thing. However, I do like taking pictures of my cute nieces and nephews, and Brielle is no exception.

My creativity in the baby picture department is very limited. Luckily Emily was in town and was able to hook me up with some example baby pictures from Pinterist on her phone. I didn't know a whole lot about Pinterest before she showed me some pictures on there. I was very impressed, in fact I may just have to sign up.

Snowy, Black Dogs

2011-11-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a picture of a leaf, and here's some unsolicited photography advice for you. Your camera has a sensor which determines your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO for every picture you take. That is why they are called point and shoot cameras, because all you really have to do is point and... you get the idea. When you are taking a picture of a white snowy scene, the sensor is reading all this white and think that it needs to be toned down a little so your picture will actually be underexposed because normally people aren't taking pictures of snow. The camera doesn't know that the snow in the picture is actually white, so it will make it a dull grey for you. On the other hand, when you are taking a picture of a black dog, your camera will make the scene brighter that it should (overexposed) because, yet again, it doesn't know that the black dog is supposed to be black. Now is all lost when taking pictures of snow or black dogs? Maybe, but here is one thing you can try. Every camera that I've seen will have a exposure compensation that you can turn up or down depending on your preference. All you have to do is turn it down to -1 or -2 for your black dog, and turn it up to +1 or +2 for your snowy scene. The maple leaf picture above was turned up to +1.5.

This rose wasn't expecting to be snowed on last night. I kind of feel bad for it, but you know, I'm sure it will be okay. I over compensated on the exposure a little bit, but I didn't have to too much because the scene just contains a little snow so the sensor does a pretty good job.

The Milky Way and Food on Our Tables

2011-10-30T18:14:00.002-06:00

A couple of years ago, we had a family reunion down in southern Utah. Just outside of Zion, we had a nice cabin to stay in. That night, many of the family members slept out on the deck under the stars. As I laid there that night, I remember being completely overwhelmed with how many stars I could see. The Milky Way looked as though it was painted across the sky. The mosquitos were also a problem which is probably why I was a wake for so long admiring the heavens. It was truly a majestic moment. One hundred years ago, it was the norm to see a sky of millions of stars every clear night. Now, we don't have that luxury. In fact, since then, I can't remember a night with the stars so bright.

Also, one hundred years ago, our food was a lot closer to us that it is now. Let me explain. Today, we go to the grocery store and pick up some milk and bread along with the rest of the items on our list without much thought of how much rain we got recently or what kind of condition the herd is in. Today, food comes from the grocery store. A century ago or more, people were well aware of any droughts because their crops grew more slowly without adequate water. You see, food came from the ground back then and without water, there was no food. We are a few steps away from our food source today, while our fore bearers had field dirt under their fingernails while they were eating their evening meat and potatoes.

Why does this matter? I'm not writing this as a plea for organic food or anything like that. I'm writing this because with our separation from our food sources and obscured view of the majestic heavens, society is becoming more apathetic towards God. Like my experience above, when someone has the chance to truly see how many stars are up there, they will feel something. I say "something" because I'm sure it's different for everyone, but one thing for sure is that they will have a different outlook on the life they live everyday. It's hard to look up there and think that everything is there by chance. Likewise, many years ago a family might pray for God to bless the land with rain, or protect the crops from insects, or other problems affecting their fields so that they might have enough food for the winter. When was the last time you heard of a child or community make a plea like that? To put it a little differently, when people don't know where their food comes from and when they can't see the stars at night they stop believing in God.

Now obviously, I'm not a farmer and I can't see the stars very well at night. I still have a strong belief in God because I work on it. Faith isn't something that comes naturally, I've realized, it's something that must be enforced everyday or else it will begin to slip away. All I'm saying is we have to work a little harder on our faith and belief these days because we don't have those two main reminders: food source and stars at night. Also the number of people going to church these days is dramatically less compared to our parents' and grandparents' generations. Could these events be related? I think so. If people are going to church less they are probably not working so hard on their faith. When they don't depend on the Lord for their food, I can see why He gets put on the back burner. The same ABC article sited above mentions that 5 to 10 percent of people during our grandparents' generation didn't have a religious affiliation, today, up to 40 percent of the younger generation don't affiliate with a religion. It's scary because where are people going to be taught moral codes? Check out this TED talk for more on this.

Lastly, I must mention that I was talking to a dairy farmer's wife in Morgan many months ago, and she was telling me about an article in an agriculture journal (I think it was a journal, maybe another article in some publication) about how the author came to to the same conclusion as I: People don't believe in God when they don't know where their food comes from and when they can't see the stars at night. I tried to find it online, but couldn't. A belief in God will help people love their neighbor a little more and treat people the way they want to be treated. Christians know this well. Albert Einstein said:

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. It is no mere chance that our older universities developed from clerical schools. Both churches and universities — insofar as they live up to their true function — serve the ennoblement of the individual. They seek to fulfill this great task by spreading moral and cultural understanding, renouncing the use of brute force." -"Moral Decay" (1937); Later published in Out of My Later Years (1950)

If you've read this far, thanks. I'm really trying to write more and become better at it. It's a skill that I feel I'm a little behind on. I've had these thoughts for years, as a few of you probably know as I've talked to you about this. The picture above is a favorite of a cow. I love cows!

Fall Day

2011-10-29T20:00:00.001-06:00

It was a beautiful fall day today. I wanted to find a pumpkin to take a nice pre-halloween picture but I couldn't find any (I guess I didn't look too hard). The red leaves will have to fill in.

Nice Fall Day

2011-10-24T22:17:00.002-06:00

Canada is lucky to have such a beautiful leaf on its flag. Whether it's green, red, or yellow it looks good in any color. I love the fall, which I think I've mentioned before. I loved the memories of playing in the leaves. I learned quickly that the neighborhood cats also loved the leaves, but for a different reason. They would use it for their bathroom. Nothing was worse than cat poop on your hoodie on a nice fall day.

Blue Eyes

2011-10-23T17:37:00.000-06:00

I missed Amber while I was down in Texas because they were in Washington for some important matters. Not only was it sad not being able to spend time with all three Rowes, but that I didn't get to take any photos of Lincoln. Luckily, before Amber goes back to Texas, I was able to see them both and take a few pictures. What a beautiful mother and son.

Lincoln was peaking out of his furry blanket. He couldn't help but notice that it was a little colder in Utah. Amber made us well aware of that fact. He's a handsome little man with big blue eyes, as you can see from the picture above.

It was an incredibly beautiful weekend up in Morgan. The trees are changing colors and the air has a little bite to it at nights. It's a wonderful time of year, perhaps my favorite. Although, that sometimes changes throughout the year, depending upon my mood I guess. Babies are incredible. Looking at their small and delicate bodies, I can't help but feel a reverence for life. I'm proud of Amber and Dave for being so natural and such good parents with their first child. It's not an easy thing, they don't come with manuals. I know it's nothing new, young parents for thousands of years have looked at each other in frustration when trying to figure out how to raise their little baby. A newly wed couple walking out of the temple yesterday will undoubtedly wonder if they are ready to be parents-- I know I would. But somehow, someway it all works out. Whether it's instinct, or the example of someone's parents, or just the values and type of person someone is it transforms into your own distinct and surprisingly good parenting style. I'm grateful for my parents and siblings who have been such good examples of parents. I'm always amazed by what they do for their kids. I'm writing this because of how impressed I was with my younger sister; who, even though is younger than I, is someone I look up to a lot. If you have just gotten married, or know someone who has, just know that everything will work out- it always does, just have courage and press on. Lloyd Newell put it well:

It’s remarkable what we can accomplish if we have courage, if we refuse to be afraid. Fear is a toxic feeling that can consume self-confidence, dampen hope, and keep us from doing our best or sometimes even trying at all.
Courage, however, can bring out the best in us. It doesn’t mean we will always win. Courageous people learn how to grow from unsuccessful efforts. They succeed more often and at higher levels because they are willing to try—and then to keep trying. (Source)

Smiling

2011-10-18T20:10:00.000-06:00

I can't help from smiling when I see this picture. If you know Erin, you'll know that she has an incredibly fun and lively little personality. There really is no dull moment when she is around. I love this picture, but I'm disappointed in myself for cutting off her hand and foot. It would be absolutely perfect if I had left the foot and hand.

It was really good to see my family down in Texas. One good thing about the U is that they have fall break. An entire week off to do whatever you want-- besides science that is. At BYU, I got accustomed to going to school for an entire semester and have very few (if any) days off. Spring or fall break? What's that?!

Cartwheel

2011-10-16T08:44:00.003-06:00

Erin is pretty good at her cartwheels. That's something that, after years and years, I still look like a big goof doing them. She practices a lot, though. She's always doing cartwheels everywhere she is. Here is a picture of her doing one at the park.

Trains

2011-10-14T13:22:00.002-06:00

A break from Texas, I hope there are more coming up soon. These pictures are from a family picture shoot that I took with my cousins the other week. It was at the train depot in Ogden.

If you haven't been there, it actually is quite a fun time. You can climb all over the train engines and cars and look at everything they have to offer. You'll enjoy taking pictures there and playing on the trains.

I'm not sure what this is, but it was on a train and looked like an old fashioned bar code. I wonder if they could scan it in with their old fashioned smart phones and get more information with their old fashioned internet.

Friday Night Lights

2011-10-13T21:01:00.001-06:00

~~Friday~~ Tuesday Night Lights. I've already mentioned many times how much Texans love their football. Here is a picture of my nephew Alex's game. It's quite the big deal even when they are only in middle school. Allen high is building a new football stadium that will rival the smaller college stadiums around the country.

Here is a picture of my partner while we were watching the game. We cheered during the good times, and wallowed in sorrow during the bad. She even came with me to another football field to watch Seth's game. She was a good date.

Some shoes illuminated by the lights of the football field. The girls were a little more interested in being models for the camera than watching the game. The night was beautiful and cool, which is a novelty for Texas--a welcomed change.

Surrounding Pines

2011-10-02T22:46:00.000-06:00

I took this picture today while with a group of great friends up at Smith and Morehouse reservoir. Check out those tall aspens trying not to be over shadowed by the surrounding pines. I guess it's that time of year again for the leaves to change and the weather to cool down. It's my favorite time of year. The fall brings back memories of BYU football, playing in the leaves, playing catch in the back yard when Dad came home from work, and getting excited for the upcoming holiday season. Now, the feelings of fall are just as sweet and exciting. College brought a whole new addition to the feelings I have about the season. The years just roll on as the memories pile up. It's almost frightening how fast time goes as the semester is half way completed.

Frogs and Dogs

2011-09-21T22:00:00.002-06:00

Okay, either I have to find more golden retrievers to take pictures of, or I have to find another animals to photograph. Right now, I work with a lot frogs, but they aren't that photogenic. However, I saw a little cat the other day at Kim's and realized that I've never really taken any pictures of cats. I guess I've never really been around any in recent years, I wish I could though. It's a shame because they are pretty animals.

I've said it before, but man, these dogs are pretty animals. I wonder what he's thinking and what goes through dog's minds in general everyday. They are loving, compassionate animals. By default, I believe, they are good animals; it takes cruelty and negative reinforcement to turn them into mean animals. Cats, dogs, cows, horses, and all the domesticated animals of the American west are more than just pets, they are companions and friends. I'm grateful for the animals around me in my life, even the frogs!

Hiking

2011-09-19T22:36:00.001-06:00

More wildflowers from our Timp hike. I wish I could have gotten more while we were up there. It's interesting that I think that now because back then I was was just trying to hustle through the meadow to get to the top. It's not the only time in life that I didn't appreciate where I was at during a specific moment. Hiking can sure teach you a lot about life, like enjoy what you're doing, while you're doing it. Hiking really isn't about the destination because once you get there, you have just as far to hike back to your car. Life really isn't about what is coming up next for you, but rather, enjoying where you're at, when you're there.

Sleeping Baby

2011-09-18T12:49:00.002-06:00

Here is little Brielle! Last week our family got 2 new babies, Kimberly's little girl and Amber's boy in Texas. They are so cute when they're sleeping.

Timpanogos As a Backdrop

2011-09-17T14:56:00.000-06:00

As there are only a few hours until the BYU - Utah game, I thought I would post a picture that I took a couple years ago on BYU's campus. That is Mt. Timpanogos in the background and the Talmage and Jesse Knight buildings in the foreground. Coincidentally, my very first class at BYU was a freshman English class in the JKHB (before it was remodeled). I still remember walking to the basement trying make my way to class that very first day.

With BYU being independent, Utah in the Pac12, and me going to the University of Utah now, things are a little different this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm still an avid Cougar, but it will be interesting where this rival goes in the next couple years. I hope that it is as strong as ever, I think it's healthy and makes both schools better.

Looking at this picture makes me miss my time down at BYU. The education, my friends, and the beautiful scenery like this picture all are sweet memories. My favorite times were walking to BYU football games with our All-sports pass group, walking out of the testing center after finals, economics with Dr. Kearl, seeing campus after a fresh snow fall, and many, many others. My time down there has definitely shaped me as a person. I'm continuing to get shaped here at the U, but in different ways. A maturity difference, place in life, and other circumstances tend to give me a different perspective on education and life. The Talmage building has a plaque when you walk in the south entrance that said, "Mathematics will draw the soul towards truth -- Plato". I might have misquoted it, but that is the general gist of it. Math and science are intriguing in their very nature. The fundamental facts of science are either truth, or will eventually guide us toward truth. Sure science is changing, but look at the things we learn along the way.

With that caveat, I hope the game is a good one today. I wish I was down in LeVell Edwards Stadium today watching the game. I love the atmosphere down there. I loved the football I watched and my good friends and family that I watched it with.

Remembering

2011-09-11T09:28:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that ten years have passed since the events of September 11, 2001. It feels like it was yesterday just as it feels like it was much, much longer than it really was. Much like all of you, I remember what I was doing, where I was, and who I was with on that day. Our recollection is incredible when there are significant events to solidify memories. For me, that day ten years ago made me see the world in a different light. People-fathers, mothers, family members, and friends- made a trip to work, just like they always did. They probably ate their usual breakfast, said their usual goodbyes, and probably even caught their usual trains on a very, very unusual day. What was left in the wake of the events that day were thousands of lives lost and a broken country wondering where to turn. As it made me more conscious of the important things around me, that day made millions look at the routines of their lives and think about what really matters to them.

On this memorial day, I can't help but think of the things that have transpired throughout the years since 2001. I have to admit that I have forgotten, among the frivolous duties of my life, the thoughts and especially the feelings that I had so long ago. Although it is an absolute tragedy of what happened that day, I can use it for introspection and hopefully a transformation of my life. It can serve as a reminder of the great people in my life that love and support me which mean so much to me. It can serve as a reminder that the things that I see are important now are probably not as important as I deem them to be. And most importantly, it can help people take their eyes off themselves to be able to look outward and upward. It can help us look with faith towards God while helping us lend a hand to those around us that have had a disproportional load placed on their backs. To all those who have been directly and indirectly affected by the events of September 11th, I will not forget.

Wild Flowers

2011-09-08T23:34:00.002-06:00

This wildflower was found while hiking up Mt. Timpanogos. It wasn't the only one, there were thousands of them in a meadow before you hike up to the saddle. It was my first time hiking it, and I'm very glad that I did it. I'm extremely blessed to have a body working and able to climb a mountain, and the great friends to hike it with.

The temperature and weather were great, except they didn't provide for a very good condition to take pictures of the flowers. I had a vision (probably from another picture I've seen here or there) of taking a picture of the wildflowers with Timp in the background along with a bright blue sky. As you can see in the above picture, the flowers are nice and Timp is there, but the blue sky was a grey one that day. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have a nice cloudy day for portraits. However, it would have been better to have the sun out to put dimension on the mountain and flowers, along with a nice blue sky. I could always photoshop one in, but I'd rather wait until next year. Just looking at the picture, it looks like someone tore out the sky and it's just the white void behind it now because the sky is so blown out.

Sucker

2011-08-28T19:55:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for pictures of dogs. This is my cousin's little dog. It's truly a half pint, but super cute nonetheless. Maybe someday I'll expand my wildlife photography to house cats, but until then I'll stick with the canines. Obviously, I use 'wildlife' sarcastically because if you don't count the occasional frog at the lab, I don't really see many other animals. Maybe someday.

Brothers

2011-08-27T14:21:00.000-06:00

Here are two pictures from March. This was taken at my grandma's funeral, and luckily we were able to all get together for a picture. From a biological perspective, it's amazing what kind of variety brothers from the same parents can have. Not only that, but identical twins sharing the same DNA have their own distinct personalities. From a family perspective, I'm grateful for the solid figures that are all over my family tree. My bothers and uncles are truly amazing. And, of course my sisters and aunts are great as well!

Opted for My Glove

2011-08-14T12:48:00.000-06:00

It's funny that the last post I put a picture of a baseball and the very next night, I caught a foul ball at the Bee's game. Now if you know me, I've been wanting to catch a foul ball for a long, long, long time! It was an unreal moment. The night was beautiful and I wish I had my camera, but I'm glad I opted for my glove and not my camera that night. Don't worry, the ball is displayed proudly in my room.

By popular demand, here is another dog picture. I can only stand looking at all the emails rolling in demanding more dog pictures for so long. I'm totally kidding, I've never received such emails. I do like this picture, however, and thought I would share. Consider it a freebie.

For the Love of the Game

2011-08-12T14:57:00.061-06:00

The other night our ward played in the stake softball tournament. We just barely qualified with a record a little above 500. In fact, we only won one game if you take away the times we won by forfeit. However, we rolled through the tournament almost doubling our opponents score in each of the three games. It was incredible. I was proud to play with such talented players. Seriously, the guys and girls that play on our team are amazing. I wish I can say that about myself, but sadly, I just fill a stop and try to not make too many errors-- but I love it.

In celebration of our Stake Championship, I decided to dig out my baseball and snap a few pictures. It's a beautiful object, don't you think? Few things are more American than baseball, apple pie, blue jeans, rock and roll, or a golden retriever riding down a country road in the back of an old pick-up truck. So this picture is for all the greats who played the game they loved--Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, and of course Babe Ruth along with many others. Dust off your glove and go play catch. Get a few tickets to your local minor league team and enjoy a cool evening (assuming you aren't in Texas) watching the game. So instead of asking in frustration why Baseball Tonight seems to be on non-stop during the summer, celebrate the incredible catches, the long hits, and incredible plays that occur around our nation's ballparks every day.

Some of My Parents

2011-08-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

This picture of my parents was taken up in Logan a few months back. I thought it is a nice picture so I thought I would share. I'm grateful for my wonderful parents and the love they have given me throughout my whole life.

This picture was taken a few years ago. My mom was generous enough to model for me while I played with some lighting.

I'm Scottish

2011-08-09T22:46:00.000-06:00

A frazzled elderly Scottish women was trying to find her way to the University Hospital today, and when I found out that she already had an eventful train ride there along with a fear of riding elevators by herself, I decided to accompany her to the hospital. She was very much relieved to have me along and to find out that the elevators in Primary Children's hospital had murals of hot air balloons and not as she put it, "lined with stainless steel and padding like in mental hospitals." When we finally got to the the information desk she thanked me and told me her name--last name Ferguson. I told her it was my pleasure. When I mentioned my last name she enthusiastically responded that she just knew I was Scottish. I guess she figured that since I was nice enough to walk and talk with her that I just had to be Scottish. I walked away smiling.

This picture is a panoramic shot from downtown Salt Lake at about 6th East. The middle of the three buildings on your left is the Wells Fargo building at Gallivan Center. Whenever I'm around there, I remember the night I had dinner down there with a fish bone in my throat. I really couldn't think of anything else that night, but now I wish I would have manned up and enjoyed the wonderful evening. Funny how a lousy train ride, fear of elevators, or fish bone in your throat will distract you from the more important things in life.

Whereabouts of the Feet

2011-08-04T22:14:00.001-06:00

Alright, I need to take some new pictures. Until then, here is a picture from May. This blog is mostly a place where I can dump some of the pictures that I take. It's fun to scroll through and look through all the pictures over the years - almost like a photographic journal.

Little Erin. We were eating at an ice cream place one night and I asked her what she got. She exclaimed, "Well, I ordered vanilla. Chocolate. And Strawberries!!" I guess you had to be there, it was cute though. You know, I've learned (or should have learned) a lot over the years. Think about all the sciences out there. I've been watching some TED talks and have been pretty intrigued on some talks on world poverty. It's very interesting to hear statistics about the world geography. It's a very intriguing subject. Anyway, another talk was about the power of a smile and the speaker mentioned that kids on average smile 400 times a day. Adults, on the other hand, smile substantially less. Here is a picture of one of Erin's smiles. From all the subjects I've study, perhaps slowing life down to smile with friends and family is the most important. I read a study that the New York Times highlighted a while back about where people are when they are happy. He concluded this:

“If you ask people to imagine winning the lottery,” Dr. Gilbert says, “they typically talk about the things they would do — ‘I’d go to Italy, I’d buy a boat, I’d lay on the beach’ — and they rarely mention the things they would think. But our data suggest that the location of the body is much less important than the location of the mind, and that the former has surprisingly little influence on the latter. The heart goes where the head takes it, and neither cares much about the whereabouts of the feet.” (Source)

So when you think about all the conditions that need to be in place in order for you to be happy, just focus on your thoughts and attitude. Don't get me wrong, I love vacations but most of our lives aren't lived on holiday - now are they? I'm mainly speaking to my myself, by the way.

Rain

2011-08-03T22:29:00.000-06:00

When was the last time you listened to the same over and over again for about an hour and a half? Well I've been doing it to Parachute's Something to Believe In. I just can't get enough of it. I saw them perform it live a month or so ago and I remember it being pretty catchy. I guess time and distance has made my heart grow fonder because when I heard it today while going to our ward's softball game, I just loved it. Check it out, you just might like it.

This picture is of the rain, as if you needed an explanation. It has pretty shallow depth of field which explains why most of the picture is blurry. I love summer rains.

Little Foot

2011-07-28T23:16:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of little Camilla's foot, Shelley's sister's daughter. It's so small and pretty, and a wonder that mine were ever that small. She has many, many miles in front of her throughout her life. She'll feel the cool grass between her toes on a warm summer night, get on her tippy-toes to kiss her prince charming, dance like it's 1999, unfortunately stub her toes a few times, run races-perhaps some marathons, and probably walk along with some little child to keep the little tike from falling with her feet. She has an awful long way to go on those feet, but an awful lot to live for too.

Summer

2011-07-20T23:24:00.003-06:00

Some of the best things in life are found in the freezer aisle at the store. I can't remember if I have mentioned this particular brand of ice cream, but it's definitely worth mentioning again if I have. It's Blue Bell's sentimental value that makes it so good - along with the taste, of course. If you haven't tried it, don't worry they will ship you 2 gallons of their delicious ice cream anywhere in the country for the low price of $129.

Here is little Oscar deep in though. Which makes me wonder: what do dogs think about? I mean, most of their day- like cats- are spent sleeping, but what about those few hours when they are not chasing their tale or eating? There are a few minutes that I'm sure they set apart in everyday to think. I just don't know what about.

One final picture taken a few weeks back. Since Pioneer Day is coming up, I thought I would include one of the Trek I participated in. This girl was having fun stirring up the hundreds of seagulls that followed us along. They know where the people are. And you know what seagulls always say right? Where there are people, there is food.

Lastly, I'm falling in love with summer. The American flag, a baseball game, Blue Bell ice cream, barbecues, parks, summer nights, and playing fetch with dogs are just some of the things I love about this time of year. They are all very American and very awesome at the same time. I enjoy hearing good things about good people in our country. For example, I read a little about the Yankee's HOPE week that they are putting on again- this being their second year. It's a program where the franchise chooses five different organizations to have a few players spend some time with this next week. I was impressed to learn that every Yankee player is volunteering hours of their time to be with someone who life has given him or her a back break. I like how the author put his closing remarks in the article:

Yankee HOPE Week has been such a lovely success that this year, the Minnesota Twins have also instituted a similar program.
Yeah, of course, sports is a business. And the best players make millions, and the worst among them are terrible people. But some of them are really nice guys. And sometimes, as the song from the old musical Damn Yankees has it, "You've gotta have heart."
And yes, many of them, damn Yankees and otherwise, really do.

A couple More Dogs

2011-07-19T22:29:00.000-06:00

I don't know the next time I'll be able to post another Golden Retriever shot on here, so I thought I better put another up before you all forget what they look like. Just look at those eyes, full of love.

I bet you didn't expect that little bit of self-deprecating humor. This isn't a picture of another dog, although I would have preferred it, it's a picture of me dressed up in pseudo pioneer garb the other night. I know, awww isn't that cute.

Friends

2011-07-07T22:05:00.000-06:00

We've all heard that life is not about the things you have, but the relationships we have. Why do you think that many celebrities and other wealthy people suffer from sever depression and often turn to drugs and alcohol? I'm grateful for people who are there for me in life. I have a great family and loved seeing them recently. I love this picture, nothing shows the value of friendship quite like these two!

Nice Light

2011-07-03T23:59:00.000-06:00

Apparently some people don't care for Golden Retriever pictures like I do. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Here's a picture for those that don't care so much about the canine variety. This is Amber with her expected little boy. She's by a big window letting in nice light. She agreed to be my subject when I so desperately wanted to see what the light would do on a subject. Thanks, Lamb!

Corndogs and More Dogs

2011-07-02T22:38:00.000-06:00

I love warm summer nights and a funnel cake with lots of powered sugar on top. This was taken at the Allen celebration along with a couple of the other pictures below. I just really liked the picture, it feels like Summer.

Some more pictures of the beautiful Golden Retrievers. I'll tell you what, they are very photogenic animals. If you can get them to hold still long enough to focus, you'll have a good picture.

In my opinion, you really can't get a kinder, more gentle breed of dog. Of course, I've never had one, but I talk to a lot of people who have and look at a lot of pictures of them online. I'm happy that I have a couple of pictures of my own now.

Alamo

2011-06-28T08:24:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures from San Antonio. Besides hundred plus temperatures with humidity, it actually turned out to be a great day. This picture of Emily and Kate was taken around the front of the Alamo.

Remember the Alamo. I actually do remember it when we came as a family many, many years ago. This turned out to be a good thing because they close at 5 pm, so we didn't get to go in this time. Too bad because I really liked the inside.

Dogs and Lights

2011-06-26T23:28:00.000-06:00

This is Cali. She's one of two Goldens that my nephews Alex and Seth walk daily while their owners are out of town. If you know me, you'll know that I love Golden Retrievers. When I found out what kind of dogs the boys were walking, I had to grab my camera and go along to snap a few pictures. One thing is for sure, these type of dogs make great subjects for pictures-- they are incredibly beautiful. And plus, get a load of Cali's tongue!

Here's Simba. A little older than Cali, but all the heart none the less. I have a great picture of both of them together that I'll have to post another time. It's pretty amazing. I don't really know when my obsession with Golden Retrievers started, but I just can't get enough of these dogs. I don't think it's particularly a bad thing, they are such kind-hearted, loving animals

We went to the "biggest firework show in North Texas" the other night. I'll have to hand it to them, Allen did a great job. The only thing that would have made it better, is a couple of mountains for the loud booms to reverberate against. I guess you can't blame Texas for being flat. Here's Erin smiling for me with the festivities going on in the background. She's one of my favorite subjects, it's fun to be around her again!

Pushing and Pulling

2011-06-21T22:32:00.000-06:00

Nate and I near the end of a trek that the Morgan Stake went on. Nate and Kristy were a Ma and Pa, my dad was an Uncle, Bruce was a doc, and they invited me last minute to be another photographer. It was a great experience and I'm glad they allowed me to tag along. I have always been at awe with what the pioneers went through, but going on this trek gave me a new respect for the organization, tenacity, and faith of those early pioneers.

Dreamers Who Helped It Fly

2011-06-02T22:39:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken a couple weeks ago at my cousin Kelli's sealing. It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies as you can see. It was a wonderful event, I always love spending time with my cousins. I've always looked up to Kelli.

Photo Credit NASA

I had a dream the other night where I was on the Space Shuttle heading to space. I can't remember which shuttle it was, or why we were traveling out of the earth's orbit more like an airplane than a rocket with a shuttle on it's back. I think I had the dream because I've been pretty obsessed lately with the Shuttle program. I've always been very interested in space travel, but not to this degree. Maybe it's because the Shuttle Program is coming to an end, kind of like an artist's work is more valued when he or she is dead. My favorite Shuttle is Discovery and I have a real connection to it (as much as a man can have for a machine). I even got choked up when it landed for the last time a couple of months ago. The picture above is Endeavour's final touchdown last Monday. You can see the video here. The commentator stated it well, "And so after a journey of six and a half million miles, the Endeavour landing in darkness but illuminated by the ingenuity and dedication of every astronaut, scientist, engineer, flight controller, mechanic, and dreamer that helped it fly." It's a wonderful time to have been alive during the Shuttle Program. Red and Rover captured my almost boyish fascination of the shuttle in this clip:

Photo Credit NASA and Brian Basset

Sand Cat

2011-05-23T06:00:00.055-06:00

At the zoo the other day when I was with Betsy, I found this little guy sleeping. It just looks like a house cat to me, but the sign said he was a Sand Cat. Either way, isn't he (or she) just the cutest little critter you have ever seen. I really like this picture and I have to give all the credit to Betsy, well, because she took the picture. Isn't it wonderful?? You might not be a cat person, but this is a Sand Cat, not just your everyday house cat. I'm kidding of course, I love house cats, I guess you could say that I'm your average dog and cat person. I like them both. I like the independence of cats and their strong character. I like the happy-go-lucky nature of dogs and how they'll love and trust you almost instantly. Like on Disney/Pixar's UP when Dug says, "Hi! My name is Dug. I have just met you and I love you!"

Anyway, I digress from cats. I've mentioned before that we had a cat named Patches. I say "had" loosely because she pretty much roamed wherever she wanted. Sometimes we wouldn't see her for weeks, and assumed she was dead. Then, out of the blue, she would just show up strutting along and eat some food with the rest of the cats like Scardey Cat and Jerry. I'm sure we named some of the other cats that traipsed around the Feed and Seed Warehouse, but I can't remember any off hand. Who knows, little Patches could still be alive. We have picture of when Amber and I were really little holding (strangling) Patches and she would just take it like a cat and not growl or hiss or anything. I mean, there were multiple pictures where we try so hard to hold her, but end up holding on to her tail, or barely manage her in a choke hold. She wasn't fat either, but fur and bones because she didn't eat that much. That reminds me of the old Danish Folktale called "The Fat Cat" that we had a copy of in our house growing up. If you haven't read it - let alone seen it - I highly recommend you check it out from your local library. Or check it out here. It's about this cat that goes through town eating everything and everybody on sight. All this cat talk makes me miss the little guys. I kind of wish I had a ball of yarn and a little kitty right now...

The Choir

2011-05-22T12:54:00.001-06:00

Since we're on the Temple Square theme, here is a picture from Music and the Spoken Word the other week. It's something I always enjoy going to, and look forward to attending more broadcasts. Betsy was in town and I knew that I must take her there!! If you are in the Salt Lake City area Sunday mornings at 9 am, stop on by- you won't be disappointed

Composition

2011-05-19T00:30:00.023-06:00

I know I've been waxing a little girly with these last two posts of flowers. I promise to post something a little more manly in the next--like beefsteaks or space shuttles. Actually I don't even know what what beefsteaks are, but that is a different story. This picture is from temple square and turned out pretty nice with that bunch of tulips. This is from a photo shoot that Betsy and I did spontaneously the other day. It was a great time, she's a great gal!

Once upon a time, there was a lot more emphasis on composition of a photograph before you snap the shutter. Now we get what we want in the frame and then worry about cropping and composing on the computer later. I can't speak for everyone, but I find that that is what I do fairly often. However, with this picture I actually tried to frame the shot--and I still had to straighten it on the computer. I could have used a smaller aperture to get a little more depth of field, but I think it turned out all right.

Tulip

2011-05-18T08:20:00.000-06:00

Even though it doesn't feel like Spring, here is a nice spring Tulip. For all those waiting for a couple weeks of nice weather in Utah, don't give up hope and keep on waiting!

Best Side Forward

2011-04-20T20:59:00.001-06:00

Ever get the feeling that you just want to stick your head deep in the water with your tail in the air? Well I have. Some say that it would be better for me because that is my better side. I don't really think it's a compliment to my butt, but an insult to my face. I'm kidding. But isn't this picture great?? Betsy took it!!

However, something that I'm not kidding about is the New York Times new Paywall they installed on March 28th (Ryan's Birthday). Apparently, you are allowed to view 20 articles a month from New York Times' website and then after that, you get a nice little message like this:

Now, I was pretty disappointed when I got this message. I visit the New York Times daily. I've come to appreciate the writers, contributers, photography, and I even enjoyed the intelligent comments that people leave--unlike a lot of comments in the Salt Lake Tribune comments section. I had a mixture of anger, disappointment, and sadness when I wasn't allowed to view the NY Times until next month. I know I can pay $130 or so for a year to read all I want, but I think I'll just get my news elsewhere, sadly.

To help alleviate some of my pain, I have a question for you. Where do you like to get your news on the internet? Some other sources I like are: npr, the Washington Post, cnn, and the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News locally. I can't get KSL at work, but I did like that site when I could view it. CNN is actually one that I've looked at more lately. I used to debate with someone I admire about which was better: the New York Times or CNN. Good times. I also know that Nate likes the Wall Street Journal, but the last time I was on it I could only get very few articles without paying. And Kristy likes modbod for her news, but I question whether they corroborate their sources. I'm teasing her, but now worries she'll never see it because her limit is one paragraph on my posts. So I know that you won't leave a comment, but come on! Just tell me where you like to get your news. Or if you're shy, just email me. Thanks!

Dog Named Chester

2011-03-30T21:16:00.001-06:00

I've always thought that Disney's The Kid was a pretty clever and funny movie. One part that I particularly liked what when the kid asked his older self where his red truck and dog named Chester was. I like that because all his future wealth and prestige didn't really mean anything to the kid because he grew up to be a nobody -obviously- since he didn't have his dog and truck.

These two Golden Retrievers really caught my eye because first off they are my favorite breed and second, I really think they photograph well. So when I saw these two hanging out in a truck on San Juan Island, I just had to take a picture because, well, I really like Golden Retrievers. Betsy and I and our friends Tucker and Misha took a ferry ride to this Island, it was a lot of fun. I hope that when I grow up, I'll have my dog and red truck so I don't grow up to be a nobody.

Meniscus

2011-03-26T20:54:00.000-06:00

I was playing with a few test tubes and food coloring today trying to get a couple shots for a new brochure at work. I think this is an appropriate time to sit back and enjoy the pretty menisci.

On another note, my roommate was watching the BYU-Hawaii game today. For those that don't know, the Seasiders were in the NCAA Division II championship game today against Bellarmine. I would have never known that if it wasn't for my roommate, like I said, that has went to BYU-Hawaii. Unfortunately, the Seasiders lost today, but it made me wonder something. The players from BYU-Hawaii are getting on a plane and traveling back to Hawaii tonight. The folks from Bellarmine are hopping on the bus to go to Louisville, Kentucky. Now my question: Who are the real winners?? Okay, maybe sitting on the beach drinking an ice cold lemonade doesn't take away the pain of losing the championship game, but it sure doesn't hurt!

Into the Details

2011-03-17T22:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a picture of the Salt Lake Temple; it's one of my favorite things of the city. It always amazes me how captivating the exterior of this building is. The lines, shapes, and angles of the building not only makes it a pretty building to photograph, but a pleasing building to look at. The time and effort that the early saints put into the interior and exterior of this wonderful building is truly commendable.

There is a lot to learn from the legacy of the Salt Lake Temple. The character and work ethic of the early temple builders prompt an introspective pause. Many times, I forget about their example until I'm in or around the temple grounds looking at the effort they put into the details. I look at my own life and realize that I'm still a long ways away from the character of those men and women. I realize that I've hurt people, that I've taken people for granted, and that I haven't respected friends as well as I should have. I also realize that I've said things and done things that I shouldn't have done. I also know, though, that life is about being a better person, improving your character day after day. Sometimes it may be slow going, but it's the persistence that counts. So, as I look at the temple and think about the lives and characters of those early saints I acknowledge that I have a long ways to go, but I hope I'm getting there one step at a time.

Tug-of-War

2011-03-09T20:10:00.004-07:00

It's been a little while since I've put some pictures, so I thought I would get on it and put some up. This is a picture of Bauer. He's a Boston Terrier and also my roommate's dog. Although he might be small in stature, I challenge you to take that little red chew toy that he is chewing on right now away from him. He's pretty strong for his size and is quite good at tug-of-war. Also, throw it down the stairs and you'll be amazed how he can run so fast down them without rolling end-over-end to the bottom.

This is one of Betsy's dogs named Jill, a cute little Chihuahua. Compared to Bauer, she's quite a bit smaller and a lot more dainty. It's the cutest thing to watch her get so excited when you say her name. She'll do a little tap dance for you on the tile if you get her excited enough. I guess she did a little too much dancing and was pretty tired for this picture.

And then there is Erin, and she is not a dog. She's cute and smiley like she always is (right Ryan?). I'm far from perfect with my post processing techniques so I'm always trying new things. This way made her eyes really blue when in fact they are more greenish blue. They are pretty, though, they'll just draw you in.

And finally, my dear grandmother on my dad's side passed away last week. This is a picture before we left the cemetery. It was a beautiful day celebrating her life and enjoying the company of her posterity (my cousins). I'm grateful for big families and learned that she grew up in a family with eight siblings. I was grateful to learn more about her life, she's a wonderful example to all her grandchildren. It's a happy thought to think she's reunited with her husband who passed away shortly before I was born.

Est. 1847

2011-02-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the Salt Lake City library. Its award winning architecture and design is quite the sight to see. A friend and I went downtown today to take some pictures around Temple Square and the library. It was pretty chilly, but pretty enjoyable at the same time. It's nice to have a day off every once in a while to actually walk the streets that we drive by every day.

I've been looking at this picture for the past couple of minutes and really enjoy how it turned out. You might beg to differ, I understand that. For some reason I enjoy pictures of lampposts, fire hydrants, and other odd-and-end things around the city--like this clock for example.

Yellow

2011-02-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

This yellow flower should get us ready for Spring, right? Don't get too excited though, because we still have a couple months more of cold, wet weather. Unless you're lucky enough to live down in Vegas, Texas, or some other warm state, which then you're thinking: it's already feeling like Spring. We're all happy for you, don't rub it in.

Gratitude

2011-01-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever put up a picture of a sewer manhole cover and then just stared at the blinking cursor just wondering what you will say about it? Well, I have. My knowledge of these things don't go very far at all, so I think I'll write about something else.

I've been thinking lately on some of the many things that I'm grateful for-- maybe I'll take a minute and relate a few of them. I'm grateful for family and friends. I have great parents and siblings that I look up to in many ways. The other day I went over to my sister's and had a fantastic chicken enchilada dinner (one of my favorites) and played the wii with my nephews. It was a lot of fun, but I can't tell if I'm getting a lot worse at that or if they are just getting better but I can't help feel that I'm losing it. After I left, I was very grateful for the time I spent with them. I really have great friends. Last week, we went down the BYU - SDSU game and honestly, it was the best basketball game that I've ever been too. It was loud and hot, but amazing to be there--great game, great people. I recently told a friend a joke the other day, I totally botched up the joke but still got a good laugh. That made me happy. I'm grateful I have fears and anxieties but not so many that it totally messes up things, you know? I heard of a guy the other day that had a fear of toys coming on by themselves without anyone touching them, a fear that pigeons don't know right or wrong when they are in the street, a fear of blobs, a fear of long necked giraffes, and a whole slew of others. I wish I was less fearful, but I'm grateful I'm not hyper-fearful. I'm grateful for my education and the university that sparked an interest in a myriad of topics. I'm grateful for photographs that make me smile, for songs that get me excited, for trees that put me at awe, for dogs that show me how to have joy in little things, and for people that do the right thing when nobody is looking. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we have a lot to live for. One of my favorite people knew that even when his inevitable death was a few years down the road.

Person, Place, or Thing

2011-01-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

Scrolling down through the blog, I noticed that this should probably be a thing or a place picture instead of another person picture. You know, to mix it up a little bit so you all don't get bored. This is a fine exception, though, because Emma is quite the pretty little girl.

And lastly, here's Nate and Kristy. I guess I can put it up because Kristy will never put it up on her blog. This was taken at the same time as Finn's below and also their Christmas card picture. Over the holidays, we got to enjoy quite a few episodes of Psych together, ate a myriad of treats, and Christian clobbered me 13 games strait in FIFA Worldcup Soccer for the Wii. Pretty sad, I know.

Deep Laugh

2011-01-20T21:41:00.002-07:00

Finn's not exactly sure what to think about this whole photo op thing. He acquiesced, though, and even pulled a few smiles out of his pockets. His hesitancy might have come from the fact that it was pretty cold outside when we took these pictures. He's a good sport and a good kid; I like our little Finny.

Here's a classic picture of Erin. There are a couple of things that I like about his picture. I like her hello kitty necklace that is sideways, her hair that is covering her eye, and of course, her glare that she gives me all the time. I guess I deserve it because I dish out the teasing a little too much sometimes. This picture makes me laugh. Speaking of laughing, I was reminded last night about Erin's cute and pretty deep laugh she has that will make you laugh too.

Finally, one last picture. I was just going to end with the sassy picture of Erin, but heck, it's Thursday and I thought I would throw in a bonus picture. I have this one in color too and I'm trying to figure out which one I like better. Hmm... This one looks like a blast from the past-- kind of a nostalgic feel to it. I'll go with this one then.

Good Brother

2011-01-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Seth and his little Sister. She's actually choking him in this picture, but he's such a good sport that you really can't tell. This is from Thanksgiving when we made our trip down there. I know that it's an old picture, but it's kind of hard to take new ones when you leave and come home from work when it's dark-- 'tis the season, I guess. I thought I would share because it's such a good picture of them both.

Carbon

2011-01-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

I learned something the other day. In fact, it's kind of embarrassing to admit as a science graduate, but here it is. Have you ever mowed the lawn or raked the leaves and wondered where all that stuff is coming form? Like the grass for example, if you bag it, you'll have four or five bags a week and over a hundred bags per summer. That is a lot of carbon-based material to be pulling out of your yard and sending to the dump. The same with the trees, every year they spend so much time and energy growing all those leaves and we just rake them up and throw them away. How inconsiderate, we don't even let mother nature do her thing and reabsorb the leaves in the ground.

Well, what I learned is that 90% of the mass that trees and grass make comes from the carbon dioxide in the air and not the nutrients from the ground. All this time I was worried that we were going to run out of ground stuff so we won't have leaves on our trees. Like I said, pretty embarrassing cause I probably should have known that, but interesting none the less. It's incredible that plants can pull carbon out of the air and make the things we need.

On a similar note --and I know that I've already lost most people because I'm over one paragraph-- when you exercise the weight that you burn off doesn't just disappear it's converted to energy, water, and carbon dioxide. So technically, the weight you are losing is actually leaving the body through your mouth as you breath. Now that part I knew but when you put it like that, it's pretty interesting--You are actually breathing out the pounds. These pictures above are from today. The snow, as you can see, is melting a little bit because it actually got above freezing. In fact, Salt Lake got up to 38 degrees according to KSL.

Thousands of Them

2011-01-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

This nice little picture was taken coming out of Waterfall Canyon a few months ago. I haven't been able to get out much to take new pictures lately because I've been pretty busy. This old picture will have to do until then. I know you've probably seen a thousand pictures of sunsets, and for that I apologize. You can handle one more, can't you?

Stinky Doggy Treats

2011-01-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Christmas was as good as it gets. Here is a picture of some of the nieces and nephews with their new University of Utah beanies. Only Finn is looking at the camera, but I really didn't try to get them all. The probability of all of them looking at the exact same time is about 1 in 100. I'm not joking either, I've done an experiment. But in that case, there were 4 kids and only one picture in 80 had them all looking at once.

Oscar had the right idea of taking a little snoozer on Emily's lap while everyone else was busy with unwrapping and socializing. He even got a couple of presents. They were stinky doggy treats, but presents none the less.

I wonder what Sean is thinking here. It would be interesting to know some of the thoughts of kids. One morning, Amber and I woke up early when we were little and sat on the back porch looking at the new door that my parents bought the day before. There is nothing slightly exciting about the door except for the fact that it was new. Still, we thought it was the coolest thing in the house and made a point to wake up early one day just to look at it. I don't even think we collaborated our efforts, we just both made our way down to sit silently next to each other looking, just looking, at the new door .

Another time, I remember taking some food out to the many cats that we had running around our yard. Living next to a grain warehouse proved to be an excellent place to dump your cat if you didn't want it anymore. A lot of people did that, and therefore, there were a lot of cats around. I was bringing back the bowl inside when before I made it to the door, I dropped the bowl on the concrete. As my mind slowed down time, as it will often do in a state of terror, I knew that it was going to shatter in a hundred pieces when it hit the hard surface. Well, it hit and to my surprise, it didn't break. I was shocked and grateful because nobody's mom likes broken dishes, right? I couldn't believe that a bowl like that dropped from 4 feet wouldn't shatter. I just had to see it again. I picked up the bowl, slowly let it drop, and... watched it shatter into a hundred pieces.

Picture Worthy Christmas

2010-12-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

Cheese! I hope that no matter what kind of camera you have, whether new or old, big or small, a toy or professional grade, you'll take it out while the family is around this Christmas and take a few photos. You know you'll regret it if you don't. Perhaps you can deviate from the traditional poses and scenes and find something original to take a picture of, you'll get extra style points if you do from the guy at the Walgreen's photo department.

These three photographers are my nieces and nephews. Erin is up top with her girly purple and pink camera last Christmas. She got that camera and a toy laptop for Christmas and after she took a few pictures, she took her camera over to her laptop and said that she was going to write a blog. Hayley is taking the next picture at Dave and Amber's wedding over the summer. And Finn is the last photographer that took my picture a few months ago.

So you see, if they can do it, you can too! Most importantly, however, I hope you have a wonderful time with the people you love. I hope there will be memories made that will last through the years, and I hope you have a picture worthy Christmas.

Google's Year in Review

2010-12-18T22:04:00.001-07:00

I ran across this video the other day and really liked it. First of all, it's made by Google and I really like them. And Second, the song and content are really good too--in fact, a little touching. Take a watch and listen and let me know what you think.

Blue Ball

2010-12-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Spee with a blue ball. It's an older picture and it's selective colored, and depending on your taste you may or may not be into that sort of thing. Me? Sure, I guess it works. I mean, I'm not overly excited about it but I don't hate it either. I know that some cameras can do this in camera, but mine isn't that fancy so I have to do it in Lightroom during post processing by just desaturating all the colors except... wait for it... blue! Fairly easy. There are many ways to do it, though. As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Grandpa Duck

2010-12-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Amber remembers the time that fed the ducks outside of her old office. There was this old, ugly duck that we called Grandpa Duck. It would come lumbering over when we pulled out the bread and hang out on dry land hoping for some. It looked so old that it made me wonder how it can actually still be alive. It's like that cat we had around the house years and years ago that had one eye scratched out, its ear nipped, and its tail bent out of shape. It wasn't Fraidy Cat, that one was brown, it was another cat in far worse shape. Anyway, I wonder where that duck is, it's been a while.

Drawings

2010-12-13T21:56:00.002-07:00

I missed the memo informing me that if you go to Settings and then Basic, you can update your composing screen where you can put bigger pictures on your blog. Now I know. Here is a picture of a picture that Hayley drew of me on a napkin. We had some Sharpies and a some napkins one night after dinner and decided to go crazy. I think she did a pretty good job. It looks like I'm supposed to be a referee.

However, if you look at Erin's rendition of Uncle Dave, you can see a more modern/abstract style that she is using. I kind of look like the yellow pill-shaped minions on Despicable Me. I also look like Toxie, the pet toxic asset that Planet Money's team bought and tracked until its unfortunate demise.

Aahhhh!

2010-12-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

If this picture doesn't make you say, "Aahhhhhh!" then you are like a Scrooge who probably doesn't like puppies or kittens either. I'm joking, but doesn't this picture just make you smile. What a cute boy.

Photographers

2010-12-06T22:16:00.004-07:00

This is my cousin Kelli. Not only is she very beautiful, but she is a very talented photographer. Click on her name to check out her incredible site. This picture was taken back in August at our cousin Sara's wedding.

I keep a list of photographers I run into on the internet that I like. It's quite a long list that I update whenever I find a new one, so I won't share all of it. I did, though, want to share a few highlights that I think are worth checking out if you are interested and/or bored.

First off, I usually get a daily dose of pictures from Lens - a blog by the New York Times. I'll warn you now, these are not feel-good, happy pictures. The site usually has a compilation of pictures throughout the world during that day. And in case you forgot, there is a lot of war and trouble throughout the world everyday and there are pictures of it too. But then, you have posts like this that show New York City throughout the decades, which is pretty interesting.

On the portrait side of things, Tim Park is a photographer in California who has the ability to take incredibly sharp photographs and --to use a cliche-- makes them Pop! I wish I could get portraits like he does. He and another photographer in Arizona, Lisa Holloway, can get the skin tones just right. That is something that drives me crazy because I'm not that good at it. I'm learning, but not to the point where these guys are. Finally, Pat Furey in Pennsylvania does an excellent job putting his own personal touch on his pictures. I think he also has a Golden Retriever which he uses in some of his engagement pictures. I don't care who you are, if you use a Golden Retriever in a picture, it's going to make it a thousand times better--of course, I do have a thing for that breed.

Finally, three more photographers that I think will make you happy. Jeff Lynch is a landscape photographer in Texas and is pretty darn good at what he does. I like his dialogs that writes with his photographs as well. Then, David Hobby has become an internet sensation by creating his site Strobist.com. Well, let me clarify: he became famous by his pragmatic approach of strobes and lighting in general, and making a site to share his knowledge. Lastly, Pete Souza is President Obama's official photographer. His pictures are very photojournalistic (if that is a word) and interesting at the same time. I encourage you to check it out.

Wow, there you go. Like I said before, this is just a small sample of photographers that I like. And if you're thinking, "What about Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Anne Geddes???", don't worry they have their place too, but the photographers in my list are currently making history by taking photographs a notch above the millions upon millions of pictures in the world currently. Okay, this post took a lot longer than I expected, and to think it started from running across a picture of Kelli with her camera in my files. Speaking of which, have I told you already to check out her amazing site??

Easy Going

2010-12-05T17:35:00.003-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I put a picture up and then just stare at the computer screen trying to figure out what on earth I should write about. Tonight was one of those. I've thought about writing about Christmas, or about why spiders don't get hurt when they fall a long distance, or about sports. Nothing really came though.

I like this picture of Hayley quite a bit. It shows how fun and easy going she is, not to mention beautiful. I really am lucky to have great nieces and nephews that teach me a lot. I know, It's weird, I'm supposed to teach them, but really they teach me about how to slow down and enjoy life. There is one time where I could have taught Michael something when he asked me four years ago: "So you go to college, right? So that makes you pretty smart? Well then tell me how did that baby get in my mom's tummy"

Fair Trade

2010-12-04T11:27:00.006-07:00

If you can't tell, these are three brothers. Ha, you already know them because I'm acting like people from another country read this, but no, if you are here looking at these pictures you probably already know who they are. It was a fair trade: I take their pictures, and they get to play Angry Birds on my iPod.

So I hope you enjoy the pictures. I know Kim will at least. Among other things, I taught her Miamaids the other night to take pictures of their Christmas trees without using the flash. I also taught them about old radios, ski goggles, and Ashton Kutcher. If you haven't put them together, it was about photography. Don't worry, it probably didn't make sense to them either.

Swinging Erin

2010-11-28T18:56:00.002-07:00

This is Erin doing what she does best. Swinging a million miles an hour and never looking back. Turns out, she is actually pretty picky with her "underdogs". I apparently was doing it completely wrong, at least according to her taste. I pushed, I ran under--Underdog, what else did she want?

This picture turned out pretty nice, if I say so myself. I guess I'm not completely unbiased because Erin is so cute, but mostly everything is working for the photograph. I still struggle with the white balance, but hey, nobody is perfect.

Ducks at the Park

2010-11-24T10:43:00.004-07:00

Right about the time that the snow was falling in Utah, we made our way to the park and enjoyed a few hours playing football, frisbee, and hiking. It was about 80 degrees, and almost too hot! From the facebook status updates that I read, it looked like the "blizzard" was a let down. I guess it wasn't all the gloom and doom that the media predicted. But who knows, I'm not there, nor do I have to drive in it.

I took some pictures of mostly everyone there for you all to enjoy. This one was taken right after we fed a half loaf of bread to the ducks you can see behind them.

And here's one of Erin and me. I know it's kind of a rare thing for me to post a picture of myself, so enjoy it while it lasts. Her face sums up our relationship beautifully, I think. I sure do love her though! She'll ask for a high five and right before change her hand to a thumbs-up and place it against your open hand and say, "Turkey!" It's super cute.

And the next two pictures are for Kate and Emily, I would type right under them but for the life of me I can't figure out how I would do it. I mean, Seriously Google! Don't get me wrong, I'm probably your biggest Google fan there is, but when it comes to composing blog posts, I have the hardest time. I'll type and try to arrange pictures and won't be able to put the pictures where I want. Then, when I finally get a picture to where I want it, I'll look back and for some reason there is one missing or deleted. As Erin would say, "Seriously?" Anyway, I'll end my rant, but honestly Google, fix how you compose in Blogspot.

Plane Window

2010-11-22T23:20:00.004-07:00

Half my family lives down in Texas and it's one of my favorite things to visit them. Bruce and I have made another trip down and I'm grateful we are. This first picture was taken from the plane window of the sunset in Salt Lake. It was pretty, and the attendants didn't say to put away all electrical devices so I snapped the picture. Nothing special, but it was from the plane. To view other amazing pictures from plane windows, check this out. And notice how there is no snow on the ground out there at the Salt Lake airport, I hear that that is not the case right now!

I went golfing with Ryan the day after we got there and Bruce rode along to keep us company. It was a little on the cool side, but I was still able to wear shorts, which I was envisioning all along for a Texas golfing expedition. We went to Chase Oaks Golf Club which is owned by the city of Allen, but is actually in Plano. Also, it is where I worked during the summer I lived down here. It didn't really change much, there still are a lot of people with really fancy golf clubs that really aren't that good. A lot of memories came flooding back driving around the course as well. Such as the time I almost got struck by lightening and the also the time where I drove a golf cart up a bunker and over a very steep 5 foot drop off (don't worry the cart and I were just fine). I also remember exactly where we would hit golf balls from the club house to see if we could make it to the the 2nd or 7th hole greens on the Sawtooth course. I could never even get close, but had fun trying.

Ruh-roh

2010-11-14T20:52:00.003-07:00

Why does Shaggy on Scooby-Doo walk with such a strange gait? Have you ever thought about that, or is it just me? Maybe he has a neurological disorder and something is amiss in his cerebellum. I can't help but feel bad for the guy, he's lucky he has a pretty cool dog to help him out. Speaking of which, is Scooby completely oblivious to the fact that he is a dog? Whenever another character calls him a dog, he'll look around to see where "this dog" is. It made me laugh, anyway. I watched my nephews the other day and they had Scooby-Doo on, hence the random questions.

In this picture of Christian, it's a fall picture even though I desaturated it quite a bit. You can still see a little red in the trees behind him, though. If you look closely at his eyes, you can see that I focused on his glasses instead of his eyes. Bummer, I know, but I really don't know how to fix the problem because the focus point will pick up the high contrast frames instead of the eye itself. With a picture this size, however, it really doesn't matter--even with the extremely shallow depth of field. Keeping the eyes in focus is very important for a portrait, if you look at a picture with sharp eyes, your mind will just assume that the rest of the face is sufficiently in focus even when it's not. Keep that in mind.

Missing

2010-10-31T22:42:00.004-06:00

The more I look at this picture, the more I like it. The little guy forgot his flip-flop, but it didn't phase him too much; he hiked as well as the rest of us. I can learn a lot from him because, frankly, when I forget a shoe when I leave home, I'm a little put out.

Contrast

2010-10-26T21:08:00.002-06:00

This could be considered as a contrast post. Here is a lovely picture from my cousin Sara's wedding this summer and you can just feel the warmth and almost taste the strawberry lemonade in that pail. Now contrast that to the snow that is falling outside, and you'll know what I mean when I say contrast post.

Speaking of snow, check out these pictures of snowflakes that I found today. It will blow your mind! They are simply beautiful, and I don't know about you, but I can't even come close to those with a piece of paper and some scissors. I find it simply amazing that these intricate crystals can be formed out of water vapor by themselves. Amazing. I also find it amazing that the guy that took those pictures is one of the world's leading "Snowflake Experts." I didn't know there was such a position in which I could esteem.

Finally, if the snowflakes didn't do it for you, then maybe this will. Christoph Neimann has this illustrative blog on the New York Times. The post I'm linking you to is about sleep and it cracked me up, I hope you like it.

Cupcake

2010-10-24T17:55:00.002-06:00

These pictures are from the summer, just after Amber and Dave's wedding. We had a little get together over at Nathan and Kristy's. Erin is so cute with her little frosting smile. It amazes me how much kids like sugar! I can remember liking candy a lot, but I see my nieces and nephews going after the confectioneries like there is literally no tomorrow.

Why do I have two pictures of Erin? I guess you can consider it a two-for-one. And I also know that one of my very few readers out there isn't actually a reader, but she likes to look at the pictures mainly. Kristy grudgingly read through my baseball post after making it very clear that she had no interest in the subject. At least she read it. I don't get it, she'll read and read on mod-bod and Two-Peas, but when it comes to her own brother-in-law's ramblings, she'll skim it at best... I just don't get it! (Ok, so the whole mod-bod thing is a joke, you'll have to ask her about it)

Also I have to make a correction to my last post, so I'll do it here. My past roommate Mike played a crucial roll in teaching me about baseball's ins and outs. In fact he is the one that taught me what a hit is, what the difference between a perfect game and a no-hitter is, and why players with the names Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio matter today. We would stay up pretty late watching the highlights of the day's games and even discuss in quite a bit of detail which team's uniforms had pinstripes and which ones didn't! We went to a number of Salt Lake Bee's games and I even went to watch him sing the National Anthem before one of the games. To say the least, it was quite a big oversight to miss Mike in my coming-to-like-baseball cascade. Thanks Mike!

Isn't Erin so stinking cute!? Rumor has it that she can be a stinking stinker as well, but looking at this picture I don't believe them for one second.

Baseball

2010-10-22T20:36:00.004-06:00

Let me start out by saying that I was afraid of the ball in little league. I hope you don't blame me, it's a hard ball that moves pretty fast. Whether an inside pitch or a stray bounce on a grounder, it made me a little squirmy. In fact when my Pittsburgh Pirates got rained out on a summer afternoon and we couldn't play, I was actually happy. It was like a free ride. Maybe "fear" is the wrong word for how I felt about the ball, I think "respect" is more appropriate.

Now it's different. I got a glove and a ball this summer and have played catch many, many times. I have to admit that I'm like a little boy with the glove, I keep it in my car just in case an opportunity arises to play catch. I've tossed the ball back in forth at the park, in the backyard, and even at night under the light of a streetlight. My interest has burgeoned in the game as well. For a long time, I always got frustrated when Sportscenter would spend what would seem like hours covering all the baseball games during the Summer. Now, I like watching all the highlights.

I like the history and tradition of Baseball. I recently read a book about Lou Gehrig that really made me appreciate the older players of the game. This was a time when players played for the love of the game, and not the astronomically high paycheck they get now. I'm not saying that all the players today play for money, but Gehrig went to his first spring training with the Yankees with $12 in his pocket that would have to last him the entire time--in fact he looked for a part time job during spring training to help him out. The fall and winter before that he took a part-time job as a clerk and as time went on he began to think that the Yankees lost interest in him. Finally, when his contract of $2,750 for the 1924 season arrived he said, "I signed it and sent it back in a hurry for fear that they'd change their minds." To put that in perspective, that would be about $34,000 in 2010 dollars--which is less than what the average high school teacher makes in the United States today. Gehrig genuinely loved the game of baseball, and because of his love, that book, and my baseball mitt, I like the nation's past time even more.

Happy Face

2010-10-19T18:49:00.001-06:00

I spent a little time with my nephews tonight and I had to grab my camera and snap a few pictures of Spee. He literally cracks me up sometimes. His faces below were from Christian and me telling him to make different kind of faces. Even his grumpy face is pretty funny-- you can totally tell that he can't hide his smile under his so-called sad face.

I think what I like the most about kids this age, is that they are sincerely happy. It's hard not letting their ebullience rub off on you, if you know what I mean.

One last thing, I heard yesterday that the NFL is now going to fine and suspend players that deliberately go for hits to the head. As a former Neuroscience major who would go to Elementary schools and talk about the importance of protecting your brain during the National Brain Awareness Week, I think this is a wonderful idea. I just listened to a guy's diatribe on SportsCenter about how this is going to ruin the game of football. People love football because they love the big hits, he says. Well I can honestly say that I cringe whenever I see a big hit that leaves a player unconscious or injured after that play. Like it or not, hitting your head again and again and again is not good for your brain.

The Spirit of Getting By

2010-10-11T22:26:00.006-06:00

I was brushing my teeth and listening to the Mormon Channel on my iPod (yes there is an app for that), and heard a message given by Lloyd Newell that made me stop and listen. While I was being enlightened, a frothy mess was culminating in my mouth--but it was well worth it. Here is the message:

There is a spirit that limits and shrivels the human soul whenever it remains unchallenged and unchecked. For want of better words, perhaps it could be called “the spirit of getting by”—of doing as little as possible, of giving as little as possible, of working as little as possible.

With young people in school it is sometimes evident in an attitude of cutting corners and simply slipping through: making a minimum of effort; studying as little as possible to acquire credit for the course; being satisfied with the lowest possible passing mark without reaching out for the further knowledge that could be had with a little extra effort. Young people often seem to suppose that there will be enough time in the future for all that ought to be done, and that it is smart for the present simply to get by. And sometimes very late they learn that the length of this life is limited—though sometimes they may not see it until they are looking sharply down the short side of life.

But it isn’t only among young people that this spirit has spread. . . . While the spirit of getting by . . . may sometimes seem smart and popular and approved, there is a law which says that the benefits and blessings are dependent upon performance. . . . He who shows a reluctant, unwilling nature, he who refuses to grow as much as he could, or learn as much as he could, or work as well as he should, whatever he may be doing to others, he is first of all cheating himself.

In short it may be said: He who is afraid of doing too much, seldom does enough. . . . The spirit of slipping through, the spirit of simply getting by, robs us of life’s richest rewards. (source)

Pretty amazing isn't it. Oh by the way, here is a beautiful photo of my nephew Joseph. What a good looking guy. If you haven't noticed, rarely to my verbose ramblings have anything to do with the picture. I just post a picture that I like, and say what is on my mind. How does that country song go? "Here's a quarter, go write a blog post for someone who cares"?? I think that is how it goes!

A Little Jelly

2010-10-10T18:34:00.003-06:00

Here's Finn with his dirty face and impassive look. I'm not sure what he was eating before this, maybe some sort of jelly. Either way, I still think this picture is really nice, I like his eyes.

I was reading an article in the New York Times about the miracle drug of Insulin. I was amazed to find how it was discovered and the impact that it had on the world. Before insulin treatments, children would be put on these diets that would practically starve their bodies. Their weight would drop as did their health and consciousness. Comatose skeletons would lie on the beds of the diabetes wards. Dr. Banting up at the University of Toronto found that a diabetic Yellow Collie, named dog #92, jumped off the table and began to wag its tail after the injection of insulin. Mother's of these dying children got word and would write pleading letters to Dr. Banting begging that maybe, just maybe, they could get their children some of this new wonder drug.

I think about it, and am fascinated by the ingenuity of the science world. The science education that my Grandpa Junius received is almost superseded by the advances and discoveries taking place right now. High school biology students have just as clear or even clearer view of the cell than did Dr. Banting back in 1921. It's an exciting time to be alive!

Aren't Even Things

2010-09-27T21:46:00.004-06:00

Here's a pretty picture of a pretty girl. I love all my nieces and nephews, they are a great asset to life. What would we do without family? I was talking to a friend's parents tonight about how life is centered around family. Just think how boring life would be without family and friends. I guess what they say is true: the best things in life aren't even things. Not just the best things, but relationships are the only real things that matter, right?

In the Eyes

2010-09-23T10:20:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture from the Summer. I know that I haven't really posted anything in the last couple months, and the reason for this sting of posts is because I actually wrote them all in a night and just had the blog put one out a day. Pretty clever, eh? I thought so.

There you have it. Spee and his eyes that you can almost see the world in. Eyes are pretty interesting. I was out running today and I ran past a cat that was sitting on a car. It gave me the look like, "I dare you to come run by me!" Cats are so friendly, have you noticed that? As I ran by it just stared at me in the eyes. It wasn't looking at my moving legs or arms, but right in my eyes. Dogs and many other animals will do the same thing. I'm not sure about fish, though, it's hard to tell what they are looking at sometimes. Following the trend, babies will look right in your eyes, unless you're distracting them with something. Interesting, right? What are they looking at, why would they go for the eyes and not the nose or hair? I've often wondered that when I was on campus and I would walk right by a baby with his parent and the little tike will look right in my eyes. Adults will look in each other's eyes to see a deeper meaning to whatever was being said. Is the person lying? Sincere? Sarcastic? I don't know, just think about it.

Dr. Bruce

2010-09-22T08:54:00.002-06:00

Here is a couple of pictures of Bruce after and before his accident. For those that don't know, he was knocked off a full truck of hay by a low hanging branch while traveling to the barn to unload it. It was a terrifying day, and we're lucky that he only received the injuries that he did. I still shudder when I see the big black garbage cans lined up on Island Road on Sunday nights/Monday mornings. That is what stopped his roll and the sound that I can still hear in my mind from on top of the stack.

So here is the before picture just days before the accident. What a good looking fellow. He's been a great uncle my whole life. Not only that, but a good role model, a person full of character, and a great friend. Some of my favorite summer memories consist of working with Bruce.

Maple Leaf

2010-09-21T20:19:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday, I went up by Snow Basin with Nate's family to try and find some leaves. We found a couple--as you can see here. You know, you have to hand it to Canada. Their flag wouldn't have the same effect if they used an oak leaf or maybe a cottonwood. Something about the maple leaf says majestic. Oh Canada!

Okay, okay, you can use it as your wallpaper on your work computer, but only because you asked nicely.

Finn

2010-09-12T22:48:00.004-06:00

Here's come pictures of Finn. He's come a long way over the past few months. It's good to have little Finn back. I bet you can guess what he wants for Christmas. Kristy thought it was so darn cute that both of his front teeth are out that she wanted some pictures. I think my favorite is the T-Rex Finn. Speaking of extinct dinosaurs, did you hear that the Triceratops may not have existed?? I don't know what they are doing to us, first Pluto, now the Triceratops!

Almost Two

2010-08-14T14:50:00.002-06:00

What's that you say? Two Months?? Congrats Amber and Dave. I'm aware that they are making peace signs in the picture, but it works for the number two as well! I was just browsing some old pictures from Christmas (hence the coat, lamb) and came across this picture. Then I realized that it has almost been two months since their big day. So that's my logic, nothing too hard about it.

Clouds

2010-08-11T19:13:00.003-06:00

I've been watching the clouds and their patterns recently and I have to say, it is quite interesting. Usually in the morning the skies are clear-- maybe a cloud here or there but nothing substantial. Then when I leave work there are usually huge cumulonimbus clouds over in the Ogden Valley or somewhere in the distance. I'm going to take a picture of one someday, but I don't have one yet. I'm sure you've seen them, they almost look like mushroom clouds in the sky. Beautiful things! I'm wondering where they come from. Are they made over in the Pacific and then shipped here by UPS or FedEx? Are they made locally and exported? I don't know.

Here's a typical summer shot for you. A hawk in the distance, clouds in the sky, dry and brown terrain all make it pretty neat in my eyes. Speaking of hawks, I went up on the dry farm with my dad a week or so ago and we saw a couple hawks. And I'd be darned if I didn't hear a screech of a Bald Eagle--well, screech of a little hawk. I learned something: that oftentimes in movies they'll dub in the Red-Tailed Hawk screech for the eagle because it sounds more majestic. (Go here to listen to the Bald Eagle) Learn something new everyday, I guess. I also learned from a river guide in Jackson that eagles will often chase Osprey and steal their fish, even in mid-air. Bald Eagles are more scavengers than anything. I don't know about you, but our nation's bird is not winning me over very quickly!

Confusing IKEA Instructions

2010-06-18T20:00:00.005-06:00

Perhaps a bit late, here is a picture of an apple blossom in my brothers yard. It amazes me how effortlessly this little tree can produce such beautiful work. Take out a pencil and a sheet of paper and try to replicate the blossom. For me, an hour later and with the paper all smudged with eraser marks, I would have my rendition of the blossom. That's what I would call it anyway, but you might think it's a sea star.

Regardless, the point I'm trying to make is without a central nervous system, this tree makes this blossom. It follows the blueprints from the DNA and makes it. I have a hard enough time following IKEA instructions on how to make a dresser let alone following hundreds and thousands of C, T, A, and G's to make a flower. To quote Bill Nye again: It's Science!

1,000 Yard Club

2010-06-17T22:14:00.004-06:00

It's an exclusive club, and you might not have heard of it. Sure you've heard of the Culture Club, Club Med, the French Club, and maybe Club Soda, however, the 1,000 yard club probably never even crossed your mind. No worries, I didn't know what it was either. You don't have to kiss someone at midnight on the A, or ride Big Blue in the nude to be a part of this club. Really the only thing you have to do is hit a target 1,000 yards away. I went to a place in Morgan that I've never been to. It was up towards East Canyon in the mountains. Everything was green--the fields, the trees, and even the grass is still green. I haven't seen anything this pretty in a long time.

Once we were up there, there were a series of targets going up a hill. Ten total. Each one was separated by a hundred yards, and the one that you can barely see mid way up the hill was the thousand yard target with a metal plate hanging a foot off the ground. I can't remember the gun we used, it was big and loud. I want to say that it has a 270 in the name. Liking lenses though, I can tell you that that was one heck of a telephoto scope. Just place those cross hairs on the metal target, take a deep breath, and squeeze the trigger. Since the gun jumps so much you lose the target immediately in the scope and the only reassuring sign in a loud "plunk" that seems like 5 seconds after you fired the gun.

For you deer hunters out there that are reading, this might not seem like a big accomplishment; but for someone that couldn't even hit a clay pigeon with a shotgun the other day that was only 100 feet out, this is a big deal. It was fun. It was a beautiful night in a beautiful place.

This picture is from Jeni's sister-in-law's cabin up towards mirror lake in the Unitas. If you like vertical lines, I think this picture will find a special place in your heart. Quaking Aspens always remind me of hiking and camping.

Same Address, Same Content

2010-06-14T23:02:00.003-06:00

What do you say when you haven't said anything in a half of a year? It's very similar to walking to the same building on campus for an entire semester for your biology class and noticing that same guy everyday walking the other way. The only reason you know each other is from passing by on the way to class, yet for some reason when you see each other off campus you feel like you need to say hi even though you haven't spoken a word in your lives. I mean, what do you talk about? "Hey, so... those seats in the MARB are WAY to close together, eh?"

Anyway, it's kind of like that. The new name of the blog is nothing special, it really doesn't change anything--same address, same content. I guess it just makes it easier to write that first blog after being away for such a long time.

Stopping down is a term when you make your aperture smaller in your lens. For example, if you want your landscapes a little sharper, you would want to stop down your lens to f/8 or f/11. If you need a greater depth of field for a group portrait, just stop down your lens a little to say f/5.6. Don't get fooled, f stops are fractions so f/1.4 is indeed bigger than f/16. You get the point, but I just wanted to explain the new name. So yeah, Stopping Down--I don't know it might not even stick. Lastly, here is a picture of my beautiful mom, which ironically, isn't stopped down but is taken wide open.

Brady Bunch

2009-12-17T22:52:00.003-07:00

I haven't been taking too many pictures lately. In fact the last thing I've done was put together this compilation of pictures of all my nieces and nephews. It worked out fairly nicely that there was an even number so I could arrange it like this. It kind of has a Brady Bunch type feeling to it. About half of the pictures I got during this summer, and the other half I had to take recently--fun little project none-the-less.

Christmas is in one week! I can't believe where this month (and year) has gone. It truly is the greatest time of year, though, as everyone is a little kinder and little more patient. It's funny, Christmas isn't too much longer after Halloween, but for some reason people really give you a hard time if you think about the season before Thanksgiving. Then once you put the turkey away and sit down to relax, you only have a couple weeks to get everything done and ready for Christmas. Anyway, just a thought. Newsworthy? No. Interesting? Even still, probably not! However, get out and enjoy the holidays and make some memories. That is what I'm trying to say, I guess.

Think On

2009-12-09T20:11:00.002-07:00

Tis the season. With a little snow and a lot of cold, it really feels like Christmas time and winter out there. In some parts of the state, the temperature was around -20° F. I know I know, some of you out there are saying "I've showered in colder temperatures", but you have to agree that outside the Northern Territories this is pretty cold for the beginning of December.

The picture is of a hat made from the MacLellan tartan. It was lit with a flash and I dragged the shutter to bring out the Christmas lights in the background. A pretty picture, one could say. On an interesting note, the McClellan motto is "think on" and comes traditionally comes from William MacLellan in the 16th century*. King James offered Barony to whomever could brought back a menacing Irish bandit by the name of Black Morrow dead or alive. Upon bringing back the bandit's head on his sword, the king conveniently had forgotten his promise to MacLellan and to which he exclaimed while holding the head on the sword, "Think On!"*

Red Door Painted

2009-11-23T21:18:00.003-07:00

We learned when we last met that it was really cold when I took Nathan's family pictures. Well, that wasn't the only thing.

By the railroad tracks on commercial street there is an old train station that is now used for a city planning building or something like that. On the east side of the building, there is an old red double door. This door was perfect for pictures--a great background in the shade.

In fact, check this one out from the summer:

Not to bad eh? I really like the colors and texture of the door. But don't worry about going to look for this door, because they painted over it with an ugly cream color! Both Kristy and I couldn't believe our eyes when we pulled up to the old train station and saw an ugly cream door instead of the red door that we drove over there in the first place! It's a sad, sad day when cities are painting over beautiful antique doors. I don't even think it will help if I write my congressman. However, I did just become facebook friends with the newly appointed mayor for Morgan City...hmm...

DLRX 3301

2009-11-22T17:05:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I don't know what those numbers and letters mean on that train either.

This picture was taken while I was taking pictures for Nate's family Christmas card. From the picture, it looks like a nice warm day--but it wasn't! I think we just about froze out there while we were taking pictures. The wind was blowing and it was starting to snow. The perfect recipe for a cold time.

Left His Smile on the Kitchen Counter

2009-11-15T20:06:00.004-07:00

I took some pictures the other day of my sister and her family and here is Tyler not smiling at all. In fact, that is how he was the entire time. No worries though, I can snap with the best of them when taking pictures of not-so-happy little ones! He's not the only one. I remember years ago when the number of nieces and nephews was less than a quarter of the number I have now, and little Seth was all plugged up down south and was, needless to say, not very happy. Hey, I don't blame him, I don't think that I would be very happy with life if that was me either!

Create

2009-11-08T15:42:00.006-07:00

Kind of weird not having a picture with post. In fact, I think this is the first time I've done it. Jeni showed me this video months ago, but I found it today while looking up stuff for my lesson today on lds.org. I was always more mathematics and science orientated, but I'm coming to find out that I want to create more and more. I guess that is where photography comes into play. I hope you enjoy.

Smiling Cowboys

2009-10-25T21:34:00.005-06:00

I wish I had hair like Spee. Check him out in this picture! These two cowboys were generous in donating their busy time by letting me snap a few photos of them. I didn't even have to pay them! I've been able to take a couple of my cousins family pictures these last couple of weekends. It's been a lot of fun doing that. I have now decided that Autumn is the prettiest time to take pictures because the leaves with all differing colors rock. If you want to take a fun family photo, just wander outside by some leaves and snap away!

A little off topic, but I'm watching the Yankee - Angels game and did the Angels pitcher really just overthrow an easy out to first base??