blah blah BLOG - - - - - - - - - - - July 11, 2010 I have amazing friends. Getting married called for a Bachelor Party - and I got thrown a party in true friend style - at least the style of my friends! It was organized by Mr. Crawford, and took place in North Lake Tahoe in the cold of February. Mr. Crawford even produced a special edition Chocolate Stout for the event; The TH Special Reserve! Here are a few pictures...a major thanks to all...it was amazing. Posted at 3:07 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - July 5, 2010 We spent the Fourth of July weekend at Courtright Reservoir adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park rock climbing, swimming, hiking, and just trying to relax as much as possible. Our good friends Cory and Thy let us tag along with the rest of the group from the Southern California Mountaineers Association (http://rockclimbing.org). We were able to hang out and rock climb, and I got in their way and took too many pictures. British Superstar Rich is crazy; he opened all the beer for us…with his teeth! Posted at 9:58 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 27, 2010 Emily and I went up and visited my the ol' parents for the weekend. It was great. We went over to the Presidio of San Francisco and visited the Walt Disney Family Museum. If you are a Disney fan, I recommend it. It was more the history of Walt, as well as history of the Disney Company...amazing! Also, it is located in the Presidio which is equally amazing. We explored a bit...but a really short weekend. Posted at 11:04 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 23, 2010 This is my tribute to 180 Degrees South. Go rent this movie. But be careful - once you watch it, you'll question your job. When we have a big enough brigade, enough people who want to go, we'll get a boat, and we'll make our trip. But sorry Yvon; I'm wearing Arcteryx... Posted at 11:05 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 19, 2010 We went camping up in Mendeciono Lake a few months back; I never posted anything (shame on me). It was a really pretty area; stuck in wine country. We didn't have plans; just a bunch of Harryman's with a lot of good food and plans for camp fires...plus a little fishing as we're experts in that department...right. Posted at 10:48 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 15, 2010 My good buddy, Mr. Fred Tarazi, got hitched in Boston; so we did an incredibly fast trip out to Boston. We took the Red Eye; and I don't want to take those again...they really beat you up! We were able to squeeze a game in at Fenway, which is always a good time. Posted at 10:22 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 13, 2010 Emily and I now have our roots set into Temecula. It is a good comprimise as she works in Redlands, and I work in Point Loma, so Temecula is dead center between the two. We have a pretty cool place; the views out our windows are of rolling hills; no concrete, no malls. We thought the yellow patches were pretty; but it is actually a fungus that is over taking the hillside! Up close; not so pretty! Posted at 10:06 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 6, 2010 New Toy! Summer is almost here; and I've been lusting for the ability to have the flash setup at the action, with me somewhere else. Mountain biking and rock climbing; it should be fun... Posted at 1:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 6, 2010 Sunday morning with Coffee and Lightroom! Posted at 10:03 AM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 11, 2010 Shop Time @ high ISO! I grew up in the garage with my Dad. I think that is why I'm an engineer working in the construction industry. He was building a few HO Scale rail cars and equipment so I was able take a few pictures; against his approval! Posted at 9:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 2, 2010 Hawaii was an experience; very beautiful...a camera certainly doesn't do it justice. We spent (4) nights in Oahu and (10) nights in Kauai. I've never been able to capture the ocean, sunsets, or clouds with a picture; I think I will stop trying. The pictures above are Oahu only. We stayed in Honolulu and acted like tourists as much as possible. We went exploring around the island; Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, the shrimp trucks, the North Shore, the Dole Plantation, the Blowhole; basically the everything along the H1, H2, and H3. Kauai up next... P.S. - the pink thorny thing - it is a pineapple at the Dole Plantation... Posted at 11:02 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 5, 2010 Started to race sail boats on Tuesday nights out of Harbor Island in San Diego. Wind has been minimal, but the sailing is still fun! I think once the wind picks up, the snapshots will be more dramatic... It is just two of us in the boat; I keep letting go of the rudder to take pictures and the boat goes a bit goofy! Posted at 10:12 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 2, 2010 So; how long since I last updated? Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long! What has happened? Finished the Fuel System in San Jose, relocated south to San Diego for a new Fuel Facility project in Point Loma, Got Married, and went on a trip to Hawaii. I never stopped taking pictures; ever...I only stopped posting. And mark my word; I will post more pictures. I have a new version of THSnapshots to unveil, and I finally have a few flash gallery updates in development including Doha, Masai Mara, Oahu, Kauai, Tahoe, and a few more. Here are a few teasers. Oahu: Kauai: Doha: Masai Mara: Tahoe: Hope all is well...wherever you are. Posted at 5:46 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 21, 2010 We've updated our wedding website! Our photographer, and great friend, Cooper Carras deserves all the credit! You can check it out via the link below: www.thielandemily.com You can also check out the official website of Cooper Carras Photography by clicking the icon below: Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 11, 2010 Shop Time @ high ISO! I grew up in the garage with my Dad. I think that is why I'm an engineer working in the construction industry. He was building a few HO Scale rail cars and equipment so I was able take a few pictures; against his approval! Posted at 9:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 2, 2010 Hawaii was an experience; very beautiful...a camera certainly doesn't do it justice. We spent (4) nights in Oahu and (10) nights in Kauai. I've never been able to capture the ocean, sunsets, or clouds with a picture; I think I will stop trying. The pictures above are Oahu only. We stayed in Honolulu and acted like tourists as much as possible. We went exploring around the island; Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, the shrimp trucks, the North Shore, the Dole Plantation, the Blowhole; basically the everything along the H1, H2, and H3. Kauai up next... P.S. - the pink thorny thing - it is a pineapple at the Dole Plantation... Posted at 11:02 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 5, 2010 Started to race sail boats on Tuesday nights out of Harbor Island in San Diego. Wind has been minimal, but the sailing is still fun! I think once the wind picks up, the snapshots will be more dramatic... It is just two of us in the boat; I keep letting go of the rudder to take pictures and the boat goes a bit goofy! Posted at 10:12 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 2, 2010 So; how long since I last updated? Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long! What has happened? Finished the Fuel System in San Jose, relocated south to San Diego for a new Fuel Facility project in Point Loma, Got Married, and went on a trip to Hawaii. I never stopped taking pictures; ever...I only stopped posting. And mark my word; I will post more pictures. I have a new version of THSnapshots to unveil, and I finally have a few flash gallery updates in development including Doha, Masai Mara, Oahu, Kauai, Tahoe, and a few more. Here are a few teasers. Oahu: Kauai: Doha: Masai Mara: Tahoe: Hope all is well...wherever you are. Posted at 5:46 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 12, 2010 Stuffing envelopes... Holy cow! Posted at 11:02 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 29, 2009 I love airplanes. To me, they mean travel and new destinations – and I love the mechanics about them; they seem to defy physics. I got the opportunity to crawl around on a FedEx MD10 today – it was a complete surprise how the whole thing happened. I was fascinated with the landing gear of the huge beast – I have never been so close. All the little gizmos that make it work - Amazing! Posted at 10:19 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 9, 2009 1. Dubrovnik 2. Rovinj 3. Rovinj 4. Rovinj 5. Plitvice Lakes National Park 6. Plitvice Lakes National Park 7. Split 8. Ferry from Split to Hvar 9. Hvar 10. Hvar 11. Hvar 12. Hvar 13. Hvar 14. Dubrovnik I've been terrible about updates. Here are a few panarama shots from around Croatia. Hvar was my favorite city, but I don't have many pictures because I didn't lug around my camera too much as most my time was spent on a boat between the chain of islands. Posted at 11:23 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 3, 2009 Helicopter! I was very fortunate receive an invite to ride along with The 111th Aerial Photography on a photo shoot. We utilize The 111th for our project in San Jose It was an amazing experience and I hope to get to do it again. I am not a photographer, but for the first time I felt like I was on assignment and had a responsibility to photograph the subjects; projects from above. There was no door on the helicopter! I felt like a gunner in the chopper; door open with me hanging out. So fun; really enjoyed it. A link to The 111th Aerial Photography is provided below. Posted at 10:19 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 3, 2009 Dubrovnik. I got up REALLY early in the morning because I wanted pictures of the city without any people in the background. The city was bombed in the 1990's and they have rebuilt a lot of the city - one could not tell. I found a book that showed the city destroyed and I realized I was looking at the book in the EXACT same location where the photograph of the carnage was taken... Without a doubt; the best part of the city was the bar called, Cold Drinks. It was perched on the edge of the castle walls over looking the Adriatic. Sat there for hours and drank Ojusko, read and swam in the Sea...fantastic! It was fun...and old. I felt really insignificant. Posted at 11:14 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 3, 2009 Spent two weeks in Croatia backpacking through Rovinj, the Waterfalls of Lake Plitvice, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Zabreb. Then took a train to Lubiana, Slovenia for the day. Finished off with a day and a half in Frankfurt, Germany. The pictures above are of Zagreb (Croatia) and Lubiana (Slovenia). I'm moving to Hvar - that is it. I'm going to buy a 40 foot sailboat and live on the Adriatic. I took 1,296 photos - and it will probably be a year and a half before I get them posted... Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 2, 2009 My Dad and I went backpacking up in Tahoe this weekend up in Tahoe National Forest. We four wheeled in and parked at Eagle Lakes and hiked up the Fordyce Creek (River!) to the Grouse Ride/Byers Lake trail. I don't think I have backpacked this portion of Tahoe since I was 16 years old. It was great; although that river is way too cold to swim in...waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too cold! Posted at 9:54 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 21, 2009 AFRICA! I thought if there ever was a place on the planet that deserved to be a panarama; it would have to be the plains of Africa. These have a ratio of 4:1. We got caught in a rain storm on our last day of the safari in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. All the other tours were going in to their luxury hotels to avoid the weather, but we told our driver to push deeper into the storm. The clouds were EPIC! Exactly what you would expect to see out there. I hope everyone gets a chance to see that corner of the world. It was amazing... Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 18, 2009 DOHA! I've finally got a handle on the photos from Doha. I'm working on a micro-website now, but in the interim; here are a few teasers. The shot Mr. Crawfords apartment was taken right after we got back to Doha from Africa. Stay tuned... Posted at 11:15 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 7, 2009 NOTE: Images were taken from small Canon Elf! Armed with the tiny Canon Elf, my Cousin Richard and I grabbed our road bikes and rode around the Bay. We parked at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and rode around through Paradise Cove (which I didn't know even existed), Tiburon, Sausalito, over the Golden Gate, and down to the San Francisco Ferry Building. California is incredible...I'm sure I've been across the Golden Gate Bridge before walking but I don't remember. It was very cool; everyone should go act like a tourist every now and then... Posted at 12:15 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 27, 2009 California is an amazing place... Posted at 9:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 26, 2009 NOTE: Images were taken from Emily's iPhone! Emily and I went backpacking up to what I think is my favorite backcountry lake - Island Lake in the Tahoe National Forest. Like a bonehead, I didn't bring my camera; I thought it would be too heavy. Luckily Emily had her iPhone and we were able to get a few pictures. It is amazing up there...everyone should go. And when I say everyone should go, I mean I hope everyone stays away so it remains my "secret" spot...I just hope condos don't start to show up lakeside... Posted at 11:03 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 30, 2009 We took my parents dog Lucy out for a run in the park - how can you not want a dog after looking at these! I had the aperature too low (wide open) and it made focus difficult when she was running around a million miles an hour because it was such a small focus zone... Every time I take out my camera I figure out a few more things... Posted at 10:39 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 9, 2009 We're doing amazing things down here in San Jose. I will make an honest attempt to post more pictures of what I've been up to with work lately... Posted at 10:12 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 5, 2009 The animals were great, but without all the fun and exciting travel, the trip would be just like going to the zoo. We flew from Doha to Nairobi, Kenya. The next day, we took the (6) hour drive to the Masai Mara Game Reserve and that was an experience! I think we fell into a tourist trap and had to have a "talk" with our driver... Our plans were to spend (5) days at the park, and then drive back to Nairobi. We changed our plans, and took a small plane from the Game Reserve back to Nairobi, and that was worth EVERY PENNY! We were able to fly over the animals, and it only took (1) hour, instead of the alternative! I recommend both methods of travel, but the safari plane was awesome! Posted at 11:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 3, 2009 How good a job am I doing in getting Africa pictures up??! Perhaps if I didn't have a job I would be doing better. Here are a few, and will try to get more up when I can... Hope all is well with you - whoever/wherever you may be! Posted at 10:25 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - February 1, 2009 How about some pictures from Doha, right??! God all mighty - I was there over a month ago and have posted virtually no pictures! I just have zero free time due to work and commute time... For the first time ever, I was nervous with/for my camera while in the Middle East. It was grabbed by a police officer in Doha and he spoke in broken English, "No Camera..." I thought it was going to get taken away many times, and felt many eyes on me as I walked around with it. There were many occasions in which I wanted to have my camera out, but didn't because of my comfort level in the area. These are from Doha - the dunes and the open market. An amazing part of the world and everyone should see it. The problem is my camera sensor was absolutely FILTHY while in the Middle East and Africa...something I fixed only after my return to the US. I will make an honest effort to get Africa pictures posted sometime soon! Posted at 5:29 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 31, 2009 My Mother and I went up to visit my Brother at his home in Sacramento. It was great - got a tour of his world at Sac State. He is in his senior year in Graphic Design, so it was cool to see the labs and campus in which he spends all of his time. In addition to school, he has a job as a moderator at a computer lab - it was like a promo for the Apple iMac... Posted at 10:05 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 25, 2009 I got into the mountains. It is an absolutely disgusting how often I get up to the Sierras…I have let work take the best of me lately, and my weekends are spent resting catching up on sleep instead of spending it on adventures – something I need to fix. My buddy Scott, his wife Julia, and I ventured up to Tahoe City to visit Brad at his cabin. Oh it was epic! It was cold and it snowed, and we made shelter in his tiny log cabin – it was perfect! Posted at 10:05 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 17, 2009 As of January 15, 2009; per the State of California, I am a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the dicipline of Mechanical. I remember 2003, sitting in a lecture hall having an advisor outline what the P.E. means and how to accomplish it. I absolutely ruined my 2008 summer - no camping, no backpacking, no fancy trips...every possible moment was spent in the library studying for the exam. I am so happy I passed, and I don't have to study for it again! I thought it would be only right to post a few pictures of the book that consumed all of my time, as well as a study picture! Posted at 10:15 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 8, 2009 I was lucky enough to design a jacket for the Power Project we did in San Francisco (see below). The logo was embroidered onto Carhartt jackets for the entire project team… Posted at 11:35 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 6, 2009 I did a post on June 2, 2008 regarding our Power Transmission project in San Francisco. I was able to go back and document some of the difficult areas in which UCC crews worked through the mess of San Francisco. This is absolutely one of the best parts working with UCC - the photo-documenting. It is a great challenge to capture the flavor of what the construction industry does. Amazing! Posted at 10:52 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 20, 2008 I just had an EPIC adventure to the Middle East and Africa. During the trip I took over 2,500 photos between Doha, Qatar and Masai Mara, Kenya. I ventured to the Middle East to meet up with long time friend, Mr. Ian Crawford for a tour of his duties in Doha for a few days before heading off on the Safari Adventure. To quote, "Hopefully not a once in a lifetime trip, then at least a trip of a lifetime..." It was amazing. Both countries were rich with culture, and I was exposed to things I never thought I would get to experience. I will create a micro-website to showcase my travels, and will get this up as soon as I can. The reality of this is I know it will take many, many weeks. In the meantime, I will post a few pictures here and a few pictures there while the site is being generated. Happy Holidays... Posted at 10:30 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 1, 2008 I walked for my Aunt Carol in the 2008 Susan G. Comem Breast Cancer Walk in San Diego, California on November 21 through November 23. It is an amazing experience, and I would recommend to everyone. The pictures don't do the event any justice. Together the 4,000 walkers traveled a distance of 60 miles to raise money to fund research for a cure. It is a very moving experience... Just a bit too much pink! Posted at 8:30 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 25, 2008 We're building high voltage tower foundations in the Napa River - amazing! Posted at 11:30 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 16, 2008 TYPHOID! HEP A & B! YELLOW FEVER! POLIO! MALARIA! I'm going to visit my good buddy Ian who lives in Qatar for a week...and in order to go I need all kinds of drugs so I don't get to come home with additional "souvenirs" that I don't really want... Posted at 10:21 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 12, 2008 We had our first concrete pour in San Jose... Posted at 11:07 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 9, 2008 Emily and I went exploring around San Francisco. Such a cool city - we spent most of our time around Russian Hill... Posted at 9:07 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 8, 2008 I take pictures in a massive format, and then compress them for this blog. I decided it was time to show a little more of the detail that comes with the massive pictures... Posted at 7:07 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 2, 2008 My parents and I went exploring around Sausalito and Tiburon...WOW. I want a house in either neighborhood! Posted at 9:42 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 1, 2008 I've got a massive ammount of construction images to post from our current project in San Jose...in all my free time. I guess they are coming soon! Posted at 12:02 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 31, 2008 Emily and I studied all day in the main Library at UCLA, then went to dinner at a cool Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills right next to the Beverly Wilshire. I know this place is photographed by every tourist that comes to California, but it is an interesting place. We explored the neighborhood for a while…felt safe the entire time! Posted at 11:10 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 25, 2008 Part I I've got the best girlfriend on the planet...and it can be confirmed by the unbelieveable birthday surprise. I was instructed to be at OAK at 8:00am on September 19, and be prepared with a swimsuit, a pair of nice clothes, and my hiking boots. I had NO idea what I was in for. NONE! At 8:00am she walked out of the terminal with an envelope and handed it to me. Inside the envelope were (2) tickets to the Chicago Cubs game that Saturday night... IN CHICAGO!!! Posted at 7:00 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 25, 2008 PART II Gifts also included tickets to the other amazing Chicago sites such as The Art Institute of Chicago, The Field Museum, and The Museum of Science and Industry. I love New York, and Boston is amazing - but I must say I was so impressed with Chicago! So clean and wonderful! We were there SOOO quick, but I felt we did it right...even had a steak at a real Chicago Steakhouse. We felt like Ferris for a day... Posted at 7:00 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 18, 2008 I'm really slow - here is a third set of images from Washington. This includes our time from the beaches around Olympic Natioanal Park, to Northern Washington, to San Juan Island through Canada. The area around Olympic National Park is amazing - completely lush. I would love to make it back and go backpacking in the park. From Olympic National Park we shot up to Port Angeles and caught a ferry to Victoria, Canada. From Victoria we took a bus to Sydney. From Sydney we took another ferry back into the U.S. to San Juan Island. Total time in Canada = 3 hours. I would like to go back and see Butchart Gardens… We went on a whale watching trip out of Friday Harbor...Never did I expect to see them to the extent that we did, breaching and spitting RIGHT by our boat. Amazing. Posted at 9:58 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 7, 2008 So Scotty B is getting married, and we had to run up to Donnor Lake for his get-away party. It involved nothing; absolutely nothing - just biking and beer, and it was so necessary. Figures he was the only one who got hurt, being his party and all... Pete made a rule you can't fall asleep in the common area or you deserve to get chiefed by the group. Well about (2) hours later he HIMSELF fell asleep - in the living room! Pete - I was taking pictures and had nothing to do with the markers... Posted at 10:27 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - August 6, 2008 I was asked to create an ad for a magazine we will be advertising in... Posted at 10:27 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - July 21, 2008 Ventured up to the Pacific Northwest for a few days...what an amazing part of the country! Due to the whole lack of free-time thing, I’ll post pictures over the next week or so. For some reason I’m posting in reverse order – this is our plane trip out of Roche Harbor of San Juan Island to Seattle. And I highly recommend a pontoon sea-plane if you have never done it – it was so fun! We felt like celebrities! Posted at 11:57 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - July 7, 2008 Made it up to Camp Nedjedly for the weekend...took a bunch of photos, but my 6GB Microdrive crashed and I lost virtually all my pictures - especially the ones of sunset on the way out...AHHHHH!!! I'm so upset about everything I lost. Somehow I was able to save only (1) of the sunset - this was the very last photo I took; hardly the one I wanted. AHHH!!! Anyways - the drive was sent to Hitachi and perhaps they can recover the lost pictures (i.e. camp & the lake & the boathouse & AHHH)... I think my favorite light is from campfire; they always turn out pretty fun... Posted at 8:22 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 29, 2008 Ahoy! Posted at 10:05 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 25, 2008 Northern California is on fire and the smoke has filled the air. I thought the sky would be more orange. It was amazing to see that the sun couldn't break through the smog... Posted at 10:22 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 23, 2008 Sonoma Coast! It is amazing the wide variety of territory in California. If you have time to venture to the Northern Beaches of California – I recommend it. Posted at 10:23 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 15, 2008 It took WAY too long, but I have finally finished an Album for my trip to New Zealand… > CLICK HERE < Posted at 11:08 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 15, 2008 Flathead! Posted at 9:53 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 14, 2008 Yuba Pools! Posted at 11:14 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 7, 2008 My buddy from UCSB, Mr. Chinn, got married in Atlanta - so we had to travel to Georgia! If you ever make out to Hotlanta, I highly recommend the Georgia Aquarium - the fish were HUGE and the tanks were enormous (they had to be 3 stories tall). All I had was my small Canon Elf so I couldn't get the full wide angle... Posted at 10:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - June 2, 2008 UCC in San Francisco! I had the opportunity to visit a project and take a few pictures of the job...I was so impressed with our crews in San Francisco - it is amazing how much infrastructure is underground... Posted at 10:21 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - May 18, 2008 NOTE: All images are from my camera phone! Spent the weekend in LA. I recommend Virgin America - it was very nice, and the same price as Southwest... Posted at 9:55 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - April 7, 2008 Spent the weekend in San Diego. We were able to visit Seaworld - I could have spent all day watching the flamingos...they simply defy physics... Posted at 9:44 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 21, 2008 We went rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend. My college buddy Cory was our rock climbing guide through the park - such an amazing experience. I had more fun taking snapshots the entire time and would like to do it again... A new album has been created - Joshua Tree 2008... Posted at 4:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 18, 2008 I had the opportunity to create a "youthful" t-shirt for Emily, as she is the coach for the REV swim team... Posted at 9:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - March 9, 2008 Escaped down to SB and SLO to ride bikes all weekend. We camped on the ridge of Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara one night, and on the ridge of the Questa Grade in San Luis Obispo the other night. Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - February 18, 2008 Yosemite in winter... The Horsetail Falls were completely amazing. We arrived at the Merced River base to view the side of El Capitan at about 4:50PM. The sun set at about 5:15PM and the falls looked like flowing lava. Absolutely no photoshop work - just as I took the picture. Amazing... We built a snow wall about 8 feet tall to block the wind and help with our camp. We also went snowshoeing on Badger Pass to Dewey POint which has to be the best vantage point to see El Capitan and Half Dome. It was a lot of fun... Posted at 10:28 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - February 16, 2008 Snowshoeing on the PCT in Tahoe... Posted at 11:48 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 31, 2008 Going through all the New Zealand images is a slow process, especially when each picture is 12MB a piece... The New Zealand Gallery should go live in a few weeks so here are a few more samples... Posted at 9:18 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - January 23, 2008 Muir Woods National Monument... Posted at 10:08 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 27, 2007 One of my photos was slected for the 2nd year in a row and will be published into the Engineering News Record 2007 Images of the Year photo contest. The full story can be viewed by the link below... > CLICK HERE < Posted at 8:37 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - December 26, 2007 A new gallery experiment coming very soon... > PREVIEW < Posted at 11:17 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 25, 2007 Experimenting with 14mm @ f2.8... Posted at 8:42 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 22, 2007 Thanksgiving in Sebastopol– you could spend all day there with a macro… Posted at 7:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 21, 2007 Wide open aperture and wide angle – my itinerary for New Zealand… Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 21, 2007 "Ain't no better time than now, for Mexico..." An album has been created - Mexico 2007... Posted at 6:17 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 11, 2007 The Napa Valley is an amazing area...I know they are a bit cliché, but the vineyards are a pretty place, especially during sunrise... Posted at 10:13 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 10, 2007 I went out REALLY early with cousin Richard to find some cool locations outside Bodega Bay. We had no plans, just get lost out in the country and try to find some fog at daybreak. The result was some really high ISO pictures, really early in the morning. It was really fun, and I want to do it again. Richard is my photo-comrad, so its always a good time... Posted at 11:38 AM PST - - - - - - - - - - - November 4, 2007 The weekend in Monterey and San Francisco... Posted at 10:20 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 31, 2007 I put together an album of the construction photographs I took while in Texas... > CLICK HERE < Posted at 8:36 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 28, 2007 I was able to visit Yosemite with some friends...now I see what all the fuss has been about. Amazing. An album has been created - Yosemite 2007... Posted at 10:48 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 21, 2007 Downieville... Posted at 11:02 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 3, 2007 In the South-West corner of Texas is Big Bend National Park. Amazing. It is located way out in the boondocks, and I’m happy I made the trip down. From the entrance of the Park to the Rio Grand is probably a 3 hour drive each way. Posted at 10:32 PM PST - - - - - - - - - - - October 2, 2007 I’ve left Texas, working my way towards California. The South-West is a pretty part of the country… The first picture is so cliché, but I always wanted to take the "road" picture. The second picture is inside of my truck–every damn electronic known to man was used during the trip (I don’t know how we survived before the time of the iPod). The last picture is a thunderstorm "wall" of water that formed right in front of Highway 385 on my way south towards Big Bend. Posted at 11:57 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - September 23, 2007 I’m planning my escape; back to living in a hotel with 1 week to go - California here I come… Christmas 2006, my aunt gave me a copy of Frommer’s guide to Texas…I’m reading it now trying to figure out what to see during my drive West. I must say I’m happy that I inadvertently accomplished most of the “Must See” that the book outlines: Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse, Bob’s Chop & Steak House, Joe T. Garcia’s, South X Southwest, Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, The Nasher, Hill Country, the Blue Bonnents, Billy Bob’s, the 6th Floor, and even the very 1st home of Neiman Marcus… I can’t wait to be back on (as a true Texan would say) the Left Coast… Posted at 2:22 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - September 17, 2007 I was able to escape to Seattle and walk in the 2007 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day September 7 through September 9. Along with 4,000 other walkers, we trekked over 60 miles through Seattle to generate support, exposure, and donations to help fund Breast Cancer scientific research. It was amazing, and I will participate in another 3-Day. Out of all the 4,000 walkers, there must have been (and I’m serious) 20 male walkers – the rest female. I wore pink, I walked for my aunt, and I enjoyed every minute of it – thanks to all of those that donated… Posted at 10:08 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 31, 2007 Maybe this is a sign to get out of Texas and move back to California. This was taken atop (1) of the (3) 420,000 GAL JET A Fuel Tanks we built here at the Dallas Love Airport (DAL). The fuel farm is adjacent to the runway, so I see planes landing and taking off all day. This was the first time I saw the California theme plane. The larger version shows the motion blur in greater detail... Posted at 8:39 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 24, 2007 I was able to escape and see some details of an airplane...an amazing industry... Posted at 10:12 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 22, 2007 SURVEY! Some people do drugs - I like to take snapshots. I'm on a silhouette binge... Posted at 11:23 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 20, 2007 I was able to visit some friends out in Boston - what an amazing city. Saw a Redsox’s game, visited the MFI, had a cup of Chow-dah, and saw the Frank Gehry designed building at MIT. I could have spent all day staring at that building – amazing. A new album has been created - Boston Trip 2007... Posted at 11:14 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - August 2, 2007 This is my first post of a picture taken from the jobsite. Today we installed a shoring system for an excavation process here in Dallas. Posted at 9:02 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 30, 2007 I was able to meet some friends and ride downhill bikes for a few days up in Tahoe. Specifically, we rode Downieville and Northstar. I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, but I did play around with my new camera; which is always fun... Posted at 11:15 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 22, 2007 My comrade Ian and I have been trading art for a few years. I had his birthday present ready to give – but he is off in Qatar for a work transfer and can’t ship it out to him – so I thought I could post a picture of what it is on my blog... We both used to joke about how we never could afford a real Ralph Steadman…funny what one stumbles upon from time to time... Posted at 4:49 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 21, 2007 I did something bad...Hello 5D. Posted at 5:10 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 18, 2007 My camera broke! I can’t believe it – I feel naked without it. I used my Rebel just about every day so it is an unfamiliar feeling NOT to have a camera. I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement and am leaning towards the Canon 5D. It’s a big jump and a serious piece of equipment. Stay tuned… Posted at 8:46 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 12, 2007 I’ve taken a handful of questions on what it’s like out here in Texas; where do I live, where do I work – what is it like? So being as ambiguous as I can; here is where I spend almost all of the time – my office and conference room... Posted at 10:52 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - July 11, 2007 I’m not good at taking pictures of people – it scares me. In my opinion – people don’t like it, and they especially don’t like catching some knit-wit with a camera taking their picture – so I don’t do it. Most of my favorite photographers are those who have the courage to take people-pictures… I have a handful of snapshots of family and friends; I think I’ll put together an album for them… Posted at 11:12 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - June 21, 2007 I was able to escape Texas for a weekend and venture up into a section of Tahoe National Forest to get some backpacking in. Along with my brother Ian, and buddies Scott and Weston; we went exploring around some great backcountry lakes inside the triangle formed by the Black Buttes, Grouse Ridge, and Old Man Mountain. A new album for the trip has been created – Tahoe 2007... Posted at 10:52 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - May 15, 2007 My buddy Scott came out to visit Texas and packed his road bike with him. Our goal was to find some cliché country back roads. We headed down to Fredericksburg, a town south-west of Austin, deep into the hill country. The hill country is famous for the rolling hills and beautiful scenery; miles of wild flowers and open sky – I highly recommend as a stop for any trip through Texas... Posted at 9:15 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - May 2, 2007 I lived in Lost Angeles for (3) years and loved it. One year was spent in Venice Beach, one year in Santa Monica, and roughly one year in Pasadena. There are a lot of clichés associated with LA that I experienced, but there is also an incredible amount of amazing things that I did not expect… Since I have moved out of LA; I have updated the LA Unexpected album... Posted at 8:46 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - April 28, 2007 This is a first – I’ve never uploaded a picture of myself, yet alone a picture that I didn’t take. I wanted to post as a thanks to all those who donated funding during my participation in the Houston to Austin MS150 Bike Race. During April 21 through April 22, I rode (175) miles through the Texas hill country with over 12,000 other riders to generate support and donations for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Collectively we are working to raise $12,000,000.00 for the society. It was an incredible event, and I hope to participate in events like these in the future – even if that means I have to wear bike shorts... Posted at 9:41 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - April 8, 2007 I went exploring and found some great Texas country back roads – the Blue Bonnets are in full bloom... Posted at 9:31 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - March 18, 2007 I stumbled upon these junk cars on my way back from South by Southwest in Austin Posted at 5:11 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - January 14, 2007 I entered the Engineering News Record (ENR) 2006 Photography contest, regarding "The Year in Construction" and won. I was published with (2) of my photos from (2) different projects. A new album has been created – ENR Photo Contest... Posted at 7:40 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - January 13, 2007 After much resistance; I have finally caved to the BLOG Empire. The goal is to allow site visitors to notice updates and new galleries without searching the entire THSNAPSHOTS.com site. Also, as little text as possible; we like pictures, not text. The Blogger platform also allows for easy site updating from any machine in the world, without having to update the backend of THSNAPSHOTS.com. This way I can provide a picture update at anytime, from anywhere. Enjoy. Posted at 3:44 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - - January 12, 2007 Hello World. Posted at 8:21 PM CST - - - - - - - - - - -