Final Quote

A final quote from the Hyperion series-

"But this is human life: the war, the deeds,
The disappointment, the anxiety,
Imagination's struggles, far and nigh,
All human; bearing in themselves this good,
That they are still air, the subtle food,
To make us feel existence, and to show
How quiet death is. Where soil is men grow,
Whether to weeds or to flowers; but for me,
There is no depth to strike in..."

(This might be some Keats, Simmons tends to draw from others)

Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright - Sculpture

There was a bunch of sculpture all over the place. There was one I have to go back for =(

Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright

Boom. We were talking about it, and now I saw it. I've also been reading a book that mentions it. This is a place where FLW chilled with his homies. Anyway, I was going to write a nasty comment about the rules, and getting sorta told to leave by just walking around...pictures look good tho so screw it, not worth the energy.

More Cacti

Scottsdale, AZ

So the Phoenix/Scottsdale area is a very strange place. It is beautiful, and warm to be sure- but it is as if the Midwest/East Coast mentality has been transplanted here. Luckily I haven't seen TOO many lawns, I think I may have had to knock on some door and beat some ass, but the over-arching structure that has been laid out, and the general vibe of the place is the same. Scottsdale is seriously, one huge strip-mall peppered with gated high end McMansions. I am not impressed. I'm sure a lot of these ditsy blond smoking hot girls are impressed by your Lotus Elise parked in front of your soon to be foreclosed $2mil. mansion, but I'm not. Anyway, in my typical fasion to find the beauty in everything wherever I am, I drove out to the desert (in the company rental car, woot!) to look at some cacti. I also checked out Taliesin West (Frank would not be happy), but those will get a separate post/story.

Cafe Near Stinson Beach

These were taken while eating at this nice little cafe next to Stinson beach. They had an amazing microbrewed IPA that I really enjoyed, and good eats too. Anyway, took this picture with the hummingbird at the highest shutter speed, and the picture is very very underexposed and dark. So I did a bunch of photo editing. I cannot believe how good it looks now. If you saw the original, you'd know why I'm excited. Anyway, you can actually see his wings in flight- bad ass. The flowers were behind us.

My First Art Project

So I've decided to start a project. It's probably going to take me a long time to get all of the pictures collected, but I think it will be worth it.

The idea is a collection of close-up shots (very low F-stop, narrow depth of field) of various interesting parts of the human body. Specifically, I want to do shots of interesting shadows, the way that limbs join the body, muscles and the way we see them on the body, veins, bones that stick out and cast shadows- you get the idea. Anyway, Leigha was kind enough to sit still and let me take this picture at the beach. It isn't quite what I'm trying for, but it is close and not bad for only two shots, no lighting controls, no backdrop, etc. Very little control of the situation.

Close Ups of Earthy Stuff- thanks Sam

In a Tree- by Sam

The cast of characters.

Flowers by Sam

Brian, Leigha, and I went camping this weekend and had a blast. We are all three, super camera geeks. It's official. By the end Leigha said, if I hear you guys say polarized one more time...

We'll start with some flowers.

The Essence of Foam

So I've decided that I love this picture so much that I have to make a separate post for it. Every time I look at it, this picture makes my brain get all swimy in a good sorta way. The other picture is to explain how I managed to capture this essence in a photo. The ocean happened to be foamy, and the waves were crashing up a narrow river.

Wine Tasting/Beach Fun

Religion Quote

From Dan Simmons
"Religion seems to have always offered us that false duality, [...] The silences of infinite space or the cozy comfort of inner certainty."

More Spring Showers

Sunset Ending a Great Weekend

John Henry's Farm at Apple Jack's, La Honda

John Henry's Farm regularly plays at Apple Jacks in La Honda. Check them out if you get a chance. They play folky, bluegrassy, rock'n'roll. They've gotten a lot better recently.