Runs in the family

While I was in Baton Rouge Grandpa showed me his first camera. He said he bought it just before shipping off to Hawaii then to Korea for the war. He paid $29 for it, and his monthly salary was only $75 so this was a major investment. I would have done the same thing if I was him. I imagine in the Navy you would see some really great parts of the world as you sail around it.

It was so neat to look at this old camera. The flash was attached with a bulb still in it. A chart was on top of the can explaining which bulbs to use in what conditions. You really had to know how to photograph to use this camera. I love how the lens snaps out all accordian style. Cameras certainly have progressed, but the oldies will always be the goodies.

Chloe the caboose

This is Chloe my little, little cousin. She is the caboose of the family grandkids. For a long time we thought Nick was the caboose then little Miss Chloe came along. I got to see her again this Christmas and she has grown so much since I saw her last. And let me tell you, she stole the show the whole time we were at Grandma and Grandpa's, rightfully so ofcourse. Have fun bringing up the rear, kiddo.

Have a ball

Christmas came fast this year. Probably because I'm working and not a on a two week break prior to the big day. Here it is a few days away. These are my new ball ornaments. I got these to use in the photo shot with Ty. After the photo shot I put them in the bowl on my kitchen table. They were my lone Christmas decoration (next year I'll do better). I've always loved ball ornaments, new or old. In fact there are three ball ornaments on the tree at Mom and Dad's I'm looking forward to finding on the tree. Once I find them it will truly be Christmas!

Routing early

This photo comes from our tour of Booker T. Washington High School a couple weeks back. Booker T. Washington is not your normal high school, they focus on the visual and performing arts. As we were walking through the shop and studio area I noticed this CNC router "trash". CNC routers, or lazer cutters, are becoming commonplace at design schools and they have changed the way students do their work and they are changing the caliber of work. I used the CNC router (computer numeric control router) at Texas A&M to create my Tao panel. I can't imagine having access to this resource back in high school. What a treat for these kids. I hope they take advantage of it.

Merry Christmas from Ty

This is Ty, my friend Carrie's pup. A couple weeks back we had a photo shoot with Ty. I had been wanting to try professional lighting so I volunteered to take his picture. I went to a place in town to rent strobe lights. The guys there were very helpful and taught me how to use them. Strobe lights are the lights on stands that connect to your camera and only flash when you hit the shutter button.

Ty was a good model. But, getting a dog positioned and then getting them to stay the way you want them is a challenge. We had fun though and got some good photos of him. So, Merry Christmas from Ty.

I ran the rock

I have dreamt of running the White Rock Marathon for over 17 years. It's been my dream ever since I watched Dad run the White Rock Marathon back in the early 90's. We would go out to the course and cheer him on along the way. I remember seeing him smile when he'd see us early on, and I remember seeing the pain take over his body in the later miles. I knew as a little kid what he was doing was incredible. I knew it didn't come easy. And I knew I wanted to be just like dad and run the marathon too one day.

My turn to run the rock started back in July when Andrea and I decided to sign up and start our training. I can't imagine training those five months without her. We held each other to the schedule, we complained when it sucked, we celebrated when we hit milestones, and we shared this common goal that we would eventually achieve together.

Then all of a sudden the day we'd looked forward to had arrived. There we were on the start line. Then the gun went off. It was go time. We were lucky to have a fairly large fan club on the course cheering us on. Mom, Dad, Kyle, Ricky and Stephenie came out and jumped from spot to spot. So did Preston, Alejandro, Lyndsay, Brian and Rachel. Mara was at the finish line and Andrew was in downtown. A great crew of support. I saw the fam several times around White Rock Lake. And I saw Preston and company several times towards the end. You wouldn't believe the boost of energy it gives you to see friends and family.

Our training program peaked at 22 miles. Dad had coached me through the training, making suggestions and helping me adapt when I needed to. And, on Saturday night, Dad revealed one last little secret, one that was best kept until the night before. It was a revelation I didn't need to know until then. He said, the second half of the race starts at 22. That couldn't have been more true. Thankfully, at mile 21 Kyle jumped on the course with me and took me home. At this point I was really hurting. Several times in those last 5 miles we would stop and Kyle would massage my calves and hamstrings because they were on the verge of cramping. My finish time wasn't what I'd hoped it would be, but I finished and it felt incredible. Then I saw Dad and I cried. I finally had an understanding of what he'd done and why he did it. And that felt even better.

Thank you to everyone who was there with me along the way. You will always be a part of this awesome memory. And, don't worry, you'll still finding me running. Because when you love it, you love it.

Stay sharp

Every now and then, as you've probably noticed, I enjoy taking photos of random things. The other day I looked in my drawer at my color pencils and thought that might be a great shot with all that color. I bought these a while back in hopes of using them for some artistic-something. Turns out, so far, that artistic-something has solely been this photograph. I even had to sharpen them for this photo since they hadn't been used yet. One day maybe I'll put them to their true use.

It's a struggle these days to find time for inspiring my creativity, that's why I love my blog, it's one of my few creative outlets. Just six months ago things were so different. In school you had all the resources and plenty of time to sketch, draw or try other artistic things, either on a school project or in your flexible free time. Well, life just isn't that way anymore. Time is at a premium. And that's okay. I'm not bummed about it. But, I do look at my unsharpened pencils in my drawer and think to myself how I have to find time to sharpen not just my pencils but my skills. In some ways its like riding a bike. You'll always remember how to ride, but you'll ride better if you ride often.

Congratulations are in order

After the ceremony was over we took all the photos we needed to take of the families. But, we also got some good ones of Pam and Andrew. In the sanctuary was a beautiful grand piano. It was shiny and black so it reflected wonderfully. I got this one of the two love birds next to the piano not but five minutes after their vows. Every now and then I think a photo looks best in black and white, this is one of those. My favorite part of the photo though is that you can see Andrew's brand new wedding band since his left hand is placed on Pam's hip. It looks just right, as if it belongs there.

The bride

The girls had just finished getting ready and we had made sure the boys were tucked away. So we went down to the sanctuary to take more photos. The girls decided to take the elevator down to the first level so Pam could avoid tripping on her dress down the stairs. While we were in there the elevator made a loud clunk and naturally all the girls yelped and looked at each other with wide eyes, then laughed. You had to be there, but it was cute and I got some good photos of it. This is just after the loud elevator clunkage. It was a tiny elevator, but my lens was just wide enough to get Pam and one of her bridesmaids in the shot.

Going to the chapel

On Monday I was in Houston for Andrew's wedding. Andrew married his girl, Pam Harris. And now they are the Burlesons! Congratulations you two, it was beautiful and so were you. Andrew had asked that I take photos at the wedding. I was honored he asked, and it was a blast to do it. Taking photos at a wedding is a challenge I found, because every moment is an important moment. But, I managed to get a handful a great shots and over the next few days I'd like to share my favorites.

The joy of wine

It's holiday season and the wine is abound. My family loves wine. But, we don't have to wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas to enjoy it. For us there can be an occasion or no occasion at all. Everything about the wine experience is wonderful. Uncorking the bottle with the fun pop, pouring it into beautiful glasses, swirling it around, smelling the first of its aroma, and simply drinking it.

Between everyone in my family we know quite a bit about vino, and in completely different ways. My brother sells wine so he's learned about the sales and distribution aspect of wine. He knows what people are buying. My parents they know about the quality of wine. They are like a walking wine database. They can tell you where they first had that Cab, and if it's worth having again. They like all varietals and are always trying new bottles yet stay loyal to their favorites as well. I, on the other hand, learned about the wine making process from my horticulture class in college. I know a bit about things such as the different grapevines, harvesting methods, fermentation, and so on.

While all this wine knowledge is fun and we share it with each other. What really matters is that we enjoy our glass. Salud to the holidays!

I can hear John Denver

This photo goes way back to, I think, the summer before my freshman year of college. I went on a mission trip called Appalachia Service Project with my church. We went to up to the smokies to repair homes for deserving families. The Appalachia area we visited (where Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky all come together) is a beautiful part of the country, despite its run down nature.

One morning our team had to stop for gas en route to our site. I jumped out to take photos. These were my early photo days, with my original Canon. I found this suspension bridge that just barely skimmed over a rocky stream. I can't imagine having to walk across it. A few of us gave it a shot for a couple steps, but couldn't make ourselves go too far. Plus it was probably some mountain mama's personal bridge that wasn't made for a bunch of city kids to be playing on.

Kid at heart

This is my friend, Andrea Moon. Andrea falls under the adult-kiddo category, as I think comes through in the photograph. We went to Lake Chelan, Washington one weekend last summer to get away from the hussle and bussle of Seattle proper. It was fantastic out there. Earlier in the week Andrea had seeked out tire tubes for us to float in the lake with. And in true Andrea-form she found a new use for them. I looked over while enjoying my Saturday morning cup of joe and there was Andrea hidden in three tubes, her head barely poking out. And with the fish eye lens we had rented for the weekend I had found the perfect moment to capture Andrea as herself. May we all find the kid in us.

Finger clouds

I am walking home from work the other day and I look up and this is what I see. Four small clouds stroking across the sky. It was as if someone had run their fingertips through the sky, like you would in the sand. I instantly stopped to get my camera out. Luckily I had it with me that day. I took my photo and then moved along. Then I looked back from where I had just been and several other people were taking photos with their camera phones. Guess I wasn't the only that thought it was beautiful.

Open spaces

We took a tour last week to the new Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts. It was a fairly cool building. What was most interesting about it was throughout there were open volumes from first to third floor. This is a photo of one of open spaces, although you probably can't tell. The left of the photo is the stairs, and the right of the photo is the railing on the upper level where the stairs lead to.

I enjoyed visiting the building, not really for the building itself, but because there were all these little art kids running around in their skinny jeans with messy hair playing in the metal shop or studio. They were like little baby hippies, modern hippies, but hippies still. It was cute. Hopefully this school will teach them to develop their craft early so when in college they can find a great ways to apply it.

Inner oxymoron

A couple of Saturdays ago I decided to take a self portrait. I was wearing my favorite thift store black tee that day and it just felt right. I was in a hipster mood that afternoon running around town taking photos, while also craving a starbucks. Wait, you say, hipster meets corporate coffee? You bet. In many ways that is me, a contradiction. I'll wear chacos and go rock climbing one day, then wake up the next and put on my skirt and heals and head to work. And I'd classify both as "me". This personal photoshoot prompted me to want to start a portrait series of my friends, exposing their inner oxymoron. Because really, who wants to fit a mold anyway?

Against store policy

So this is a good one. I go to Borders the other night (the same night I went to the MADI museum). I got a cup of holilday-joe then I wandered around the store. Naturally I decided to take photos. I snap away for about five minutes then the store manager asks me to stop taking pictures because it is against store policy. I was surprised because I didn't seem to be bothering anyone. I'm reminded of my snow cone post. We crazy photographers, we are so mysterious.

Slopes of color

This photo also comes from the MADI museum. In the plaza in front of the entry there is this awesome metal sculpture. It is composed of square metal tubes. They all slightly rotate creating slopes that intersect. And at night this sculpture soaks up all the light around in the plaza. And with a slow shutter I so did I.

Museum for the madi

There is this very colorful place down near Turtle Creek that I have always passed at night wondering what in the world it is. Well I went on an adventure to find out. It was actually a museum, a museum for a form of art I had never heard of, MADI art.

MADI art focuses on geometry and bright colors, two of my favorite things. The movement began in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 1940s under Vol Froitman. Movement seems to be a bit of generous phrase as it doesn't seem to have many followers. The museum in Dallas is one of only a few museums dedicated to MADI. And, I am still unclear on the origin of the "MADI" phrase, but some on the internet seem to think it comes from the spanish description of the movement, "Movimiento Artistico De Invencion." I can't wait to actually go to the museum on a visit. From the looks of it, the inside will have some really cool works on display.

Morning makeup

What? Ashley is writing about makeup? I know you are all confused. I have never been a big makeup girl, but I do like to wear it, and I can absolutely tell a difference when I don't. So the other morning I'm getting ready and I look in the drawer at my bag. I thought to myself that would make an interesting photo; all the different brushes and such laying on top of each other. It's fair to say that most girls have a combination of all different makeup brands in their collection. In just my little bag alone I have Mac, Almay, Mary Kay and Clinique. Boys are you overwhelmed by this post yet? Anyways, I like the photo and I hope you do too.

Crossroads of the world

I found this photo the other day as I was going back through some of my old yahoo photos online. I took this one several years ago, long before the DSLR. Not too bad for the point-and-click Canon I used to have. Times Square is a very cool place. So much is going on and yet nothing is going on at the same time. Ads and taxi cabs are the bulk of what you see in Times Square. Restaurants, bars and theatres are abound of course, but the most interesting part of the crossroads of the world is watching all the people come and go. According to wikipedia, "The intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, at the southeast corner of Times Square, is the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America" Hence its nickname as the crossroads of the world.

Cabled composition

I'm not sure this connection is worth much anymore. It looks like its strength has faded over time. I found this cable over the weekend when I went billboard exploring. I like this photo, most likely because of the rusted cable. I've always been attracted to rusted elements. I think its beautiful when things are rusted. It's earthy uneven tone is amazing to me. And the connection is interesting and maybe a bit unnecessary. There isn't much to this photo and it doesn't really have a story, but I thought it was worth sharing.

A new election season

Yesterday we all voted. We all made our decision. And today we have a new President. But, if you are sad that the "election season" is over then never fear. A new election season is upon us. The-what-should-I-sprinkle-into-my-holiday-drink election season. I know. It's an important one. And the decision will have to be made over and over. With each pumpkin spice latte or hazelnut hot chocolate that we order, we'll stroll over to the bar and contemplate, "should I throw a dash of vanilla in?" or "is today the day for some nutmeg?" But, make your decision wisely because once you sprinkle it in, your drink will change. Make sure it's the change you want.

So put on your thinking caps, my friends, because you have more decisions to make.

Billboard backside

There is this billboard just off Interstate 35 near the American Airlines Center. Since I was a kiddo I have been infatuated with it. It is up on a hill so you cannot miss it. And, it used to have a fake waterfall. It was cool. I found the hill that it is on this weekend. It's near the Katy Trail. So I went for a drive to the hill. This was the back side of this monster of a billboard. It is huge. Unforunately I couldn't get any closer because of a chain link fence (the blurry part of the photo).

Take it easy

This is my little turtle (he's not real, he's made of rock). My turtle takes it easy and he reminds me to take it easy. I've been training for the White Rock Marathon since July. Sometimes it feels like it is taking forever to get ready for (it's in December). And sometimes I feel really slow (because I am). In this day and age we are all very used to instant satisfaction. Get it now. Do it now. Be whatever it is you want to be, now. Well my training has been a lesson in patience and pursuing good things diligently. Wish me luck because I'm not there yet.

The blue door

I have shared with you on multiple occasions my love for doors. Well, this is the door that started it all. Well actually there is a back story. Back in 2006 when I interned for HKS I worked on a large hospital project. One of my tasks during the summer was to "tag" the doors in the floor plans. Every door has to be tagged and scheduled. It was probably one of the most boring tasks I've ever done, but it is also very necessary. Each door has characteristics that must be called out in a schedule. So after this two week task I hadn't learned much technically, but I did learn something methophorically. Each door is unique and each door leads to something different. Hence, the beginning of my love for doors.

Then when I got back to College Station in the fall for graduate school I found this door. Well I knew of this door, but my appreciation for it grew emmensely after my return. It was this beautiful bright blue door on this old run down house no one lived in just off campus. The house leaned one way and the door leaned the other. Not a livable place, but certainly a lovable one. Well, I decided I had to take a photo of this door, but not an ordinary photo. I thought this door was special and that a digital photograph just wasn't what this door deserved. So I bought a polaroid camera just to photograph this guy.

This photo turned out great. I loved it. I still love it. The photo sits at my desk with the many other things that help me to remember. But, the interesting part of this story is that two days after I took this photo a car crashed into this home. Plowed right into the blue door in fact. It saddened me quite a bit. But, then I thought, well maybe, just maybe, the door had been given a little love and it was ready to go.

So, this polaroid is the last memory of the blue door. Cheers to you and where you led me.

Be bold, be bright

This door comes from Austin and from my five photo door series. I say door, even though the photograph is of the entire front entry of the home. As I've said before I love doors. And on this home, I absolutely love the color too. It's extremely saturated. I think people sometimes make fools of themselves and their houses when they do an extreme paint job, but this home's owner did not. This paint job works and it's fun. Plus, there were other houses around it with just as bold paint jobs.

It must be fun to come home from to a house like this. If you've had a bad day, it's got to brighten your day even just a little bit.

Number two pencils

I love number two pencils. You know, the classic-needs-to-be-sharpened-all-the-time pencil. In elementary school we used these guys all the time. I remember having smudge marks on the sides of my palms at the end of the day. I remember the anxiety associated with the saying "make sure you have a number two pencil for the test." I remember knowing what wall the sharpener was attached to in every room I had class in. And, it was a big deal when we transitioned from the old-school manual lever sharpener to the electronic sharpener. I still love the manual version best, it was much more graceful and not such a noisy nuisance.

So I keep a handful of number twos at my desk at home because I love their classic look. Every now and then when I go to grab a piece of mail I'll brush them and knock them around. They'll make that old familar rattle and I'll do a quick flashback 4th grade.

Macro vision

I got a new lens for my camera. It's a macro lens, which means it can take extremely close up shots. I wish they were called micro lenses, because that seems to makes more sense. Anyways, it is a 60mm f/2.8 which is a couple f stops lower than what I have on my 18mm-135mm. This will give me more opportunity in low lighting situations, but unfortunately no zooming capability. But, all macro lenses come in fixed focal lengths.

This photo is of my first lens, the 18mm-135mm, taken with the new macro lens. I am still so impressed with how close up I can get on objects. I went around my apartment last night taking photos of everything small, light switches, electrical outlets, the peep hole in my front door, my aggie ring. It was pretty cool. So, forgive me if I show quite a few close up shots in the coming posts.

Fire escapes of yore

Recently at work my project team has been correctly sizing and locating our fire escape stairs in our building. It's actually a longwinded task that would likely bore you if I explained it. People probably don't think much about fire escapes and life safety egress in buildings, but we architects do. In fact, we're practically obsessed with it because the code dictates so much about what we can do with our buildings. Anyways, fire escapes on the exterior of buildings are a thing of the past, but they sure had a fantastic architectural flavor. They did more than accomodate code, they were an ornament to the building.

This fire escape resides in Bryan, Texas. It looks as if it is more than an escape, but the actual entry to the office. All this photo needs is a person sitting about mid way up reading a book. Maybe Fahrenheit 451 would be appropriate.

Wipe it off

So I think this car's windshield wipers retired a while back, but then again so did the car. This ol' guy was parked in the driveway of a home in Seattle very near to my favorite coffee shop. I shouldn't say car, it was actually a truck. A beautiful truck at that. All the moisture in Seattle put a thin layer of green moss and rust all over the truck. It was truly a piece of art. Good luck to the owner getting it clean, if they ever want to take it for a spin again.

Stay focused

This photo comes from my field trip to the AFI Dallas office. I had fun that evening taking photos of their little outdoor plaza area near my apartment. Fencing in the area was this wonderful cabled fence. The new, crisp cable was held tight between old posts with peeling paint. A nice combination of old and new. I especially enjoyed the ends of the posts that had silver caps finishing off the cables. My camera had a little difficulty staying focused on the cap when I was trying to take this shot. Eventually I got the photo composed well and the camera agreed with me. I like how the cap is almost perfectly centered in the photograph, but not quite.

It's time

It's time to wake up. It's time to go to bed. It's time to eat lunch. It's time to go. If you listen people use the "it's time" phrase a lot. Well, last night I looked at the clock sitting at my desk and I decided to take a photograph of it. After I was done I realized the clock was stuck at quarter after three, and probably had been for a while. Time had stopped as far as that clock was concerned. And every now and then we'll have those moments too, where time is not a concern or even noticed. They're nice. I'd say, try to revel in those moments, but as soon as you realize the moment it's usually a thing of the past, no pun intended. Nonetheless, timeless moments are nice and to be looked forward to.

People power

I read the paper in the morning (online albeit) and drink my coffee just like millions of Americans. And while I read, like many, I wonder what can we believe in during this economic mess? Well, the answer is fairly straightforward, we can believe in ourselves. While looking back through some very old papers that I had in my newspaper bin I found this column by David Brooks written on August 2nd. It spoke to America's need to improve human capital. Meaning we need to improve ourselves and our skills. The column went on to be quite divisive at which point I tuned out, but the overarching message seemed to be right on. Each of us has the ability to improve ourselves. And we should because that's where real change happens.

The color blue

I've always been facinated with the color blue. It is, without a doubt, my favorite color. So once I discovered this building in uptown I knew I'd have to go spend some time photographing it. The paint is a bit faded on the masonry, but to me the color is still endearing. Something about blue, this color blue, is awesome.

When I was a kiddo I preferred everything in blue. I used to love to get ice cream served in the little blue plastic helmets at Texas Rangers games. I had a blue wooden egg I carried around with me as a lucky charm. In high school I had t-shirts that I wore to pieces because they were blue. My car is blue. I carry a kanteen that is blue. Simply put, I love the color blue. Why? No clue, I just do.

There is rarely reason for why we like our favorite color, but everyone seems to have a favorite. In fact, isn't that always a get-to-know-you question? "What's your favorite color?" which is usually followed by "what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

Well, I like vanilla ice cream served in a blue helmet. And, I like my buildings blue too.

Inner beauty

Everyone loves a good flower shot, right? Well, this one comes from the rainforest of Costa Rica. These guys were little cup flowers that hung from their limbs. I got up under this one with my camera and tried to take a photo looking inside the flower, which was, ironically, much more beautiful on the inside than on the outside.

We the people

Yesterday I went to College Station. It was a quick day trip to make a presentation. I took my usual route down Interstate 35 through Waco to Highway 6. I started taking this route in graduate school instead of my old faithful I-45 route. I changed my route because going down 35 to 6 was so much more interesting, mostly because I got to pass through Calvert and Hearne. Calvert and Hearne are two little towns that got left behind a long time ago. They both have the main street that you have to slow down on when driving through. Old brick buildings of stores and businesses line the street. Some are open, some aren't.

And there's this one wall at the south end of Calvert's main street that I have always loved. The we-the-people wall. Everytime over the last two years as I drove by it I thought, I'd really like to photograph that wall. Well, usually I would drive past and say to myself, "next time I'll stop and get my camera out". Yesterday was my last "next time" for a while, no telling how long. So I stopped and got a portrait of my wall.

We the people here on main street. It's nostalgic and hopeful.

Small simple space

I was returning home last night and I saw something I hadn't ever seen before. I noticed these lights uplighting a wall near my apartment complex. So I decided I'd walk over and take some photos once the sun went down completely. Once I got over there I realized that this wall was part of the American Film Institute Dallas office. The whole office was very small, but had some very unique features I'll show you over the coming days.

Here is one of the lamps that was lighting the wall. The wall is actually a temporary wall that was attached with silver bolt caps. There was a rock courtyard in front of this wall with boulders randomly placed. It was a very small yet "architectural" space.

It was a pleasent surprise to find this place. You never know what you're going to find, even on a path you travel daily, so keep your eyes open.

Lighting up the dark

A while back we drove out to Enchanted Rock State Park to go camping and just get a way for a moment. It's a relatively short drive out to the park from Austin. Everything about our quick little trip was absolutely relaxing, including the drive. I remember listening to Daniel Makins while we drove. It was just right.

Enchanted Rock is the same park where I tried my first star trails photograph. It's just outside Fredericksberg, Texas, and it's stunning. So once the sun went down, naturally I pulled out the camera to see what tricks I could pull off. I put the shutter on about a minute and half and let it run while Andrea painted the nearby trees with the flashlight. I think she might have actually turned it on by accident at first, hence the very bright spot in the foreground.

It's amazing how a camera can transform a place. To us, it was extremely dark with a bit of moonlight. To the camera it was blue skies and green trees.

Rome in a rush

Back in 2005 while on study abroad I went to visit my pals in Italy. Most of my class chose to go to the study abroad center in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy, which is situated between Florence and Rome. A couple of us from Barcelona flew into Rome. Our Italy buddies met us there. Unfortunately we had about 4 hours to visit Rome before we had to catch the last train back to Castiglion Fiorentino. So, Andrew mapped out a plan for us to see the best of Rome in our measley 4 hours. We were practically running through Rome. We hit the Forum then went to make a lap around the outside of the Colosseum then headed over to the Pantheon.

Andrew had been keeping a close eye on his watch the whole time, scooting us along whenever we were falling behind. So, we get to the Pantheon and Andrew says you have two minutes here if you want to make it to the Vatican. I basically look up, find the one portion of the Pantheon dome that isn't covered in scaffolding and snap this photo.

Literally two minutes later, Andrew and I take off running for St. Peter's Square (the others decided to hang back for coffee.) This was about two weeks after the Pope died, so it was a bit crowded. We made it there and went into the middle of the square. I shot a 360 video and then we started running for the subway. We had to catch the subway at that moment to get to the train station in time for our train. Rome only has two subway lines, so naturally they are always full. So we are running for the doors of one of the cabs, which were about to close. There was no room in the cab, and here I am leading our sprint. I just put my head down, and as we got closer suddenly the people moved out of the way and we managed to all file in. Just then the doors closed right behind Ara's shoulders.

It was probably the most adventurous day of my study abroad experience, and I loved every minute of it (all 240 of them).

The mash tuns

One Saturday in Seattle we decided to go thift shopping in Fremont. We found our way to this huge store. As we wandered around we realized there was a downstairs basement. Once we got down there we found this couch and wood wall. I instantly saw a "album cover" photo op. So I set my camera up on timer and we took a quick pic. The lighting was a litte too low, but we managed.

So, this is our band. The mash tuns. Why the mash tuns? Well, we went to brewery just before this shopping extravaganza. At the brewery they had these large tanks that said mash tun on them. A mash tun is where the actual brewing takes place. But, more importantly it's a great band name, right? If I had to guess I'd say I look like the lead singer (which would never ever happen). Andrea on the left looks like she'd be the drummer. Kate with her feet up would be the peppy bass player. And Laura, next to me, would handle the guitar business.

Unfortunately, our bass player is getting married in February, so it seems our tour will have to be cancelled. It was fun while it lasted.

Low fares, no hidden fees

Outside my window is this Southwest billboard. Last night I thought I'd play around with it in my lens. This shutter length was 1.5 seconds and I just zoomed out from the billboard in that time. Usually the Southwest billboard phrases are pretty witty. Unfortunately this one is not, but they will probably change it soon enough. Ironically though it's about travel, and just yesterday I was telling a friend I was running out of photographic inspiration here in Dallas and needed to travel. She had just been to Niagara and said it was beautiful and cycler friendly.

I wonder what the low fare, no hidden fee is to Niagara?

Marfa minimalism

Marfa, Texas is the most twilighty place I have ever visited. In way west Texas, it is near Big Bend. It's hippie to say the least. Marfans have a strong appreciation for culture and art. The whole town (that is about 2 blocks long) revolves around this appreciation. Galleries and museums are abound. Now how did this happen in a town the size of a dime in the middle of tumbleweed Texas? Donald Judd, a minimalist artist from New York City, decided to take his ideas to Marfa back in the early 1970's. Once he decided to stay he bought two airplane hangars which he intended to use for his installations.

That's what you're looking at, his two hangars, at what is now called the Chinati Foundation. Inside and outside of these hangars are installations. They are all very very minimal, which is often difficult for me to appreciate. Inside were steel boxes that were created by perfectly connected flush planes of steel. And outside were rectangular concrete forms also very well crafted and connected. When we went I didn't get it and was unimpressed. But, now, now that I've crafted my own art (the veneered tao panel) I understand how difficult it is to get perfectly flush connections. So sometimes I guess minimalism is about more than what you see, it's about how what you see came to be.

Keep on keepin' on, Marfa.

Mr. Squirrel

I love this photo. It's certainly not the best photograph I have ever taken, but the squirrel is so cute. I took this one of the Texas A&M campus while I was walking from Langford to the MSC. As I winding imbetween buildings, Mr. Squirrel popped out with his acorn.

Luckily I had my camera ready to go. He scattered away and then after a bit he slowly sneaked back out. Right as he sneaked back out, thinking I had gone, I got him in my viewfinder and put him in focus. He stood dead still. Little did he know, all I wanted was a good portrait not to steal him away. You can see how scared he is in the photograph, frozen with his precious acorn. Once I took this photo I left him alone and let him go about his day.

Thanks for the photo, Mr. Squirrel.

Blue brick building

This is from the building I was telling you about Monday. The one I went out looking for on Sunday afternoon. It's a beautiful blue brick building. On the back side of the building, which is rarely seen from the street, there is this row of planted cactus in front of an orange plaster wall. It's a nice combination of material and color. I had no clue that this existed until I drove around the building. A nice surprise. I have more photos of the blue building itself, but I really enjoyed the composition of this one. It looks a bit New Mexico to me.

The days of swing set

What kid doesn't love the swing set? This is Karleigh, my cousin Tiffany's kiddo. When we were in Mississippi for Christmas, Miss Karleigh took me on a tour of her playground. Not your average playground either. Karleigh is lucky to spend a lot of time on her grandparents' (my aunt and uncle's) land. And as far as I can tell, she owns the place. We went and saw the horses, the chickens, the stable, and last but not least the swing set.

The whole time Karleigh was showing me around I was trying to get some photos of her for Tiffany and Aunt Leila. At first, she was a little stiff around the camera, but eventually she really got into it and acted very candidly. So I asked her to get on the swing set and swing for me so I could get a photo of her. Well, she hopped to it in no time. And naturally she tried to swing as high as possible. It took me back to my grasshopper days when I'd try to do the same thing. I was having a blast and so was she. I ended up getting this shot, which I love.

Thanks for the tour, Karleigh.

Uptown Trolley

Yesterday was an amazing day to go out and shoot, so that's exactly what I did. The light was great and the temperature made it feel like a fall day, finally! So I went over to this building in uptown that I'd been wanting to shoot. While I was snapping away I heard the McKinney Avenue Trolley starting to roll up. Right as it came by where I was, I swung around and snapped a quick pic. I didn't expect it to turn out well seeing as I was hardly prepared for the shot, but it's actually kind of fun.

The trolley in Uptown is very cool. Unfortunately it doesn't come too close to my apartment, but every now and then I'll grab it from work to go to lunch. Who says you have to go to San Francisco to get your trolley fun? Just come to McKinney Avenue in Dallas.

Cars as canvas

How about the color in this photo? This is probably the most fun VW Beattle I've ever seen. I came across this guy at the Seattle Art Car Festival down in the Fremont district. There were rows and rows of cars that had been painted in the most ridiculous ways. Some had figurines or other random items tacked to and hanging off of them. It was very fun to look at all of them. Some were funny. Some were strange. Most were very very cool. Obviously Mr. Beattle and his wheel were my favorite.

The buildings of Barcelona

This one goes way back. Way back to 2005. I took this photo with my little tot-around Canon while on Study Abroad in Barcelona. A group of us went down to the new Forum Building one Sunday afternoon. A very cool building. The building itself was essentially hovering over the ground anywhere from 5 feet to 12 feet in different places. So you can imagine from that basic description this building was a tad on the expensive side. Well, the Barcelona government thought so too, and went into a legal battle with architects Herzog and de Meuron.

I took this photo from under one corner of the building. I enjoy how the color of the sky is reflected in the windows on each side of the building. Not bad for a snap-shot. Sure wish I'd had my Nikon during those four month abroad. Guess I'll have to go back sometime.