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!