Shadow Boxer
Mary Jo Peckham Park
October 12, 2004 - Tuesday

Today after I ate my lunch I drove over to a local park and enjoyed the nice 80 degree weather we are having for a change. Yes, I said 80 degrees. That's like a cool front for us here in Texas since there is almost no humidity in the air today. Hehee. Anyways, I took this photo while standing on the fishing pier at the park. I thought the shadows made for a cool effect.



I sure hope this weather holds out so that we can enjoy it for a few more days. Oh by the way, way to go Houston Astros!!! Beating the Atlanta Braves in their own yard!!! Bring on the Cardinals!
 

We Have Trees!
The New House
October 11, 2004 - Monday

The house we bought is about 20 years old and has plenty of mature trees in both the front and back yards. Many of the newer neighborhoods have very young trees that don't offer much shade so I am glad we decided to get one that was in an established neighborhood.



I love trees and I know they will offer some much needed shade during our hot Texas summers. 
 

Some Berries
Nearby Park
October 10, 2004 - Sunday

We have another busy day lined up today as far as the new house is concerned. On our way to the house we decided to venture out a little bit and see what was in the surrounding area. We came across a little park nearby which I probably couldn't find again even if I had tried.



I'll definitely need to buy a most recent Key Map of the city so that I can get a better idea of what's around the neighborhood etc. Also, the painters applied the finish coat to the kitchen and the rest of the floor and they did a great job. They have some touching up to do as well as apply some texture to a few walls. I'll be sure to snap some photos soon.
 

Lots Of Work To Do
The New House
October 9, 2004 - Saturday

Since the painters are busy working away inside prepping the woodwork for the final coat of finish paint, Lisa and I were isolated to work on the exterior. The person that we bought the home from was an elderly widow who didn't have anyone to help keep the landscape trimmed. That allowed many of the shrubs, bushes and plants to just grow as they see fit. 



This is a BEFORE photo of the front portion of the house. I spent about 8 hours today trimming and pulling up all sorts of vegetation from all around the house. By the time I had finished today, it was already too dark to take an AFTER photo so that will have to wait.
 

Creative Recon Mission
A Model Home
October 8, 2004 - Friday

Today after work I stopped by a brand new neighborhood on my way home so that I can take a walk through one of their model homes. Model homes are always done up very nicely so I thought it would be a great place to get some creative inspiration.



Of course I had to pretend I was actually in the market for a new home even though I had been working my butt off on one I had just bought. I did my best to tell the salesman that I was only looking and didn't require much of his time since there were others that were there as well. Who knows, they may have been there on a Creative Recon Mission as well.
 

Some LIGHT Shopping
Lowe's Hardware
October 7, 2004 - Thursday

Tonight Lisa and I drove out to our local Lowe's Hardware store to start shopping for some light fixtures for the new house. We haven't been able to do much in the evenings since the painters are still in the house prepping the entire first floor so that they can paint.



We looked at a ton of different styles and designs and still didn't manage to completely decided on one. We'll have to come back and give them another look once we get the rooms painted and such. I think we'll have a better feel for what will look good in the house then.
 

Live Music
Blanco's Bar & Grill
October 6, 2004 - Wednesday

Our friend's band the Silver Tongue Devils were playing tonight at a local bar so Lisa and I met up with a bunch of people to have a good time. This place had a complete Texas Honky Tonk feel to it and we really enjoyed the show. The lighting was very direct and not diffused or spread out at all. This made for very harshly lit photos so I didn't spend much time shooting tonight.

Overexposed
Outside
October 5, 2004 - Tuesday

While I was out during lunch today I notice a lizard on a pole nearby so I whipped out my camera and snapped a shot real fast before he ran off. I didn't even get a chance to check my settings when I took the photo so that's the reason it is way overexposed.

Self Portrait
My Studio
October 4, 2004 - Monday

We did not make it to the new house today, we decided to take the night off and chill out at home. This gave me a chance to mess around a little bit with my camera. I decided to take a self portrait and see how it came out.  I'm not very good at taking portraits as you can plainly see but I hope to focus more on them in the near future.



Maybe I can coax Lisa into being my model for a couple of photo shoots so that I can get some practice. Learning a little bit at a time is not a bad thing.
 

Priming Is Finished
The House
October 3, 2004 - Sunday

The painters came in today to prep and prime all of the cabinets, trim work and doors on  the entire first floor. I must say that with just the primer being sprayed that the kitchen already looks better than it did with the darkened, old fashioned style.



The painters are scheduled to come back this week to put on the first coating of finish paint. We are really getting excited now since we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll keep you guys updated!
 

Mini GP Racing
Gulf Coast Karters
October 2, 2004 - Saturday

Earlier this week on my way home from work I noticed a sign that read Gulf Coast Karters on the the far west side of Houston. I looked it up on the internet and found out that it is in fact a large outdoor karting track. On the website it stated that there was a Mini GP race being held there today so Lisa and I decided to come out and watch a few races.



The main reason I came out today was to check out the pocket bike class which are what these small GP style motorcycles are called. These little guys were very detailed in scale and were a blast to watch as they ran the track. The weather was very poor today with a constant drizzle and constant cloud cover. That weather made for bad photographing conditions as well as racing conditions since we saw many of the pocket guys flop over and slide around a bit. In fact it was very funny to see these guys lay the bikes down so to speak but luckily nobody was injured since they already sit fairly low to the ground as it is.



I will definitely plan to make it back out to catch some Karting action as well as keep an eye out for another Mini GP race. It was very neat to see and I'd like to get a chance to really look over one of these bikes next time.
 

My New Models
My Studio
October 1, 2004 - Friday

As I have been browsing various other PAD Galleries I've noticed an increasing number of photos which include wooden manikins. So I got inspired and ordered a set for myself which came in today. They only ran about $4 each from online and are about 12" tall.

Decisions Decisions...
Going Over Samples
September 30, 2004 - Thursday

The Corian samples Lisa ordered the other day finally came in. We only saw like four samples online that we were interested in. We plan to replace the Formica countertops in January after we get everything else in the house completed. I don't think we'll be able to decide on a color until the kitchen is completely painted and tiled.



Now picking colors to paint the rooms throughout the house has been a chore in itself. Both Lisa and I have changed our minds on several different colors a number of times but I think we finally chose the ones we will use. I had no idea that picking paint colors could be so stressful... Hehee.
 

Millie Bush Bark Park
George Bush Park
September 29, 2004 - Wednesday

Yesterday as I left the small Remote Controlled airfield I had noticed a rather large dog park on my way out of the park. I did see a ton of dogs and their owners out and about having a good time etc. I decided that today after work, I would go there to photograph some of the not so wildlife animals. The park is named after President George Bush's dog Mille, Mille Bush Bark Park. The park is very large and completely fenced in so that the dogs can run loose. There is one large manmade pond (which a second under construction) for the dogs to swim and play in. I had a lot of fun just photographing the dogs so I can see this as being a spot that I frequent just to get some camera time in.



The lighting was very nice to work with since the sun was going down and gave a nice golden hue on everything. Early in the morning at sunrise and late in the evening at sunset is referred to as the "Golden Hours" in photography. That is when sunlight is at about the best strength to photograph in.



I met a few people who were interested in buying prints of their animals at pay so I gave them the website address since I don't have any business cards printed. I have been planning to get some cards printed up and now I think I will finalize a card design this weekend and send them off to be printed. 



I definitely plan to come back out here maybe Sunday evening so that I can get some more experience shooting candid animal photos. After looking through the various photos I took I have found some things that I need to avoid and things that I need to do differently. All in all I did learn a lot today about photographing animals so it was definitely worth stopping by to shoot.
 

Bayou City Flyers Club
George Bush Park
September 28, 2004 - Tuesday

Today I decided to drive through George Bush Park on my way home from work to see if anyone was flying their Remote Controlled plane out at the RC Airfield. I had always heard about this place but never once stopped by to check it out. Once I got there I noticed a small tiny looking plane up in the sky flying around so I got my camera and walked over to the runway area. Well the photo below is of the so called "tiny little plane" that I had seen and it had a wingspan of about 5 feet.



The plane was so far up in the sky that I completely lost sight (literally) of what scale it actually was. Once it came down for the landing I was very surprised to see the actual size. This thing was huge! I saw a few flyers posted around that they will be holding an RC Plane Pylon Race this weekend so Lisa and I may have to stop by and check it out.