Trout Fishing in the Trinity

What surmounts to rapids on the river.

Fort Worth's version of a scenic fishing spot.

  With the release of 1200 Rainbow Trout in the Trinity River by the Tarrant Regional Water District on a partly sunny December 13th, population of fishermen skyrocketed as they attempted their hand at recreating the film "A River Runs Through It" sans fly rods and the scenic mountains. But a few of the fish were caught and people had a great time with the outdoor experience.

A mess of fish pump though a plastic tube. 

An end to a quick bout of freedom for this Rainbos.

No wading necessary in the Trinity.

All About Light

  In any visual endeavor it is all about the light. How it falls on a scene, the intensity, how it models and shapes an object. Everything that we see is only exposed by the light that is falling on that specific object. In photography that effect is what creates the mood and style of the image that we capture. The changes in the direction, the intensity and the shape of that light completely alters the moods that we see. With these fall leaves, one is rimmed with an intense late afternoon sun and the other is under a porch light in the midst of an approaching thunderstorm. The same tree and the same leaves but the look and feel with differing illumination changes the effect completely.

Vibrant colors of a fall afternoon.

blurred leaves blowing in a storm.

Beliz Brother Installation

  Seattle artist Beliz Brother has created a sculpture that stands in front of Fort Worth's Bob Bolen Security Complex that pays tribute to the Fire and Police Departments that are housed in the building which is a converted factory complex. By cutting the shapes of department patches for each of those services from departments around the country in huge slabs of core-10 steel she has created a tribute that will change constantly, with the position of the sun and the shadows it creates and the oxidizing effects of the weather on the material. The two sides of the chevron are specific to each service creating a tribute to those individuals that serve their communities.

Family Tree

One half of the family comes from a small town in Rhine valley of Switzerland, in an area where there is lots of agricultural production. Vineyards, apple and pear trees, corn, potatoes and wheat are all part of the staples, but

Grandmothe's house at Mühlenerstrasse 13, Rebstein. 

Looking over the dorm of Rebstein from the Hübe.

Cows in the alps around the Tiger Nord Wand.

Grapes that mom, grandmother and even great grandmother tended.

of course there are cows. Not nearly as pretty as the cows in the alps but they still produce milk that is used for the appenzeller cheese. To see my grandmothers house and be around the source of all the stories my mother used to tell gives a feeling of a place of home and I realize that the family everyone else celebrates close by actually exists for us as well. It is just a little more distant.

Behind the Lines

Taking photos of things that we all take for granted and how complex those items can actually be to  manufacture really floors me. The painstaking attention to detail, the quality control that goes into making pharmaceuticals never dawned on me till I photographed the process. Would never imagine how tedious the process to make a few capsules really is and all the really wild safety gear involved to protect the technician as well as the patient.

The complete concentration of the Pharmacy Technician.

Think about uniformly filling 100 capsules.

You never want to expose yourself to what you make. 

The end results of a very long and tedious process.

Sweet Changes

  It is the little things that bring on big changes and usually in small increments. On Monday it rained in North Texas, which in and of itself is not that big a deal other than summers in Texas are usually really dry. But on Tuesday I got to take pictures of a Cornish Apple Pie, and just like that, despite all the latent heat still hanging around and the fields still being green, it is already fall in my mind. Like I said, it is the little things that turn into big things later on.

Cornish double crusted Apple Pie. 

Perfect 1960 MGA

  Graham Brizendine unwittingly found the perfect way to have his pride and joy, a 1960 MGA restored and for much less money and headache than doing it yourself. You sell it to someone else and buy it back 20 years later. He bought the car when he was twelve as a project to restore but ended up selling in partially complete when he was sixteen. Tweety years later he runs across an add on the website bringatrailer.com that looked very familiar. After a round about attempt of purchasing the car he brought it back to Texas from Ontario, Canada. Same serial number as the original plates he still had in his possession, but now it is back to the original light blue and is painstakingly restored to its original lustre. A wonderful coming home story for any car enthusiast.

Beautifully restored 1960 MGA

The 1600 cc engine sports twin Solex Carbs.

Graham with his wayward classic.

A Family Tradition

  I always love a story with a little history. The Barbecue from Angelo's is one of those stories with lots of legs to it. Fort Worth has revered the brisket that emanates from the smokey confines of the pits on White Settlement since long before most residents can remember. After the recent loss of his father, Jason George became the third generation of Pitboss at the restaurant, preparing the brisket, chicken, sausage and other meats daily with constant stoking of the two fireboxes and tending to the racks of meat starting in the early hours of the morning. Though you smell like a smoke stack after emerging form the space, it makes my mouth water for the rest of the day for the tender brisket.

Jason George feeding the flame. 

Bright Life Lights

 Donate Life, the national organization to promote Organ Donation awareness gets support from local communities by getting landmarks to light in the recognizable blue and green color scheme. In Fort Worth the 7th Street Bridge, Pier 1 building and Art installation on Lancaster Avenue were all cloaked in the vibrant colored lights this weekend.

The City Skyline with lots of lights and colors.

The top pf the Pier 1 Building is cloaked in adjustable lights.

The 7th Street Bridge leads into the city.

The sculptures on Lancaster Avenue with bright colored lights.

Minor Futbol Upset

  It is always fun to photograph a little game action, and when you get World Cup contenders in town it just makes it that much more exciting. Mexico was on a tour of the United States, playing some of the potential rivals in Russia this summer. Croatia was the team they met at ATT Stadium in Arlington with the outcome not going quite to plan. The Croatian team took a 1 to 0 lead with a penalty kick in the second half and despite a frenzied attack by the Mexican team and lots of an support, the score remained the same.

Domagoj Vida (21) and Filip Bradaric (24) block Hirving Lozano (8) on a rush.

The Croatian defense is a little rough on Mexican forward Hirving Lozano.

With a pull and push by Croatian defenders Hirving Lozano goes down.

Fans ask for just one goal.

Croatian goalkeeper Lovre Kalinin watches and hopes a shot does not curve in the net.

Wet Combat

  Had the pleasure of taking some pictures of some of Southlake Carrol High School's best Water Polo players the other morning. Since so much of the game is in the details of what happens below the surface. To give the viewer a little insight into what is involved we tried to shoot below the surface so the close quarter underwater combat would be a little more obvious. The Mat, Ryan, Ashley and Cindy were great to work with and definitely got a workout just posing for me. I just love the pictures with their dramatic isolation in the vast water of the two struggling players in the unusual environment.

Matt and Ryan in a struggle for control.

Ashley defends against Cindy's offensive charge.

Ryan is blocked by Matt's Defense.

New Blooms

  Spring can not be far away, it has started to rain in Texas and with the first sunny day in almost a week things are already changing. Moving plants out after a winter of harboring them in the living room to protect them from the brutal north winds. A couple hours of direct sun and the Flaming Katy Kalanchoes are already breaking out in their vibrant red blooms. Spring must be just around the corner.

Looking for a little sunshine.

And the day is blooming.

Smiley Face

 Met a dog named Boomer, that started out his life on the streets. Progressed to living at a junk yard, making him a real junkyard dog, but now he roams the paths around a high end jewelry store. Having the run of the house at Haltom's in downtown Fort Worth, Texas he is living high on the hog. He has definitely led an interesting life but with the smile on Boomer's face you now he appreciates all the places he has been

"Let me tell you a story"

"This floor sure is more comfortable than where I have been."

"Please may I have another"

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Full Moons

Since we had such a crazy combination of full moons the other day, I actually went out and shot a few pictures of the moon. One is the beginning of the day, really early in the morning and the other version is the slightly past full moon rising that evening. Just really different looks since the setting moon was actually an eclipse.

Eclipsing, Blue and Supermoon all in one.

The Supermoon in full eclipse.

The rising supermen just past full.

Pure Luck at Mt. Baker

Snow covers everything in sight looking north from Mt. Baker.

   Now and then everyones luck rolls around. Most people try to time it with streaks in Las Vegas, running the table at black jack or pulling a winner at the slots or some other game of chance. Not me, never play the tables and really have no interest in slots. Rarely even scratch a lottery ticket and that is only when some one gives them to me.
   That did not stop a couple of friends and I from snatching an ace and king from the deck, accidentally timing snow storms in the Pacific Northwest. We planned a trip out to Seattle, hoping for some snow since everything closer was a little dry. Turns out the plans were perfect and we roll into Seattle under the second day of a low pressure that has brought rain to the area. Rain in Seattle usually means snow in the mountains to the north and off we go to Mt. Baker in the Snoqualmie National Forest near Bellingham, Washington.
   The day we arrive it has exceeded expectations and left twenty inches of fresh snow, enough to give the avi crews fits and the lifts are delayed an hour. On top of it they can only open lifts #5 and #7 since the rest of the mountain is still under avalanche danger and they do not trust all the snow starved ski rats to stay off any overhanging terrain. We spend the day ripping around in what verges on rain since the snow line has climbed to 5,000 feet.
   Over night things change however, as the snow line drops to 2,500 and an additional seventeen inches falls on the accumulations from the previous day leaving twenty-eight inches for the crews to deal with but an all hands on deck call gets the remaining lifts up and running and the whole mountain becomes fair game with avi beacons on.
   The tree well danger warnings posted everywhere are starting to look a little ominous, since the only place there is any visibility is thru the trees. With all the white stuff falling it is creating one big sensory depravation chamber and the darkness of the spruce help create a little contrast so you can tell where you're going. Rather scary looking at a six foot hole with every turn as you pass by a trunk hoping you can avoid tumbling into it. The adrenaline and fear give a tremendously exhilarating rush.
   Day three brings even more snow and now the line is down to 500 feet so it is getting fluffier and it ends up measuring twenty inches. Now the crowds start showing up, the college kids in Bellingham are ditching classes and the mid week lull has turned into an absolute powder hound stampede. Lifts are delayed only fifteen minutes thanks to a massive effort by the avi crew and then the horde charges onto fresh fields of pure white. The trick now is to stay on the steepest terrain, otherwise you are stranded in a pile of mashed potatoes, swimming like a discarded cockroach in the toilet bowl.
   The horde is released and a mad dash of skiers and snowboarders attack the terrain like fire ants over a foolishly placed foot. In an hour the entire mountain is tracked over, but the snow keeps coming and covering everything again to start the whole game again.
   The final tally is five feet of fresh snow over a four day period but then comes the news that the day we leave the temperature is expected to rise and rain is to cover the area and the whole place is closing for a few days to wait for colder temperatures to return.

   We are driving out the road as the last sloppy flakes hit the windshield, then there is just the splotchy streak of rain drops and wipers beating in rhythmic time. The three of us look at each other with stupid grins, realizing that we have just hit this storm perfectly, the only possible explanation is lady luck truly being with us.

Every surface ends up with a cover of icing.

Washington State Highway 542 only leads to mountains.

Kevin Fujii tries not to stop in the deep stuff.

Clearing snow before the lifts can open.

Kevin Fujii makes his turns above the snow to save a little energy. 

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