Sour demeanor

I have been a bit under the weather lately so I completely understand this look from Ron Washington during a loss in the summer of 2012.

TCU over Virginia

Texas Christian University Horned Frogs continued their winning ways at home in the remodeled Amon G. Carter stadium with a 27 to 7 win over the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. Great weather and a good crowd on a really warm fall afternoon.

Last Beach Visit

Kimo and Yoda visit the beach again.

Last day on the beach in Ventura, California. The dogs and I walked down to the beach to watch the sunrise. On this vacation the beaches around Ventura seem to be the favorites. Big sandy areas with a really fine texture and very little debris like rocks. Makes it really great for sprinting and digging and just doing crazy fast circles. It seems to be the most dog friendly area in Southern California as well.

Relaxing on Vacation

Kimo and Yoda relaxing in Ventura.

When you go on vacation the key is to relax. For most of us that can take a little time to master. For our dogs Kimo and Yoda it seems to come naturally. After a breakfast in downtown Ventura, California we walked across the street to Ventura High School. Picture shows what the dogs thought we should do for the rest of the day.

A Tribute to my Teacher

  For the fall fashion spread in 360 West magazine we were trying to come up with a  concept and location to shoot at. Hot weather, warm fall clothes, modern styles made for all kinds of bad combinations. During a meeting I mentioned a post modern house that I had passed numerous times on bike rides. It had a Frank Lloyd Wright feel, tucked in the woods away from a quiet street. Empty, it had recently been listed with a real estate firm so it was at least possible.
  After some more discussion it was decided that it would be perfect. Propped with some modern furniture in a sparse way it would give a gorgeous background to make the cloths stand out. It really had some potential to look different.
  Some last minute scheduling problems meant I had no idea about the model or her look. She shows up with a really short haircut, gorgeous alabaster skin and really dark accents. Really dramatic stuff that lent itself perfectly to the environment we had chosen.
  As we got busy, the pics were looking great. The classic Alfa Romeo under the carport looked perfect. All along we were amazed at how different the environment felt, especially in the middle of a city in Texas. It could have been the hills of northern California or suburbs of Illinois, woods of Vermont even but not here. Asking about the history of the house, a neighbor mentions that she took art classes from the former owner in her studio. A gorgeous added section with a wall of windows looking on the trees all around.
  When she mentioned her name a chill rose up my spin. Helen Sylvestri, the first art teacher my brother and I ever had. She was a fixture in the art community. With an eye for seeing artistic talent in the very young and the ability to draw it out and help it flourish. She became a mentor to us both.
  Though my brother passed long ago, and I stopped using a brush and pencil for a much more mechanical device. The vision and senseof compositoon that she taught still comes out in my work everyday. As I looked at the images during editing, the similarities between our model and a younger Helen was uncanny. It was just a reincarnation of her style and glamour.
   I had known that she had passed a few years ago, but seeing those images brought memories of her rushing back. The last time I saw her we had passed at a local store and spoke for a brief moment. I failed to tell her that I really appreciated all that she did for me. Mrs. Sylvestri, thank you for all you instilled in every one us even if we failed to tell you while you were here. You were one of those teachers that really made a difference.

Public Market

 Sometimes I feel like I must be a true stalwart trying to hold up progress of the whole world. Whenever I see an old building with a little style or a different character than the modern strip mall faux facades I wonder why progress is defined by the razing of all that history just to be replaced by some more sameness.

Public Market building

  Lucky for the city of Ft. Worth, Texas there is someone with a similar view of architectural history. Bob Simpson started by founding XTO, a gas company but as of late has taken to restoring old things. Everything from the Sanger building to as of late the Star-Telegram and even the Texas Rangers baseball team. HIs latest acquisition is the Public Market building on Henderson, kind of the predecessor to the strip mall from 1930 with a whole lot more  character. Good on you Mr. Simpson.

Nice reject

Rejected 360 West Cover option

Just an example that a whole lot of pictures that I shoot never get to be seen except by those folks behind the scenes. This image is a reject for the upcoming 360 West magazine cover. Some times you realize as long as someone likes it, that is all that matters.

Fort Worth Skyline

City of Ft. Worth, Texas skyline.

Needed a shot of the Ft. Worth skyline for a composite image, shot this from the Trinity River Levee north of town. Slightly different vantage point than most people see this town.

Big Bang Night

Cheap date night 

A sky of fireflies

A universe of light

What goes better with a Fourth of July than a beer and some fireworks? It is really hard to send the beer out over the internet so everyone will have to supply their own. Here are some fireworks to go along with that chilled beverage, provided by the City of Ft. Worth along the banks of the Trinity River.

Wind drift

Cowtown Wakepark

Trey Fambrough lays out.

Chase White grabs a railie.

Trey Fambrough makes a handle pass.

That is an oooops.

Clay Stewart in a switch back lip slide.

Brad Smeele, roll to blind.

The assignment yesterday was to stay cool,  not really but it ended up that way. Shooting the local wakeboard cable park which was cool in a way but with 105 degree temperatures did't feel so cool till I got in the water for some low level shots. It was like hanging by the pool with some of your best crazy friends. The ones that will jump off the high board, blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs kind of friends. The stuff those guys do can turn heads, knees, shoulders and just about any body part that is not supposed to turn.

Global Rally Cross

Marcus Gronholm throwing some grass.

The "man" Rhys Millen.

Ken Block looking for a new stunt location?

Brian Deegan with a growling grill.

Brian Deegan with another growling grill.

I have watched race cars and drivers go round and round on tracks for years, but yesterday I saw cars and drivers that can actually fly. Don't get me wrong, they still go round and round. But these guys  turn both ways and they start and stop, and they have a jump that they fly over as well. Watching Ken Block, Rhys Millen and Metal Mullisha star Brian Deegan romp around and slide four wheel drive econo-boxes brings back memories of stomping on the gas as a teenager and spinning tires in my very first car.

Brazil vs Mexico

  I got to see some real futbol at Dallas Cowboys Stadium today as the Brazilian National Team played the Mexican National Team in a friendly match of soccer. Some really excited fans, lots of noise and lots of action as well. Only two goals but both of them were scored by the Mexican team. The Brazilian hotshot striker Neymar was almost striped by the Mexican defense so they really never had a chance at scoring a goal.

PGA Colonial Golf

Jason Dufner hits on the eighth fairway

  When I was a kid, I thought that golfers were either really stodgy business men who never dressed down  or really goofy clowns. The stodgy ones wore the slacks and collared shirts in some color that they would not wear to work. The clowns got to wear those bloomed out knickers and funky hats, crazy plaids and seemed to have all the fun. Over the years I get the impression that the PGA game has gotten a bit more conservative, example of Jason Dufner who leads the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. The other extreme is this group of young players that are looking for the brightest, wildest colors. It is like they are trying to stand out in a crowd like the beer guys at a ball game. In a gallery of the generic folks, Rickie Fowler in Friday's outfit sure fits the later billing.

Rickie Fowler retrieves his ball on the eighth

Track Day

Justin Moore holds a tight line.

  Spent the morning watching a motorcycle track day session at the Motorsports Ranch in Cresson, Texas.  Everything from full out racers to a couple of guys on day touring BMW's taking laps of the 1.7 mile long upper course of the club facility. If it were not for the inevitable falling down part, I would love to join them and learn to ride just a little faster. Really makes you respect the skills of the guys like Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi on the Moto GP bikes. Oh how much there is to learn. It was fun watching  kite boarding buddy Justin Moore in a different environment with his Suzuki GSX-R on the track.

Samsung 500

Back to Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung 500. Gray and cloudy with a massive breeze blowing, but it did not stop all the NASCAR drivers from playing a nose to tail chase around the mile and a half oval. Greg Biffle and his team owner Jack Roush were in Victory Lane at the end of it all. Great that the threatening weather waited till the next morning to unleash its fury.

Skiing Royalty

A shot of Bode Miller from the World Cup slalom race that was held in Beaver Creek in 2011 in replacement of the European races that were cancelled due to lack of snow. I was shooting for Rick Wilkings of Rueters, one of the finest ski racing guys I have met, comes from living in Colorado I presume.
I wonder if it will be the last time I see the most decorated american ski racers of all times in action.

Teamwork

Anyone that follows the wild and wooly adventures of my dog Kimo probably thinks he loves going out doors and running up and down trails. Getting rolled in the mud or snow while seeing the better part of his half of the world excites him like a glimpse of a morsel of steak. The big draw back, especially from his perspective apparently is having to do it with me. He usually covers it up pretty well, a quick glance away. A snort under his breath and a shrug of his shoulders as he nonchalantly marches along. Every now and then he lets it slip though, these looks of "what the hell do you mean I have to climb up there with you?" I pointed out to him where I wanted to skin up on pyramid peak and this is the look he gives me. Guess he told me since shortly there after he turns and runs back to the car in the parking lot to wait for my return. So much for having a climbing buddy.

River Surfing

It is never a good thing when an entire squad from the fire department and three police officers are starring down at you asking if you are really trying to kill yourself. Thanks to a concerned citizen with his handy cell phone they were warned that some guy was jumping into a rain swollen Trinity River in Ft. Worth with a surfboard. Of course they made the assumption that I was trying to commit suicide.
Those folks that know me well have always thought that I was a little off my rocker, and thanks to my former colleague and friend Paul Moseley at the Star-Telegram they have proof. A little later Larry Rodriguez from the local Fox 4 television news crew shows up to verify it.
I have actually been tossed around way worse while surfing in the ocean, and after the wave had shrunk a little I went out in the kayak to do the typical thing on the waves that were created by the good folks at Streams and Valleys for whitewater kayakers. As the police officer told me after checking with his Sargent if I was actually breaking any laws, "don't think they had surfing in mind when they built those things"