Just a Little Intimidation

  Life revolves around how we carry ourselves and the presence we project to the outside world. The attitude you project and the fear you show is read by all the creatures around you. No different in the animal kingdom. You can not convince me, looking on this scene, that the cat does not know those dogs are there. Knowing full well that they would love nothing more than to chase him all around the yard. Of course that cat also knows there is no jeopardy on his part as long as that door stays closed, and that knowledge is obvious on his body language.

Cat thumbing his nose at the dogs.

Fifteenth Van Cliburn Piano Competition

  With the site of three Steinways lined up on the Bass Performance Hall stage, it all begins again. The contestants in one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world begin by selecting the piano that they will use in their performances. The options are two pianos made in the Hamburg factory and one constructed in New York. For those in the know the sounds are distinct and those playing can certainly feel the differences. Some of it is personal preference but in a competition like this every little bit counts. Good luck to all of the pianists in the Fifteenth Van Cliburn Piano Competition over the next couple of weeks.

Rachel Cheung tries out the New York Steinway. 

Donate Life Day

  The national organ donation group Donate Life celebrates organ donation every year with events that draws attention to the need for registering to support organ donation and in Fort Worth the attention was through lighting public spaces. The Pier 1 building and the Allen Saxe Waterfall on the downtown campus of the Tarrant County College were lit in the indicative blue and green colors of the movement. A rather stunning and beautiful sight.

The Allen Saxe Waterfall

The fountains and Pier 1 Building in the background.

Up light led's allow great colors.

The Fort Worth City Skyline with Pier 1 building. 

Blustery Spring Winds

  With the full flow of spring weather in Texas, the atmosphere starts to change. The days get warm with the strong on shore flow of breezes coming from the gulf of Mexico. Preceding cold fronts those winds become really powerful, trees loose limbs, sheds jettison roofs but I tend to run to the nearest body of water to get a few thrills on either a kite or with my old standby windsurfer. Yesterday made for a really good day of it, gusts to near 50 miles an hour and warm temperatures so I opted for the windsurfer. No work to interfere so I got a chance to try out a boom mount for a camera while I blasted a quick ride. Now that is what I call a board meeting.

Checking the alignment.

Lucky sun flare timing a big wave.

Timing a jump with a five second timer takes luck.

Still have a blast just making turns at speed.

Food for Thought

   I travel around the world almost weekly, but it is exclusively with my palate. A lot of my days are spent taking pictures of different dishes for a lot of clients. It allows me to get a taste of cuisine from around the globe. This week I had a tart from a really exclusive restaurant in the area named Le Cep, a couple of brightly colored dishes from the new M bistro and some lentle empanadas from an Ethiopian cafe. I love the diversity of flavors that cultures around the world have created to feast their appetites.

A cherry tart with homemade ice-cream at Le Cep

Beef Carpaccio at M Bistro

Tempura fried prawns at M Bistro

Gentle Empanadas at Sampson's

Splashing for Spring

  The weather has been a bit unseasonably warm as of late which really starts the thought of spring. Today we got a little rain on top of it so now all the plants are really getting prepared. Peering in the garden, the first bolts of color are already making their appearances. A new day and a new dawn is obviously here with a cluster of daffodils shining brightly.

The first blooms are already here.

Blooms in clusters of droplets.

Gator Eat World

  The natural world can move at what seems like a snails pace. Lounging in the sun, absorbing a little of the solar radiation to loosen limbs. Or possibly it is a slow soak in the thick growth of a tranquil pond. In the Big Cypress National Wildlife Refuge, the American Alligators take full advantage of looking like they are even more stoic than your average tree sloth. they do not even blink in their frozen state, until there is an explosion with the equivalent of a ton of high explosives. As you scour the spot where there once was a ten foot reptile looking all the more like an over sized spiney rock there is now just a few feathers floating on the surface,

An American Alligator rests on the bank of a swamp.

Not a lot to see of an eight foot monster as you approach a pond.

or a couple of scales swirling in a whirlpool, or a  few drops of blood on a leafy bank.

A Couple of Favorites

At the start of the new year as a photographer I always end up cleaning out hard drives and come across pictures that I like, forget about, or just look different after a little bit of time and distance. So here are just a few really random examples of things I saw this year.

My favorite model shot of the year.

The logistics of getting this shot make it stand out. 

Up close of a baseball during a high school game.

Karim Jamail, proud owner of a really cool Ferrari 468.

Birds surf too, like this seagull in Port Aransas.

Rizzo, one of the funniest bulldog pups I have had a chance to meet.

Sunsets and pump jacks just go with West Texas.

A bowl of really green pea soup.

Wildflowers in a different light.

Moby's View of the World

 

What is behind me can not be dangerous.

Kimo and Yoda enjoyed a day at the beach in Port Aransas, Texas. Luckily it was a quiet day for the Thanksgiving Holiday which gave them a good view of a quiet main drag. They did not realize that they were getting caught up in a Mody Dick like tail o being consumed by a great shark in the process of sitting still.

Modern View

Even after almost fifteen years, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth designed by architect Tadao Ando still thrills me to see. It really does give me new angles and different sites every time I walk around it. I hope my nephews discover the same details in 50 years.

High School Sports

   Football in Texas has become the measure of a community. Its standing amongst peers. The win/lose record becomes all too important to maintain that place for a high school. The younger athletes on the Junior Varsity get little of the pressure, but luckily it is more about learning the game and progressing in abilities and they grow in size and strength. Still fun to watch the kids play

Trying to stretch it out.

 and periodically perform amazing feats of strength and sheer will.

Breaking for a little room.

Under the lights of a Texas evening.

Lining up for another play.

Block, fly and pass all at once.

Sitting on the runner still stops them.

Piling on for a tackle

The Great Migration

  Shuffling around in  cactus garden at an assignment today and a bright orange flash of color flittered by me. Off in pursuit I went trying to catch a frame of the butterfly. It finally came to light on a bloom and spread it s wings allowing me to confirm that the Monarchs have begun to arrive on their great migration  south. Best of luck my fair traveller and may a tail wind help you along the way.

A Monarch butterfly takes a rest on its long migration south. 

A Hike in the Woods

   Another short jaunt to distance ourselves from the summer heat of Texas and where do we end up but a trail in the woods near Taos, New Mexico. We are all getting a little slower and Kimo no longer wants to run up the trail in front of the group but he still enjoys sleeping in the cool forest grass. No matter what is going on in life, a walk on  a trail thru a cool forest always rejuvenates the soul.

A freshly fallen aspen leaf.

A view of the creek with cool mountain water.

Mule deer stare at the company. 

Kimo taking a cool nap.

A family picture Kimo Patty and Yoda in the woods.

Texas Coast

Speed blur of a surfer on a wave at J.P Luby beach park.

Summers are made for sun sand and a little water. If you live in Texas it means the obligatory trip to Padre Island and the Gulf of Mexico. Home of fine sand, brown water and small surf. When the winds kick up the waves get more surf able, the beach scene comes alive and everyone seems to have more fun. You just regret it later when trying to clean the sand out of every nook and cranny of your car. Still great fun and really inspiring to see how well the local crew of surfers can ride what elsewhere would be called shore break mush.

The Packery Jetty breaks down the current and gives the waves some shape.

Beach fires make any party better.

Playing soccer with a little extra baggage.

Lookking for a meal in the shore break.

Moving fast on fast waves.

The sun sets over Packery Channel Jetty