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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Wall of Clouds

An air Force C-130 approaches a frontal boundary as it takes off from Joint Reserve Base Carswell in Fort worth, Texas. The weather in Texas always seems to go through drastic changes in the winter time. One minute it is freezing, the next it is balmy beach weather. this front approached and the wind picked up to 30 miles an hour and the temperature dropped thirty degrees. Hard to dress for those kinds of changes and I am sure it looks rather ominous from the air.

A C-130 tries to duck into the cloud bank.

Tasty Treats

  A couple of food items I shot over the past few weeks. They make me a little hungry as I work on the computer doing a little editing. One of the perils of shooting edibles is that you have to look at them even when you should not. Guess I am going to go see what I can find in the kitchen.

The Diablo ramen at Oni Ramen.

An assortment of truffles at the Modern Cafe.

Old style Schooling

  The Ivy League school Yale, came to Fort Worth to play the Texas Christian University mens NCAA Basketball game in Fort Worth,Tx. With a dynamic first half the Horned Frogs took a commanding lead to win the game 92 to 66.

Natural Color Change

  A recent research trip took me in search of country lanes and changing colors in the Northeast of the United States. Though the time was not the best and the year looks to be only mediocre in the intensity category it still amazes me how quickly the vistas can change from day to day.  By the end of a week of scouring hillsides, the colors had shifted from greens and slight browns to a speckled red dotted hillside as I explored with a new found friend named Becken.

Becken point out the best direction to go. 

Colors just starting to appear.

The new found friend is just a bit excited.

Fallen fruit beneath a forgotten apple tree.

Harvested fields and forests with maples.

A mix of colors and conifers preparing for winter.

Flying on the Ground

  Progress effects us all and it can be seen in the wrinkles on our faces as we age. All of us deal with it in our own way, some go in for minor adjustments, others get the complete restoration, I prefer to just let it all fall down around the structural center. The buildings around our cities go thru the same metamorphisis as the populations grow. Some get torn down, others get re-shaped in increments and some get major renovations. Meacham Airport, the original home of what has morphed into the American Airlines we know today, was one of these icons in need of a facelift. The city fathers saw fit in improving the site as part of the transition to an International airport. AS part of the project Kipp Kobayashi created a folded metal sculpture that hangs in the main foyer of hundreds of what look like paper airplanes. The effect is that of a flock of birds spiraling in for touchdown. A really cool effect.

The New Meacham International Terminal.

A Really Grand Time

Philip Schreiber meets the hole at House Rock.

  Met up with an old friend who invited me to join seven of his paddling buddies to float down the Colorado River thru the Grand Canyon. Never knowing what to expect even after a number of trips, I could not have asked for a better mix of really adventurous and easy going folks. Not sure if it was the Colorado origins or the somewhat like mind sets, of all the trips, this felt the most like a real team.     The Canyon never ceases to amaze, and with monsoon season starting the water went the full range from crystal clear to chocolate milk and a few shades between. Side canyons flooding and making spectacles of waterfalls, hikes up ancient paths and all in a chasm exposing rock that is more than a billion and a half years old. How is that to make your life seem rather minuscule in comparison.

Taking a break at the Phantom Ranch boar beach. 

The morning sun lights up the entry to our adventure at Lee's  Ferry.

Silver Grotto makes the red canyon walls glow.

The crew takes advantage of the shade in Redwall Cavern.

A campfire of molten wax and coffee cans.

Our version of a Disney Cruise. 

Colors like a rainbow everywhere you looked.

Holding Up a Caddy

Every time I pass Cadillac Ranch on Interstate 40, the bright colors of the upended tail finned Cadillacs  draws me in and gets me to stop for another view. It always delights with a different perspective. More color with additional layers of paint and sometimes the cars are sitting in the dirt,but after a rain they are reflected in a pool of deep blue sky. Always a treat regardless of the time of year and this time they look so heavy from all the additional paint I had to help hold them up. .

Propping a Cadillac with my shadow.

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.