L I F E

Check out my NEW blog

2008-02-15T19:24:00.002-05:00

Yeah, so I never update this one....but I'm starting a new one dedicated to cycling and hiking and general adventure stories and pictures. With summer coming, I should have plenty to write about - plus it gets me back on my bikes, and gets a camera back in my hands.

I hope you enjoy reading it as I will writing and shooting for it!

See you there!

Check out "In it for the long haul" blog here!

Time for a break.

2008-01-29T20:47:00.001-05:00

I'm getting that restless feeling again. The one that comes on every 3-6 months, that makes me not want to get out of bed on the five (or six...sometimes seven) days a week that I get paid to do so. The one that makes weekends and the few hours I get to spend with the girls before they go to bed way too short.

I think everyone has been here. It's nothing new.

I know what to do when I get this feeling. I get outside. I take a day off work to spend with my family. I ride my bike, or work on a project around the house. I say "no" to things I don't want to do, or things that will interfere with any of the things I value in life.

So, this weekend when the girls where napping I went for a hike. It was a cold day, but it was sunny. The brisk wind and sun on my cheeks was great. I even took my radio along and had a conversation with my dad while I hiked. I couldn't have been happier.

On Monday I asked my manager for Wednesday off, so I could have some time for myself. I have a few appointments to take care of in the morning, but when I get back home Lauren and the girls and I are loading up and heading to the Children's Museum. It should be a good day with the family, and a day to recharge before jumping back into it.

Plane Watercolor

2008-01-26T16:55:00.000-05:00

I recently have been gathering...I won't way collecting...but gathering old tools for a woodworking project I might take on in the spring. One of the tools I have acquired is an old Stanley Bailey No. 4 plane. It's old and made of wood and brass. I took some time to get to know it, and painted it for fun (and practice) one night.

Today's episode of "This New House

2008-01-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

We moved in 6 weeks ago, and I'm just getting around to finishing up the bulk of my little projects. The first weeks were filled with the essential projects...kiddie-proofing the entire place, setting up furniture and shelves, insulating the garage and attic space, digging ditches around the house where the settling has caused ponding around the foundation, and just trying to keep everything running smoothly.

Well, now that all the initial "break in" period is over on the house, I have been able to work on the small upgrades we've had planed. The first being the counter top extension that the builder hopelessly flubbed up a couple of times before we just told them to stop trying and that I'd build it myself.

Here are some photos:

I built the frame using poplar for the front and side skirt boards, and laminated 3 1x3 planks to build the leg with. The backside and hidden side skirt boards are made out of pine - because it was cheaper.

I used the Kreg fastening system. They are the fastest and strongest way to join wood together that I've seen. It's basically a jig that you drill a hole with, then use screws to attach the wood. You'll notice in the photo the holes that look like they are angled - that's the Kreg "pocket hole" where the screw goes.

I took the laminated stock I made down to my dad's shop to do the leg. He built a jig for his table saw to taper it on two sides. This photo shows the frame (the skirt boards and leg) in the basement, ready for paint.

And here's the finished project. My dad, again using his expertise, helped me cut and laminate the top. He really did all the work on the top since he had the tools and technology to do it. It turned out great!

Some detail shots:

Frampton Comes Alive

2007-12-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

I went out at lunch today to run a few errands. I usually don't listen to the FM radio, I'll listen to my amateur radio to see if anyone has anything good to say. This morning, though, I was annoyed with the same old stories from the same old guys, so I turned it off and turned on the FM.

I was tuning around and I stumbled across an old familiar tune. I knew as soon as I heard the bass line who it was and what the song was. It was Peter Frampton's "Do you feel like I do?" I loved this song, and the album "Frampton Comes Alive".

---

In the family room my parents used to have a record player hooked up to a stereo system. Somewhere between my mom's Kenny Rogers albums and my dad's Beatles and Quiet Riot albums lived "Frampton Comes Alive" – an album that pictures Peter on the cover with his awesome 70's hair and neon glow. I remember when I was just started to get interested in music, I would dig through the record collection and listen to this album. I was especially interested in the guitar technique, one which Frampton pioneered, which allowed him to "speak" the chords with a special device that went in his mouth. He'd play a guitar lick, and manipulate the sound with his mouth – in effect, talking with the guitar.

It wasn't long until I got my license and my first car – a hand-me-down pickup truck from my dad. Of course, I had to hook up a stereo, and when I got the CD player plugged in, Frampton, Hendrix, and the Beatles were there to jam.

I can vividly remember sitting in my truck one weekend while my dad was cutting or bailing hay (which we used to do a lot when I was a teenager) sitting in the late fall sun, listening to Frampton's eerie "Dooouuu youuuuu feeeeeel………..lyke Eii dooooo…" from the guitar.

Who was that kid? Am I still him? It seems like a lifetime ago – so long ago that I don't remember what I wanted to do, or what I wanted to be. I wonder what I'd think of myself if I met me back then. I know for a fact that the kid in the pickup truck never thought he'd have a wife and twin girls waiting at home every day. I don't think I even thought I'd live past 20 years old when I was a teenager. It was unfathomable. But here I am, and I'm thankful for the little things that spark up old memories - from something as simple as a song.

Old machinery pictures

2007-12-02T20:54:00.001-05:00

I found some photos of my dad's antique machinery tonight and decided to post some up.

1 year gone by

2007-10-30T09:08:00.001-04:00

October 16, 2006 was a crazy day. I went to work in the morning like every other day before. I sat down at my desk and started working. I knew in the back of my mind, though, that today felt different. Today something big was going to happen.

It was a Monday. Turns out that it would end up being one of the best days of my life, because it was the day you two were born.

You came to us late in the afternoon, all puffy eyed and purple colored. I remember when I first saw you I was scared. I knew you were in good hands, as the doctors at Clarian North are top notch, to say the least, but as a dad I was helpless. All I could do was stay with momma and hope that you'd be fine.

I remember the nurses telling me to come over and see you, but I couldn't. My legs wouldn't work, so I just watched them work on you from where I was. There were about a million people in the room at the time, anyway, so I couldn't get much closer. They eventually brought each of you over to me and your mom before taking you upstairs to get you into your room. Even though we'd only known you a few minutes, I already missed you.

Once momma was put back together (literally), and into her room, I came down to the NICU to see you. You both looked pretty good, and the nurses said you were doing very well. You were hooked up to all kinds of things, but the nurses said most of them would be gone by morning. I spent a few minutes looking at each of you through the thick plastic incubators they had you in to keep you warm, and went back upstairs to settle in with momma.

I didn't sleep well that night. For one, I was on a fold out recliner thing in momma's room, which was not very comfy. It was better than not being there with my family, though. I also didn't sleep very well because I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. I had become a dad. I had new responsibilities and obligations, and new people to get to know and love. Unlike some people's outlook of having a baby being the end of their "single" life, I felt like my life was just really getting started.

A year later, looking back, I wouldn't change a single thing. We've been through a lot this year, with moving out and into the apartment, our house getting ruined and rebuilding, and learning all kinds of new things. I'm still trying to master the art of changing diapers without making a mess, and how to get soap out of your hair without drowning you. Daddy doesn't have hair, you know…so I'm no good at washing yours.

So girls, even though this post is late, happy first year. It's been the best, and I can't wait for many, many more.

Love, daddy.

I'm back and stuff.

2007-10-25T20:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm putting this back out there. It was never really gone, I just changed the link to the front page while I decided if I wanted to keep blogging or not. I've decided to keep blogging.

So, lets get right into it. I've got a big idea for a photo project...since I didn't get any photos when I was in Cleveland - due to weather and a serious migraine. This project includes 9.5 hours on a Greyhound bus. Yeah, 9.5 hours. It's the cheapest way to get to Akron for Thanksgiving without driving my car. Why not drive, you ask? Well, because Lauren is going out with the girls earlier in the week. I'm on call the actual week of Thanksgiving, so I have arranged to take Friday Nov. 16th off to go out to be with her family and have a pre-Thanksgiving dinner that weekend, and come home with Lauren and the girls on Sunday. I want to ride with them, so I need to get up there without a car. Enter Greyhound.

We've priced out renting a car, which I've done in the past. We've also priced out train tickets. Turns out you can take a bus for 37 bucks! How can you beat that?

I'll tell you how. You take that 37 dollar bus ticket, you pack a carry on sized bag with an old camera, some film (yeah...if you're going to ride on a bus, you might as well use film to capture it....) and 9.5 hours of opportunity. How can you go wrong with that? It couldn't be ANY worse than the 21 hours I spent on a train to New Orleans once.

So, and I keep thinking about this, I'll keep you up to date. And even more fun, when I get back and have the photos, I'll be sure to put a gallery out there to view.

Peace out, and thanks for coming back. I promise to update more often!

New photo project

2007-09-19T11:04:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I wrote. I've been busy trying to clear out project after project that I said I'd do and haven't been able to get to.

Work is finally slowing down, and we aren't working the long hours we had been. It's still a grind, though. I need more creative work during the day. Trying to be creative at night and weekends just doesn't work for someone who actually wants to see their family.

I just finished up shooting what will probably be my last wedding. I've just decided that I'm not cut out for wedding photography. I think I enjoy just taking pictures without the pressure of having to "get the shot". I used to think I'd love being a wedding photographer, but the nervousness and anxiety I have before, during, and after a wedding just make it no fun. I'm a wreck bascially until the bride see's the photos and approves them. Up until that point, I second guess myself, worry that my pictures aren't good enough, or that I missed something, or they won't be what the clients wanted. That's when "art" turns into "work" for me, and I want to get back into the "art" of it.

I'm not closing up shop completely. I'm going to work on more studio-type work, portraits, and just shooting for fun. I've got an idea for a small project for myself that I'm going to do in a couple weeks when I got visit Lauren's family in Ohio. I'm going to drive up to Cleveland and go to the lake in search of boats. I want to take a series of close up shots of boat parts - sailboats if possible, but any boat I can get close to will work. I want to crop these parts closely and make a series of maybe 4 or 6 4x4" or 6x6" prints to frame and mount.

I've been thinking a lot about the sea lately, and about Maine. I miss it. I'm hoping this project will render a few photographs to put in my office that will remind me about sailing and boats, and life outside the 4 grey walls I sit in 40+ hours a week.

Sept. 11, 2007

2007-09-11T07:53:00.001-04:00

Today marks 6 years. I still remember where I was, and what I was doing when I heard the news of what was happening in New York. It still saddens me to think about it.

But more than sad, I'm angry. President Bush vowed to find Bin Laden and bring him to justice "dead or alive". Six years later, that scumbag is still on the loose, putting videos out to try and rally is radical followers into attacking us again. Meanwhile, our government is more interested in fighting in Iraq...and for what? Oil you say? Isn't finding and capturing Bin Laden the entire reason we mobilized and went over to fight?

I only have to ask this: how, in six years time, can one man not be found? If you or I didn't pay our taxes, and there was enough money involved that the government wanted to come after us, I guarantee you we would be found no matter where we went. They found Saddam, hiding under a house in a hidden cellar for god's sake, and we can't find Bin Laden?

I can only assume there is some underlying reason Bin Laden is still "missing". He's probably in Texas, having tea with Mr. Bush, talking about oil prices and how to plan the next "shortage".

I say we send Dog the Bounty Hunter over there. He'll find 'em!

One more lonely night. One more lonely day.

2007-08-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in my classroom tonight, waiting. Tonight was lab night for my students, so I lectured for about 40 minutes, then cut them loose to go and find a lab to work on their final projects. Since I'm on call, and since there's no room in the already cramped labs for me, I told them I'd hang out down here in the lecture room if they needed me. I've got all I need to entertain myself for 2 more hours - a laptop, an internet connection, and a damn support phone that rings every 15 minutes. It's utter utopia. NOT!

But, I've been alone for almost 2 weeks now. I miss my wife and babies something awful. Its funny. Sometimes when I'm stressed out and the babies are crying in the background and I've got to get something done, all I want is quiet. Oh, what I wouldn't give to hear those babies screaming right now.

These couple weeks I've caught myself going into the nursery when I wake up to check on my little buddies, but they're not there. I've caught myself looking over at night only to see an empty bed next to me. Although my cat has taken to sleeping with me again, which he used to do when it was just us in an apartment.

The night before last I went into the babies nursery and turned on their favorite CD - ocean waves, and sat in their rocker and just listened. It was calming, but made me miss them even more, and soon I had to get up and leave the room. It was just too much.

I'm just afraid my babies won't remember me, and be scared of me when they see me. That would break my heart.

I just keep counting down the hours. There are two big events that happen tomorrow which will release me of a ton of stress. First, when the next sucker gets into work I hand this support phone off to him. That will be like 2 ton of bricks taken off my back. Then around 3 or 4 pm I'll proudly stand up from my desk, shut off my computer and walk....no...RUN out to my car and try to get to Ohio and my family as fast as possible. The babies will go to sleep, but hopefully Lauren will still be awake, and I'll have a big hug for her when I see her.

Ping Pong

2007-08-27T12:35:00.001-04:00

As of late I've started to think of our housing situation as a ping pong match. It seems like almost weekly we back out of this deal, then get back on board, only to repeat it again and again. It's really tiring.

First, Arbor has a very bad tendency to say everything you want to hear while you're standing in the office, and then when you go out to the site you see all kinds of discrepancies. That was always the case with our first house. We'd demand for a fix of something, they would say they were back there working on it, and we'd walk in to find the problem area still there, and in the process find 3 or 4 more issues.

I thought we were finished with that process when we walked away after the great flood of '07. But no, like morons we were lured back into trouble with promises of lower pricing, upgrades, and a "personal commitment" to getting us into the house we wanted and deserved. That, to say the least, hasn't been panning out.

On Saturday I walked into the office and told them we were through. Finished with their empty promises and lies. Finished with the constant disappointment that we've dealt with for the last 6 months. I thought, for a minute, that we might actually walk away for good this time.

Then, once again, we're being lured back in. I don't know what will happen, but we've made them commit to getting us in the house by the first week of December. We told them if they can't do that, we're walking away and want all of our money back. So we'll see what they have to say about that.

1984 (remastered)

2007-08-22T08:23:00.001-04:00

I found something while rummaging through boxes yesterday that I am jamming to today. I forgot I even had it, but I bought Van Halen's 1984 (remastered) album forever ago. It had been in a stack of CD's and I must have overlooked it when I loaded everything into my iTunes/iPod. Well, I popped that sucker in last night and loaded it, and this morning I am JAMIN IT!

I forget how awesome that band is. This one is about half crunchy Eddy Van Halen guitars, some bad ass 80's synth, and of course "Diamond" David Lee Roth on vocals. The way it should be. None of that "Van Hagar" crap!

So anyway, if you don't have this album, and you like Van Halen, get it. You should have it anyway....just in case your kids ask you one day "Daddy, who's Van Halen?" Whip this baby out and crank "Hot for Teacher" or "Panama" so loud the neighbors call the cops. I guarantee they won't ask again!

"PAAAAA NAAA MAAAAA!"

Today my domain peace'd out.

2007-08-10T21:35:00.000-04:00

Yeah, this morning was fantastic. I woke up to no email, no website. No nuttin.

I called my hosting company. They said my domain had expired. I told them, well, renew it. They couldn't. It was owned by my previous hosting company.

So I called them, the lazy sods. They told me that yep, the domain was expired. I should renew it with my current host.

That's excellent.

I called my current host back, and after begging them to look at it closer for me, they determined that the domain name was owned by Tucows.com. A domain name reseller. I did a whois lookup on myself at that site, and wouldn't you know it, my old host still had control.

I promptly called them back up and demanded that they give me access to something that allows me to reinstate my domain name, since they DID have control over it, and I was basically dead in the water until they did something.

Finally, they set up a temporary account for me to pay for and re-register the domain name. Within minutes, it was all kittens and daisies, and I was back up and running.

I was nervous about it because I just got last weekend's motorcycle race photos up, and I was freaking out because people have started purchasing photos. If they couldn't get to the site...they couldn't get photos...and I'd lose money. That would suck.

We are settling back in for another 4 month stretch of Arbor rebuilding a house for us. They found the presence of mold contamination in the house finally early this week. We pulled out of the deal immediately, telling them we were finished. They called us back and offered us a deal we can't really walk away from, so we decided to give it a try again. We'll see if their word holds true on Sunday when we go see the paperwork. Here's hoping for some good luck to come our way!

Looking for a weekend.

2007-08-02T08:27:00.001-04:00

Well, it's Thursday. Finally, in what will go down as the second longest week ever. Last week would be THE longest week ever - sorting out all of the house stuff and getting plans in order.

This week has just been a long week for me and Lauren because I've had to work late almost every day. Sunday was a bad day because I was on call for work, and basically what was supposed to be finished by 9:00am so I could do my part of the job wasn't finished. They kept saying "One more hour. Call back in an hour." and "Check back in 2 hours," all day long. That lasted all day, and all night, and into Monday. I handed the support phone off mid-day Monday, and someone else had to deal with it, but after being up all night and having to work all day, I was beat.

Then I worked late Tuesday and last night, and tonight I teach and probably won't get home till 10:00.

I know...cry me a river. Right?

Well, it just seems like forever since I had a weekend, and I'm really looking forward to this one. It seems like I've been on call for work for the last month, and finally I have a few weeks of "freedom".

This weekend my dad and I are going to go do some target practice, and then have a walk through inspection of our house. We've decided to go ahead with fixing it, and so far Arbor has done a great job of "saying" they will fix what we want. Now it just comes down to them actually "doing" what they are "saying", if you're savvy.

Sunday I am shooting another track-day race at Putnam Park Road Course - which should be fun. The last time I was there - the rainy day, I found a couple of new spots to shoot from and get some really good photos. So, I'm excited about trying those spots out again, and spending the day in the sun. It sounds funny, but when you're cooped up in a cubical for long days, a sunburn doesn't sound so bad...

I always end up missing my family when I'm out there, though, but knowing they'll be home waiting for me gets me through.

I'll post pictures when I have a chance!

Good morning from Limbo.

2007-07-25T08:55:00.001-04:00

Monday will probably go down as one of the worse days of my life, so far.

No, no one died. No one is sick. We're all healthy and well. What made this day so horrible was the news I got around 9:45 AM.

See, we have been in the process of building a house, as most of you know, for the last 4 months. We've been in a cramped apartment since our house sold in March. We've grown to hate out neighbors, their lack of respect for quiet, good parking spaces for Mom's with twins, and the ants who terrorize our apartment, crawling out in hords at every single crumb that reaches the floor. To put it lightly, we were all too ready to leave the apartment and never, ever look back.

We were scheduled to close on the house at 11:30 AM on Monday. We had been in the house on Sunday around noon, to have one last look at everything and iron out the details of "the carpet fiasko" which you can read about in detail on Lauren's blog. Everything looked great, and we were actually ready to sign. They even agreed to replace all the carpet for us after closing, just to make us even more happy.

Then, at 9:45 AM on Monday, I got a call that was something like this:

"Tom, it's Sam (our project super.). I don't know how else to put this, but your house appears to have been vandalized last night. Someone got in here and turned the washer hookups on the second floor on, and water has ran all night. The house is flooded. I'm not putting this lightly...the water damage is severe."

I was stunned. I had to have him repeat it...and then say "So we're not closing today?"

After talking with him for a bit longer, asking him if he knew what happened, how someone got in, and why someone would do this to us, I hung up the phone.

That big lump that I've had in my thoat so many times in the last year came back. Now I had to tell Lauren that our dream house, our ticket out of the apartment, was ruined. We were back at square one.

Of course, when I told her, she was devistated. I had to leave work to comfort her, and to meet with the builder and try to figure things out. When I got home, we both had a good cry. It wasn't the house, it wasn't even the fact that someone was so horrible as to do this to us. It was the fact that we've had our hearts set on this ideal place for 4 months, only to have to come crashing down the day we were supposed to take possesion.

As of today we still don't know what we're going to do. The builder is being very slow in responding to our questions. We need to make a decision, because we're living in boxes right now, and we only have our apartment for 3 more weeks until we have to be out.

I can't tell you what I'd do to the person who did this to us. He was trying to get revenge on the builder, they think, but what he did was put a family out of a home. Do you know what it's like to wake up and have to worry about where you're going to live - and still try to concentrate on a job, your family, and all of life's details? It's not fair. I'd love to get my hands on this person. I'm not an angry person, but this causes unspeakable rage in me.

So, for now, we're still in the apartment...waiting it out. Hopefully we'll get some information today from our builder and we can make our decisions and start working our way out of limbo.

iPhone first look

2007-07-19T13:44:00.001-04:00

Well, today my cubical neighbor walked over and plopped a shiny new iPhone on my desk.

At first I laughed at him for spending $650+ for a phone, but quickly found out that it's more than a phone. It's really the smallest little hand held computer I've seen. If anything, being a phone is the last item on it's list of coolness.

It can surf the web, has iChat built right in, gets email, weather, google maps (with satellite view), and web browsing, among all of the other widgets that you can get for Mac OSX. It's like a pared down version of OSX, actually, and in a handheld package.

I thought it would be junk, but after playing with it for a few minutes, I quickly understood the mass appeal of this device. It's pretty amazing. When you tilt the thing, the screen changes from portrait to landscape view, just like the commercials. I though that was some clever effect done for tv, that you would have to hit a button to really do it, but no, it's "automagical". I thought having no direct input buttons would be weird, but they've thought of everything, and it is actually quite easy to use and get the hang of.

One cool thing I couldn't believe was that if you "pinch" or "push" the screen, it zooms into web pages and stuff, again, just like the commercial.

Now all Apple needs to do is get it down in a price range that more people can actually buy it, make it through this first year without a mass hardware failure rearing it's ugly head., and it will seal it's own fate - being the have to have device that the iPod has enjoyed for the last 5 or so years.

I'd say if you can buy Apple stock now, get a few shares. This is going to be big.

New CD

2007-07-17T07:48:00.000-04:00

It's raining this morning, but I've got a great big smile on my face. I'm not sure why, but I feel really good about this day. All things should point to me being in my usual surly mood. I am on call for two separate applications for work, so I have 3 cell phones strapped to me this week, until Thursday afternoon. It's a hassle, but a necessary evil to work here...so I can't complain..at least not too loudly.

I think a big part of my big fat smiles has to do with my new CD, which I'm loving. It's the "newer" Modest Mouse cd "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". It's awesome! I say "newer" because of course it came out in February, but I wasn't paying attention and didn't know about it. While we were in Maine I kept hearing one of the songs, Missed the Boat, and I loved the song. Luckily it was on high rotation up there, so they played it all the time, or at least seemed like every time I got in the car it played at least once. So when we got back in town, my wife got on Amazon.com and ordered it for me. It came last night, and I've been jammin this morning.

So, even the support phones and rain can't keep my down today. Today is MY day.

Things are back in perspective now.

2007-06-25T12:27:00.001-04:00

Today I received an email about a co-worker of mine. His wife was 5.5 months pregnant with their second child. Over the weekend, she went into premature labor, the baby was born, and passed away after being on the earth only 3 hours. He was just too early.

As I read the email, my heart sank. I remember when our girls were born, and the fear that I had for the last few weeks that something like that would happen. It wasn't something I could think about too much, but it was always there, looming in the back of my mind.

I remember having a conversation with the co-worker on Friday afternoon, about funny stories of having pregnant wives. How the men usually gain as much weight as the pregnant moms do, and how his other child was having fun calling his wife "Big Momma".

So, when I read about their loss, I felt it too. That fearful feeling came back, and I immediately felt how lucky my wife and I are to have been given two healthy baby girls. Even though the first couple of weeks were tough, they made it and are doing great now.

I had forgotten that feeling. That lump that swells up in your throat when you think about these things. Now things seem to be back in perspective. I think I'll call my wife in a little bit and see how she and the babies are doing...and be thankful for what we have.

Wedding Season!

2007-06-24T07:43:00.001-04:00

Well, it's officially wedding season! I shot my first of the year (as second shooter) yesterday. I didn't shoot a lot...I mainly observed and helped with lighting. I need to learn more about how to pose groups of people, so watching Debby work is the best use of my time. She's brilliant...she just points and people fall into place, where I try to talk people though it, and I get looked at like I'm some kind of alien. I sometimes wonder if I'm not speaking English! I guess since she's been doing this 26 years, she knows how to non-verbally direct people. But anyway, I always learn something on these assignments, so it's time well spent. I did take some photos, and this morning while the girls are still sleeping I took a few into photoshop and played with them. Here are some results!

Come on JULY!

2007-06-12T12:29:00.000-04:00

I have to take a second out of this day to write about some fun stuff coming up in July that I am super excited about. We're going back to Maine, and we're taking the kids with us! I can't wait to show them where mommy and daddy were married, and to let them crawl through the halls of the old house Lauren's family has been returning to year after year for a very long time. Hopefully they'll continue to go back each year to experience Maine for what it really is...a beautiful place. The best part, too, is that we'll be there over the 4th of July...so New England will be full of all sorts of activities to take part in.

I'm also making it a personal goal to shoot photos for the last 3 units I have to finish up for my photo class before they are due on August 31st. So, I've got two cameras ready to go, and just need to find a few more items to get ready. I know they are there somewhere...in boxes or in storage...they are there....

I'm also planning a solo excursion over to Monhegan Island to spend a day shooting the island and it's artists. I've contacted one local artist, the only one I could find with an email address, about stopping into her studio and shooting some portraits. She said I could, and wondered if in return for an interview and photos, that I could make a simple website for her work. Seems fair to me. She's also going to let the other artists in town know I'm coming, so hopefully they will open their doors as well and I can get some really interesting photos about the lives of artists who live on Monhegan Island, where there are no cars, and you have to take a ferry boat to get there. National Geographic did a story about the island not too long ago, so I'm hoping my story will be different and not cliche. I'm just doing it for myself, to put in my portfolio, but who knows. If the right person sees it maybe I'll get offered a freelance gig to shoot other features someday.

If nothing else, I'll come home with a ton of memories of our girls on their first summer vacation, and loads of photos to use to finish up my photo course once and for all!

Anyone else have good summer plans that you're working for? Comment and let me know!

Curvechasers Photos are Available!

2007-05-29T20:08:00.000-04:00

For photos from this weekend's Putnam Park Track Day (Curvechasers) Click Here!

Thanks!

Putnam Park Track Day

2007-05-27T07:16:00.001-04:00

I shot another one of Curvechasers Track Days at Putnam Park road coarse yesterday. We had a rainy start, but after lunch the weather cleared and the track filled up. I couldn't ask for more than that!

I'm editing the photos now, and will post them on my site for sell in the next week. Watch for the link if you want to see some of the bikes that came out!

Self Portrait

2007-05-25T07:28:00.001-04:00

Take in Chicago last spring...I think.

Citizens...cast your vote...

2007-05-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

Hey all, I entered a design contest for SIGG bottles. They're reusable water bottles. Lauren saw something on her fav. show ever, Ellen, about them, went to the site, and found the contest. She said I should enter, so that night I stayed up till 11:00 trying to come up with a design. In the end, I picked something super simple, but I think it might look nice on a bottle.

Follow this link below to vote, and look for my name. It's the green bottle with the recycle pattern on it.

Thank you ahead of time. If I win I get 100 bottles to hand out, and if you tell me you voted for me, I'll send you one!