Evening at South Mountain

Made my way up South Mountain for the first time in a few years. It was good to get back up there and take a few photos. Hey, we even had a few friends show up!

Old Primitive House on the Mountain

Phoenix From Up Top

Mary Enjoys the View

Panoramic View From South Mountain
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Mary Portrait

The Shannons are Here!

Paul & Sheenae at Sunset

Andel's First Hiking Trip

He's More Interactive Now

Phoenix at Night (HDR)

Paul and Grandpa Hebert!

First Camp of the Year!

I was invited to go camping with a few folks from work last weekend. We went up to the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mug-E-On) this time. We drove a little off the beaten path and set up a primitive campsite right on the rim itself. I love camping there, since the views are unbelievable. Did a little hiking, took some photos and just relaxed. Hopefully we can get back at least one more time before the summer ends. It gets pretty cold up there early.

Here's Camp! (HDR)

Look! There are Trees in Arizona! (HDR)

Rusty and Heather

Jason and Rusty

Cassie Loves Camp Food!

Self Portrait

I Found This Cool Bumpy Tree (HDR)

Did I Mention the View was Awesome? (HDR)

I Sat on the Edge of That Ledge to Take Panorama Photos. Talk About a Real Pucker Inducer! =:0 (HDR)

Panorama of the Whole View in HDR! (Click Image for Large Panorama)

Did I Mention the Wind Gusts On This Ledge? =:0 (HDR)

1hr & 40min Exposure of the Stars Traveling

Phoenix Tea Party

I went to the State Capitol today to take part in our local Tea Party protest against high taxes and out-of-control debt spending. There were substantially more people there than I had expected, and I ended up parking about four blocks east of the Capitol.

I've never been to a protest before, and I'm no expert at counting people, but the crowd went all the way from the park to the Capitol building itself, and almost from end to end. I'd guesstimate that there were upward of 5,000 people there. The crowd was also pretty thick, so I couldn't actually get anywhere near the center stage area to see what was going on. There wasn't much along the lines of an organized amplification system either, so I didn't really hear what the speakers had to say.

Nevertheless, it was a pretty cool gathering. I walked around and saw lots of interesting revolutionary era flags being carried by people. There were also a lot of humorous signs being toted around. I didn't see any fights or particularly angry people, and the police presence was very minimal. I think I personally saw about four police officers in total. I was also expecting some sort of counter-protest to be going on, but I was never able to find any. I suppose freedom from taxes is a bipartisan issue.

The Crowd Went All The Way To That Domed Capitol Building

They Had a Fire Truck Decked Out in Flags

News Crews were On the Ground and In the Air

There Were Lots of Gadsden Flags

But This Was My Favorite :)

Lots of Signs!

Debt Star Sighting!

Longest Line? For the Bathroom

Someone Tell Joe Biden the Unpatriotic People Are Here

Here's a Panorama of the Whole Crowd!
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Five Years!

Hooray! It's been five years since Mary and I got married at Walt Disney World! To celebrate, we decided to go back with our friends and family to where it all started, in sunny Florida!

Anniversary Time!

WDW Was All Decked Out For Christmas

And So Were Paul and Sheenae

We stayed at the Contemporary, on the Atrium Club level. It was pretty cool since they had free food and drinks all day and night for us. We also had our own private lounge where we could relax, watch fireworks, or play cards and watch TV.

You Can See MK From the Concierge Lounge

As Well as the Polynesian

And the Grand Floridian

Our Room Overlooked Bay Lake (HDR)

As Well as the New DVC Construction
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

All Aboard The Monorail to Fun!

I Was The Only One That Got Wet... :/

Too Many Rules!

Brer Rabbit

Brer Bear and Fox

Brer... Skunk?

Uh... Brer... Vultures?

This Is The Largest Audio-Animatronic Prop Ever Created

YEOW!

Haunted Mansion!

Leota Floating

Anniversary you Say?

I Forgot How Bad This Show Is

Yeah...

Now This Is Better!

Those Sure are Big Boots

Nick Approves

Sci-Fi was Neat, but Had Mediocre Food

OM NOM NOM

Hey! It's The Vucics!

The Food in Mexico was BAD

Good Thing It Doesn't Have To Stay Down For Long!

Ready To Upchuck Where No Man Has Upchucked Before?

Still an Awesome Ride

I Love Photographing the Tower (HDR)

Except When Jerks Get In My Shot! (HDR)

They're Heeeeere...

Back Row Rules You!

Do Drop In Again Soon (HDR)

The Safari at Animal Kingdom Was Good

And Expedition Everest Was Awesome!

Possibly the Best Ride at WDW

Beware The Yeti...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!

The Pauls Seem To Be Scared of Dinosaurs

We Ate at T-Rex. It Was Cool! (Har Har)

Meteor Storm!

The Lighting Drove Some To Madness...

Ohana Has The Greatest. Food. EVAR.

Too Much Drinking From Pineapples!

The Disney Studios Hat Looks Cool At Night (HDR)

But It Still Needs To Go To Unblock The Theater (HDR)

It's Japan! It's EPCOT! It's (HDR)!

I Found a Hidden Mickey In the Nemo Tank!

Thank God The Giant Wand is Gone! (HDR)

Cinderella's Castle

Reflecting in the Moat (HDR)

And We Finish With Fireworks...

...As Seen From the Contemporary.

Well, that's all for this time. We all had a great trip, and can't wait to go back again for our Tenth Anniversary! If you'd like to see all my WDW photos, you can CLICK HERE. Or, if you'd like to see all my Disneyland Photos, you can CLICK HERE. Enjoy!

Disneyland In HDR

My friends and family threw me an incredible surprise birthday party for my 30th birthday this last weekend! It was awesome.

At the end of the party, my gift from Mary was another surprise. A surprise trip to Disneyland! Really, I had to leave the party to get to the airport for my surprise flight. As I said, awesome.

Disneyland was fun. Crowds weren't too bad for a holiday weekend, and the weather was perfect. So perfect that Mary was willing to sit by while I took lots and lots of photographs. I even got to take a bunch of HDR photos, which take more time, but usually turn out pretty cool.

I even got to ride the new Toy Story Mania ride twice! :D

Welcome to Disneyland! (HDR)

The New Mickey Floral Lights Up at Night (In HDR)

Here We Go...

Special Birthday Music

Main Street USA (HDR)

The View Further Down (HDR)

An Uncrowded Hub (HDR)

One Photo, Three Attractions!(HDR)

Is That a Popcorn Cart I Spy? Mmmmm... (HDR)

More Hub (HDR)

Partners (HDR)

Yep. It's a Castle. (HDR)

With a Moat! (HDR)

No Long Lines Here (HDR)

So We Should Ride Repeatedly! (HDR)

Welcome to The Fuuuuutuuuree! (HDR)

And Don't Forget... The Paaaast! (HDR)

Mark Twain! (HDR)

Still the Best! (HDR)

No Lines Here Either!

Haunted Mansion Rules. (HDR)

Formerly Bear Country (HDR)

We Got SOAKED This Time around On Splash (HDR)

Chick-a-Pin Hill (HDR)

Time to Hit DCA (HDR)

Heh. Eight Years and They're Still Defacing It...

GRRrrrrrrr!

Didn't Get Too Wet on This Though (HDR)

The Golden State Area is Pretty (HDR)

Refreshing Mist for You (HDR)

Is it Hollywood? No. No it's Not (HDR)

There's a Kid In Here!!!

I've Had Dates That Ended That Way...

Occupied!

All Hail Tower! (HDR)

Check-in Time (HDR)

My Room is Not Ready Yet. :(

And They Made Me Take The Service Elevator. :(

Mary Wants to Ride Midway Mania!

And So Does Everyone Else! (HDR)

Midway Mania Was Pretty Fun

Yes, It's Running Windows Vista!

Nice Shootin' Tex

But You Didn't Beat My Score!

Sunset Over Paradise Pier

I Shall Spin You to Nausea!

A Panoramic Shot of the Pier at Night
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Another Panoramic Shot of Sunset at the Pier
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Tower is Evil at Night

Back to Disneyland! (HDR)

To Take Photos Through the Crowds (HDR)

I'm Amazed this Signage has Survived So Long

And We End With a Whirl on Space Mountain! (HDR)

Well, that just about wraps up this trip. I hope you enjoyed the photos. See you again real soon!

Quck San Diego Vacation

Mary and I were lucky enough to spend a couple of days out in San Diego with Mom and Dad recently while they were on vacation.

We stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado, which is incredibly luxurious and peaceful. The Hotel Del has a lot of history and is in a pretty cool location, surrounded by military installations. What that means is while Mary relaxed on the balcony, I could check out the aircraft carriers moored nearby, the F-18s flying over regularly, or the Navy Seals doing beach assaults right on the hotel beach. It was pretty neat.

I highly recommend the Hotel Del, but be sure to bring a cooler of your own food. $25 for a cheeseburger is a little steep for even my taste.

Welcome to the Hotel Del Coronado!

Front of the Hotel
(In HDR)

The Lobby is Old and Neat.

Lobby Centerpiece

This Hotel IS Old.
I Hear These Devices Are Called "Pay Phones" and Are What People Used to communicate Prior to the invention of Cell Phones

Old Can Sometimes Be Spooky Too...

Our Room
(In HDR)

View From Our Hotel Room
(In HDR)

Dinner Time!

Mary & Mom At The Mexican Restaurant

Brand New Morning
(In HDR)

Mary is Enjoying our Balcony

We Took a Tour of the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier

F-14 Tomcat

A-4 Skyhawk

Monument In The Life Preserver

The Hangar Bay Is ENORMOUS

Anchors Away in the Forecastle

Living Space Is Cramped

But It's Better Than Living In The Brig!

Up In The Con Tower

The Air Boss and Mini Boss Run Flight Operations

View of the Carrier Deck

Mary and Mom Watch the Bay

A panoramic shot of the Three Other Carriers In For Rehab
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

There Was a Lot of Security In the Bay

Back to the Hotel!

And Time for Portraits...

Mom & Dad

Mary & Myself

Me & Mom

Mary & Mom

Still Time Left for Candy!

And Ice Cream Too!

The Ice Cream Shop was Cool

Moon Over the Dell
(In HDR)

Time to Say Goodbye From the Beach
(In HDR)

Monsoon Season

Arizona may be hot as hell, but every year we get a nice break from the heat when the monsoons sweep in. Heavy rain, heavy wind, and heavy lightning always make for a nice end to the sweltering summer.

The storms are just starting to ramp up for this year, so I took a photo of this one coming in over the McDowell Mountains near my house.

It's That Time of the Year Again!
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Idaho & Washington Thanksgiving!

Met up with the family for Thanksgiving and had some good times. This year we all got together at Christy's and Trapper's new home, in Moscow Idaho.

All in all, the weather was pretty good for our trip, even if I'm not so used to the cold. ;) We had a good time in Moscow, and spent a few days across the state border in Spokane Washington as well.

Look! It Snows in Idaho!

A panoramic shot of the View from Christy and Trapper's Patio. Fresh Air!
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

If You can't Tell, I Suck at Ice Skating. It's a Miracle I'm even Standing in this Photo

But Dale and Jared Seem to have No Problem

Checked out the Old Power Plant and Hydroelectric Dam

River and Dam

Say Cheese!

Awww. Family Bliss

Spill-over from the Dam

Looking at the River

The Old Main Street Bridge in Spokane

Walking the Riverfront

We Stayed at the Davenport in Spokane. Fancy!

Grandma is Enjoying her Vacation

While Jared approves of the Food

Grand Canyon!

Took some time and made the drive up to visit our local natural wonder, the Grand Canyon. You know, I've lived in Arizona most of my life and never really get around to visiting the Canyon. I think I recall going once as a kid, but that's it.

Canon was having one of their Photography in the Parks workshops on the South Rim, so I figured I would go check it out and maybe get a few photography tips at the same time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had another plan and the Canon people bugged out when the lightning starting coming after them.

That's okay though. I still got to take a lot of photos, do some light hiking, and enjoy several hours out of the normal scorching temperature of the desert. I can learn about the histogram function on my camera another day...

Looking out into the Canyon from the South Rim

That Squirrel is Flaunting the Park Rules!

Yes, He's Real. And not Afraid of Anyone!

Uh-oh, Storm is Moving in over El Tovar

Spooky Tree Clawing at the Storm

Wait, why is Paul taking Telephoto Photos facing away from the Canyon? Must be the Local Wildlife...

Is that what I look like when I take People's Photos?

And we begin our Descent into the Canyon...

...but not too Far!

Who's Toes can those be?

Heather's of Course!

A panoramic shot of the Canyon from the South Rim. Sorry, didn't use my Exposure Lock, so you have to deal with color-changing sky.
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Cedar Point!!!

Treated myself to a nice birthday trip and went all the way out to Sandusky, Ohio for some Cedar Point action!

First time I'd ever been to Cedar Point, and I had a good time. Roller coasters there are truly awesome, and I racked up a bunch of credits on this trip. Sadly, taking photos was pretty tough. The sun was hot, and reflecting off the water all around the park (it's on an island). Also, the park is very photo-unfriendly. No tripods, and I even got hassled by security just for standing to take pictures in the middle of a walkway.

Even so, I think the photos turned out okay. Be sure to also check out the video I took and posted a couple of days ago, it's much better than the photos!

A panoramic shot of Cedar Point and Hotel Breakers from the Beach. This is where We Stayed.
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

The Rides really are Right on the Beach. It's pretty Cool

Hey, I rode this in the 1980's... when it was at Knott's Berry Farm!

Wicked Twister

Twister reaches its Apex

AWESOME

This ride is Fast. Painful Fast

MF was Easily my favorite Ride

Hot Stand Up Action

Mine Ride is Tame, but still Fun

Dragster is Ominous at Night

As Is MF!

Northern Exposure

Took a short trip up to the Toronto/Oakville part of Canada to visit with my wife's family. They're building a gigantic home up there and I snapped a few quick photos to document the construction process.

Looking up the driveway to the front of the home

You can see how tall the entry stairs are in relation to Mary standing in front of them

Upstairs, looking back towards the entry way

A panoramic shot of the entry of the home
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

A panoramic shot out the back window, looking onto the enormous lot
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

A vertical panorama looking through the first floor and up into the ceiling dome and skylight

Until next time, take care!

Another Visit to the Happiest Place on Earth!

I've been making good use of my Annual Pass to Disneyland this year! Decided to take a trip down to the theme parks along with my wife, Mary. Added bonus, our friend Jeff was there this weekend too and we were able to all hang out together.

Weather was great, I managed to get some good photos, and Mary almost died on the Challenge Trail. Good times for everyone! ;)

A panoramic shot of the entry to California Adventure. Can you guess if I had to be there really early, or really late to get this photo? ;)
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

We're finally here!!!

What happened to the railroad push cart?

The fruit cart is tempting me... Nah, I'll get a sticky-bun!

Mary is happy white space mountain is back!

Observatron sits motionless, wishing it could send cool laser and music messages to other planets...

I for one, welcome our new robotic overlords

If you look in the deep, dark corners of Frontierland, you can still see the remains of the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland

You know what that means... we must be in DCA!

And there's Grizzly Peak in all its majesty

I really like this angle of Grizzly Rapids

Jeff and I on the Challenge Trail!

Mary REALLY wishes she didn't get up here...

The one, the only... Tower of Terror!

The evil increases as you approach

The boiler is laughing at you

Room for one more...

Time to go!

We had an excellent time as usual this trip. Good food, good friends, and good fun make for the perfect vacation. Thanks for coming along!

WDW Supertrip!

I just came back from what has to be the best trip of my entire life. Not only did I get married, but I got to spend two whole weeks at Walt Disney World with all of my friends and family!

Awesome weather, awesome food, and awesome rides were par for the course on this trip. We hit pretty much every part of the World, and enjoyed every minute of it. As promised after my last WDW trip, I took a HUGE number of photos for you all to enjoy this time!

Woohoo! Another Stay at the Luxurious Grand Floridian Resort!

Ginormous Castle

And Its Companion, Ginormous Geospehere

Mary is Already Showing off Her Ring...

Obligatory Shot of BTMM Rounding Spiral Butte

Jose Wonders in Disgust What They've Done to His Tiki Room

If You Walk Far Enough, You Can Watch Logs Exit the Final Splashdown

Mission Space! Evacuating Stomaches All Day Long

The Mission Space Plaza is Pretty Nice

There are Lots of Sweeping Curves to Photograph

More Mission Space Art

Cars Speed By In the Viewing Mirror of Test Track

And Continue to do so After Nightfall

Futureworld Fountains at Night

Innoventions Plaza

A panoramic shot of the Boardwak Resort and... well... Boardwalk
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Greatest... Ride... EVAR

Room for One More...

Infra-Red Shot of the Tower. Spooky!

Man That Thing is Huge

Drop In Again Real Soon

It's Graumans Chine... Wait... No, It's a Hat!

Big Thunder is Pretty at Night

It is Lit Waaay Better than Disneyland's

The World of Tomorrow... Today!

The Astro Orbiter Whirls its Victims to Nausea

WDW Space Mountain Rules. It's the Matterhorn in the Dark!

Believe!

There's Magic in the Stars!

Goodbye Walt Disney World! We'll Miss You!

Like I said, I think this was hands-down, the greatest vacation I've ever taken. I'm already planning on bringing us back for our 5 year anniversary. Hopefully I can see you all there!

Hayden Butte

As I do regularly, I took the time to hike up Hayden Butte and take some photos from high above the valley. Not only does the Butte offer some spectacular views, but it provides me with that exercise one rarely gets in law school.

Hayden Butte is located next to downtown Tempe and is an easy to moderate hike. It is often called 'A' Mountain due to the large 'A' (for Arizona State University) located on it. My friends Mike and Paul proved excellent hiking buddies and even allowed me to rest briefly on the way up. I really need to exercise more often.




An F-16 streaks across the golden afternoon sky

A passenger jet passing close by to land at Sky Harbor International

Another jet passes over the broadcast antenna on top of the Butte

A panoramic shot of the early evening sky
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

The sun creates a pastel sky on a cloudless evening...

...and stunning hues on a cloud-filled one

The sunset creates a dramatic burning hill effect

And a wider shot shows the deep blue sky lurking above

South Mountain looks ominous as it grows dark

A panoramic of the horizon
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Mike poses for a shot with the cityscape

'M' is for Mike. Always bring a flashlight when night hiking. ;)

Paul with a stormy night behind him

Sparadic storm clouds roam the night horizon
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

One final late night panorama before the hike back down to civilization
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Thanks for looking through my photos!