Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Five Years!



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.




(Click Image for Large Panorama)

















































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!
Labels: Family, Friends, HDR, Mary, Panorama, Steve, Theme_Parks, WDW
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Last Camp of the Season







I tried my hand at star photography for the first time this trip. It didn't turn out all that great, but I learned a few things. 1. Ambient light will really show up in the exposures. The trees are all red from our small campfire that was about 20 yards behind the camera. 2. The exposures need to be long. This exposure was an hour and fifteen minutes, but wasn't nearly long enough. And 3. Watch the moon. It actually crept in the left side of my picture at the end creating a bright streak. Hopefully I can get some better results on my second attempt.




Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Quck San Diego 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.


(In HDR)



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


(In HDR)

(In HDR)



(In HDR)













(Click Image for Large Panorama)











(In HDR)

(In HDR)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Ana and Mike's Wedding
Our trip was great, and the wedding was very nice. I'm particularly happy that it was planned for the summertime, as my last trip to Canada in December was a little rough. Canadian winter is a bit too cold for my continued survival. Visiting in the summer is definitely the way to go.
Another cool thing about this trip is that I used High Dynamic Range photography (HDR) for some of my shots. Combining multiple exposures gives you more detail, and hopefully I will get better at it with some more practice.








After my last trip to Canada, I got a lot of grief from everyone in Arizona about not taking photos of the inside of the new house. So this time I took a few to keep everyone pacified.



















Boris Is a Dentist in Slovenia







Well, that's it for this trip. Hope you enjoyed the photos!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Fresh Mountain Air!













Sunday, December 30, 2007
White Christmas
Didn't get to take quite as many pictures as I had hoped as the cold got to me and I was pretty sick for a good part of our trip. Good to be back in a dry warm climate now though, I guess I'm just not built for the cold.

















Had a great trip and everyone was friendly as usual. I think we'll have to plan some summer trips from now on though. This desert dweller can't take sub-zero temperatures like the rest of the family can.
Friday, January 6, 2006
Disneyland -=VIDEO=-
Don't mind the band aid on my head, I had some minor surgery just before going on vacation. All better now!
Labels: California, Disneyland, Family, Mary, Steve, Theme_Parks, Video
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Disneyland's 50th!!! -=VIDEO=-
Labels: California, Disneyland, Mary, Steve, Theme_Parks, Video
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Knotts Berry Farm / Disneyalnd -=VIDEO=-
Labels: California, Disneyland, Friends, Mary, Steve, Theme_Parks, Video
Friday, December 24, 2004
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Another Visit to the Happiest Place on Earth!
Weather was great, I managed to get some good photos, and Mary almost died on the Challenge Trail. Good times for everyone! ;)

(Click Image for Large Panorama)

















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!
Labels: California, Disneyland, Friends, Mary, Panorama, Steve, Theme_Parks
Sunday, April 25, 2004
ToT Preview Night!!!
Mary and I had a fun and eventful day before heading out to the ToT for our after-hours preview. There were about a hundred people there, and we had a serious blast! I rode the Tower about ten or twelve times in a row before by stomach started to give out from all the hang time. We took it a little easier after that.
Disney put on a pretty good event. There was swing music, prizes, and I got a free commemorative Hollywood Tower Hotel pocket watch. The ride itself is pretty damn good. It's not as good as it's Florida cousin, but it's still the best thing to hit DCA so far. I don't think people will be disappointed.


Funny thing happened as soon as we got to the park. We decided to take the Monorail from the Disneyland Hotel into Tomorrowland, but when we were passing in front of the Disneyland main gate, our monorail ran over a palm frawn and it wedged under the train and started smoking. We were stuck in front of the main gate for about 20 minutes before they SLOOOOWLY drove to the switch back by the roundhouse and un-wedged the frawn. Good fun.














Labels: California, Disneyland, Mary, Steve, Theme_Parks
Saturday, January 3, 2004
My Wedding!!!
Mary and I tied the knot today at the most perfect of locations, Walt Disney World! We've been staying at the Grand Floridian (DEFINITELY recommend) and had the ceremony at Disney's Wedding Pavilion.
The folks at Disney really make these kinds of events special and everything went off without a hitch. Where else in the world can you get wedding photos like the one with us in front of the castle? Perfect memories.


Better get back or we'll miss the reception!






























A HUGE thanks to all of our friends and family that came and made this moment special for the both of us. This is one trip we'll never forget!
Labels: Family, Friends, Mary, Steve, Theme_Parks, WDW, Weddings
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Jamie's Wedding
My sister, Jamie got married this week in Seattle, WA. Seattle is always a great place to visit not only for the cool weather, but because I actually look tan compared to the standard citizen there.
Wedding went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time on our trip!


Entering downtown Seattle

Buildings crowding the sky around my hotel













Everyone had a great time at the wedding and Seattle was a blast! Until next time...
Labels: Family, Pacific_Northwest, Steve, Weddings
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
South and Camelback Mountains
With the large number of storms we've had lately, the skies above Phoenix have been unusually clear, offering fantastic views of the valley. I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to lug my equipment to high ground and get some haze-free shots of the valley and surrounding mountains.
First, I took some photos from the top of South Mountain, located on the south side of Phoenix. (Hence the name.) The great thing about South Mountian is that you can drive all the way to the top, allowing for great photos with minimal strain on the body. Camelback mountain on the other hand, is a far different story. If you've ever seen Mission Impossible 2 where he's climbing the vertical rock wall, you've pretty much seen what Camelback Mountain is like. It is a serious hike/climb with several near-vertical sections. It took me an hour and a half of grueling work to get to the top. (Read: don't expect more Camelback shots for a while.)
Luckilly Paul was around again to help carry the tripod and equipment up the mountain. I most definately would have plummeted to my death off of some rock wall or something without him.










Thanks for looking through my photos! Perhaps someday when my hands, feet, and lungs have healed, I'll be willing to climb Camelback again for some more photos. Until then, take care and I'll see you on my next trip!
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
A Capitol City
There was a literally endless number of things to do and see in the greater D.C. area, and best of all, it was almost all free. The monuments, museums, libraries, and government agencies provided endless sightseeing, and more importantly, picture taking.








The crypt below the rotunda was originally supposed to house Washington, kinda like Lenin, but now is full of architectural exibits

My home for the summer. (The Blue one.) It was across the street from the Supreme Court at 2nd St and Maryland Ave





Posing in the lobby of US Marshalls Headquarters. I'd match if only I had a cool cowboy hat











John and Jackie Kennedy's gravesites



Front shot of Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson and his now famous words

The Washington Monument as seen from the Jefferson Memorial


The first lightbulb... EVER. From Menlo Park




The flag from on the top of the World Trade Center. I can't believe how well it survived the attacks









Flags and security barriers surround the Washington Monument



The monument and Capitol Building shimmer in the reflecting pool at night

Looking up at the monument
Well, that about does it. Thanks for taking the time to look through such a long tour! Hopefully some day I'll return to DC and visit all of my old stomping grounds. Until then, take care!
Saturday, August 31, 2002
Mary Visits Disneyland!



Labels: California, Disneyland, Mary, Steve, Theme_Parks
Saturday, March 24, 2001
I Left My Heart In... Canada?









That was one heck of a date! It's not often you get jet-lag afterwards... We'll have to get together again soon!


