1. 350/366: Sophie’s Recital on Flickr.

    350/366: Sophie’s Recital on Flickr.

  2. 327/366: Thanksgiving Day on Flickr.

    327/366: Thanksgiving Day on Flickr.

  3. 323/366: The Sophia Rose on Flickr.

    323/366: The Sophia Rose on Flickr.

  4. 20110626, a set on Flickr. We had a pretty laid back Sunday. I cleaned up the garage by organizing the bevy of bikes and tools. Sam helped sweep it out and his fascination with the lawn mower took over. For the last two years he has loved to try (and sometimes) succeed in mowing the lawn. He was begging to let him mow the lawn and I told him if he helped me clean up the garage I would let him. The lawn was already mowed, but you can’t beat that deal of having your kid agree to work so he can do more work. We got the garage nice and clean (looks like a different place) and he then got busy trying to start the mower. After about 15 pulls he finally got it going. I thought he might just take a few laps since it is not a power driven mower, but he stuck with it and did the entire front yard himself. I paid him 3 dollars for his impromptu and unsolicited job completion. Later we went to some friends for tacos. We came home and played outside for awhile. Sophie took her gerbils for a “walk” in her wagon while Sam and a friend kicked the soccer ball and Fischer rode his new bike around.

    Taking the gerbils for a walk (2)Sam mowing (1)Sam mowing (2)Sunlit Leaves

    20110626, a set on Flickr.

    We had a pretty laid back Sunday. I cleaned up the garage by organizing the bevy of bikes and tools. Sam helped sweep it out and his fascination with the lawn mower took over. For the last two years he has loved to try (and sometimes) succeed in mowing the lawn. He was begging to let him mow the lawn and I told him if he helped me clean up the garage I would let him. The lawn was already mowed, but you can’t beat that deal of having your kid agree to work so he can do more work. We got the garage nice and clean (looks like a different place) and he then got busy trying to start the mower. After about 15 pulls he finally got it going. I thought he might just take a few laps since it is not a power driven mower, but he stuck with it and did the entire front yard himself. I paid him 3 dollars for his impromptu and unsolicited job completion. Later we went to some friends for tacos. We came home and played outside for awhile. Sophie took her gerbils for a “walk” in her wagon while Sam and a friend kicked the soccer ball and Fischer rode his new bike around.

  5.   20110621, a set on Flickr. Today was a crazy day.  Sam played in two 3 v 3 soccer games out near my work and then we had to rush off to his baseball practice.  I missed a softball game of mine in the mix.  We didn’t get home until 9 PM without any dinner to speak off other then a few munchies from the soccer game.  Sophie and Sam went to buy their new school uniforms for the charter school they will be attending this year.  I forced Sophie to let me take a few photos of her (which turned out to be a lot more then a few as I just couldn’t get the off camera lighting to work—I never really was happy with it so these will just have to do).  I fed my obsession a bit today when I got a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 MF prime lens which is chipped for a Nikon (so you get an indicator when it is in focus since it is a manual focus lens).  All the photos in this set were taken with this lens.  Will be fun to learn to master the art of a manual focus and I am very happy with the lens thus far with only the handful of shots I have taken with it today and am looking forward to some video with it as well.

    DSC_1620DSC_1627 DSC_1681DSC_1668

    20110621, a set on Flickr.

    Today was a crazy day.  Sam played in two 3 v 3 soccer games out near my work and then we had to rush off to his baseball practice.  I missed a softball game of mine in the mix.  We didn’t get home until 9 PM without any dinner to speak off other then a few munchies from the soccer game.  Sophie and Sam went to buy their new school uniforms for the charter school they will be attending this year.  I forced Sophie to let me take a few photos of her (which turned out to be a lot more then a few as I just couldn’t get the off camera lighting to work—I never really was happy with it so these will just have to do).  I fed my obsession a bit today when I got a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 MF prime lens which is chipped for a Nikon (so you get an indicator when it is in focus since it is a manual focus lens).  All the photos in this set were taken with this lens.  Will be fun to learn to master the art of a manual focus and I am very happy with the lens thus far with only the handful of shots I have taken with it today and am looking forward to some video with it as well.

  6. 20110619 Father’s Day, a set on Flickr. Today was Father’s Day.   We had a delicious filet mignon “linner” (our combo of lunch and dinner).  With storm clouds approaching we were debating whether to go to the park or take a drive and look for a hike in the foothills.  I made the call and we decided to go for a drive, but kept the baseball stuff in the car.  We stopped at Mount Falcon Park and took a short hike up to the lookout tower.  Along the way there were a few drops of rain, but the sun also poked out of the clouds once.  We took the long way home and visited an italian cafe and gelato store called Spuntino in Denver.  Sammy got one of the largest cookie-gelato sandwiches ever created.  I got the Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart shown in the picture (hey, it’s father’s day and you sometimes have to cheat when low carbing). On the drive home there was a crazy hail storm (check out the short video in this set).  We quickly parked the car under a single tree’s canopy while the kids jumped out to take a few lumps on their backs.  Once the hail subsided it actually stopped raining all together and the sunset looked like it could actually produce a pretty nice show so we stopped at Jackass Hill Park on the way home.  It has a nice overview of the foothills to the west and I shot a few of the kids and some HDRs of the sunset as did Jocie on her iPhone.  Good day to be a dad.

    DSC_1467_HDRIMG_0983DSC_1341IMG_0992

    20110619 Father’s Day, a set on Flickr.

    Today was Father’s Day.   We had a delicious filet mignon “linner” (our combo of lunch and dinner).  With storm clouds approaching we were debating whether to go to the park or take a drive and look for a hike in the foothills.  I made the call and we decided to go for a drive, but kept the baseball stuff in the car.  We stopped at Mount Falcon Park and took a short hike up to the lookout tower.  Along the way there were a few drops of rain, but the sun also poked out of the clouds once.  We took the long way home and visited an italian cafe and gelato store called Spuntino in Denver.  Sammy got one of the largest cookie-gelato sandwiches ever created.  I got the Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart shown in the picture (hey, it’s father’s day and you sometimes have to cheat when low carbing). On the drive home there was a crazy hail storm (check out the short video in this set).  We quickly parked the car under a single tree’s canopy while the kids jumped out to take a few lumps on their backs.  Once the hail subsided it actually stopped raining all together and the sunset looked like it could actually produce a pretty nice show so we stopped at Jackass Hill Park on the way home.  It has a nice overview of the foothills to the west and I shot a few of the kids and some HDRs of the sunset as did Jocie on her iPhone.  Good day to be a dad.

  7. 20110618 Rapids Soccer Game, a set on Flickr. Today I spent about 2 hours working on a side project trying to put together a do-it-yourself steadicam for my DSLR camera.  The project is pretty close and as soon as I get a first prototype together I’ll be posting a demo video.   Sammy had a baseball game today and it was the first game they won.  Sam had a nice hit that was a single but they overthrew first and he was off for second.  Instead of getting it into the catcher they threw the ball to second and again bobbled it although  not as far as the one to first.  You get the picture—he made it all the way to home using this technique.  The umpire ended up putting him back at second saying the ball had gone out of bounds and hence he was limited to one extra base.  He pitched the last inning and had 3 strike outs.  His pitching is really improving with each game.   Tonight we went to the Colorado Rapids soccer game against the LA Galaxy.  They lost 3 to 1 (Sam even now, the next day, insists it was 2 to 1 since it was clear from the replay that the first goal was crossed once it had already gone out of bounds), but it was fun to watch.  Also, Beckham and Donovan were both out so there was a little disappointment there.  All in all a pretty good day.

    Rapids Header On GoalDSC_1290Rapids on the OffenseGalaxy Goalie Punch Out

    20110618 Rapids Soccer Game, a set on Flickr.

    Today I spent about 2 hours working on a side project trying to put together a do-it-yourself steadicam for my DSLR camera.  The project is pretty close and as soon as I get a first prototype together I’ll be posting a demo video.  

    Sammy had a baseball game today and it was the first game they won.  Sam had a nice hit that was a single but they overthrew first and he was off for second.  Instead of getting it into the catcher they threw the ball to second and again bobbled it although  not as far as the one to first.  You get the picture—he made it all the way to home using this technique.  The umpire ended up putting him back at second saying the ball had gone out of bounds and hence he was limited to one extra base.  He pitched the last inning and had 3 strike outs.  His pitching is really improving with each game.  

    Tonight we went to the Colorado Rapids soccer game against the LA Galaxy.  They lost 3 to 1 (Sam even now, the next day, insists it was 2 to 1 since it was clear from the replay that the first goal was crossed once it had already gone out of bounds), but it was fun to watch.  Also, Beckham and Donovan were both out so there was a little disappointment there.  All in all a pretty good day.

  8. 20110605 Reading Comics & Sam’s Practice, a set on Flickr. Today was day number two of our boys weekend. Jocie ran her half marathon today in San Diego and I got the call early in the morning that she did great and felt good (altitude training seems to have been a boost).  We are missing Sophie as she is in Portland. We took a breakfast run to McDonalds and then to the batting cages. Sammy is really getting better and soaks up every little piece of coaching you give him. Fischer was a sport at the batting cages and wanted to take a coin (16 pitches) himself. So I held the bat with him and we plunked a few down range. We then ran some errands (I got a haircut) including a trip to Goodwill looking for a baseball helmet and a bike for Fischer. While there the boys turned up some old GI Joe comics and after looking at the advertisements (these were from 1984) I had to get them as they were so representative of my childhood. I scanned a few into this set. The kids then played with the neighbors for a few hours and then it was off to an impromptu baseball practice (the kids need some help with both fielding and hitting). Tonight it is all about “movie night” number 2 (we watched Karate Kid last night). The boys got a small treat and are watching a movie before bed. Good day.

    DSC_0222SCAN0002DSC_0159DSC_0215

    20110605 Reading Comics & Sam’s Practice, a set on Flickr.

    Today was day number two of our boys weekend. Jocie ran her half marathon today in San Diego and I got the call early in the morning that she did great and felt good (altitude training seems to have been a boost).  We are missing Sophie as she is in Portland.

    We took a breakfast run to McDonalds and then to the batting cages. Sammy is really getting better and soaks up every little piece of coaching you give him.

    Fischer was a sport at the batting cages and wanted to take a coin (16 pitches) himself. So I held the bat with him and we plunked a few down range.

    We then ran some errands (I got a haircut) including a trip to Goodwill looking for a baseball helmet and a bike for Fischer. While there the boys turned up some old GI Joe comics and after looking at the advertisements (these were from 1984) I had to get them as they were so representative of my childhood. I scanned a few into this set.

    The kids then played with the neighbors for a few hours and then it was off to an impromptu baseball practice (the kids need some help with both fielding and hitting).

    Tonight it is all about “movie night” number 2 (we watched Karate Kid last night). The boys got a small treat and are watching a movie before bed.

    Good day.

  9. Sophie Getting On Board At Sunset on Flickr. Today was airport mania. I drove the family and Jocie’s friend to the airport. Jocie’s was headed to San Diego for the weekend and Sophie was flying out to Portland for her annual trip with her grandparents. Jocie’s flight ended up being delayed so after dropping her off earlier we were able to all have dinner together and see them both off about 30 minutes apart. I shot a few architectural shots with my Tokina 11-16mm as well as some candids and this HDR of Sophie’s plane. When you drop off a minor you have to wait until it departs so it was a while from the time we said goodbye until we actually left the airport.  An advantage of the wait is we were treated to a classic Colorado sunset from out on the plains.  This is an ultrawide shot and so it makes the mountains look much smaller then they looked while shooting through the glass at the airport.

    Sophie Getting On Board At Sunset on Flickr.

    Today was airport mania. I drove the family and Jocie’s friend to the airport. Jocie’s was headed to San Diego for the weekend and Sophie was flying out to Portland for her annual trip with her grandparents. Jocie’s flight ended up being delayed so after dropping her off earlier we were able to all have dinner together and see them both off about 30 minutes apart.

    I shot a few architectural shots with my Tokina 11-16mm as well as some candids and this HDR of Sophie’s plane. When you drop off a minor you have to wait until it departs so it was a while from the time we said goodbye until we actually left the airport.  An advantage of the wait is we were treated to a classic Colorado sunset from out on the plains.  This is an ultrawide shot and so it makes the mountains look much smaller then they looked while shooting through the glass at the airport.

  10. You’re Out! on Flickr. Sophie’s choir sang the national anthem at the Colorado Rockies game today. As part of that they let use go down to the front row of the third base line. It was hard to get any decent photos of her, but Sam, Fischer, and myself decided to camp out in some premium, albeit dangerous (due to foul balls), front row third baseline seats. This was a wreck at home plate with the pitcher when the ball got past the catcher and the runner on third went for it. It was a fun night.

    You’re Out! on Flickr.

    Sophie’s choir sang the national anthem at the Colorado Rockies game today. As part of that they let use go down to the front row of the third base line. It was hard to get any decent photos of her, but Sam, Fischer, and myself decided to camp out in some premium, albeit dangerous (due to foul balls), front row third baseline seats. This was a wreck at home plate with the pitcher when the ball got past the catcher and the runner on third went for it. It was a fun night.

  11. Winning the Ball on Flickr. This time of year Saturday is all about soccer. We went to a tournament for soccer where they had her team playing up a level—not so good. Here was a quick photo of her hustling to the ball. The clouds in the back look like a canvas back drop.

    Winning the Ball on Flickr.

    This time of year Saturday is all about soccer. We went to a tournament for soccer where they had her team playing up a level—not so good. Here was a quick photo of her hustling to the ball. The clouds in the back look like a canvas back drop.