Angler's Retreat and More

16 October 2007
Another frustrating day at the office where multiple roadblocks had to be disassembled before any real work could get done. First, we were still faced with the massive challenge of network traffic crawling along at practically unusable rates. Second, we found out that due to a miscommunication on someone’s part (unknown who, really), the trainer was not available for us to train. So, we had to start doing some one-on-one bits with the folks that would be using the scanners. This is not a good solution, and I was frankly a little peeved. We did what we could and at 5 sharp, we left. We drove a few miles down the road to a place that had been recommended by www.beerintheevening.com as good quality. The Swan was indeed nice, but not what we were really looking for. Jane, the bartender, pointed us to some other options, so we had our ales and left. The next step was the Angler’s Retreat---a comfy country pub with what were pretty obviously regulars.

We weren’t made to feel unwanted, but nor were we included. We drank our pint of ale and moved on. The next, recommended pub, was the George and Dragon, a Greene King pub, that was quite nice. We ate dinner here and had another pint…and for the first time since arriving, I had a pint of beer that I’d never had before. It wasn’t anything special I’m sorry to say. We were done and it was starting to rain so we pulled out the trusty Tom-Tom GPS (having now used this one for a few days, I don’t think it’ll be the Tom-Tom we get for Marita Beth (UPDATE: I arrived home from work last night to find that my Mother-in-Law had gotten one for us. It’s a Garmin and very nice – THANK YOU!). It just wasn’t very friendly to use in comparison to others) and plotted our way home. Which, typically, took us by another pub. This one, the Fox & Pheasant is another one that Beer In the Evening had recommended, and as Terrill would say, “It’d [have been] rude not to” so we stopped. This was a delightful pub and well worth the stop. Stella Artois apparently produces a Bock beer that was truly tasty. We also caught the second half of the England U-21s against Northern Ireland. Good match. When it was done, and our pints empty, we did head back to the hotel finally. More work tomorrow.
Cheers

~KR (16 October 2007)

Listening to:
Savannah Mama by Blind Willie McTell
on Pig 'n Whistle Red

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PUB, ENGLAND, WEST+DRAYTON, LHR, ANGLER'S+RETREAT, CANON, PHOTOBLOG

Chelsea is a Dog

15 October, 2007
Oy! We arrived at the office and went rather immediately to work. A few hiccoughs delayed us a little bit, so we didn’t actually settle into the upgrading and loading of the devices until nearly lunchtime. At that time, as we settled into the task at hand we discovered that the bloody network was traipsing along at approximately 7k throughput. Compare that to a slow dial-up connection at 28.8k and you can see what we were up against. We left for lunch, eating at a place called the Wheatsheaf (different than the night before) with the hopes that the network would be better upon our return. It wasn’t. What was normally a 6-10 minute job for each device was taking hours. It was almost 6pm by the time our devices had been upgraded to the point we needed them to be. That should have been a very easy, very quick thing to do, but it wasn’t . We were exhausted. It was not the physical body exhaustion of the previous jet-lagged day, but a mental exhaustion borne of frustration. We went for drinks and dinner. Determined to visit the same places as seldom as possible, we headed off down the road to a recommended place called the Five Bells. Met a wonderful Springer Spaniel there named (sadly) Chelsea.

He was aging, but very affectionate (especially when food was on the offering). Terrill & I reached our first major disagreement point of the trip upon encountering Chelsea. I bemoaned the fact that my extremely well-behaved dogs are not welcome in any restaurant or bar in Texas. He applauded that fact saying that he was perfectly happy when other people’s dogs were not present in places where food was prepared and consumed. We reached an agreement of sorts. I conceded that I understood his point of view, and he recanted enough to say that he wouldn’t mind it one whit of dogs were allowed in bars. In fact, he mentioned that in the Ice Houses of Houston, it was commonplace. Houston is more like London than many people realize. Houston and London are very, very unlike Dallas. After leaving the Five Bells, we returned to the Holiday Inn at Heathrow (never stay there, if you have another option) where we parked the car in the carpark and walked to the Three Magpies for a nightcap. The Three Magpies, while nice enough, is very much a traveller’s trendy bar. Filled with internationals of all flavour, it was just a little too yuppy for my taste. So, one beer and we were off. Time for bed. Morning comes early.
Cheers.

~KR (15 October 2007)

Listening to:
Choke by Nerve Exhibit
on Horror of Amusement

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PUB, DOG, CHELSEA, BAR, ENGLAND, UNITED+KINGDOM, FIVE+BELLS, NEVER+EXHIBIT, CANON, PHOTOBLOG

London Begins

13th & 14th October, 2007
Took the pups to the “hotel” early morning, and predictably, Cormac couldn’t care less that I was standing there forlorn. He just wanted to get to his “hotel suite.” Berecyntia was a little less anxious this time, perhaps because the previous visit had been so recent. After leaving my precious cargo, I high-tailed it to DFW to wait in queue after queue after queue. Finally, I was through the ridiculous TSA lines and into the “sterile” area of the airport. I headed toward my gate, but being early, made a quick stop at the lovely Irish bar that was conveniently close by. It wasn’t too long ere Terrill joined me in a Guinness and some rugby watching. When time, we left for the gate where I sweet-talked an agent into changing my seat from a middle seat near the back of the plane to an aisle seat in an exit row; not first class, but then we were on a Super 80 where even first class isn’t really first class. A relatively quick three hours later we were in New York, Terrill & I, where we had but a short wait for Flight 100 to London. We did manage to secure a first class seat for the six and a half hour flight from JFK to LHR which is always lovely. A decent meal, good wine and a movie later, I tried to sleep, as I knew that arriving in London at 6:30 am on a Sunday morning was going to be very tiring. I tried, but was unsuccessful in sleeping more than a few minutes at a time for the entire trip. Consequently, when we arrived at LHR and got through the customs queues, we were completely knackered. But, trundle on we must, so we took the short shuttle ride to the Avis rent-a-car place and picked up our lovely little Peugeot and drove to the Holiday Inn in hopes that there would be rooms ready for us. Luckily, by 10 am there were. We both napped until about 3(ish) then went to a local pub called the King William IV for lunch and drinks. This is the King William IV:
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Lovely. Not being satisfied, however, we located another place. And, because it’d be rude not to, we stopped in The Wheatsheaf. There we encountered a great group of locals and I managed to have my first Football disagreement on this trip. We still needed a good full dinner, though, so off to the Pheasant we went for food. In bed by 10, because our first day in the office was going to come early. Saturday & Sunday were one very long day, with one very short nap in the middle, therefore, it’s just one post.
Cheers.

~KR (13 & 14 October 2007)

Listening to:
Forever Lost by The Magic Numbers
on Magic Numbers

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Tags: LONDON, ENGLAND, KING+WILLIAM+IV, PUB, PHOTOBLOG, TRIP, TRAVELOGUE

Guarding the Garden

12 October 2007
Still playing with the new camera before heading over the pond. This is an early morning photo of a gnome that keeps one of our gardens safe. I grew up with these little guys in Germany, and my wife loves to have them around. I guess they'll just always be part of my life. I'm good with that. This one actually sits against our neighbours house watching out over our front lawn He's always a welcome sight.

Cheers.

~KR (12 October 2007)

Listening to:
Gun Through a Razor by Flaming Fire
on Songs From the Shining Temple

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/5.5
Focal Length: 23.2 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Tags: GNOME, GARDEN, PHOTOBLOG

Pirate Coins

11 October 2007 With a trip to the UK coming up, it seems it was time for a new camera. I hadn't thought about it, but according to my wife, I've purchased a new camera the last four times I've been to the UK. That's a cool trend. Anyway, I picked up the new camera tonight. The driving factor of this purchase was size. I simply needed a camera that could be snugged away in my pocket and easily transported. Since my phone doens't have a camera in it, and most camera phones suck anyway, the only real option was a new one. After a lot of research, some testing and some discussions, I settled on the Canon Powershot SD850 IS. It's a powerful little camera and tucks into a pocket quite easily. It should suit my needs. After getting it home and charging the battery, I took this photo:
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It's a closeup of some pirate coins I had laying about. I sell those coins through East Wind Games, so I guess the camera is now a business expense. :-)
Cheers.

~KR (11 October 2007)

Listening to:
Cold Glencoe by Rise
on Secret World of Celtic Rock

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: EAST+WIND+GAMES, PIRATE, COINS, TREASURE, CANON, CAMERA, PHOTOBLOG, GLENCOE, Secret+World+of+Celtic+Rock

The Price of Progress

10 October 2007 When I was very young, I decided I wanted to be a professional footballer. That didn't work out so well, so I decided later in life on architecture as a fallback. There I found I had a massive conflict of interest that prevented me from excelling at something that I was actually pretty darned good at. I am not, will never be, Frank Lloyd Wright or Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I don't have the foresight, the chutzpah or the talent to blend the man-made with the natural. Nor, apparently, does the majority of the rest of the world. It seems that in order for a new shopping centre to go up, the trees must come down. This is what remains of a small copse of trees just outside my office complex. They've been uprooted and the entire area bulldozed for what will be a shopping & eating complex.

The price of progress; and I'm ok with it, I suppose. It will be nice to have more options in terms of lunch eateries. It'll be nice for the DFW area to have a better/larger selection of hotels from which to choose. It'll be nice to have more than one petrol station on my way home. I'm just sorry that the trees had to go. The world needs another Frank Lloyd Wright.
Cheers.

~KR (10 October 2007)

Listening to:
You Could Have Been With Me by Sheena Easton
on Billboard Top 100 Of 1982

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 58 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PROGRESS, CONSTRUCTION, DESTRUCTION, TREES, PHOTOBLOG

Maxfield Parrish Sky

8 October 2007 A friend of mine, Bill, is an artist. He's also an art lover and never fails to show off his amazing knowledge with bits of trivia. I love it. One of his favourite artists his Maxfield Parrish. I thought of Bill when I snapped this shot on Monday evening immediately after a thunderous downpour in our area. As Bill would say, "Maxfield Parrish couldn't have done better, that's beautiful!" I would concur. Cheers. ~KR (8 October 2007) Listening to: Jesus Christ by U2 on Folkways: A Vision Shared Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125) Aperture: f/3.1 Focal Length: 14.5 mm Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Fence at Fanthorp

7 October 2007
Sunday at TRF. It was hot & muggy and I was having none of it. I slept in a little, enjoying what I could from the weak A/C we have upstairs in the booth. But, then the phone call came. Seems the young lady that Marita Beth hired on Friday to work, suddenly caught ill and was at home. She wouldn't be in. So, I got up, begrudgingly, threw some clothes on and some coffee in, and did a wee bit of work. I wasn't much help, but I did manage to get Marita Beth's music organised so that the "booth music" is a little more pleasant. I then took a stroll to say hello to folks that I wanted to see but was unable to on Saturday. By the time I got back to the shop, I was hot, tired & cranky. Time to go. So I did. I stopped in Anderson again on the way home. I took more photos of the Grimes County courthouse and some photos of a dilapidated building that has intrigued me for years. But, what I chose to comment on was this photo of a fence:
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This hand-made fence constrains the grounds of the Fanthorp Historic Inn. Apparently, Anderson was a stagecoach stop. The building was erected in 1834 and was alternately a mercantile establishment, the first post office in the region and latterly a hotel. Kenneth Lewis Anderson, the Vice-President of the Republic of Texas and, apparently, the namesake of the town took his final breath in the Fanthorp Inn. All of this information is on a stone tablet in front of the inn. I arrived during their one hour lunch break and was unable to actually visit the inn. I must remember to return. Anyway, I liked the way the wood grain works against the green grass and the distant trees. The sky got washed out, but in the insanely harsh sunlight that doesn't really suprise nor distress me.
Cheers.

~KR (7 October 2007)

Listening to:
Kykeon by Love Spirals Downwards
on Ardor

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Tags: TRF, FANTHORP+INN, ANDERSON, GRIMES+COUNTY, TEXAS, LOVE+SPIRALS+DOWNWARDS, HISTORY

Field O' Green

6 October 2007
The Texas Renaissance Festival officially has begun. Day one of many, and the crowds just aren't here. At least that's the story the picture tells. The reality is that just over 26 thousand folks paid their way into the faire grounds on opening day. That's not a record, but it sure is impressive.


This photo was taken at nearly 18:30 so I'm guessing that the majority of the folk are either at the excellent Christophe the Insultor show, or finding a seat for the marvelous fireworks display. Either way, the photo doesn't really show the sheer numbers of folk that came to play on this grossly hot & humid day. One down, many more to go.
Cheers.

~KR (6 October 2007)

Listening to:
I Know It's Over by The Smiths
on Rank

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: TRF, TEXAS+RENAISSANCE+FESTIVAL, PHOTOBLOG, PHOTO, CANON, CHRISTOPHE+THE+INSULTOR, TEXAS, FIREWORKS

Grimes County Courthouse in Anderson

5 October 2007
The first Friday in October. Always a day to look forward to because it's the day before TRF starts. Most years I really do look forward to it. This year, not so much. In fact, the only reason I went is because my darling wife was already there as were a bunch of my friends. With the astronomical (some might say criminal) cost of petrol, the rising, nearly ludicrous cost of boarding my two border collies, I very seriously contemplated not going. But, as I mentioned I missed my wife and she, in turn, needed me for work duties. She'd been unsuccessful in finding quality help before the show started, so I had to go down to TRF in full-on work mode. Not fun. So, after a day at work trying to suss out some pretty serious show-stopping issues, I took the long drive down listening to my XM radio. I've talked for years about stopping and taking photos on the drive. I didn't except for one brief stop just outside Madisonville, TX and another in Anderson, TX. This photo was taken in Anderson.

It's of the County Courthouse as seen at night (I should mention here that Anderson is not the County Seat of Anderson; it is, instead, the County Seat of Grimes County) The composition is a little wonky because I was sans tripod. Therefore, the road became my steady hand resulting in the photo you see.
Cheers.

~KR (5 October 2007)

Listening to:
Today by The Smashing Pumpkins
on Siamese Dream

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/3.1
Focal Length: 12.3 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: SMASHING+PUMPKINS, GRIMES+COUNTY, COURTHOUSE, ANDERSON, PHOTOBLOG, PHOTO, NIGHT

The Green Paper

4 October 2007
Some times the days just get away from you. You struggle through the day, barely making progress in the necessary manners. You forget things. Simple things. Stumbling to bed, alone, I remembered that again I had taken no photo. Nearly a year into this experiment you'd think that it would come to the forefront of my thoughts more often than it does. But, no. Perhaps when I get a new camera that I can slip into my pocket alongside my cellphone, things may change. One can hope. In the meantime, we have a green-tinted photo of the wallpaper in my livingroom. Marita Beth has mood lights scattered throughout the house in various colours. The green from this light illuminated the wallpaper behind the large mirror and caught my eye. I took the photo.

Cheers.

~KR (4 October 2007)

Listening to:
Don't Cry by Gun's N' Roses
on Live Era '87-'93

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: WALLPAPER, GREEN+PHOTOBLOG, PHOTO, TEXTURE, GUNS+N'+ROSES

Joe Jackson

3 October 2007
Anyone who knows me, or has spent any time with me, knows that music is a passion. Almost all types of music at all times of the day. Terrestrial radio just doesn't do that. The inance, frequently banal, blathering of the disc jockeys proved to be more than I could handle. I subscribed to XM Radio.
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At first, I just bought my wife a subscription because she was travelling so much. I wanted her to have one-button access to the traffic & weather of the major cities she was visiting. Soon, however, as I listened to hers more & more, I realized what an absolute treasure satellite radio really is. Sure, I pay $14.00 a month for the 2 subscriptions; but to not have to suffer through the endless verbal masturbation of jockeys or the increasingly idiotic commercials is completely worth the expense. On the trip I have to make this weekend which will involve about 6 hours in the car by myself, XM radio will be a fine & welcome companion. I do not work for XM Radio or its competitor or even in the industry. I'm just a satisfied customer.
Cheers.

~KR (3 October 2007)

Listening to:
Here We Go by C+C Music Factory
on Gonna Make You Sweat

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: XM+RADIO, JOE+JACKSON, C+C+MUSIC+FACTORY, RADIO, PHOTOBLOG, CANON

rld Book edia

2 October 2007
On the way into work this morning, I took that alternate route I sometimes take when I'm looking for a photo op. And, again, i wasn't disappointed. Although the photo tells a story that saddens me, it's a story and worth the telling. I'm a bibliophile. The subject of this photo is one that no bibliophile should ever be forced to see. This is a World Book Encyclopedia:
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There were dozens of them in a dirty, partially burned refuse pile at the dead end of a street. What prompts someone to seek to "destroy knowledge" by the burning or other destruction of books? Do they not know that that knowledge will persist no matter what ardent steps they take? I weep for the person(s) that performed this despicable act and hope fervently that the victims in this vilification remain only the inanimate, but no less lifeless, books.
Cheers.

~KR (2 October 2007)

Listening to:
Moments in Love by Art of Noise
on Moments in Love, Vol. 1

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 58 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Orange, Green & Blue

1 October 2007 The best month of the year has just started. And you know what, it was a decent day. Marita Beth continued working on East Wind Games and making the inventory mess much happier, while I slaved away at my day-job. On the drive home, I passed through a typical construction zone in South Arlington and grabbed this photo while stopped at a stop light: . It's a good thing I did, too, as it was the only photo I took. After gettting home, I ran around pulling together my footy kit since I had a game last night. I didn't get home from the game until just about 11:30. I was knackered and not up to more photography. So, I just hoped that the single shot would be ok. As it turns out it is. I like the way the orange pops out against the green hillside and the bluesky. I also like what I believe is a spider in the hole at the top of the pylon. Of course, I'd have never seen that from the car, it's just a serendipitous inclusion. Cheers. ~KR (1 October 2007) Listening to: Wearing the Inside Out by Pink Floyd on The Division Bell Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000) Aperture: f/4 Focal Length: 58 mm Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Pirateology

30 September 2007
The final day of September, and although I never could recall that crazy little poem my wife so loves to quote, I'm well-aware of the day. We're moving into my favourite time of the year, and even here in Texas, it starts getting cool enough to be bearable. I'm hoping that we had enough rain over the spring and early summer that we'll actually have a fall-season. I'm hoping. Yesterday I had to make a quick trip back to Fry's because the 2.5" enclosure I bought was the wrong kind. I didn't even know what a SATA connection was until I was face-to-face with one. I guess I had assumed that the PATA (ATA/IDE) connection would just continue to remain the standard. I was wrong. But, after figuring out exactly what I needed and returning the unneeded one, I headed back home to get it all set up. Painless, really, once the enclosure bit got sorted. Marita Beth now has all the bits & bobs she needed moved onto her new computer, and she has a built in portable back-up solution in the process. So, with that all done, it was time to teach her how to enter products into the inventory system within East Wind Games. Something that she is actually better suited to do than I, but didn't know how to accomplish. Well, like all good things, it did not go as planned. She got to looking at the existing category (non) orginisation and went slightly crazy. The next several hours were spent with her organizing (thank goodness) the haphazard category system I had established, while I entered some new products into the freshly organized listings. So much better now. This picture

is one of the newly acquired items. It's Pirateology, a fast-paced, enjoyable little card game. This version is the Splice version and comes in a little tin for easy transport. I needed to take some product photos, but it was too late, and I didnt' really want to drag out a light-box or anything, so I just played with Depth of Field photos. Certainly it won't be included in the product catalogue.
Cheers.

~KR (30 September 2007)

Listening to:
Red Hot by Ellegarden
on Riot on the Grill

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.4 sec (2/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PIRATEOLOGY, CARD+GAME, EAST+WIND+GAMES, CANON, ELLEGARDEN, SATA, GAME