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

The Wife Sees Vista

23 September 2007
Sunday. Had made grandiose plans (unbeknownst to MB) to get up, walk the dogs with her (something I just really don't do, but should), then go to Addison for the final day of their Oktoberfest. She got up with completely different plans in mind: she was sick. Very sick. So, being the dutiful husband, I stayed out of her way and got her things as she needed them. Although Oktoberfest didn't happen, that doesn't really matter, because I got to spend the day with her anyway. We worked some more on her computer, she slept a lot, I watched a lot of footy (including re-watching the fantastic Arsenal match from the day before). As the day disappeared and we approached bedtime, it became important to take a photo. As sick as she was, she didn't want that photo to be of her, but I took it anyway. I took some others, too, in case these didn't work. But, I like it. This is my wife in the glow of her new Vista-crippled HP laptop.

I should also mention that when I did get to sleep finally, I dreamt that my friend, Paul, was a cannibal. Not the Borneo, grass-wearing skirt, kind of cannibal. But, the really creepy married to the normal Canadian and living next door kind of cannibal. Weird.
Cheers.

~KR (23 September 2007)

Listening to: Freedom by Blues Traveler
on Four

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 58 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: WIFE, VISTA, HP, HEWLETT-PACKARD, BLUES+TRAVLER, CANON, PHOTOBLOG, PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTO

Green Sun

23 September 2007
Got up and hosted the conference call this morning as my boss headed south to a UT game. I then watched an absolutely marvelous Arsenal side demolish newly-promoted Derby in what essentially turned into an exhibition game at the Emirates. Quite a fun match. Following that was a trip to the store for the much-dreaded, yet anticipated, laptop purchase for MB. We settled on the computer she wanted and took it home. I then spent several hours configuring it while she went to her crop party (I'm not so into scrapbooking). After taking the configuration as far as I could without her, I took further advantage of her love for scrapbooking and indulged my love of movies. I went to see the third installment of a franchise that should have stopped after the first one. Resident Evil: Extinction, although better than the second movie is not really worth your time. Unless, that is, you just love to look at Jovovich. So, on my way out the door, I snapped this photo of the sun as seen through a green glass bauble hanging from the front porch eve:
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And, that is all she wrote.
Cheers.

~KR (22 September 2007)

Listening to:
Since We Last Spoke by RJD2
on Since We Last Spoke

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: SUN, GREEN, RESIDENT+EVIL, SCRAPBOOKING, MOVIES, RJD2, SINCE+WE+LAST+SPOKE

Neglected Road

22 September 2007
Friday, and thank goodness. I got a good start on the day and was running early enough that I stopped on a sideroad to snap some shots. This road is a short little, abandoned feeder between Trinity & Mossier Valley in Ft. Worth.

Perhaps abandoned is too strong a word, but it certainly is neglected. That includes the several houses (read: shacks) on the road, too. Quite an eye-opening experience driving a road like that in a "civilized" area like Ft. Worth. Makes me appreciate what I have.
Cheers.

~KR (21 September 2007)

Listening to:
Response by Gary Burton
on Duster

Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: NEGLECTED, ROAD, FT.+WORTH, GARY+BURTON