Another Update

I've been having issues with shooting lately. I can't seem to get the one lens I have wide enough to fit whatever I'm shooting into the frame without getting a bunch of stuff in the frame with it. the lens I have is the 18-200mm VR, and for some of the stuff I've shot recently (Stella Maris Chapel and the old bridge) ,I really wanted to get in closer, but couldn't, because of the lens limitations. Researching online, I realized I needed a wider-angle lens. Checking my options, I decided on saving up for the 10-20mm Sigma 4-5.6 lens. I can use it for funky close-ups, and use it to fit in scenes that I want to capture still. I was going to save up for it, and I did - I had $300 towards it within a couple weeks (sold some prints, sold some skateboard stuff that was collecting dust). Digging around on Flickr, I came across a "for sale" posting in the Nikon D300 group. And of course, someone in Chicago had the exact lens I was looking for, used for a short time, for about $100 less than a new one would go for.

So I jumped on it. It arrived yesterday. I haven't had much of a chance to play with it, but from what I've seen so far, it's going to be a fun little lens.

I've also been shooting the old bridge. I can't say much about it, as I told the person who currently owns it (it is on her property) that I wouldn't talk much about it. But, it's an amazing bridge that she is trying to get restored to the original state. The problem is, local kids seem hell bent on destroying it. They trespass on her land, and try to kick some of the limestone blocks off of it, and even place M-80s in parts of the arch to try to blow it up. Yes, kids will be kids, but you'd think that even after a talking to the parents, they'd stop. And the more traffic the bridge gets, the more she fears it will be damaged and unrepairable. So I've been very quiet as to where it actually is, but have taken a bunch of pictures of it.

New Lens!

I've finally broke down and decided I needed a second lens. There have been too many shots that I cannot seem to get as I can't get the lens I have (18-200) wide enough.

I was going to buy a brand new Sigma 10-20mm. I've been looking at the camera porn sites all week.

Checking Flickr, in the D300 or the D200/300 usergroups, there is a posting of stuff for sale. A guy in Chicago has the exact lens for sale, for $100 less than the online stores. I thought about it and thought about it. Since I emailed someone on Craigslist yesterday in MN about one, and he sold his already, and it was the same price, I decided to pull the trigger.

It will ship out UPS on Monday, and should be here by weeks' end for sure, as it is only coming from Chicago. Woo hoo! Can't wait to play with this one.

Some Answers, No Pictures

I didn't take one picture this weekend. Not one. I did get out and hit the range with Shawn and then played 9 holes at the executive course at Oak Glen. Didn't to the best, but not the worst either. Sort of what I expected after my third time at the range this year. Not really feeling the golf thing this year either - while it was fun to get out and catch up with Shawn, golfing wasn't that exciting. Not sure what's going on with that, as I use to play a bunch every year.

We are going to go to Door County in Wisconsin this coming up weekend for a short vacation. We are planning on taking Becky's car, but Bill and Vicki came up this past weekend and mentioned that we could take their van instead. Something to think about, but it would mean them coming up Friday night so we can leave Saturday morning for the trip. We'd have more room, and Madeline loves that van, as it has a built-in DVD player she likes to use. Hopefully I'll be able to take a bunch of pictures this weekend to make up for the lack of pictures this past weekend.

We also got an email last night from MK, who took Madeline's 3-year pictures for us. The rest of our proofs were ready, and we could check them out online. MK is an incredible photographer, and has a great way with kids. Madeline takes a while to warm up to people, but she did much faster with MK than anyone else. The hard part now is to figure out what pictures we want, which I leave up to my ever-wonderful wife. As long as there is one for my desk, I'm fine with whatever she picks out.

What a Weekend!

Had a busy weekend that started one day early.

Friday morning, MK came over to take Madeline's pictures. She showed up at 9 a.m., and stayed until 1 p.m. MK also has a Flickr site, with lots of more great photos. She's posted up a couple of the shots for us to check out, and Becky and I are both excited about how they are turning out. MK has a great eye for a shot and processing. We can't wait for the rest of them!

Also on Friday, we went to Back to the 50's at the State Fairgrounds. Every year, thousands of vintage cars are brought to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for display and good times. Becky and I sort of figured it out - it's almost like the State Fair, but with cool cars and less people. Oh, don't get me wrong - there were tons of people there, but the crowds were much smaller than the average State Fair outing. Plus, you could get your Sweet Martha's cookies, and then go have some cheese curds. Most of the food booths were open for business.

Another Crazy Weekend

We packed up the car and headed down to Story City, Iowa this past weekend. Becky's sister lives there with her new husband, Ryan. We were going to go down on Saturday, but we packed everything up on Friday and took off. Drive down was pretty uneventful.

I was digging around online, trying to see what was around Story City. Seems that we just happened to be going down during their Scandinavian Days celebration. We went to the parade on Saturday morning, where Madeline scored big time with the candy. It also helped that Kristie knew some of the people in the parade, and she just gave them a little wave, and they tossed a ton of candy our way. I've got a couple of pictures up from the parade on my Flickr site.

I ended up heading out to shoot some when Madeline and Becky went down for a nap. I found the old carousel, which was built in 1913. Took a bunch of shots of that, but only liked a couple.

Decided to then go across Broad Street, and check out the swing bridge they have over the Skunk River. It flooded pretty badly there a few days prior, but the river was going down, and it was only a little muddy to get to the actual swing bridge.

It stormed pretty badly Saturday night/Sunday morning. We got up, and packed our stuff up, and left before 1 p.m. Once we got to Broad Street, which connects Story City to the interstate, we saw the results from the previous night's storm. Water, several inches high, was rushing across Broad Street. The bridge I took pictures of the day before was now under water. The golf course was completely flooded - you could see the flagsticks sticking out of the greens, through several feet of water. One flagstick only stuck up about a foot and a half.

Another Year Older...

Yes, it happened. Again. I'm another year older.

Didn't want much hullabaloo about it at work, but they still got an ice cream cake and a card for me, and everybody sang.

Went out to dinner with Becky and Madeline to Ruby Tuesday, and had the steak and crab cakes. Was decent, but I should have stuck to my original idea, which was one of their prime burgers. Those things are soooo good!

Also looks like we'll be spending a good part of the weekend in Story City, IA, visiting the newlyweds Kristie and Ryan. Story City is having their "Scandinavian Days" this weekend, so it should be a good time.

Super Sunday!

What a day.

Woke up early, and saw it was foggy out. Becky asked me if I was going to go out and shoot. I mumbled something about getting more sleep, and rolled over and fell back asleep.

Woke up again about 45 minutes later. Still foggy. Decided to head to the lift bridge and shoot some pictures.

What a scene! Fog, with the sun popping in, and a boat of fishermen floating in the river. How lucky could I be? I'd soon find out...

Met up with Paul and Karen for a trip to an abandoned river crossing. Rumors that I heard were that it was going to be torn down this summer, so I wanted to get some shots of it and generally check the place out. Turned out pretty nice.

We then headed up to Marine on the St. Croix. I wasn't happy with any of my shots there, but was glad to be out taking pictures. We headed back towards Stillwater, so I could check in with Becky to see how it was going with Madeine - I'd been away for a couple hours, and in Marine, you don't get reception on your cell phone, so I didn't know if I missed a call.

Got back home, and Becky said "Go back out and have fun." So, I headed back out with Karen and Paul. We were talking about heading downtown Stillwater, and I turned to head to my car, and I saw a waver of a hot air balloon over one of the barns at Aamodt's. I freaked. We grabbed our gear, and headed over, just in time to see the first balloon in the air, and we could walk up to the other two. Simply amazing - I finally had not one, but two witnesses about the balloons launching across the street.

So, we headed downtown after many "thank yous" to the balloon crew. Very nice people.

We arrive in downtown Stillwater. Start walking around near the lift bridge, and head down towards the Dock Cafe, to see the paddle boats, which were docked at the time. I notice that the gondola is also docked by the paddle boats. I actually emailed Paul earlier in the week a link to his site. I turn around and look up towards the side road, and lo-and-behold, there is the gondolier, walking towards the docks. What luck! He's waiting for a couple to show up at 7:30 for a ride.

After that, I was ready to throw the camera in the river. What a lucky day! Some great shots, some great company. I left Karen and Paul at the entrance to Brine's restaurant, and headed home to see the family.