ride em cowboy

I can't remember if i posted this one before and I'm too lazy to go back and look, so.....

Dawn shot this last December out the window of a moving car. She's pretty tricky that way. She probably doesn't even remember it. I gave it a tweak in PS and Bob's Yer Uncle, as it were. I think it's terrific.

a sunrise drawing

Dawn decided that it would be swell to have a logo for herself for the whole teachin' thang. So, of course, a dawn sketch is, what else, a sunrise drawing. This is what she came up with . I think it looks pretty cool, fool!

coyote ugly

This isn't my picture, but.....

For as often as I have a camera with me, I tend to see something cool when I am without it.... alas.

Anyway, saw a coyote this morning on my way back from driving Dawn to school. It crossed the street between two big empty stretches of desert and continued on its happy, loping way.

WPPI

Just joined (courtesy of the David Ziser seminar) WPPI, or Wedding & Portrait Photographers International, a prestigious and well-respected trade organization of photographers from across the globe.

They have swell trade shows and print competitions, etc. etc. etc...... ad infinitum (had to get some Latin in there) not to mention the well-regarded Rangefinder Magazine. And the logo will look swell on all my marketing materials, no?

cute kid, or what?

This young fellow -- goes by the name of Noah, he does -- was at the brunch on Easter. Just a random cute picture of a cute kid being all cute, don't cha know...

Moonday April 13 ...or... Cosmo's Birthday!

Hello all~

First and foremost........... Today is Cosmo's birthday! He was born six years ago today on April 13, 2003. Then in June he came to live with us! So, if dog years are seven to one of ours.... Cosmo is 42 years old, just like me! That's my boy!

(side note: I recently read that the DSMV (the bible of psychiatry or somesuch) revised the definition of "middle aged" up from starting at 40 to starting at 45, so, I'm no longer middle-aged! Woo-hoo! Instant youth!)

Cosmo will be treated today to his favorite thing in the known universe, some ice cream! So no pity for that old man!

Yesterday we went for brunch at the home of Dawn's VP, Kelly Bray. Nice food, nice company and very nice dogs! It was swell.

Today I'm going to a photography seminar presented by on David Ziser. I read this guy's blog religiously. Good stuff. Should be very informative.

That's about it. More later! Hope everybody is doing well and swell!

what he said

breakfast w/ da bunny

Dawn's school hosted a "breakfast with da bunny" this morning. And I shot the bunny. Repeatedly. But you know what? You just can't keep a mythical creature down. Try as I might!

The Easter Bunny and I got to talking about music and I said, "I bet I know what you're into.... hip-hop!"

The bunny denied it. Honestly, I don't think he got the joke.

Anyway, Happy Easter!

The Warren/Sketch Week in Review

Howdy!

It's been a different sort of week, sort of. As you may have seen, I shot a weird lingerie fashion show last Friday night. Underwear models taking themselves very seriously. I, personally, find it difficult to take myself seriously in anything less than a proper leisure suit. But underwear models do it in their undies. Good for them, I say. Good for them.

Saturday, a visit to the Apache Junction library. I'm nearly done with The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell. Fun read. Sunday we visited the Phoenix Art Museum. You may have seen how that inspired me to make a bad abstract art piece. One day I'll try to make a good one!

Monday I visited a local child/family photographer who wants me to help her shoot a portion of her brother's wedding. She's shooting it as a wedding gift, but she is also in the wedding party. So she needs some help. That'll be at the zoo in about a week. That should be something. Dawn worked hard with an online class toward AZ teaching certification.

Tuesday, I interviewed for a photography/retoucher job at a studio in Chandler. It went OK, but I don't know.... Dawn wrapped up an assignment for the certification class. She's pooped!

Wednesday, we had our neighbors Victoria and Roger (and their dog Lady) over for dinner.

Thursday.... oh, Thursday..... had an inquiry about a small wedding. We'll see how that goes.... Then there's the pastel news...Dawn got a pink slip. :( The economy is hitting hard even here in AZ. With the new governor making cuts to education as well as everything else, about 1000 teachers in the east valley lost their jobs in the past 3 weeks. Only 20 new teachers got pink slips in the J.O. Combs District. The district needs to cut 4-8% of the jobs. They went with the worst case scenario and laid off 20 teachers. If, it turns out the cuts only need to be 4%, they will be calling several of the teachers back. We'll keep you updated.

So, the week in review. How was yours!?!?!?

and now, back to underwear models

uh oh, he was inspired by modern art

yup, just a little bit. Don't worry, I won't subject you to too much of this sort of thing....

but it was one of those deals where you look at some crappy oversimplified geometric modern art and think to yourself, "damn, I could do that." And I think to myself, "Especially in photoshop!" And then furthermore, "But you didn't, now did you?" So, here, I did. It probably isn't art and I don't even know if I like it, but.... now I've done it. And there it is. And you have to look at it. Or go back to the same mindless Facebook posting that I'll likely be back at in five minutes, too! Later!

Phoenix Art Museum

Yup, went to the art museum on Sunday. Saw some art. Enjoyed a photography display of old (real old) survey photographs of the Grand Canyon combined with new photographs of the exact same spots. Made for some serious visual interest.

In this one, for instance, you can see where there is a road now, but how there was not before. This one is subtle, but some of the other differences were more dramatic. Anyhoo.....

readin'

Went the Apache Junction library on Saturday. Probably 15 miles away, but the closest worthwhile library in our county that we are allowed to use for free. Queen Creek has a brand new library but we would have to pay something like $50 per year to check out materials because we are technically in the next county, even though our mailing addy says "Queen Creek." Anyway....



I grabbed up Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell". I used to love the tales of the stainless steel rat, aka, Slippery Jim di Griz, the famed intergalactic criminal and sometimes famed intergalactic crimefighter many, many moons ago. So when I stumbled upon one that I thought I hadn't read, yippee! I'll give you a verdict after all the facts are in.


















Then, as suspected, I went straight for more Neil Gaiman. I just returned "Fragile Things" and the library had "Anansi Boys" and "American Gods". I opted for the latter. Heath, Christian, I know you guys probably read this one. Worthwhile?



And Dawn got about a gazabillion kids books and stuff on the U.S. Constitution. She needs to do a U.S. and AZ Constitution class to work on her AZ teaching certification. Right now, she's sort of grandfathered in with her MI certificate. She used to have one here, too, but I guess that needs periodic updating.



What are all my friends in cyberspace reading these days!?!?!?!

lingerie fashion show

or... people in their undies! Had a chance to shoot a lingerie fashion show in Phoenix last night. Weird. Don't get me wrong, scantily clad pretty people. Sounds pretty good. But it was kinda weird. And really difficult to shoot. It was in a sort of restaurant that was cleared out. Long and narrow for the "catwalk." But for the catwalky part, it was too dim, too fast-paced, bad angles, all elbows and asses, literally.

After that, things got a little better as all the models came out and just posed for the, jeez, 15? 20? photographers that milled about like a stale army of limp kippers. Anyway, I like this shot and once I edit the batch, I'll probably post something else. Might be over at the photo blog, though.

know what this is?

Well, yes, it is an airplane, smartass! But do you have a more specific guess? No? OK, fine, I'll tell you. It's JFK's Air Force One! And surprisingly tiny, I might say. Remember in the movie Air Force One where it seemed like there were at least three stories to the plane each with about a city block worth of hallways, rooms, secret compartments, and escape hatches? I don't really know anything about the current Air Force One (and I understand there are more than one -- any plane, or I think even helicopter, that the President rides is coded Air Force One) but JFK's was a pretty barebones affair. One corridor about the length of a city bus with a pair of seats on each side. Couple special areas for communications, etc. This is over at the Pima Air and Space Museum that we visited last month in Tucson.

swell "antique" april fool's prank

from the BBC, I believe




ha!

neighbors and poochies

This is (L-R) my neighbor Victoria, her dog Lady, and Victoria's daughter, Hope. Victoria and I (and usually her friend Kathryn) walk dogs near every morning. Hope visited this past week from college in Omaha. I dug out the camera gear, of course.

Where the Wild Things Are

How cute does this thing look? Spike Jonze seems like he's on top of it!

would you like another cactus.....????

Welcome to the Cactus Hotel! You can check-in any time you want, but you can never enter!

twitter, tweetin', and facebook

OK,
I'm trying out all the fancy technologies that the young people seem to like. I'm on Facebook, although I don't really understand what I'm supposed to get out of it. And I just signed up with Twitter and it's the same story there.

So... I'll check 'em once and awhile if anybody wants to leave a message there.

Thanks,
Ron

one from yesterday

Yup, Dawn's newlywed boss and his newlywed bride. Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

pix from friday's rehearsal din

Just a pair of adorable kid pix from Friday night. Shot the rehearsal dinner for the wedding of Dawn's boss, Principal Lineberry. The two girls belong to his fiance, Erin. He has a boy, too (not the young fellow in the second pic). Today they all become one big happy. Congrats!

Dogstrip

Just a four-fer of me ol' dog, Cos', making faces. You can never go wrong with that. (click on it for a slightly larger version)

greetings and exercise

Hullo Everybody!

First off, to all those who have expressed well-wishes about my health, thank you very much. And you'll be happy to know that I am feeling much, much better. Good enough to get some exercise (more on that in a second) and good enough that I am very much looking forward to my very busy photographin' weekend.

Tomorrow I shoot a rehearsal dinner related to Saturday's wedding of Dawn's boss, the principal of her school. I rented some fancy lenses that should be arriving today and I'm all excited about that. Then Saturday, we shoot the wedding, of course. Then, on Sunday, I'm covering a birthday party for a one-year-old! It is a paying job, but I've also been promised food. So now we're talking my language! (Related to my recent ills, or more precisely the med I'm on to help my ills, I'm very peckish all the time. Where's the next meal? What can I nibble on? Quick, servant, get me a milkshake! It's not all bad.)

Anyway.... yesterday, we saw Annette, Glenn, and little Jack. Annette was fighting a cold, but Glenn and Jack joined Dawn and Cosmo and me for a jaunt out into nature. We went to Papago Park in the north of Tempe, near the zoo and the botanical gardens. We climbed a little walking mountain called Hole in the Wall (because it has a big hole in the middle). Wasn't much of a hike, but I'm out of shape (I'm in shape -- round is a shape) so it was probably just as well for starters.

Didn't even take a camera. Can you believe it?

Then, just to defeat what little good we might have done and to appease my hunger issues, we went for a superburger at the Chuck Box in Tempe. One of the finest burgers around these parts. let me tell you. Note: Don't go at noon! Huge line. They were having people shout out their orders from halfway back in the room!

In the evening, I talked Dawn into a short bicycle ride around our neighborhood. So, more exercise! Gotta get the muscles stretched out before the weekend. Wedding shooting can be surprisingly hard on my back, neck, legs.

OK, that's all I got. Thanks for reading. Later!

san xavier mission

San Xavier Mission in Tucson, AZ. Beautiful church with a lot of history.

Space Cowgirl and the Biplane Kid

Astronaut Sketch met Ace Ronnie and a lofty time was had by all......

Pima Air and Space Museum

Hullo Everybody~

Dawn is on Spring Break! So, of course, we're straight off to the white sands beaches of Cancun! Ha, I wish! But we thought we would get out and do something. So, today we ventured down to Tucson to the Pima Air and Space Museum and then to the famous San Xavier Mission. Can you guess which location the above picture is from?

Dawn earned her wings in no time at all. So keep your eyes to the skies to see her buzzing your house any day now!

Frank Miller's Charlie Brown

OK, just saw this over at Sharon's site and I gotta pass it around.

Frank Miller's Charlie Brown

it's just terrific.

R

a no post post of postiness

Hey everybody~

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks, because.....

I've been under the weather and nothing's been going on, really. Dawn is busy and I'm still dreaming of being busy. Although I have several jobs at the end of this month. It'll be good to shoot something. And, like any good hunter, I always eat what I shoot. (huh?)

Anyhoo.... Dawn has next week off for spring break. There has been some talk of a jaunt up to Flagstaff. We'll see. Cosmo is good. Dawn gave him a bath on Saturday. Now he smells a nice.

That's about it for me. I'll try to get back on the blog bandwagon. Hope all is well for all of our friends and family and we're thinking about you and we miss you!

R

Paczki

Oooooh, it's Fat Tuesday! Sure wish I had me a Paczki! Eat 'em up, yum! A jelly for D and a custard for me, please! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!