Star Trails – August 30, 2014
We went up to Jeff and Alison’s cabin Saturday after work, for a short 24hr trip. I had volunteered to work on Monday. The cabin is up on the rim, Blue Ridge/Happy Jack area. Very clear sky. 11 minute exposure.
The squirrels come right up on the deck for the sunflower seeds. They seem to be boycotting the corn.
3 weeks to go – August 7, 2014
I added a few pictures from today. I’ll upload more tonight, and post some comments as well. The site looks AMAZING!!!!! Its getting closer everyday.
There will be a “round a bout” in front of the building, this is the planter that’s going into the middle of it.
Corner of the building closest to Warner and the 101. The main power comes into this corner of the building, the kitchen, and the pump room for the A/C units are all on this end of the building.
Ceiling in the cafe. Its going to be an amazing space for us to eat in.
They poured the concrete around the “basketball/volleyball/hockey?” area today. I cant to see the “sails” installed over this area.
Main TV in the cafe. Its going to be a really B I G one.
Rainy Days…? – July 17, 2014
Crane lifting part of one of the “arms” or supports that are going around the concrete slab.
Several of the supports are already in place. They are much bigger in person.
The pop outs are mostly finished at the main entrance, and look really good. Stainless steel, or aluminum?
This area is just inside the main entrance heading north. Getting closer to being finished. Lots of areas have the “drop” ceilings ready for ceiling tiles. AC vents / uptake vents / sprinkler heads are being put into place first.
The main support beams and “crosses” are in place for covered parking and solar? Maybe?
The areas on the edges have massive concrete supports that will hold them upright. The rebar is being welded to the supports. The concrete foundations are as big as a Volkswagen!
The Gym area bathrooms will contain showers and lockers.
Halton. More and more equipment is showing up in the kitchen area. This is an exhaust hood.
This area will be a dish washing area. There is a window that will be open to “return” a tray, plates, glasses, utensils, etc. At least that’s what this area looks like.
Drop ceiling in the serving area. Above the lift on the left hand side, you can see another exhaust hood. For above a freestanding grill, perhaps.
This area is exactly opposite of the kitchen / serving area of the cafe, and it looks like some built in seating? or low plant shelves maybe. This area is getting much closer to being finished out.
GO DADDY G R E E N !!!! Finally some color on the walls! OK so most of the painted areas are white. Its nice to see some familiar GREEN!!!
Second floor, north area, YES its cubicles being assembled. Over 800 on the second floor. I imagine this area will look MUCH different in one weeks time.
Second floor conference room? It will have 2 raised levels of seating. This is exactly above the 1st floor area with the circles above it.
The sinks and fixtures are installed on several of the bathrooms. All touchless, which is as I see it, a nice touch!
The concrete slab with the supports around it, from the roof.
You can see the concrete slab, and some of the concrete bases for more support arms. Just beyond you can see another outdoor feature, with some block work going on. Planters? Outdoor stadium style seating? Perhaps both….. Just a thought.
Some of the crew that is assembling the supports / arms that are going up around the main concrete slab.
Another angle on the biggest outdoor feature, so far. I was surprised when I got to the site and saw these huge supports surrounding the main concrete slab.
All images shot with the Canon 5D Mark II, EF 24-105 F4 L IS lens. Indoor shots got some help with the Canon Speedlight 580 EX II, camera mounted. All of the images taken of the site can be seen at JLPPIX.com, under the “Friends” gallery…. or click here.
Staycation – June 22, 2014
We spent a couple of days in the Show Low area, and drove back through the Salt River Canyon.
Old jail?
Picture from the old Salt River Canyon Bridge, looking back at the old rest stop area.
Old mine operation in Superior, AZ. We cold not get close, it is still an active mining site, with a guard shack to keep us out.
Art & Ron – November 2, 2013
Art is my wifes uncle. Ron and Art have been partners for 38 years. California just changed the law, and they were able to “officially” get married. It was a fun weekend. A catered meal friday night with wood fired pizza’s, salads, even an accordian player. Saturday a simple service in their backyard with 30-40 guests, friends, and family in attendance. The reception was at the Petaluma Golf & Country Club, which was a great venue. Great food, great entertainment, The Fil Lorenz Orchestra provided music throughout the evening. Lots of merriment and dancing.
Fire up north – September 10, 2013
In the top image you can see the smoke on the inside of the windows. The bottom photo is the back of the cabin/house. Insurance fire? This is about 1-1/2 miles from Jeff and Alison’s cabin. Recent fire, you could smell the fire/smoke as we turned to walk up the driveway.
South Mountain – August 12, 2013
Looking north from one of the lookout areas within South Mountain Regional Park. On a clear day you can see forever. Shot in August 2012 with the Canon 5D Mark II, EF 70-200 F4 L lens at 81MM, ISO-50, F4, 1/1000 sec shutter speed.
Hotel – August 5, 2013
This is / was a landmark in downtown Phoenix. OK so I really dont know the history of this building, I just know its old, and no longer in use. This was shot from a fire escape ladder form a high rise building a block away. Very close to the Suns arena. Shot August 2008, using the Canon Rebel XT, ISO-100, F4, 22mm, 1/200 sec.
Blue Ridge Reservoir – August 3, 2013
Blue Ridge Reservoir is located in the Mogollon Rim area of the state of Arizona. The closest town Strawberry is 30 miles away. Blue Ridge Reservoir is one of the more scenic reservoirs in the area, with trees going down to the water line. I shot this image August 3, 2008. We were spending some time up at Jeff and Alison’s cabin. This is almost “fisheye” wide. I borrowed a friends 10-22 mm lens. WOW. I really like this shot. Canon Digital Rebel, ISO-200, F14, 10mm, 1/500 sec.
Baby Doll – July 31, 2013
I had planed on uploading this image for July 1st, thinking that was the half way point of the year. I’ve been posting some videos and working on other projects, so this did not get posted….. yet I’ve been thinking about this image quite a bit lately. I knew I had to get it posted today. Imagine my surprise to find out I took this image exactly 9 years ago today. This image was shot outside of a house that was being torn down. It invokes emotions! Women do not like this picture, especially if they once had a “rag” doll with the stuffed flexible body and plastic limbs and head. Its almost creepy. The sun had deteriorated this one, and it had clearly been abandoned. My wife hates this image. Shot July 31, 2004 5:05 PM on my way home from work. Olympus C750UZ. THis image was shot in “Tiff”. It was an 11.4 megabyte image from a 5.1 megapixel camera. It has survived the years well.
Caravan to California – May 31, 2013
OK, Jeff took off ahead of the rest of us, and we stopped at a rest stop somewhere along 8 in California. Dads Cadillac, Mike and Jens Honda Pilot, Darlene’s convertable Pony, and our Honda Pilot. Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II, ISO-100, 24-105 lens at F8, and shot at 1/250 sec.
Ruger 9mm – May 29, 2013
The Ruger is mine. Its sitting in between several of Ryan’s guns. One magazine in in the Ruger, the second is loaded with hollow point rounds sitting next to my gun.
Turtle invasion – May 27, 2013
Groovy is our desert tortoise. Jazmin named him/her very early on, because of the grooves in his shell. Groovy apparently need some friends, who dont eat/drink much, and who do NOT bury in the ground, and go potty on the porch. These guys are part of the new side yard, and seem to have settled in nicely. Canon 5D Mark II, ISO-100, 70mm, F4, 1-160 sec.
Lake Powell – May 23, 2013
Palm Valley Community Church is what we called our church in 2005, or PVCC for short. Since then we’ve dropped the “community” from our name. The mens group, or at least 6-8 of us went to Lake Powell for a week. October 5, 2005 at 7:49 am. Shot with the Olympus C750UZ at 9mm, ISO-50, F5.6, 1/100 sec. Black and white added in Lightroom.
2012’s Eclipse – May 20, 2013
Last years eclipse produced some amazing pictures. This is not one of them. This is me standing out in the front yard, watching the sun go down, as the moon is blocking it. I found out afterwards that you are not supossed to point your camera directly at the eclipse…… OOPS! Shot with the Canon 30D, ISO-100, F13, 70-200mm F4 L lens at 200mm, 1/800 sec. Hand held.
Scorpion – April 25, 2013
Not sure iwho came up with it Randy, or BJ, but we had a scorpion, and a black light. WOW! Scorpions glow / light up under black lights. The three of us must have taken a couple of hundred photos of that scorpion. This is one that I actually liked. Shot April 2009. Shot with the Canon 30D, ISO-100, 100mm, F2.8, 1/100 sec. Lighting provided by black light. If I remember correctly, he was on a piece of glass, under a glass bowl.
Desert Botanical Garden – April 18, 2013
The Desert Botanical Garden is in the Phoenix – Tempe, Arizona area. Josiah and I spent an afternoon walking some of the 140 acre park, and of course taking pictures. This walkway, bridge had some interesting lines, and shadows. We had to wait for 10-15 minutes for the area to be empty of humans. Both processed in Lightroom. The bricks / pavers area were treated to a black and white filter on both images. On the top image, I played with the colors and saturation. I like the “other world” effect. Shot late April 2012. Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II, ISO-50, F8, 1/80 sec, 17mm. This was the first outing I distinctly remember carying the 5D with the 17-40 lens, and the 30D with the 70-200 lens. I’m glad it did not surpass 95 degrees.
Bella Boo – March 6, 2013
So the announcement above gives you the details, the “scoop”, but whats the story behind this birth announcement? Jennifer is my beautiful wife’s niece. She emailed me a couple of birth announcements she had found online, and asked me if I could do anything like them. This is the result! First of many birth announcements that I’ve been blessed to be able to put together over the past few years. Some of these couples, I shot their weddings, now I’m shooting the births! Like I always say, I’ve been Blessed!
Pastor Greg Rohlinger – January 13, 2013
Lead Pastor Greg Rohlinger. I will finish this post after church this morning. In the meantime you can find out more at http://www.palmvalley.org OK we’re home. The above image was taken during one of 7 Christmas services December 23rd or 24th. The series at church for the new year is CLEAN SLATE. Greg shared quite a bit about his struggles over the past 18-24 months after being diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy. Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare condition that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. However, patients with MSA have more widespread damage to the part of the nervous system that controls important functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating. The cause is unknown. MSA develops gradually and is most often diagnosed in men older than 60. There is no cure for MSA, and there is no known way to prevent the disease from getting worse. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms. The outcome is poor. Loss of mental and physical functions slowly get worse. Early death is likely. The typical survival time from the time of diagnosis is 7 to 9 years. Greg was 41 when diagnosed and is the youngest person with MSA. Our church, and the greater west valley area are praying for a miracle and complete healing. Its incredibly humbling to hear him speak about how God is using him to reach out to people he would have never came in contact with, except for this debilitating illness. He is and continues to be a very inspiring speaker. Greg…. “KEEP ON ROCKING”.
Killer Bees? – January 12, 2013
Ever drive by something, and not believe your eyes? (See insert on top left). That happened to me on the way home from the grocery store, I thought I saw a swarm of bees hanging onto a tree. My wife asked me what I was doing, as we had food that needed to be in the freezer, while I turned the car around for another look. Killer Bees? I don’t think so, but these bees were swarming, and would do anything to protect their queen. I’m told she would have been in the center of this giant mass. I had my Canon 30D with me, so I took some pictures. Sheri Lynn was sure I would get stung, as I snapped 10-20 pictures with my 580EX strobe flashing like crazy. I did not! The boy in me wanted to grab a stick, but the photographer in me wanted to preserve the scene. I drove home, helped put away groceries, and looked at the pictures. I was AMAZED! There seemed to be thousands in this “ball” or swarm. I grabbed my gear, (bat) and headed back. It had been less than 20 minutes, guess what I found? Nothing, they had already moved on. Another reason to keep a camera with you, you NEVER know what you’ll find.