I saw my first movie in 3-D today.
(1.23.10) Hogan Springs
I love the drive between Las Vegas and Southern Utah. Absolutely adore it. On any given trip you are guaranteed amazing skies, beautiful mountains, and perhaps a sunset. On my most recent trek on this section of I-15, I made it a point to stop at any and every place that caught my eye. These two hogs lived in their luxurious hog ranch dubbed "Hogan Springs" next to an old Civilian Conservation Corps campsite. Check out Flickr for more pictures of my Utah photography adventures!
(1.22.10) Warming Up
These intrepid five went snow camping in the Great Basin National Park this week. It is probably fair to say that they deserved an evening huddled in front of the television.
(1.21.10) Planet Earth
We did what every good wilderness/conservation group does on their days off: held a Planet Earth marathon. The "Deserts" episode held new meaning for me this time around.
(1.19.10) Still Playin'
I'm still learning the ropes of the new SLR. I figured the stereotypical camera in the mirror shot would be a good way to try out my 50 mm lens. As unoriginal as the composition is, this is probably my favorite picture so far.
(1.18.10) MLK Day
The AmeriCorps members of Southern Nevada marched in the Las Vegas Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade. The experience mostly consisted of standing in the rain for hours, but there were a few brief entertaining interludes including free haircuts and the musical stylings of DJ Baby Chino (above). In this event we saw a new side of Las Vegas--community members. Over 100 groups showed up to advertise their particular niche in this city, ranging from high school groups to beauty salons. The celebration of diversity was cut short, however, by vicious fight between several teenage girls. It was a sobering reminder of how we still fall short of Martin Luther King Jr's ideals of harmony and mutual respect.
(1.16.10) Lake Mead
Despite the chilly weather, Stephen decided that a visit to Lake Mead deserved a swim in this body of water.
(1.15.10) Bob the Builder
I really feel like Bob the Builder now. When our fence crosses a wash, we have to use cement instead of rock crush to set the posts. Mixing concrete is fun for about 3 minutes until you realize that you are mixing more than your body weight and your arms tire.
(1.14.10) Rain
A brief burst of precipitation meant that I got to pull out my wonderfully colorful rain gear. The blue jacket is a classic signature piece of mine (I don't think I will ever live this infamous picture down), but I think it contrasts well with the pink pants, orange helmet, and striped gloves that I have added to the ensemble since coming to Nevada.
(1.12.10) Light Pollution
Light pollution from Las Vegas (almost an hour away) is a significant issue in this region. Even Death Valley suffers from a blighted sky. This picture was taken about 2 hours after sunset with a 10 second exposure. If you look closely just to the right of the first bush from the left, you can see the search light of the Luxor Casino.
(1.11.10) Cable
Part of our Monday morning ritual is coiling 100 foot steel cable sections. We hike these coils out to the fence line so that we can string cable between each fence post. At 1/2 pound per inch of cable, our biceps are quickly sore, but it gets us into the rhythm challenging fence work.
(1.10.10) One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
To a certain extent I want to run back to the comfort of my old point and shoot camera. With the point and shoot, I know what to do to obtain a shot that I like. I can manipulate the settings on the point and shoot to create an aesthetically pleasing photograph. With the SLR , I have to learn it all over again. It is scary, back here at square one. With so many variables at my fingertips, it is hard to keep composition and technical principles balanced. It is harder to produce even an average photo with the SLR. I suspect that this dip in picture quality is normal when jumping to a new camera. So I'll just have to be patient. I guess you will too.
This photo documents the 2.5 hour shopping trip Alicia and I took today to buy a week's worth of groceries for our crew. We filled two shopping carts to the brim.
(1.9.10) A New Relationship
It is the awkwardness of getting to know each other that makes you giggle because even the mistakes are charged with electricity.
It is the wondering "Should I put this on facebook? Should I blog about this? How do I tell my parents?"
It is the sobering weight of the potential that you hold in your hands.
It is the chill that knows your life is different now, altered, but you are not sure of the direction you are now taking.
It is the hope that the newness never ends, but you can't wait until comfort is a hallmark of the relationship.
It is the glee as you remember the first time you met, after months of anticipation, hours of counting down.
It is the moment I turned the key in my mailbox and pulled out MY NEW CAMERA!!!!
Ha! Gotcha! Anyway, in a pleasant twist of events I purchased my very first dSLR this week. I really do feel as if I am in a new relationship, fumbling excitedly to get to know this new piece of equipment that will (hopefully) propel my pursuits as an artist forward. I could ramble for a while about how overwhelmed and ecstatic I am right now, but I will spare you. The picture above is one of the first shots from my camera. Woot!
(1.8.10) Baking
Christmas cookie baking with Fletcher turned into post-Christmas cookie baking which then turned into Valentines Day cookie baking.
(1.7.20) Operation Styrotort....and other Exact Sciences
When I made my first foray into the realm of ecology, I was often frustrated by the lack of structure in performing ecological investigation. The mantra of my more experienced research partner was "it's not an exact science". Obviously, there must be accuracy and precision in ecology or it would break down as a scientific disipline. However, much of my experience with this field has led me to believe that we are often attempting to quantify the unquantifiable, we seek obtain an educated "guesstimate" of ecosystem processes. This is because relationships are by nature multifaceted and ecology, when it boils down to it, studies relationships. So we take our tape measures and our pin flags and we embark on an exercise in attempting to fit an amorphous peg into a square hole.
Before you lose all faith in ecology and ecologists, know that you can be confident in the outcomes of ecological studies. Enter Operation Styrotort and other similar projects. This week our crew checked and re-checked a desert "styrotort" course laid out to train field technicians in identifying desert tortoises. Technicians receive a grade based on their ability to correctly identify and locate a styrofoam mock-up of a desert tortoise. Armed with compasses and measuring tapes, we checked the bearing and distance of almost 300 hundred styrotorts spread along an eight kilometer system of transects. After painstakingly placing each tortoise, I am confident that this is a reputable scientific method that will enable technicians searching for tortoises to be certain of their results. There you have it, if we train properly and set uniform standards of measurement in advance, ecology can be an exact science. At least as exact as a dynamic system and human nature will allow.
(1.6.10) Art and Conservation
Two of my favorite subjects are art and conservation and we saw them in perfect harmony today at the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas. A stroll through their gardens is an education in desert gardening and the elements of design. The Springs Preserve is an oasis, both literally and figuratively, in a city of gaudy consumption. While I meandered through exhibits demonstrating rhythm and drip line irrigation, it dawned on me that there might be hope for this city. The infiltration of solar panels and composting has begun. Watch out, Vegas!
(1.5.10) We Try to Be Our Best
Break times often evolve into nap times in the NCC. I couldn't resist climbing atop the truck and taking a picture when the crew naturally assembled Dollhouse style.
(1.3.10) Hiking Again
It is good to be back in a location that affords both the weather and the opportunities to hike. In preparation for work the next day, a group of us took a lovely hike through Red Rocks Conservation area. Much to our delight, there were trees and wildlife and snow--a rare combination for the desert.
P.S. Sorry this picture is small. Technical difficulties.
(1.1.10) More to come
What do three bedsheets, five lamps, four pairs of 3-D glasses, one cowboy hat, one power tool, and one camera equal? You guessed it! A wonderful afternoon of photo phun in a makeshift portrait studio. I'll put up a few of the results once I get my paws on them.
Happy New Year everyone!
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