Evening at South Mountain

Made my way up South Mountain for the first time in a few years. It was good to get back up there and take a few photos. Hey, we even had a few friends show up!

Old Primitive House on the Mountain

Phoenix From Up Top

Mary Enjoys the View

Panoramic View From South Mountain
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Mary Portrait

The Shannons are Here!

Paul & Sheenae at Sunset

Andel's First Hiking Trip

He's More Interactive Now

Phoenix at Night (HDR)

Paul and Grandpa Hebert!

First Camp of the Year!

I was invited to go camping with a few folks from work last weekend. We went up to the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mug-E-On) this time. We drove a little off the beaten path and set up a primitive campsite right on the rim itself. I love camping there, since the views are unbelievable. Did a little hiking, took some photos and just relaxed. Hopefully we can get back at least one more time before the summer ends. It gets pretty cold up there early.

Here's Camp! (HDR)

Look! There are Trees in Arizona! (HDR)

Rusty and Heather

Jason and Rusty

Cassie Loves Camp Food!

Self Portrait

I Found This Cool Bumpy Tree (HDR)

Did I Mention the View was Awesome? (HDR)

I Sat on the Edge of That Ledge to Take Panorama Photos. Talk About a Real Pucker Inducer! =:0 (HDR)

Panorama of the Whole View in HDR! (Click Image for Large Panorama)

Did I Mention the Wind Gusts On This Ledge? =:0 (HDR)

1hr & 40min Exposure of the Stars Traveling

McDowell Mountains

I took advantage of a free afternoon to take a little landscape photography. I live just a few minutes from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, which offers wide open spaces and decent views of the McDowell Mountains.

I took a few HDR photos which came out pretty decent, then had a brief run-in with the Indian police, who informed me "they" don't want people "out here." I asked for clarification, and the police officer informed me that "they" were "the Indians" and "out here" was "on the Rez." Strange position for a tribe to take that is currently spending millions of dollars on a new Casino and Hotel to attract more people "out here."

State Route 101 Runs Through the Reservation (HDR)

This SRPMIC Marker is all Along The Edges of the Reservation (HDR)

The McDowell Mountains Border Scottsdale and the Rez (HDR)

Señor Saguaro (HDR)

Closeup of the Mountains (HDR)

Time to Leave The Rez! (HDR)

Ignite 3

I attended Ignite 3 last week. Paul invited me, and it seems to be mostly a networking event for Phoenix's creative and technology communities. Basically, people take turns giving 5 minute presentations on whatever interests them, then answer questions afterward. It was interesting, but would probably need a few changes to attract more working professionals in other industries. The primary issue I had was the venue and timing. It was in Tempe on a Wednesday night, which is tough when you have to get up early for work downtown the next morning. I'd be much more inclined to attend if it were on a weekend. Nonetheless, there were a few pretty interesting presentations, and Paul's speech was well done and well received by the audience.

Ignite 3 Was at the Tempe Center for the Arts

Paul Gave a Presentation on Solar Power

Flashbulbs = Evil Lord Solar

Arthur and His Girlfriend Came

The TCA is Really Nice

There are Lots of Water Features (HDR)

And It's Right on Tempe Town Lake (HDR)

An Inflatable Dam Ends the Artificial Lake

And Separates it From the Desert

Colorado

I just returned from Louisville Colorado, and boy is it good to be home! Colorado is home to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), and that's where I've been working my butt off for the past week. NITA has a pretty intensive litigation program, and I picked up a lot of good trial tips. However, they had me working from about 6am to 10pm every day of the trip. Sadly, that meant I didn't get out much to take photos. :(

Another thing that caught me off guard was how different Colorado is from what I envisioned it as being. I kind of assumed there would be... you know... mountains and trees there. In reality, it's flat as far as you can see and consists mostly of dead grassy plains. Caught me totally off guard. It's how I envisioned Montana would look. Maybe I should go to Montana now, and see if it looks like how I envisioned Colorado.

This is Colorado!

Denver International Airport

Long SuperShuttle Ride from DIA to Louisville

I Stayed at the Omni Interlocken

Flags in the Battleground State

Front of the Hotel

Nice Lobby Sitting Room

Hotel Pool & Golf Course

My Room!

One Last Look at CO Before Leaving...

Electric Palms

Every now and again, I like to just take photos of things around my house. It's a good exercise in subject spotting.

These Uplit Trees are in a Strip-Mall Near My Home

Monsoon Season

Arizona may be hot as hell, but every year we get a nice break from the heat when the monsoons sweep in. Heavy rain, heavy wind, and heavy lightning always make for a nice end to the sweltering summer.

The storms are just starting to ramp up for this year, so I took a photo of this one coming in over the McDowell Mountains near my house.

It's That Time of the Year Again!
(Click Image for Large Panorama)