State Fair Time!

I went to the State Fair last week with some of my family. The fair is an interesting beast. I always want to go to the fair, but once I get there and stay a little while, I realize it kind of sucks and I'm ready to leave. The fair has good food. Really good food, but that's about it. It's expensive and the crowd is a little... rough around the edges.

Oh well, regardless of the downsides of the fair, I had a good time and I'm sure by the time it rolls around next year, I'll be wanting to go again.

It was Really Busy at the Fair

Mary and Mom Went with Me

And so Did Dad

Did I Mention the Crowd is Rough?

But This is Why We're Here. FOOD!!!

Fried Hot Dogs!

Fried Bread!

Fried Sandwiches!

Fried Oreos!

Fired Moon Pies!

Fried Twinkies!

With a Sno-Cone Chaser

Why? Will He Clean the Table?

Judging from My Previous Caption... No.

Parent Of The Year Award

Now That I'm Full... Rides!!!

And More Rides

Play Some Games?

Pop a Balloon...

...and Win A Prize

Hasta Lluego State Fair

Disneyland In HDR

My friends and family threw me an incredible surprise birthday party for my 30th birthday this last weekend! It was awesome.

At the end of the party, my gift from Mary was another surprise. A surprise trip to Disneyland! Really, I had to leave the party to get to the airport for my surprise flight. As I said, awesome.

Disneyland was fun. Crowds weren't too bad for a holiday weekend, and the weather was perfect. So perfect that Mary was willing to sit by while I took lots and lots of photographs. I even got to take a bunch of HDR photos, which take more time, but usually turn out pretty cool.

I even got to ride the new Toy Story Mania ride twice! :D

Welcome to Disneyland! (HDR)

The New Mickey Floral Lights Up at Night (In HDR)

Here We Go...

Special Birthday Music

Main Street USA (HDR)

The View Further Down (HDR)

An Uncrowded Hub (HDR)

One Photo, Three Attractions!(HDR)

Is That a Popcorn Cart I Spy? Mmmmm... (HDR)

More Hub (HDR)

Partners (HDR)

Yep. It's a Castle. (HDR)

With a Moat! (HDR)

No Long Lines Here (HDR)

So We Should Ride Repeatedly! (HDR)

Welcome to The Fuuuuutuuuree! (HDR)

And Don't Forget... The Paaaast! (HDR)

Mark Twain! (HDR)

Still the Best! (HDR)

No Lines Here Either!

Haunted Mansion Rules. (HDR)

Formerly Bear Country (HDR)

We Got SOAKED This Time around On Splash (HDR)

Chick-a-Pin Hill (HDR)

Time to Hit DCA (HDR)

Heh. Eight Years and They're Still Defacing It...

GRRrrrrrrr!

Didn't Get Too Wet on This Though (HDR)

The Golden State Area is Pretty (HDR)

Refreshing Mist for You (HDR)

Is it Hollywood? No. No it's Not (HDR)

There's a Kid In Here!!!

I've Had Dates That Ended That Way...

Occupied!

All Hail Tower! (HDR)

Check-in Time (HDR)

My Room is Not Ready Yet. :(

And They Made Me Take The Service Elevator. :(

Mary Wants to Ride Midway Mania!

And So Does Everyone Else! (HDR)

Midway Mania Was Pretty Fun

Yes, It's Running Windows Vista!

Nice Shootin' Tex

But You Didn't Beat My Score!

Sunset Over Paradise Pier

I Shall Spin You to Nausea!

A Panoramic Shot of the Pier at Night
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Another Panoramic Shot of Sunset at the Pier
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Tower is Evil at Night

Back to Disneyland! (HDR)

To Take Photos Through the Crowds (HDR)

I'm Amazed this Signage has Survived So Long

And We End With a Whirl on Space Mountain! (HDR)

Well, that just about wraps up this trip. I hope you enjoyed the photos. See you again real soon!

Quck San Diego Vacation

Mary and I were lucky enough to spend a couple of days out in San Diego with Mom and Dad recently while they were on vacation.

We stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado, which is incredibly luxurious and peaceful. The Hotel Del has a lot of history and is in a pretty cool location, surrounded by military installations. What that means is while Mary relaxed on the balcony, I could check out the aircraft carriers moored nearby, the F-18s flying over regularly, or the Navy Seals doing beach assaults right on the hotel beach. It was pretty neat.

I highly recommend the Hotel Del, but be sure to bring a cooler of your own food. $25 for a cheeseburger is a little steep for even my taste.

Welcome to the Hotel Del Coronado!

Front of the Hotel
(In HDR)

The Lobby is Old and Neat.

Lobby Centerpiece

This Hotel IS Old.
I Hear These Devices Are Called "Pay Phones" and Are What People Used to communicate Prior to the invention of Cell Phones

Old Can Sometimes Be Spooky Too...

Our Room
(In HDR)

View From Our Hotel Room
(In HDR)

Dinner Time!

Mary & Mom At The Mexican Restaurant

Brand New Morning
(In HDR)

Mary is Enjoying our Balcony

We Took a Tour of the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier

F-14 Tomcat

A-4 Skyhawk

Monument In The Life Preserver

The Hangar Bay Is ENORMOUS

Anchors Away in the Forecastle

Living Space Is Cramped

But It's Better Than Living In The Brig!

Up In The Con Tower

The Air Boss and Mini Boss Run Flight Operations

View of the Carrier Deck

Mary and Mom Watch the Bay

A panoramic shot of the Three Other Carriers In For Rehab
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

There Was a Lot of Security In the Bay

Back to the Hotel!

And Time for Portraits...

Mom & Dad

Mary & Myself

Me & Mom

Mary & Mom

Still Time Left for Candy!

And Ice Cream Too!

The Ice Cream Shop was Cool

Moon Over the Dell
(In HDR)

Time to Say Goodbye From the Beach
(In HDR)

Ana and Mike's Wedding

Just got back from a trip to Toronto, Canada. This time we were up in the great north for a family wedding. Specifically, Ana and Mike's wedding.

Our trip was great, and the wedding was very nice. I'm particularly happy that it was planned for the summertime, as my last trip to Canada in December was a little rough. Canadian winter is a bit too cold for my continued survival. Visiting in the summer is definitely the way to go.

Another cool thing about this trip is that I used High Dynamic Range photography (HDR) for some of my shots. Combining multiple exposures gives you more detail, and hopefully I will get better at it with some more practice.

We flew in a SMALL aircraft. Yes, the Cockpit Door is Open

Flying over Chicago!

You Can Rest Easy Knowing Jetway Technology Remains Solidly OUT of Canadian Hands

So That's Why My Luggage Never Arrives...

I Don't Think We're In Kansas Anymore...

Home is Ouest

Castle Balen (in HDR)

The Entryway to The House is Cool (in HDR)

After my last trip to Canada, I got a lot of grief from everyone in Arizona about not taking photos of the inside of the new house. So this time I took a few to keep everyone pacified.

Inside the Front Door (in HDR)

The Main Stairway (in HDR)

My Arch Nemesis... The Sun Room!

Family Room

Kitchen

Sprawling Back Yard (in HDR)

Rambo Pulls Guard Duty

More Rambo

Gas is $1.36 a liter. That's $5.24 a gallon in America-Speak. (Note They Had to Paste a '1' to the Gas Station Sign Since It Doesn't Go That High.)

Getting Ready for the Wedding

Mike is Getting Ready Too

It's a Groom!

And He has a Posse

The Croatian Church

Inside the Church

The Bride and Her Parents

Ceremony in Progress

Time to Make It Official

This is My New Friend, Boris (On the Right).
Boris Is a Dentist in Slovenia

Sweet Ride!

The Reception Was In a Cool Old Train Station

It Was Pretty Neat Inside

The Old Tracks Ran Under the Grand Ballroom

M.C. Mary Strikes Her Best Hillary Pose

The Ladies Celebrate

And So Do The Guys

Well, that's it for this trip. Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Fresh Mountain Air!

We finally broke in our camping gear this weekend on our first camping trip of the year. Loaded up the truck and headed north into the woods north-east of Payson. Mary, Jason, Paul, Shay, Seth and myself found a nice backwoods site right on the edge of the Mogollon Rim (pronounced 'mug-E-on'). Awesome views, windy nights.

Yep, It's a Campsite!

The Awesome View Over the Rim from our Campsite

Mary Attack!!!

Whachya' Doin'? Whittlin'.

It Takes a Real Man to Chop Down a Tree... and Gloat Over Its Remains

Paul and Shay Enjoy their Luxury Accommodations

King... of the Mountain!

Taaaall Dead Tree

F150. The ONLY way to Travel

Fire GOOD

Mary is Enjoying Her First Camping Trip

Jason Checks to make sure the Rim is Still There. Yep, It's Still There.

Group Photo on the Edge

White Christmas

Mary and I flew up to the great white north of Canada to visit family for Christmas this year. The house they've been building is pretty much done, and it's pretty darn nice. It was good seeing all the family as well, we don't get to see them enough.

Didn't get to take quite as many pictures as I had hoped as the cold got to me and I was pretty sick for a good part of our trip. Good to be back in a dry warm climate now though, I guess I'm just not built for the cold.

Air Canada lost my luggage. Looks like I'll be Stinky for a while

House is all done!

Rambo Guards the House. Rambo does not like Company

Fancy!

Mary Rests at Home

...before a Traditional Christmas Game of 'Find the Leak in the Roof'

Back Yard. I think a Winter Lawn would be Tough to Grow Here

Toronto! Yes, that's the CN Tower, the Tallest Building in the World, completely Disappearing into the Fog

They Love their Hockey Here... a lot

Welcome to Our Fully Automated Public Parking Facility... NO PUBLIC PARKING

Can you feel my Nose? I Think it Froze Off

CN Tower Hiding in the Foggy Sky

Falling Ice... from the CN Tower... at Terminal Velocity... are You for Real!?!

No Trains Yet

Guess We'll wait at the Station!

AAHH! Dodge the Subway!!!

That's All for Now, I'm Spending My Evening in the Amuse-O-Matic Centre!

Had a great trip and everyone was friendly as usual. I think we'll have to plan some summer trips from now on though. This desert dweller can't take sub-zero temperatures like the rest of the family can.

Beautiful Las Vegas

Just got back from quite the fun trip to beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada. My folks were celebrating their 25th anniversary and decided to renew their vows at the Wynn's Wedding Chapel. Saw lots of friends and had an all around good time.

Photos weren't allowed at the ceremony, but I managed to get more than enough shots throughout the rest of the trip. Did my share of heavy drinking and even did a little winning at the roulette table. Time was short, so I'll have to head back sometime soon to do the rides on the Stratosphere.

Whizzing past the Rio on the freeway, it looks like Prince is playing there soon

The Wynn was really hi-class. Very secluded since it's set back a bit from the Strip

Yes, he signed the building. And probably a check just as large to build it...

Did I mention this place was fancy? Smallest tables were $15. And that was at about 8am!

These crazy "flower-balls" were hanging all over the lobby

View from my hotel room. They project colors onto the big white thing at night for a music/light show

Kara, Sandy, and Mary get together for a welcome dinner

Mary is in Vegas and ready to do evil

Dramatic gestures? Must be Dale!

Time for a stroll down the Strip. Bye-bye Wynn!

Fashion Show Mall. I hope the fashion is better than the architecture

Must... stop... to gamble!

"Cold Beer and Dirty Girls" Who could ask for more!?

Hooray Fremont Street! 72oz Daiquiris and 50 cent roulette!

Thanks for the money, Binion's!

Wynn looks spooky in the dark

SHOE!!!

Next stop... Bellagio

These glass flower sculptures cover the lobby roof

They're everywhere!

Caesar's is old school. You almost expect to see Evil Knievel jumping the fountains

They're expanding the Venetian. I think it may become the largest hotel on the strip...

Surprisingly, Bally's was the busiest casino I photographed. I couldn't get a shot without pedestrians in it

Paris. Never liked it, never will

Attack of the nerds

Grandma Smith and Grandpa Bill

We have a winner!

Respect knuckles from Grandma

Time to cash out all her winnings

And back to the Wynn for a good night's sleep. Walking the Strip is tiring!

Disneyland -=VIDEO=-

Started my year off on the right foot with a trip to The Happiest Place On Earth! Mary, Mom, Dad, and I all headed off for a great weekend at Disneyland, and as usual, had a blast!

Don't mind the band aid on my head, I had some minor surgery just before going on vacation. All better now!

Disneyland's 50th!!! -=VIDEO=-

Finally made it out to Disneyland for the 50th Anniversary bash! The place is looking great (much better than recent years anyway) and it was good to hang out in my old stomping grounds again. :)

Red Rock Country

Mary and I made a day trip up to Sedona, Arizona. Lots of pretty red rock country up there, and Mary got to do some outlet shopping on the way. We went for a brief hike up near Cathedral Rock, but Mary balked when I tried to cross the river. Oh well, maybe we'll get further next time.

Yep, It's Sedona!

This Church is Built into the Rocks. It's Pretty Cool

Cathedral Rock. Large

That's as Far as Mary is Going...

Cathedral Rock over the River

Knotts Berry Farm / Disneyalnd -=VIDEO=-

Jason, Mary and I took a weekend trip out to Knotts and Disneyland to celebrate MLK day. We had a great time, and I hope to recover from the bruises Ghostrider left on me in the near future...

Northern Exposure

Took a short trip up to the Toronto/Oakville part of Canada to visit with my wife's family. They're building a gigantic home up there and I snapped a few quick photos to document the construction process.

Looking up the driveway to the front of the home

You can see how tall the entry stairs are in relation to Mary standing in front of them

Upstairs, looking back towards the entry way

A panoramic shot of the entry of the home
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

A panoramic shot out the back window, looking onto the enormous lot
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

A vertical panorama looking through the first floor and up into the ceiling dome and skylight

Until next time, take care!

Another Visit to the Happiest Place on Earth!

I've been making good use of my Annual Pass to Disneyland this year! Decided to take a trip down to the theme parks along with my wife, Mary. Added bonus, our friend Jeff was there this weekend too and we were able to all hang out together.

Weather was great, I managed to get some good photos, and Mary almost died on the Challenge Trail. Good times for everyone! ;)

A panoramic shot of the entry to California Adventure. Can you guess if I had to be there really early, or really late to get this photo? ;)
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

We're finally here!!!

What happened to the railroad push cart?

The fruit cart is tempting me... Nah, I'll get a sticky-bun!

Mary is happy white space mountain is back!

Observatron sits motionless, wishing it could send cool laser and music messages to other planets...

I for one, welcome our new robotic overlords

If you look in the deep, dark corners of Frontierland, you can still see the remains of the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland

You know what that means... we must be in DCA!

And there's Grizzly Peak in all its majesty

I really like this angle of Grizzly Rapids

Jeff and I on the Challenge Trail!

Mary REALLY wishes she didn't get up here...

The one, the only... Tower of Terror!

The evil increases as you approach

The boiler is laughing at you

Room for one more...

Time to go!

We had an excellent time as usual this trip. Good food, good friends, and good fun make for the perfect vacation. Thanks for coming along!

ToT Preview Night!!!

Scored myself some tickets to the AP preview night on the new Twilight Zone Tower of Terror! :D

Mary and I had a fun and eventful day before heading out to the ToT for our after-hours preview. There were about a hundred people there, and we had a serious blast! I rode the Tower about ten or twelve times in a row before by stomach started to give out from all the hang time. We took it a little easier after that.

Disney put on a pretty good event. There was swing music, prizes, and I got a free commemorative Hollywood Tower Hotel pocket watch. The ride itself is pretty damn good. It's not as good as it's Florida cousin, but it's still the best thing to hit DCA so far. I don't think people will be disappointed.

Flowers were Blooming all over the Park. Pretty!

It's Good to Always See the Matterhorn Running. I Remember when it was Up only About A Month a Year.

Funny thing happened as soon as we got to the park. We decided to take the Monorail from the Disneyland Hotel into Tomorrowland, but when we were passing in front of the Disneyland main gate, our monorail ran over a palm frawn and it wedged under the train and started smoking. We were stuck in front of the main gate for about 20 minutes before they SLOOOOWLY drove to the switch back by the roundhouse and un-wedged the frawn. Good fun.

A Surprised Facilities Worker at the Roundhouse Switch Realizes there are Guests on This Train!

Mary Emerges Victoriously from her traile... no... wait... That's the Women's Restroom

GRR! I am Grizzly!

Time-lapse of Grizzly Falls. Purty.

Can't wait for Sundown to Ride This!

The Detailing is Awesome

There's Always My Way...

I Don't Care what They Say, the Midway is Cool at Night

A Train Rounds the Maliboomer

Another Cool angle of the Maliboomer

Screamin!

It's that Time!!!

Awesome!

A Final Goodbye! No on-ride Photography, so You Have to Wait until May!

WDW Supertrip!

I just came back from what has to be the best trip of my entire life. Not only did I get married, but I got to spend two whole weeks at Walt Disney World with all of my friends and family!

Awesome weather, awesome food, and awesome rides were par for the course on this trip. We hit pretty much every part of the World, and enjoyed every minute of it. As promised after my last WDW trip, I took a HUGE number of photos for you all to enjoy this time!

Woohoo! Another Stay at the Luxurious Grand Floridian Resort!

Ginormous Castle

And Its Companion, Ginormous Geospehere

Mary is Already Showing off Her Ring...

Obligatory Shot of BTMM Rounding Spiral Butte

Jose Wonders in Disgust What They've Done to His Tiki Room

If You Walk Far Enough, You Can Watch Logs Exit the Final Splashdown

Mission Space! Evacuating Stomaches All Day Long

The Mission Space Plaza is Pretty Nice

There are Lots of Sweeping Curves to Photograph

More Mission Space Art

Cars Speed By In the Viewing Mirror of Test Track

And Continue to do so After Nightfall

Futureworld Fountains at Night

Innoventions Plaza

A panoramic shot of the Boardwak Resort and... well... Boardwalk
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Greatest... Ride... EVAR

Room for One More...

Infra-Red Shot of the Tower. Spooky!

Man That Thing is Huge

Drop In Again Real Soon

It's Graumans Chine... Wait... No, It's a Hat!

Big Thunder is Pretty at Night

It is Lit Waaay Better than Disneyland's

The World of Tomorrow... Today!

The Astro Orbiter Whirls its Victims to Nausea

WDW Space Mountain Rules. It's the Matterhorn in the Dark!

Believe!

There's Magic in the Stars!

Goodbye Walt Disney World! We'll Miss You!

Like I said, I think this was hands-down, the greatest vacation I've ever taken. I'm already planning on bringing us back for our 5 year anniversary. Hopefully I can see you all there!

My Wedding!!!

Well, it finally happened! After years of waiting, planning, and navigating the horrors of the immigration system, I'm finally married to my beautiful wife!

Mary and I tied the knot today at the most perfect of locations, Walt Disney World! We've been staying at the Grand Floridian (DEFINITELY recommend) and had the ceremony at Disney's Wedding Pavilion.

The folks at Disney really make these kinds of events special and everything went off without a hitch. Where else in the world can you get wedding photos like the one with us in front of the castle? Perfect memories.

Posing on the beach between the Grand Floridian and the Wedding Chapel

Better get back or we'll miss the reception!

Castle in the Sky. Best tasting cake... EVER

Yes, she smashed it into my face

The obligatory night time castle portrait

Oooh... now I'm standing further back

Looking to Cinderella's Castle

We have the Magic Kingdom all to ourselves!

Must pose in front of the Mansion. No, she didn't jump off of the roof

There's my beautiful bride!

Posing on the steps of the Grand

Let me get some of that stairway action!

Who's that handsome man?

First dance

Uncle George dances the night away

Jamie and Scott enjoying themselves

Grandma steals the groom!

Judy and Jimmy dancing

Can it be a Carla