December 1

To day we went to the Festival of Trees to look at the lights. I am not sure that this is what everyone had in mind. But these lights made the most interesting photo of the evening.

By the Way

In that this is being written in January I can jump ahead and give a little news. For one of his Christmas gifts John received all the parts and pieces needed to make a underwater housing for his SLR film camera. So the week between Christmas and New Years he came down to the studio and together we built his housing. While I cut, glued, sanded and sealed, he took pictures! When it was all done we added a materials list and a description of the steps and turned the info into an "Instructable" and posted it on the Instructable web site. You can go and see it at http://www.instructables.com/id/Under-Water-Housing-for-a-SLR-or-DSLR-Camera/ Let me know what you think!

November 30

Not very exciting but a great design we did for Washington D.C. Normally these desks are very plain. The interior designer requested the addition of a Gothic arch detail to match the details found in the D.C. Temple. This is what we added. I think it made a great improvement to the piece.

November 27

Another underwater shot from our Thanksgiving trip to PD.

November 25

John, Raymo, Katherine, Emma and I all went out night swimming. This was shot with just the pool light on. I opened the aperture all the way and was using a real fast lens and then cranked the ISO. The photos came out pretty cool. John had so much fun playing with the underwater housing that he says that is what he is asking Santa for Christmas this year!

November 24

Here is Katherine! I have always loved her smile and the cleft she gets in her chin when she is smiling! Even underwater!

November 22

I built a underwater housing for my D40x and jumped into Grandma Betty's pool with the girls. The next couple of posts will be a few of the pictures I was able to capture. We had a ton of fun playing in the pool and figuring out how to get smiles and laughs with out bubbles and underwater open eyes. The girls wanted to play with the camera too but believe me the pictures of the two of them came out much better than the ones they took of Ahab's menace!

November 20

Emma and I were "hanging out" in the parking lot while Katherine and Jane did a Target run. (Not sure how to spell Target with a French accent.) In the back of the parking lot there was this large metal bridge that Emma and I killed some time playing on.

November 19

Today is departure day for David and the rest of the YMAD kids! Lots of hugs and tears and very excited youth. I am so excited for David!

November 18

Fall along with all the leaves has "fallen."

November 13

Today was packing day for Youth Making A Difference. David is headed to India in another couple of days! YMAD packed 1700 pounds of school supplies, hygiene kits, birthing kits, hats, gloves and blankets. They are headed to Shalai at the base of the Himalayas and will be the first "white" visitors to that region, ever. They will be teaching the kids in the local schools.

November 7

Oh crap! Another cat picture! Jane put the basket on the table and the cat climbed right in and stayed there for the rest of the evening. "Jeff, Jeff! get your camera!"

November 6

Color changes in the fruit tree in the front yard.

November 5

Annie (daughter) and Peter (son) at Christin and Brandon's wedding shower. Dang my kids are cute!

November 4

I think that this is the first picture I have been able to get of my twins, Michael and David, where they haven't got their fingers shoved into their noses! They really are good looking boys when they act like they are at least 6 years old. I think they get that from their. . . . . .Mother! Yeah that's it they get it from their Mother.

October 30

The pumpkins on the front porch. The girls looked great in their costumes but refused to play model for me. Too much trick-or-treating to do and by the way. "Dad, you are taking us!"

October 29

Katherine working the pumpkin guts! We used a blue tarp on the counter where we carved pumpkins but still had "guts" spread to all ends of the house.

October 25

Well, it is still green in the valley but not so just up the hill a little. This was the view from my driveway this morning as I was heading off to work. A sign of what is to come.

October 19

Howard (father-in-law) asked me to shoot some pictures of his back yard art studio for his web site. He has a water fall that starts above the studio and runs to the bottom of his property, there is even a rock bridge that you cross to get to the studio. It is very pretty and a great place to paint!

October 18

The "older kids" in Katherine's dance group do a Halloween concert which we attended. Here is one of the dancers in the "Phantom" number they did. Katherine is excited to dance in this one next year!

October 16

Sugar House Park which is just down the street from the house is a stopping off point for wild fowl migration. And in the spring and fall is filled with birds of all kinds. Among the regular host of Canadian geese and mallard ducks I found this strange character.

October 13

Completed koi fish painting.

As you can tell from the "gaps" in my posts and more likely by the fact that we are well into 2011 and I am working on October's posts, it has been nuts around here. I think I am about 50% for the rest of the year but Annie (daughter) challenged me to get the rest of the year posted so over the next few days I will see if I can get it done. I am still working on a few ideas for this years blog. I am even kicking around the idea of posting some "how to" pages that might include crafts, arts and even woodworking and furniture design. We will see, in the mean time, here is the rest of what I shot this year. . .

October 5

Fall fruit on the tree in the front yard.

October 4

Atlanta temple table. Every now and then one comes out exceptionally well. I wish the photo could do this piece justice.

October 2

Fall Daisies. I did a few paintings like this but I think I like this one best.

October 1

Executive, Play Boy and Tiger. Dinner at its best. This little place on State and 33rd has all of their rolls on half price and we have been frequent diners ever since we found it. Red Ginger! I guess it is a little telling when they the staff no longer gives us menus they just put our order into the sushi chefs!

September 30

Only Emma! She got this moustache from a gumball machine and had to wear it. She went to bed with it on and it was still in place the following morning. All I can say is "only Emma!"

September 28

Here they are, Harry and William. That is my hand so I am guessing that David shot this one. We had plans to find homes for these two but now that they have been "lost and found" I have learned that they are just to "precious" to give away. Oh crap!

September 27

I had a chance to run up BCC between dropping Katherine off at dance and picking up Emma from gym. The leaves are beginning to change at the higher elevations.

September 25

So here is what the birthday hats look like completed. David was able to sell a few of them and earn a little more for his trip to India and the rest became decorations for Jane's office. The tops of her book cases are lined with them. Guess what everyone we know gets from us on their birthday!

September 22

Lost kittens found! This is Harry hanging out on top of Jane the day David found them in the bottom of his closet.

September 21

Pennies on the rail. Just outside the gallery door are the rail tracks that are used bring grain to the mill across the street from the gallery. As a kid I tried this but never found the smashed pennies. Here the trains are moving a lot slower and the pennies just stay on the track. Childhood goal. . . . . .accomplished!

September 19

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday deeeeear Katherine. Happy birthday tooooo, yooooou! Katherine in her birthday hat blowing out her candles. I think she wished for a phone. (Not yet!) Ten years ago today we were in the car speeding to the hospital, calling family on the way. "Guess what! We just had a baby!"

September 16

For "school" today Jane and I took the girls to the Utah State Fair. They loved the chickens, goats, sheep and cows. But most of they loved the spin you around and make you sick stuff. This is the hurricane spin you around in circles and make you sick ride not to be confused with the spin you around in loops and make you sick ride. . . . . . I took pictures.

September 15

My son David was earning money for a trip to India with the group "Youth Making A Difference." So for one of his fund raisers Jane and I made party hats. These are the bases of the hats. More pictures to follow of the completed birthday bonnets.

September 14

Charlie hanigng out in the back yard. I swear that I'm not one of those cat crazy photographers it is just that all my kids run when ever I have my camera out! The cats just plain don't care.

September 13

It is another studio shot, these are a few of my recent koi paintings. Come on by the studio and you can see them in person!

September 12

I love Winco, they have tons of fruit and vegitables to take pictures of. My family, as well as many of the other shoppers think I am nuts but hey, what a cool photo! I only wish that they would stop putting those dumb stickers on every piece of fruit.

September 10

The annual Heart and Soul Adoptions picnic was today. I caught this tyke resting between bouts with her brother. I wasn't sure if they understood the game but they were having a great time!

September 8

Caution, Artist At Work! This is my father-in-law working on one of his large paintings. He is an outstanding artist who has really come into his own. You can see his paintings on his web site at hsclark.com. I would describe his work as "color field" but the vibrance that he captures launches the typical description of color field into the next universe!