'08 Week 1

This is a re-start to my walking count. Again, my goal for this year is to walk 1000 miles.

Week 1: Jan. 1 - 7
Miles Walked: 11.2 (988.8 to go!)

This was a slow week for me. Although I did 5 miles last night in 65 minutes (13.0 minute-miles)! That's the fastest I've ever walked for that distance. Interestingly, in the past 6 weeks, I've walked 111 miles!

I've not measured my weight or waist lately, so no report. I've not lost anything since New Year's, especially because of the massive food and beer intake :-)

Portraits from the Backyard

My wife commented here on my blog that I don't have enough content of the family. Seems I'm more absorbed with beer, cameras, and walking. Well, I can't let it be known that I'm NOT a family man.



Perhaps I should post some realistic photos of our lives instead of portraits from the backyard. But no one wants to see an overflowing poopy-diaper, or me on a weekend with a grumpy, unshaven face and wrinkled clothes.

Anyway, here are a few photos from our backyard taken last October. They were made with a Canon 1ds Mark II and a Canon 24mm f/1.4L lens, shot handheld at ISO 400 and f/2.0 in the early evening shade with no flash. I borrowed this camera and lens combo for that weekend and had a good time with it :-)

Below is our late dog, Ginger. She died suddenly from cancer two days before Christmas last year, r.i.p. The photo is quite fitting. She was always gentle, kind, and loved to be silently right in the center of the family.

We'll miss her greatly. She was a very good dog and companion. She was a true friend to us all.

A Little Astrophotography

I spent about an hour and a half last night in my frigid backyard attempting to see and photograph some of the astronomical events going on: the Quadrantid meteor shower and comet 8P/Tuttle. Despite the some of the clearest skies we've had in Houston in a while, I saw neither.

Along with feeling cold I also felt like a perv. I was half afraid that one of my neighbors would see me out there with my cameras and think I was attempting to photograph them through their second story windows. Worse yet, I was afraid the older, overweight lady next door would turn exhibitionist on me and show me something I'd regret seeing. Maybe my imagination is just too active.

The shot of Mars is a 100% crop, and was taken with a Canon 40D. I stacked two 1.4x t.c.'s onto my 400mm f/5.6 lens. The exposure was 1/60 sec. using ISO 1600 (and with the special high-ISO noise reduction turned on). The disk of Mars is blown out, and I was quite surprised to see that. I'll have to try again with a faster shutter speed. You can see a bit of red/magenta chromatic aberration on the lower edge of the bright disk. I used the Live View feature of the 40D to focus. When zoomed in at 10x, it's quite easy to see the target and fine-tune the focus.

The other two shots were taken with a Canon 5D and a 17-40mm lens. The shots were both at 17mm, f/4, ISO 800, and 15 sec. Yes, it's really that light in Houston, even with mostly clear skies. I pointed the camera ENE and repeated several long exposures, hoping to catch a streaking meteor or two. I only caught planes streaking across the sky.

I was disappointed not to see the comet. I just couldn't find it in the sky with camera or binoculars. I guess there was too much light pollution. I did manage to photograph the 17P/Holmes comet last November when I was up in the Texas hill country:

Things that People Say

Here's a run-down of the common things I hear from people when they view my photos. They are followed with my thoughts.

Now, please understand that I understand why and where these comments come from. My thoughts are meant just to be humerous. The irony is that I'd be making comments just like these if I did not have the photography experience that I have :-)

You must have a really nice camera.
(Hell, you should see my stove. It makes some damn good food!)

You have a really good eye.
(No, I have two semi-good eyes. I passed my last eye exam with corrective lenses.)

You should sell your photos.
(Where, Wal-Mart? The world is inundated with billions photos from millions of camera-toting amatuers. Chances are that any images I submit to publication x won't even be looked at by human eyes. And when was the last time you went out and bought a landscape or nature photo? I mean a nice, large print in a nice frame to hang on your wall. Yeah, no is the answer. Think about it...)

Are you a professional?
(Yes. There, I said it. No, I don't earn a living from photography. But I think I'm to a point where my photos are on a level that most people categorize as averagely pro.)

How much did that camera cost?
(What does that have to do with anything? None of your f'n business. What'd your boob job cost?)

Can you shoot my friend's wedding?
(Oh, the agony. Freakin' hell NO. If you really knew what wedding photogs go through, you'd think cleaning gas station restrooms was a fun job. If your friend wants decent photos of her wedding, then she'll have to pay for a good photog. Quadruple digits, people.)

Wow, that lens is huge! You must be compensating for something.
(Um, no. The lens is huge because that's what it takes to do the job. It's a tool, not a play toy. It's a working piece of equipment that gets hauled out into the field and subjected to heat, cold, rain, my dripping sweat, dirt, and hard knocks. It is not a status symbol nor an object to collect dust and hold down papers on my desk.)

What kinda camera is that?
(It's a digital single lens reflex optical-electric device with a lithium-ion battery, bayer pattern sensor, 9 contrast-based focus sensors, bayonet-style lens mount, magnesium chassis, and a smokin' data processing engine that can put 10 - 20 megabytes of photos onto the memory card within a few seconds. Whew, wait, there's more... Basically, it's just a black box that makes clicky sounds and records images.)

Wow, one day I gotta get me a nice camera like that.
(Yessir, you got it. And THEN you'll take amazing professional-quality photos worthy of the cover of National Geographic. Having a "nice" camera will also qualify you to shoot people's weddings and charge 100's of dollars. And you'll most definitely impress all the parents when you lug the big zoom to your kid's soccer game - or they'll think you're a perv. and ask you to leave.)

Awesome photo! You have a great camera.
(Thanks! Yeh, it's freakin' sweet. I just lug the thing out there and press a button. Easy as pie. It apparently has nothing to do with the years of shooting experience I have, or the books/magazines/articles that I read and study regularly, or the classes, workshops, discussions, etc. that I've been through. Seriously, aside from the experience I have, the photo you're seeing probably is a result of taking time off work, packing many pounds of expensive equipment to a remote location, sweating/freezing/banging/hurting/etc. my balls off getting to location X, taking thousands of photos, missing breakfast or dinner, neglecting or pissing off my friends or family because of being where I need to be at the right time, sifting through the thousands of photos I took, editing them, making test prints, and having a computer and software that's up to date and capable of handing all the processing.)

Two Landscapes for Practice

A few weeks ago I was hunting out in the Texas hill country and experienced a clearning storm during sunrise. It was cold (nearly freezing) and the wind was blowing hard. But the light and clouds inspired me so much that I just had to take a few photos.



Now these are not my best work, nor are they interesting landscapes. But it was practice. I went through the motions of scouting around for a composition that best captured the glory of that morning (it had been cold, rainy, and gray for several days prior, and the break in the bad weather and return of the sun was elating). I set my camera and tripod up, repositioned over and over as I found new compositions, and shot many images.

I felt rusty and out of touch with the camera and the whole shooting process. I fumbled with things stubbornly until I was properly set up and clicking the shutter. The process smoothed out just as the sweet light ended and it was time to leave.

So my point is this: I need more practice! This isn't a revelation for me but merely an observation. Something I need to work on...

Hello 2008

Screw the new year's resolutions, I have "goals" for this year:

1 Walk 1000 miles. Yep, that's right. 12 months, 1000 miles, and my two feet (and possibly several pairs of shoes). I just finished walking almost 100 miles in 5 weeks, so if I keep up that pace, I'll accomplish this goal.

2 Get published. Magazine, newspaper, website, whatever. I want to get at least one of my photos published. This will require a lot of work on my part. Many publications take submissions, and each one has their own unique requirements. For all of you that have seen my photos and told me, "this should be in a calender/magazine/book", wish me luck!

3 Go to Big Bend. Work on my photo project. This is an easy goal as you don't have to twist my arm at all to get me to go :-) With a little luck, I'll go twice this year.

4 Attend a photo workshop. I'm already signed up for a week-long photography workshop in Death Valley National Park in February this year. I'm really looking forward to it.

Bye Bye 2007

Boy am I glad 2007 is over. What a year! There were tremendous highs and tremendous lows. We lost a dear friend and also a beloved pet. Work was hard (spent 80 days away from home). Had a vactaion cancelled at the last minute because of flooding.

I guess I could easily dwell on the negative, I have that tendancy. I must remember the good times and the special events that we enjoyed. There were some pretty good things that happened. Any year that presented this amazing scene to me can't be all that bad :-)

Week 4 & 5

Weeks 4 & 5: Dec. 17 - 31
Miles Walked: 43.8
Weight / Waist: 252 lb / 43.75"
(note: waist is measured at the point of largest girth; in my case, that's around me at the belly button)

SUMMARY AT 5 WEEKS
Miles Walked: 99.8
Weight Change: +6 lb
Waist Change: -0.75 inches

I'm at the end of a 5 week stretch, and I've walked nearly 100 miles. I haven't lost any weight, in fact, I've gained some. But my weighing-in this morning comes at the end of a long holiday week (i.e. I've had my fill of cookies, beer, pie, etc.). I'm looking pretty bloated right now :-) but at least my waist is smaller. I think that's a good indicator. And, judging from my legs, I've gained a bit of muscle.

My new goal is this: Walk 1000 Miles in One Year's Time That's averaging about 20 miles per week. I think I can do it. We'll see...

Week 3

Week 3: Dec. 10 - 16
Miles Walked: 17
Weight / Waist: 246 lb / 44"
(note: waist is measured at the point of largest girth; in my case, that's around me at the belly button)

SUMMARY AT 3 WEEKS
Miles Walked: 56
Weight Lost: 0 lb
Waist Lost: -0.5 inches

Well, I think I have some progress to report. It appears 0.5 inches have shrunk off my waist. This measurement is most likely correct since my pants are fitting a bit looser now :-) The weight may come down later. Sometimes weight "hangs" at a certain point, and then drops after a few weeks. Also, I may be building a little bit of muscle with all this walking.

The big accompishment of the week is that I walked 13.2 miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes yesterday (that's 14-minute miles!). I'm planning on walking/running (mostly walking) a 25K race in Big Bend National Park next month, so I wanted to see if I could handle going a long distance. The 25K is 15.5 miles, so I'm getting close. I'll have a month between now and the race, and I need to keep walking hard. I think I should be walking 20 to 25 miles per week.

Week 2

Week 2: Dec. 3 - 9
Miles Walked: 21
Weight / Waist: 246 lb / 44.5 inches

SUMMARY AT 2 WEEKS
Miles Walked: 39
Weight Lost: 0 lb
Waist Lost: 0 inches

Eeeeecccchhhhh.... I've gone nowhere in two weeks. No weight lost, no inches lost. Of course we had the company holiday party this past weekend, so naturally I drank and stuffed myself silly :-) At least I walked a few more miles this past week!

Nectar of the Gods

Okay, it's another non-beer post in the Beer category, but it's worthy, I promise.

The Perfect Margarita (Nectar of the Gods):

• 1 cup Gold Tequila (a)
• 1/3 cup Triple Sec (b)
• 1/2 cup fresh sqeezed key lime juice (with pulp and seeds removed) (c)
• 1/2 cup Agave Nectar (d)
• small pinch of salt

Throw it all in a blender and fill with ice. Blast it until creamy smooth (1 - 2 minutes). If it gets too thick and won't blend, then pour a little water in to get the mix flowing. You can skip the blender and just mix this stuff right over ice for an "on the rocks" drinky-drink.

Notes on this recipe:

a. You don't have to get fancy here. Just use a decent brand (e.g. Sauza or Jose Cuervo). If it comes in a glass bottle, then it might be okay. If it comes in a plastic bottle, then it's probably fit to use as an engine de-greaser.

b. Get fancy! Ordinary Triple Sec is okay and produces good results. For a better tasting 'rita, use Grand Mariner or a cheaper equivalent (e.g. Bauchant) - basically any orange liqueur and brandy/conac blend.

c. Key limes are sweeter and more tart than typical limes. I definitely prefer key limes.

d. THE SECRET INGREDIENT. Look for agave nectar next to the honey at your local grocery store. If you can't find it, then try one of those fancier grocery stores (e.g. Whole Foods, Central Market).

For you metric-system types:

- 1 cup = 237 mL
- 1/2 cup = 118 mL
- 1/3 cup = 79 mL

Also, one shot from a typical shot-glass is roughly 1/6 of a cup in volume. So, you can measure in 1/3 cup increments by using two shot-glass volumes.

The Story

This recipe represents about 12 years of experimenting. My first margarita was some cheap rot-gut tequila mixed with some neon green crap in a bottle. You know, the giant jug of unnatural green liquid just beckoning at you in the liquor store. It tasted like ass and I knew I had to come up with something better.

After some experiements and a few years of experience (i.e. late nights, bad hangovers), I settled on a decent recipe using frozen limeaid concentrate, tequila, and triple sec. This does make a pretty good drink, but it's not quite there.

Just recently, I was introduced to a fantastic substance called agave nectar. Holy shit, I found perfection!!! Okay, maybe it's not perfection, but it's pretty close. The above recipe represents a new plateau in my evolution of the perfect margarita.

You can thank me later, when the room stops spinning...

Recent Photos from the High Lonesome

I've finally enjoyed a bit of free time and processed a few recent photos. Here are some sights from the High Lonesome (the ranch where I hunt):

Finally, after weeks of waiting, here are clear skies and the Comet 17P/Holmes:

Well, the second shot is the moon :-) but I was so happy to finally have some clear skies over my camera. I live in Houston with frequent clouds and pollution, and I've not been able to see the comet yet. The High Lonesome is way out in the Texas Hill Country, so when the skies are clear, the star viewing is awesome.

First Post - 50 lbs to go!

Seems like I've always been in a weight loss mode. I've been overweight for as long as I can remember.

As an adult, I've fluctuated between 205 and 275 pounds (the peak was during the beer-drinkin' pizza-eatin' college days). However, for the past two years or so, I've stayed mostly constant in the 240 - 250 range. I guess that's a good thing, as going up-n-down in weight isn't healthy.

I've decided to log my weight and exercise progress here on my blog. I've created a Weight Loss category just for these posts. This is the first one. Below is a quick summary of my progress in the previous week.

Week 1: Nov. 26 - Dec. 3
Miles Walked: 18
Weight / Waist: 246 lb / 44.5"

My goal is to make one post per week reporting some sort of progress: either losing weight, reducing my girth, and/or walking many miles (my primary form of exercise).

To date (for 2007), I've probably walked 250 miles. This includes the 60+ miles I've hiked in Big Bend :-) and most of that was with a heavy pack. When I walk during the week in my neighborhood, it's usually 4 to 6 miles at a time, averaging 14 minutes per mile. Yep, that's right - I hual ass! :-) my big fat ass, to be exact. I can't run or jog worth a fart but I can walk until my legs fall off.

My plan is simple. Since my diet is fairly good and healthy (except for the too frequent over-indulgence in beer :-) I'll focus on eating less. The major component of this "diet" is just to exercise a lot. This has many benefits aside from weight loss: I feel better, exercise burns off stress, I can do more because my endurance is higher, I sleep better, and I enjoy my hiking/camping outings much more because I'm in better shape. It's a complete reversal of the vicious cycle.

Does my plan work, you ask? You might be wondering why I'm still overweight if I've already put so much effort into exercise this year alone. Well, it works when I keep doing it. I've gone through alternating periods of activity and inactivity. I'll walk a lot and eat less for several weeks (and dump several pounds) and then follow that with several weeks of inactivity and eating a lot (and gain back the pounds).

When I started 2007, my goal was to loose 50 pounds by the end of the year. Well, here I am with less than a month to go before 2007 is gone, and I'm almost the same weight in which I started this year. Pppfffttt.....

I won't reach my 50-pound goal before 2008 is here, obviously, but I can pick up the plan again. That's always been my problem in the past. I'll get serious about it, stick with the eating less & exercising more program for a couple of weeks, and then fall off the wagon for a time while I eat myself silly.

I've got to stick with it - FOR GOOD. This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. So follow my progress here. Taunt me, challenge me, tell me my ass is too fat or my spare tire is too large or something. I've got to lose it!