Random Photo Shoot

A little impromptu photo shoot with Amy in downtown Mountain View on a Saturday night. We were returning from an 80's prom/birthday party in celebration of, our mutual friend, Lance's big 4-0.

Lunar Eclipse

There was cloud cover over Palo Alto during the total eclipse. So I ended up with a shot of the partial eclipse when the clouds parted just before it was over. I am excited to know that I can get a decent shot of the moon with my camera.

Tour Of California

Palo Alto hosted the opening time trials for the Amgen Tour of California. The 2.1 mile course went from city hall, through downtown, to the Stanford Oval. I was able to get close.


...close enough that I would have had my head taken off if I didn't pull back on several shots!

Image #1000

Image #1000 on my new camera of Nancy's brother and his family, taken during Tyson and Nancy's wedding reception at Pacific Athletic Club.

Boarding In Heaven

Heavenly that is! I knew conditions were perfect as I made my way toward the first lift. You know the snow that is usually all wet, slushy and nasty right next to the parking lot as you step onto the mountain? Well it was all dry and fluffy! And though the rest of the mountain was already well groomed over and nothing virgin there was nothing to complain about. It was a warm, clear and calm day with beautiful views of Lake Tahoe. The biggest problem was what to do with the extra layers everyone kept shedding.

The most random event of the day was slamming my knee into an armrest on the shuttle bus before we even hit the slopes. I was still standing as the bus started and then stopped short. I heard a loud bang and it took a moment to realize the pain in my knee and the noise were from the same impact. It only bruised my kneecap and I boarded all day on it, though at less than 100%. The real pain came after sitting still for an hour in the car on our way back to Placerville where an undisclosed, but nurse recommended, number of ibuprofen took care of most of the pain.



The real treat of the day came from the always fabulous home cooked meal provided by Erin's mom and entertaining stories provided by Erin's dad. I love visiting Erin's parents in Placerville. As soon as you pull into their driveway and step out of the car you are greeted by the sweet smell of sugar pine. It's just one of those things that always makes me happy!

Flash Of Inspiration

Glen and I check out the remote flash of my new camera setup.

Making Our Way To Big Sur

Mmmm!


Ummm?


Hmmm...


?


??


???


Uhhh?

Things learned on this trip:
By Dave:
1. The Little Mermaid retains its title for record most likely to bring singers out of the woodwork
2. Randy can't seem to keep his hand off my zipper... yet, still prefers the floor to a shared bed
3. You can get from San Jose to Carmel in the time it takes to do three laps of the Carmel neighborhood we stayed in
4. Cookie dough is a wonderful loophole
5. Ice cold feet is a dead giveaway that I am not Steph (and she wears socks to bed)
6. A white 4Runner is a great vehicle to allow for after hours park entrance, driving the wrong way on one way streets, and the respect of fellow trespassers
7. A white 4Runner apparently may also help getting you out of being pulled over for driving without a shirt, a seat belt, or hands on the wheel
8. I cannot have my future wife... (I think that knowledge is supposed to help me somehow)
9. Just because a picture (front of the house) isn't shown online, doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't worth going for
10. Putting Brooke and Tara and Julie all on the same food committee is something that should be done as often as possible

By Julie:
1. I don't think that North Dakota has ever been mentioned that many times in one weekend... even from a North Dakotan!
(Dave this could be you and your 'untouchable' wife)
http://www.ndtourism.com/
2. Randy was willing to sacrifice a little leg comfort to sit in between Brooke and Tara
3. Even when a box of food is misplaced.... there is still more than enough food to go around
4. Watch out for Margie when she is armed with a pillow
5. Always good to have Tara double check the address... in case, for example, you are looking for a house on the wrong street
6. Steph might just be a better bed buddy than Dave because she wears socks to bed
6. Dave and Robert will do just about anything for the camera
7. And finally, some woman, somewhere, is enjoying a lot of pictures of Dave and Robert in all sorts of poses

By Brooke:
1. Point Lobos sunsets beat 17 mile drive
2. Rich will take his shirt off in public, as long as he doesn't think anyone is looking
3. When traveling with a fun group, always "forget" a box food...it ensures the roadtrip reunion.
4. An Armenian immigrant who personifies prairie home chic is Randy's ideal.
5. Baking soda is a lot more exciting breakfast ingredient than corn starch.
6. The greatest benefit to getting married is being able to move wherever you want...and the second, the tax benefit.
7. Always check your bedroom closet before dressing for bed, when you are traveling with Bradshaw
8. In spite of my initial skepticism....there really is a correlation between Dave's ability to resist chocolate chip cookies and his ability to embrace the advances of an attractive woman. No cookies (just dough) and all it took was one little unzip...and Dave shamelessly tore his shirt off for an attractive woman ;). Nice work and apparently the sacrifice is worth the "blessings" (and there are residual benefits for on-lookers). With results so early in the process we can only speculate on the outcome after a month, but it may need to be implemented as an official Elder's Quorum Program.

By me:
1. Nertz promotes relationship communication
2. Tara's hair is fun to play with and hopefully stays that way
3. You can move to North Dakota when you get married
4. But I can't take a date to Spagheti Factory
5. Apparently I'm always fun to sleep with
6. Coming out of the closet can be scary or fun, depending on your perspective
7. I can resist ice cream bars from Dave but not Steph
8. I can get past first base with Brooke
9. Even before she has had too much to drink!
10. And what isn't laid back about aligator hunting?

A Wild And Crazy Night In Carmel

Who says you can have too many cooks in the kitchen?
...certainly not our birthday boy Rich!


We all know Dave has mad laser skills, but what is this?!?!


...and just what exactly is Dave plotting next?


Julie: "My oh my Steph, what harry legs you have!"
Dave: "Hee! Hee! Hee!"


Amanda discovers after all these years, and with great surprise, that the monster in the closet story is not just urban legend!