Chaos

"It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order - and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order." Douglas Hofstadter

Back on the Trail

Took a short hike out to camp at Island Lake up in the Sierras a little over an hour from where I live. It's amazingly beautiful up there, especially with all the snow right now, and I was glad to get in before it got too over-run with people.

It's that time of year

I always look forward to my camping trips this time of year. I've been limited to car camping for quite some time, but here I am all packed up for my second backpacking trip of the season. This one is much more mellow, just a quick over night'r up to a small alpine lake called Penner Lake. Sounds like there is still quite a bit of snow up there, and the road in to the trail-head is still closed. The ranger seemed to think I can get at least half way down the last 2 and a half mile dirt road turnoff, so I'm figuring I'll leave my truck somewhere along there and hike in.

Happy Mothers Day

Wishing the happiest of days to all good mothers out there!

Eyes That Pop

One of the most striking elements you can add to a portrait is eyes that really pop. The problem is, nowadays people get lazy and try to do this too much in Photoshop, rather than with the camera using proper light. So my tip of the day is how to find that light.

Wonder

We got an unseasonably wet weekend, so no new photos from me. I'm not complaining, I love the rain and thrilled that everything will get greened up one last time before the oppressive summer heat sets in. Felt like posting again though, so here is another older photo with a quote...



"If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life." -- Rachel Carson

Flashback October 31, 2008: Coarctation of the Aorta Artery

I've wanted to write about this for quite some time, but I have a tough time getting the words out. It was a really scary and draining ordeal that I wouldn't wish upon any little one or their parents.

A few weeks prior to Halloween, my wife took my son in to see the pediatrician due to him picking up pink eye from one of the neighbors boys. It was during this visit that we heard the first words that nobody wants to hear. The doctor was listening to his heart, and heard a murmur. She felt it was serious enough that we should make an appointment with a specialized pediatric cardiologist as soon as possible. Within a week, my wife was at the UC Davis Medical Center where my son would undergo a echocardiogram.

Mysterious

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.
~Albert Einstein ~

Vernal Pools

Today I tagged along with my wife and daughter as they had a little outing to the Mather Field Vernal Pools with their girl scout troop.

Clean New Look

Wiley and Clean: 17-40mm F/4L @ 29mm, F/4, 1/200th ISO 200,
Manual flash at 1/4 power fired in Softbox about 2 feet away.

Making some changes with the blog, and I hit on it a bit with the last post. I think it's a much cleaner, streamlined look, and I'm liking it much better. None of the templates were doing what I wanted, so I figured 'what the heck, I'm a software engineer', and I went into the html and fixed it myself.