Fly by

Iam intrigued by crop dusters. The way they fly with such graze and guts so low to the ground with power lines, buildings, and trees all right there off their wing tips. I could watch them for hours, and I have. This guy was dusting a field about a mile from my parents house so my brother, dad, and I tracked him down and watched for a while. This would be a hell of a job. I took the most interesting photos that I could while using just my 16-35mm wide angle. I think some of them turned out pretty well.













reading: Evidence of my existence

Listening to: Beck, Gamma Rays

Into the blue

Nothing special about these. Just some random shots of the past few days. I have been trying to update a lot, but the lack of internet has sometimes put a damper on that. However, I have been shooting a lot, which without saying is keeping my happy.

Lake Michigan right after sundown. The water is still pretty cold, yet acceptable.



When I was on a ride the other day I thought that I happened across some pretty cool paw prints, they were gigantic, maybe a weredog of sorts. Upon investigation of my own dogs paws I concluded they were nothing more than a regular canines elephantiasis infected paw apparently. Huge!



One thing I have always thought would be pretty amazing would be to do a project all about the life of train hoppers. Just travel North America by rail hopping trains and meeting the people along the way. Dangerous, sure; Illegal, definitely; Amazing, most likely. For now I'll keep that on the back burner and throw this image into my project folder for public art compared to the steps cities take to cover public art.



reading: Evidence of my existence (amazing thus far)

listening to: Anything Andrew Bird at the moment, I haven't listened to him as religiously lately and realized how much I miss that music.

holy parking lot soccer

holy parking lot soccer

Saturday involved a fierce game of church lot soccer. I felt like I was transported back into middle school. We were always herded out to the big parking lot out in front of the school. As in school, we also had to fetch the ball from over a tall chain link fence. I love the way the black tar ends up covering the ball except in the deep separating creases between the panels of the ball. (I didn't take a photo of that but I think you can grasp the picture of what it looks like)

lake night

Took a meandering trip over to Chicago this weekend. Good times ensued. Here are a few photos of Friday night with Dan, and Patrick hanging out at the lake. I love long exposures. All of the photos below are about 30 second shots.

Thanks for looking.







reading: Wanted

listening to: Beck, Gamma Rays

The dog days of summer

The dog days of summer

Just a few shots of my dogs, Maizee and Holly (the younger hound) enjoying the summer. A couple of the activities they enjoy, car rides, window watching, and fetching the mail. I just need to teach them to be able to grab it right out of the boxes.











Reading: (still) Spy

Listening to: The Kooks, Love it All

North American Pipe (line) Dreams

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North American Pipe (line) Dreams

I was a sophomore in high school, first time driving solo down the long country roads of Dekalb, paralleled with corn just starting to sprout through the damp, dark soil. 21 dollars, the price to fill up my rickety 89' honda prelude's 14 gallon tank. 4.35 last time I checked was the price for one gallon of gasoline. Oil reserves are very close if not past the 50% tapped out mark. That is the tipping point. Meaning we will not see gasoline for anything less than the yearly average which we are seeing now. We will start to see European prices in the near future. On top of it all, the consequences of burning fossil fuels as rapidly as a sleaze-bag ceo of circa 2000 enron can sell out his employees. The few get overly wealthy while the general population reel with the effects of a quick buck, and a stubbornly evolving energy campaign.

There is no substantial oil field within 600 miles of Dekalb. Yet, just this summer there is now a two way, 2,300 mile pipeline running less than a mile from my house bisecting corn fields and properties. I am not exactly sure what the reasons are, but west coast Canadian slag oil is pumped over to Indiana, then the refined oil is pumped all the way back over to western Canada. I may be missing a lot but it seems like it would have been a little more economical, environmentally friendly, and frankly much easier if the refinery plant was placed closer to the origin of the oil.

Either way, it's sad that it is necessary to continue projects that force oil as part of our future energy plan for at least the next quarter century. I take solice in the fact that Illinois is now the number one producer of wind energy and is still expanding it's green projects. But it's time that the United States takes many more and larger steps in an attempt to create an energy plan that reduces oil and fossil fuel usage by huge percentages. Breaking the all encompassing grip that oil has on the US and the environment is the next space race, the new Manhattan Project and it should start to be treated that way.

Here are some photos of the line that's cutting it's way over the plains and through the hills. Even though I find it relatively unsettling that there will now be a pipeline so close to my home, I find the whole construction process really intriguing. I wonder if it is the same crew and equipment that just travels the whole line from Canada and then back.









Reading: (now) Spy

Listening to: Minus the Bear, Burning Luck

biking > 100 miles a week

That's been the goal the entire summer. I have been close to keeping it a reality every week so far. Living in the country can hamper things a bit when there is a 15 mph straight line wind out of the west that never seems to let up. Yea, sure it's fun to ride with the wind... but at some point in time, either before or after, you have to cruise into that wind.

(we live next to the fan man, I wonder if he has ever saved anyone from a volcano)



My dad and brother usually will follow suit and ride with me. It helps keep me motivated when other people also want to go out for a ride, especially on the days when work has been nothing but 10 hours or strenuous activity less fun that walking bare foot on newly set asphalt.

Here's a few shots from a 21 mile ride around Dekalb county. We road through a closed road, the maiden voyage.

A farmer actually set aside land for a natural prairie to grow, that knowledge is really refreshing. So my dad pilfers it's wealth of flowers to bring home to my mom in the only place he has to carry them.























reading: Nineteen Minutes.

Listening to: Forest City Lovers, Orphans

tattooed pig ears flew in on the wings of a stork

My dogs fiend for pig ears. It always never really clicked that they were actual pig ears, swine listeners. Yea, detached from the point that these were once little wigglers on the top of a 300 pound mobile bacon platter. Either way, didn't exactly materialize in my head until the other day when we discovered one that had a tattoo on it. Lucky number one hundred must have had his number called.

Oh, and a couple newcomers I am spending the summer with. They don't talk much, but they seem to be enjoying themselves. Eyes open for the first time, it's only a matter of days before they will start to explore their new surroundings. Taking in whatever this world has to offer with the curiosity that can only come from a feline.

laissez les bon temps rouler

laissez les bon temps rouler.... Attempting to let this motto work it's way out for the rest of the summer, this weekend accomplished just that.... let the good times roll.

Thursday I attempted to let my country side out while jet-skiing in, well, a very insufficient body of water. ( size and depth ) Well worth it though.

Went into Chicago Friday for a get together my brother was throwing celebrating the 4th. I've been on the lake for fireworks plenty of times before, yet I have never just been in Chicago for the night. I never knew how surrounded and encompassing it feels while just letting it all sink in as the sun curves below the horizon on the 4th. A pretty amazing experience.

Here's a few shots I liked. I also shot a lot of film on Saturday when a few buddies and I made our way out to the sox game. Great time, especially due to the fact that my friend snagged the tickets for free from work. However I can't exactly tell you when those will ever be developed.