245 - Ballunar Festival 2010 (Panorama)

This image is a three panel panorama of the landing area (@25%.)  That's Chameleon on the left after being used by the stripper.

244 - Ballunar Festival 2010

Got up at 4:30 to get to NASA for Ballunar Festival 2010 takes a lot out of me.  I left the glow about 8PM and it was still going strong.  Takes an hour to get home, then taking care of the babies.  Then get to bed to try and start the cycle again.  Just in the morning, I took 5 rolls of film and 142 digital images the morning alone.   Think I am going to make a page for this.

Above you can see Chameleon coming in for a landing Sat morning during the fly in.

243 - Imagination

242 - Pattern

240 - New Floor

Exploring flooring options for downstairs.

238 - Public Art - "3/4 Time"

[Film Scan Kodak Gold 200]

View Location Map

Sculpture 0010 Statistics
Artist Title Date Medium Dimensions Location Provenance	Ben Woitena 3/4 Time 1976  Steel, Paint 15'x25'x10' Memorial Park Esplanade, Outdoors Given to the city by the  artist in 1996.

237 - Public Art - "Axis"

[Film Scan Kodak Gold 200]

View Location Map

The Location Map shows you where the art project was built.  The longish grey building just south of the sculpture is Art Car Museum which has free admission!   I was able to find a guard who was kind enough to give me permission to walk around and take the pictures.

In today's environment after 911, people can be real touchy even, though it is well within our legal rights.

Sculpture 0026 Statistics
Artist Title Date Medium Dimensions Location Provenance	Frank  McGuire Axiz 1978 (Restored 2008) Steel, Paint 20'x15'x35 West End Multi-Service Center, 170 Heights Blvd., Outdoors Purchased by the City of Houston with Community Development Funds

235 - Christmas

As Christmas approaches again, it is probably time to take these six ornaments from last year home. I am going to get a tree this year!

234 - New Project

Right now I am in a very busy workaholic mode.  On top of that pictures are stacking up and I have not had the energy behind posting every day.  Hot balloons excite me, specially Chameleon.  And public art excites me.  But I've been lost for a while now.

So, today I go to the GP to get my cameras out of the trunk when I try and take a handheld image.  Then I started thinking about all the wonderful images Laurie Price has taken over the years of homes and I have decided to try and get one good image before I die.  So this week will be trying to get the house while it is still light and still see the lights through the windows.

So tomorrow I will rush home and set up a tripod and try to make it work.  Or at least make some headway.  Good luck to me!

233 - He's Baaack

There is a certain group of people who have started a phone and letter campaign to get him off the blogs but he doesn't care.  While posing he said he will be giving back a response, "in kind.  Repercussions!"

232 - Linux Penguin

This is the penguin sitting on Phoenix's desk.  This guy is militant when it comes to Linux.  When Redhat sent us a box of schwag (including our red fedoras)  he promptly put up a poster that said something like, "Redhat Linux, the last service pack you'll ever need!"

It is a cure for Windows, as is Mac OS X!

230 - Public Art - "Houston"

View Location Map

Sculpture 1030 Statistics
Artist Title Date Medium Dimensions Location Provenance	Mac Whitney Houston 1981 Steel, Paint 50'x25'x18' Stude Park Purchased by the City of Houston with Community Development Funds

229 - Perry's Steakhouse and Grille

I have only been to Perry's Steakhouse and Grill in Memorial City once when Crystal took me.  Today, I have a friend who works there so I thought, "Why not?"  I decided to grab a late lunch to go, so I looked at the menu and fell for the "Kobe Burger."  Told them I wanted it whatever way the chef decided to cook it.

I got this really cool bag with it.  As you can see below, it was the nth degree of simplicity.  I ate it with no condiments except for some jurrassic salt for sweet potato fries.  It was one of the juiciest hamburgers I have ever tasted-just a little pink in the middle.

228 - Buzzer

227 - Dinner Tonight

I want to move my photography in a different direction.  I am not entirely sure what that will bet-but it should be interesting...

Tonight's Dinner

Angus Beef Patty
Grilled with salt and pepper and topped with blue cheese sprinkles.
 I also have garlic and jalapeno pepper there as well.

French Fried potatoes
(cut at home with my mandolin) and oven baked.

Goat Cheese Salad
Spring mix with grilled red onions, fried goat cheese(in panko with parsley) and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Heineken Beer 

It was 4 cents cheaper than Shiner (a word to the wise.)

(Kitchen is a mess but that's because I abhor empty flat surfaces-and 'yes' that is a Nat Geo.)

226 - Caldo de Pollo

So today I had a real craving for and ordered Caldo de Pollo at our favorite restaurant.  When it was delivered, she said, "And, here's your caldo de chicken."  Tom acted really shocked and said, "They changed your order to chicken?"  And we all started laughing.

Gotta tell you, it was so good...

225 - The Crescent Moon

224 - Old Timey Bicycle

222 - This is the Real Texas

We had a plan.  A straight forward one.  With a list of ghost towns to visit we were off.   What was to be a short foray into Chappell Hill became a two hour visit as we met and talked to Miss Whitmore and Mr Brown.  The next day, Saturday and Sunday morning was to be the Scarecrow Festival celebration.  We were not able to accomplish the original goal but we saw some very interesting sites, and met some wonderful people.

Miss Whitmore, a spry and alert 85 year old widow regaled us with stories of Chappell Hill and Brenham.  Her family has been in the area since the 19th century.  She told us stories of her family, friends, famous and not so famous people.  She told us about the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1867 which cause so much fear in the area.

Artist Dan Brown setting up his booth.  We went gaga over the quality of his work.  A very nice man who was constantly helping others.  Great conversation.  He has visited all the places in his paintings.

And of course, being good citizens, we stayed over for the wedding.

Bud Royer's Round-Top Cafe in Round Top of course.  This place was very friendly and the food was really nice.  It has a very eclectic decor.  On the way out I was asked if I worked for a food magazine.  I guess chubby guys with big cameras get that.  Below is the tenderloin burger and fries we had.

And of course, least we forget, get out and vote for the next governor of the great state of Texas...  What can we say that has not already been said about Mr. Friedman?  Here is a link to why we should vote for him, and an interview with Samantha Brown of the Travel Channel.

Throughout the day, Tom kept saying, "This is the real Texas..."  Will write more about our travels tomorrow.

220 - One Photograph?

219 - Waiting for Fall

Or maybe Patterns...

It is beginning to cool off now.  When I open the doors to let my babies outside, it is colder than the house instead of feeling like an oven at 5:00 AM.

218 - Patterns

217- Halloween Season

[35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

216 - Chappell Hill

The Launch
[35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

Rotating
[35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

My obligatory pictures of Chameleon.  Taking off (above).  One of the things I love about Chameleon is the way the colors shimmer when Dale pauses for a few moments to rotates her (below.)  Had we had more crew on hand, I would have placed my small point and shoot in video mode so you can see how beautiful it is.  Well, next time.

This time around, Laura had us looking around for other opportunities...

Chameleon
Burner Testing [35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]	View of Crown Line [35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

Methodist Church in Chappell Hill
[35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]	Stained Glass Windows [35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

Abandoned Church in Brenham (Posted)
Abandoned Church. [35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]	View From Across Street [35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

Cross in the morning light
[35mm Film Scan FujiColor C-41]

215 - The Playa

Wonder what he was whispering