Judas Priest, Etc

A big thank you to my friend Holly for thinking of me first when her other friend bailed on going to the JP concert.
This was my eighth time seeing the Priest, and since this is their "last" world tour, I'll probably only get to see them a time or two more.
It was a bummer that KK Downing has already retired due to wrist problems, but the new guy looked just like him and played close enough to pass.

This is what corporate boxes look like at the ATT Center. I saw Metallica last year from a similar box, and it's starting to grow on me.
At my age comfort, space, a waiter, and a restroom 20 steps away rate higher than getting slammed by the 'tards around me.


I wasn't impressed by the sound engineer, and clearly Rob Halford is due for retirement. He sounded great for the first ten songs but after that luck had more to do with the results than the soundman's feeble attempts to keep things together.
I totally could have done a better job on the vocals.
The rest of the band was like a well-oiled pile-driving machine, as always.
Hopefully Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society was paying attention--Fast does NOT equal Heavy.
(They sucked)

Thin Lizzy should have played second instead of opening.
They had like 7 huge hit songs, and sounded great.




A Beautiful Mess played in Kerrville tonight, and when we were loading the equipment into the club I spotted a Coleman cooler just like mine except for the colors:
One of the cooks or bartenders is probably confused right about now, because when they got to work their ice chest's lid was white.

I never liked my green lid anyway--this is much better.
It's the kind non-hateful prank I prefer.


For a change the club didn't have it's backyard lit-up with a bunch of halogen floods, so I was able to shoot this view across the Guadalupe river:
The stars at night are big and bright...

I Don't Get It

Spotted on the street yesterday:
The low pants have been out of style for at least three years.
The green hat was like part of a halloween costume.
His T-shirt is still around his neck, but otherwise off. Is it smart to advertise your abs when your re-pregged woman is right behind you?

Except for the shoes (which probably cost the same as a month's supply of baby food and diapers) this clown isn't wearing ANY of his clothes correctly. I would hate to find out that he works in a hospital, although that would be a stretch.
Fry cook?
Even that worries me.

(Sorry, but I'm getting cranky in my old age).





Here's something I knocked out last night:
(The picture, not the whisky). I'm saving it for a special occasion, like an emergency Civil War style amputation or maybe the start of the NBA regular season.



Last night was amazing.
Had to be the worst thunder storm since way before the drought started.
It was scary for awhile, but I loved every minute of it.
Just wish I could figure out how the water got into our garage.

Diamond Knife and Shear

A preview of the site with my photos and be found here.

I'll update this post and add a link over there-->> when it's live on it's own domain.


Frankly, I don't recall taking all those photos. Glad I didn't have to do the post-processing, although I tried to make Steve's job easier by keeping the light levels as close to each other as possible while also insisting on new white paper when the pieces we were using got stained with oil.

Most of the websites that are filled with my photos belong to bands, so this was a nice change of pace for me. It sure was easier, since you don't have to worry about facial expressions and muffin-tops when dealing with steel.



Now that the weather has changed a bit, you can expect a return to normal around here.
I always slow down in the summer, but this was a particularly long and hot one. Rest assured, I'm looking forward to getting out there and shooting what I like again.

Sharper Things

Here are some shots I took for a friend's company website:













The shop tour was an education--posing and shooting all the dangerous steel was fun.


Here's one I did in our kitchen a few days later:




If you need anything sharpened professionally, look up Diamond Knife & Shear on Wye Dr. in San Antonio.

Quiet Contemplation

There's no possible way I could come up with an image of my own to represent my feelings about September 11, 2001.
That's why I waited until the anniversary was over to comment.
Fortunately, the work of the many journalists and photographers who were there ten years ago stands strong to this day.
We salute their efforts and thank them for telling an important story so well.




It pains me to know that so much of the world hates The United States.
We'll never win their love with free food, money, bombs, or the bodies of our children and parents, but that won't stop us from going down the same dark road again and again.
We as a people are stubborn and stupid, as are the jackasses we elect to office who don't even know which way to drag a plow.
But it only takes one smartass to turn things around...


I remain optimistic, and proud to be an American.

Random Stuff

At 4am I stepped outside to water a small patch of burnt grass.
For the first time in a long time, our patio thermometer delivered good news:
Since it's impossible for air conditioners to fight 100+ degree weather to much better than a mid-70s stalemate, tonight is the coldest my body has been since early March.
Goosebumps.

(At 6:30am the temp is down to 60f, which is even better).

Today was the very first sign that there might be a change in the hot and dry suffering we've endured, and for that I'm grateful.

A little taste of hope goes a long way towards improving one's mood.



In totally unrelated business, I saw this:
I'm interested because bacon rules, but haven't tasted it yet.
Several vegetarians of my aquaintance have a bacon exception, which proves that they aren't completely insane.