March 23, 2013

Anyone within driving distance of Aggieland should attend the Museum of the American GI’s battle reenactments. They are spectacular events made possible by people who are passionate about preserving and sharing this pivotal moment in world history. Saturday afternoon, Glenn, Kyle and I attended the largest military vehicle rally and battle reenactment in the Southern US. The sights, sounds and smells of this event give a better glimpse into the World War II era than any movie could.

March 21, 2013

Every two years, art work produced by the faculty from the College of Architecture is showcased at the Stark Galleries at Texas A&M University. Since the Memorial Student Center was in the process of being renovated two years ago, this was the first faculty show since 2009. Back then, I exhibited some of my stereo-photography. This year, I submitted some of my traditional photographic work and a set of abstract images I call Rorschach’s Trees.

March 17, 2013

So, this year, since St. Patty’s day fell on a Sunday we thought our green-day would be rather tame. We were wrong.  After church, we headed to Northgate with Manny to grab a drink and some irish-food for lunch. That was the plan…but the drinks kept coming, along with the friends, and our “lunch” turned into an all day affair.  We had too much fun, but we were smart.  Glenn was kind enough to be our designated driver and get us safely home.   BTW:  Monday was no fun.
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March 15, 2013

South-by-Southwest (SXSW) is one of the best musical/media festivals in the country.  You can’t help but stumble upon talent everywhere you go.  At the last minute, Ruben, Manny and I decided to head to Austin for the 2013 SXSW experience.  We had no idea what we were going to do…we just went. Our adventure was serendipitous.  We listened to lots of great performances in little venues throughout the Downtown Austin area. We also spent time with our friend, Kody and a couple of Manny’s fraternity brothers, Landon and Jacob.  We had a blast, and I have to thank Landon (and his wife) for letting us crash with them in Austin.
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March 14, 2013

Spring break was upon us, and Ruben and I had no idea what we were going to do. We thought about taking a trip somewhere, but most airlines and hotels raise their prices during this time of year to make the most of traveling student.  I didn’t want to waste the week doing nothing, so I decided to use the time on a couple of photography projects.  I’m glad Ruben was willing to be my assistant and model. For the first project, we grabbed an old lantern and dug up a renaissance shirt for Ruben to wear.  We explored a nearby wooded area and proceeded to take shots.  For the next project, I created a swarm of butterflies, using just one artificial butterfly I purchased at a local craft store.  The final project involved photographing tucker holding balloons. We had fun creating these images and it proved to be a lot cheaper than traveling somewhere for spring break.

March 12, 2013

It seems hard to believe that it has been ten years since my grandmother passed away. When I think of her, I can’t help but think of her sister, my great-aunt, Josie. Those two were always together. On a calm, cool, spring evening my aunt passed away in her sleep. Tuesday morning, I drove to central Texas to be with my family and serve as one of the pallbearers for her funeral. It was a beautiful graveside service at our family cemetery. Most of our time was spent catching up with friends and family and sharing our memories of a person who touched our lives. My great-aunt and grandmother are back together again.
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March 9, 2013

I’ve always admired the craftsmanship of handmade quilts but have never owned one until now.  Glenn told his mom (who happens to be a quilt-maker) that I wanted one, so she proceeded to make one for me. The quilt-making gene runs in their family. Starting with an unfinished (perfectly preserved) quilt that Glenn’s grandmother began working on in the 60s, Glenn’s mom created a one-of-a-kind quilt that I’ll always cherish.

February 15, 2013

Ruben has always made it clear that he aspires to have a career in the medical field. His pursuit eventually led him to enroll in The University of Texas School of Nursing in Houston. He started attending classes in January, commuting to College Station for the weekends and spending most of the weekdays staying with Elsa and Travis. In the middle of February, I helped him move into his first apartment. It was a bitter-sweet experience. While I’m excited for him taking the next step in his career, I miss him when he’s not in Aggieland.
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February 2, 2013

Being an avid photographer, the thought of photographing weddings as a side-business has crossed my mind before, BUT experience has taught me that photographing weddings can be stressful. So, I only do it for friends and family as my gift to them. Not being paid doesn’t cause me to take the job less seriously. I believe I’m more focused knowing that I’m doing it because I want to give the best gift I can with photographs that truly capture that special moment in their lives.

A few months ago I was asked by a charming couple at my church to photograph their wedding. Being the hopeless romantic that I am (aware of their story) I couldn’t say no. When the big day arrived, I had the honor of photographing their wedding and then sharing those photos with their friends and family around the world. I love photography.
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January 31, 2013

I’ve mentioned in earlier entries that my boss, Bill is a fellow railroad enthusiast. We’ve shared a couple of rail adventures including chasing the Union Pacific 844 and our journey aboard the Amtrak Cascade. We also share an interest in model railroading. While Bill’s an HO guy, I work with the smaller N-scale. One day, I invited Bill over to help me do a coupler conversion and light installation upgrade to the entire consist of passenger cars for my Southern Pacific Daylight train. What we thought was going to be a quick, easy procedure turned into a real challenge. The parts we had to work with were tiny…very very tiny! Despite taking longer than expected, we had fun and were pleased with the results.
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