Can you even name five weather books? Didn’t think so. Well Chris Burt has no trouble naming his favorites in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. Chris’ short reviews are so interesting that I now want to go out and buy all five!
Author: thedude
Housing Explosion!
Coming to your neigborhood soon. At least if you live in Oakland! Buildings like this are springing up everywhere. I’m very happy to see some of the new structures feature fun, creative color schemes. The blaze orange and powder blue looks great! I wonder if all this construction will lead to a housing glut in…
Magic Light
Kelly will undoubtedly be upset that I posted this, because as anyone can clearly see, the loft is a “total mess!” Sorry Kelly, but I just wanted to share with my friends and family the light that came into our home at 4:01 PM today. Our loft lighting has been different every day of the…
One More Book Under the Wire
This weekend is your last chance to get 50% off on $100 or more worth of books at MyPublisher. I made one more quick book this morning and ordered 12 copies for 75 bucks with shipping. You really should try it. It’s fun! There is no cheaper way to see a bunch of your favorite…
Something to Feel Good About
Yesterday we attended the end-of-season horse show at the Xenophon Therapeutic Center in Orinda. This little organization pairs disabled children with specially trained horses. Kelly has been volunteering her time at Xenophon for two years. I was not sure what to expect on my first visit. What I found was truly beautiful and inspirational. Many…
Everything in a Single File!
Just a quick note to ask you all to take a look at Tiddlywiki. I’m busy working on images for two other blog entries, but I just could not wait to tell you about this. When you view the TiddlyWiki site, bear in mind that you are viewing a single file. A rather small file,…
Warping Space with a Digital Camera and PhotoShop and PTlens
A new acquaintance inspired me to follow through on an idea I’ve had for a long time. The idea is appealing to me because it fulfills a real need, but also because it gives me an excuse to combine some of my more obscure toys and skills to produce something unique. The idea was to…
New and Improved!
MyPublisher released a new version of their cool book-making software. The new version has a few key enhancements. First of all, BookMaker 2.0 looks much more like a book. You now also have the ability to print pages with black backgrounds. YAY! There are other new features, but these two alone make the upgrade worthwhile….
Monticello Vineyards
We were lucky enough to be invited to Napa valley for a private wine tasting at the Monticello winery on one of the nicest days of the year. Our Indian Summer started late – today will probably be the last 84 degree day this year. Thanks again to Scott and Justyna for the invitation! Wow….
Not Entirely My Idea
I really wish I could take credit for the redesign idea, but it was the always inspirational Before and After Magazine that made me do it. The latest issue contains a story about this attractive site. What peaked my interest is that this design clearly rewards people with a lot of screen real estate. My…
Another Cool Optical Illusion Site
You know I love this stuff. I want to get the building’s elevator floor painted just like this.
Musical Keywords
The best thing ever to happen to computers is Adobe PhotoShop. Ask anyone who uses it every day. It’s mind-boggling. The second best thing is Winamp. Instant access to my vast music collection is a godsend. Winamp was such a breakthrough when I first saw it that I immediately sent my ten bucks to Justin…
Congratulations, Steve & Debra!
Kelly and I had a wonderful time at your wedding. The 20’s theme was an excellent idea – everyone looked great! I now have hundreds of photos to retouch, color-correct and otherwise perfect in PhotoShop before they’ll be suitable for display on thedude.com. I’ll be busy for days. I’ll post images as I finish them…
High Resolution Diego Garcia on Google Earth!
I was looking through my old blog entries today and discovered that the good folks at Google Earth have added high-resolution images of Diego Garcia. Check it out! Have a look around – you can clearly see the well-stocked ships in the lagoon, B-52’s on the tarmac, the (nuclear?) weapons storage bunkers and if you…
Love Fest San Francisco
After looking at about a thousand pictures from previous Love Fests, I almost didn’t go. The pictures are so lame that they only occasionally hint at a good time. Then I decided that it was my duty to attend and get a few decent shots of what probably is a pretty good event. So, armed…
Happy Birthday, Elise!
Happy Birthday, Dear. Seeing your fabulous smile in the office every day has been one of the best things about going to work these last six years. Lots of love to you! More party photos here. A huge thanks to our incredibly gracious hosts Joe and Jeff who made us feel welcome in one of…
Playa Art UFO/Car
I spotted this dust-covered vehicle parked on the street a block away, and just happened to have my trusty Nikon. My pal Andrew told me that there was a whole fleet of these on the playa this year.
One of the First Photos I Ever Shot
My best guess is that this image of best friends Bruce Hagen, Jim Davidson and Scott Wolbers was made in 1971 or 1972, when I would have been 15 or 16 years old. I borrowed a Yashica 124 twin-lens-reflex from my high school photography club, and shot this image at the top of the hill…
Scanning Images from the Past
You know by now that I’ve had a life-long passion for photography, and years ago, made the fateful decision to purchase a beautiful, lightly used Pentax 6 x 7 at the local drug store for a mere 450 bucks. More importantly, I made a commitment to myself to actually use it, and I did. So…
Sam’s Cafe, Tiburon
We had dinner with our friends Steve and Debra at Sam’s Anchor Cafe in lovely, affluent Tiburon. Sam’s Cam showed a crowded deck before we left for Tiburon, but by the time we got there the fog had moved in and it was freezing, so we ate inside. The seared Ahi tuna in an orange…
Bar B C Ranch
Chris’ grandfather, Struthers Burt, founded the first dude ranch in Wyoming – the Bar B C. We toured what remains of this historic ranch. An attempt is being made at restoring the site, but so far, the birthplace of Chris’ dad (seen above) remains as it was – untouched for decades.
Those Eyes!
While at Hugh’s party, I ran into my favorite hostess from a popular lunch destination – Bucci’s. I have always been amazed by her stunning blue eyes. Luckily, Laura was kind enough to let an old, drunk dude snap a few shots. What a beauty!
Farewell, Hugh
Yesterday my coworkers and I met at Kitty’s in Emeryville to send off another of my favorite coworkers. Hugh (aka Huge) and I have worked side-by-side for almost six years. He’s an amazingly talented SysAdmin, musician and a great friend. I am very sad to see him go. Best wishes to you, Hugh!
Our Wonderful Wives
Chris and I have much in common, but by far the best thing we share is our beautiful wives. (Hm. That doesn’t sound exactly right…) There is nothing like the feeling that comes with knowing you’ll share the rest of your life with the kindest, most loving, most talented and beautiful women you have ever…
Ansel, 1, thedude, 0
The scene has changed a lot since 1941, and I had very little snow and no clouds at all to work with. So that’s my excuse.
More from Wyoming
Chris knows this part of the world like the back of his hand, so he took us to several of his favorite spots. He led us on a few short hikes and one very long one. (More on that later.) We drove up Shadow Mountain, (Google Earth Placemark) and back down to Jenny Lake for…
Grand Tetons Panorama
I saw numerous examples of images like these in galleries throughout Jackson. (The cabin in the scenes below is the most photographed structure in the park.) Many were shot with a large format camera and exhibited breathtaking sharpness and supernatural colors.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Our best friends Chris and Ben have a very cool cabin just a few yards outside the Grand Teton National Park. This shot was taken from the deck shortly after sunrise on Friday morning. We stared at this view for three days and barely noticed the structures in the foreground – our eyes were fixed…