Most High Mollusk

I don’t like to post sad news on thedude.com, but I cannot ignore the untimely loss of my long-time friend, JimmyD. Suffice it to say that my memories of him and the amazingly great times we had over the last 50-odd years will live on forever. I know that all CLAMs will remember JimmyD forever…

James Was Here

OK – I’ve been feeling kinda bad. My pal Jim visited for a week, and, despite great conversation, great weather and meals at places like Haven, Sea Salt and of course Chop Bar, I took a grand total of one photograph. With a cheap-ass point-and-click. I guess it could have been worse – I could…

Wisconsin Winter Weather Woes

Access to one of the most important destinations in Burlington, Wisconsin has been hindered by a four foot snow drift. My forecast is that thirsty residents will grab their shovels and clear a path to their beloved watering hole by beer-thirty.

Scanning — Again

Yes, Kelly found a stack of old negatives, and I’m back at it. These days, I basically have the scanner running whenever I’m at the computer. I load up the negative carrier, preview scan a bunch of images, and final scan the best ones. The process is time-consuming, but my new computer is fast enough…

Jim and Wendy Celebrate in the Bay Area

Our foodie friends Jim and Wendy dropped in while celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss. Congratulations to both of you, and thanks for giving us a reason to visit some of the best the Bay Area has to offer. I’m full now.

Fall Colors in Wisconsin

Thanks, Dave for sending this shot of Lori & Pat’s tree. What’s that then, a maple? Is this tree in Lyons, Wisconsin? Who are Lori and Pat?

Kerry & Matt

Kerry and Matt paid a visit to the Bay Area. We spent a few food-filled days traveling up and down the coast.

Laughing Dogs

Once in a while a friend sends a photo that amazes me. Dave was practicing with his new camera, and managed to capture this cool image of googly-eyed puppies going crazy in the Wisconsin snow. Dave, I’d say this picture proves that some pet-owners do look just like their pets! 🙂

My Never-Ending Scanning Project

A few years ago, my best man Steve and I split the cost of a Nikon film scanner. I figured I’d spend a few days scanning the best of the thousands of slides and negatives I have scattered around. Well, this little project has grown into a monster. I’ve been scanning on and off for…

Our Lives in a Box of Old Kodachromes

You never know what you’ll find. I had a few spare moments this rainy Saturday afternoon, and decided to take up my scanning project again. It didn’t take long to find something fun and timely. These old slides were in the first box I opened. I’m sure Jim will love these! Ha! Food has always…

Wisconsin Snow Blanket

I’ve been too busy to post anything in such a long time. Then, my pal Dave sent these images from Wisconsin. Seems the snow on his truck either slid or was blown into this amazing magic snow carpet. How cool is that?!?

Stuffed in Wisconsin

I didn’t think I was taking enough pictures on my recent short trip to the Midwest – probably because I was so busy consuming everything from a deep-fried “onion brick” at The Hub to Wendy’s amazingly decadent molten truffle dessert. Oh. My. God. Most people probably don’t think of a trip to Wisconsin as a…

You Haven’t Changed a Bit!

You gotta love the Internet. This week it helped bring me back together with my roommate from 27 years ago. We exchanged a few emails and I learned that my old friend Rob Espinosa would be performing today at the Novato Art and Wine Festival. Kelly and I watched Rob play with the David LaFlamme…

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…

More Party Pix!

Here are a few more fab shots from the CLAM reunion in no particular order. That last shot of your humble photographer was made by Dave Seitz. Thanks, Dave! By the way, I saw a couple of videos at the party that I’d love to make available to all of the CLAMS. Jeff, Todd –…

These Are a Few of My Favorite CLAMS

I am sooo glad we took the time to set up the lights in Dave’s garage. My only regret is that I did not spend more time in “the studio”. This is partly due to the 92 degree heat and high humidity, but also because I was just plain lazy. I wish I had shot…

O’Hare International Airport

One of the first things you may encounter when traveling through Chicago’s O’hare International Airport is the wacky walkway under the tarmac between the terminals and baggage claim. I’m usually too busy to stop and photograph this spot, but this time I was able to spare a few seconds to shoot two quick images with…

James Arrives

I can count on at least one visit a year from my good friend James. Welcome, dude. If tonight’s indicative of what’s to come, this visit will be a good one!

A Couple of Great Shots From Wisconsin

It’s not that I have a soft spot for cute kids in leaf piles. It’s just that this is the sort of picture parents tend to e-mail to their victims friends. In fact, some of these images are pretty good – like this one. This adorable shot of Leah was taken by her Dad, Jeff…

A Roast With the Rowes

Just to be sure we’d had our fill of MEAT on our trip, Steve prepared a huge slab of bison for dinner with Jim and Wendy Rowe on Friday. He paired the meat with a few rare and delightful reds. Yum!  

Baraboo Circus Museum

Another destination never seen by thedude or Kelly is the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The museum is loaded with colorful and often hilarious circus posters from the past. Out back there are two large warehouses filled with meticulously restored circus wagons. Cool!