Horsie Day at Reinstein Ranch

thedude accompanied horsie-girl Kelly to her favorite weekend getaway. She had a great time with Tilly in spite of the muddy conditions, and thedude went a little nuts with his camera.

Lunch on Inle Lake

We left our beautiful room at the Inle Princess early in the morning to take in some of the sites on Inle Lake. On the way, we saw how leg-rowing can leave both hands free for untangling fishing nets. We stopped and had a delicious lunch and cool beers at a restaurant with beautiful lake…

Inle Lake

After ten days in Burma we had come to expect the unexpected. We began our trip to the Inle Princess Resort in a noisy diesel-driven long boat. It was along the way that we saw our first leg-rowers. Yes, they really do row with their leg. It’s a balancing act you have to see to…

U Bein Bridge

Later that day we took an emotionally draining walk half way across the U Bein Bridge. Along the way the sites ranged from beautiful to bizarre. We might have walked back too, but opting for a boat ride instead meant we would not have to see the heart-breaking sights again. Once in the boat, we…

Shwe Nan Daw Monastery

After a boat ride back from Mingun and a delicious Thai lunch with our wonderful guide, we visited an ancient monastery – every square inch of it carved by hand. This most beautiful teak wood building, was erected inside the Palace at Mandalay by king Mindon, the founder of Mandalay. After he died in 1878,…

Mya Thein Tan

I swear that I saw this lovely temple referred to as the “whipped cream temple” somewhere. You can see why. This was one of my favorite temples. Nearby, we stopped to have a look at the Massive Mingun Bell. Weighing in at 90 tons, it is the world’s largest cast bronze bell.

Silk Weaving in Amurapura

On day 8, we saw how colorful silk fabrics are assembled one thread at a time at Thein Nyo Silk Weaving. The very detailed work is slow and repetitious, taking up to a month or more to finish a single piece of fabric. Workers are paid by the piece so sisters sometimes team up to…

Bagan Lacquer Factory

It’s hard to believe we did all of these things in just one day. We’re STILL on day 6 of the trip. We visited another Buddha in a cramped temple at the Manu Ha compound, where the closed-in feeling of the place evokes the stress of captivity at the hand of a brutal Burmese king….

Landing a Balloon is Not a Strict Science

When we left off, we were floating peacefully above the Bagan plain watching the first of the two balloons land as planned in a field below us. We were too high to land, so our pilot, Ian, sized up the situation and decided to shoot for a sandy spot on an island in the middle…

Bagan – Take II

At sunrise on our sixth day in Burma, (That’s right – we’re only half way through our amazing trip, folks.) we boarded a hot-air balloon and got a different view of the temples in the Bagan area. Our guide explains that it’s well known when the 1,500+ temples were built, but that it’s not clear…

Ancient Bagan – Take One

We raced to the ruins by horse cart, but arrived at the best viewpoint two minutes after the light had faded. I immediately made plans to return under better lighting conditions, and continued snapping anyway. There’s plenty to shoot. If nothing else, there are always children. There are more adorable children in Burma than there…

Yangon, Shwedagon

The capital city bustles with activity, even early on a Saturday morning. It seems every one of Yangon’s six million inhabitants has something to sell. Unfortunately, we saw many more sellers than buyers. Jim was amused by the Burmese version of outdoor cafes with their tiny chairs and tables. No, neither of us had the…

Greetings from Myanmar!

Our trip to Burma took 23 hours. The first 19 were made less than perfect due to three children who proved beyond a doubt that it is indeed possible to scream non-stop for almost an entire day. Despite the best efforts of a dozen extremely kind Singapore Girls, there was no stopping the screams. By…

Audi A4

Farewell, Lincoln. Welcome Audi.

Brunch with the Goyas

Still loving the new camera. Any excuse to shoot with it is good enough for me, but especially when it involves good food and fine friends!

So Much to Be Thankful For

Wonderful friends, perfect Bay Area weather, fantastic food. An awesome day. Love to all of you from thedude and Kellster!

Horsie Heaven

We had little time to spare on the way to the Summer of Love Festival in Monterey, so we stopped at the Equestrian Center at Pebble Beach and watched some of the horsies and riders warm up for the day’s competition. The morning was overcast and drizzly, but this didn’t dampen Kelly’s spirit a bit….

A Very Beautiful Day

I’ll share my thoughts about the Summer of Love Reunion Concert in Monterey this weekend as soon as I recover from the effects of the Jesus Weed. In the mean time, have a look at some of the sights.

Far Out Flame Out

We made a promise to ourselves that we’d never miss another Fire Festival at the Crucible. The sights and sounds are just so cool, er, hot. So flaming-hot-stainless-pneumatic-alien-stilt-walker strange. So smack-you-in-the-face with a white-hot-stove-pipe cool. A billion BTU’s of climate-changing fun. You jus’ hafta see it to believe it. More pictures coming soon.

Hot, Fun-Filled Fourth

Many thanks to our hosts Hi-Suk and San Ju for a wonderful day at their gorgeous country home in Guinda, Califirnia. (Don’t feel too bad – we never heard of Guinda, either.) July 4th was the hottest day of the year so far – at least 110 degrees. Ugh! Luckily, the couple have a gigantic…

Pinot Days, D40x Mini-review

In a perfect stroke of luck/magic, I have a new coworker, who is also the Director of a very cool wine and food event called Pinot Days. Nice – another wine and food lover in our midst. One who routinely throws parties for 4,000 friends. I’m impressed! This is the first event I ever shot…

Seventy Big Ones

I just hope that we’re as happy and healthy as our dear Aunt Mary when we celebrate our seventieth birthdays. Well done! Thanks to Mark and Lori for organizing a great and classy party.

Kaboom!

It was so cold in the city last night that we thought we might not make it to the fireworks, but once they began, we completely forgot about our frozen extremities. KFOG Kaboom might be the coolest 18 minutes of the year. You really have to see this in person to appreciate the scale of…

California Tourist Death March

We spent last weekend with a couple of long-time friends from Wisconsin. Ann and Lynne were determined to cram as much sightseeing as possible into a short visit. We were lucky enough to have friends with a home in Carmel, so we spent a couple days shopping and eating in trendy Carmel. We visited all…

Happy Horsie Day

It’s inexplicable to me, but Kelly is happiest when she’s in a place covered with horse poop.

Happy Easter!

Big Hat Day in Clovis, Easter eggs, Easter sushi – huh? Yes, this weekend’s trip to Fresno was better than most.

iBliss

Last weekend we upgraded Kelly’s computer from a Mac Mini to a fabulous 24″ iMac. I knew there’d be a difference, but this new machine is absolutely fabulous. It’s easily my favorite computer of all time. Sleek, sexy, quiet and FAST. I like the machine so much that I decided to set up the Mac…

Spring is Here

While most of the rest of the country is experiencing freezing temperatures are snow, spring brought glorious blue skies and near 70 degree temperatures to the Bay Area this weekend. Splendiferous!! What’s a little earthquake now and then when you can have have weather like this on March 3rd? After Saturday brunch at Sam’s in…

Fun (But Dangerous) New Neighbors

Today we discovered that we have not one, but TWO wineries within stumbling distance of our loft. Both JC Cellars and Dashe Cellars recently opened tasting rooms less than three blocks away. What a great addition to our neighborhood. This is the kind of urban development we can support! Tasting is free, and the rich,…