While I was searching for Mike Bates' website & images from Lake Arrowhead, I found another photographer named Michael Bates. Small world. I would post some images, but it would seem rude to post his really cool images without asking.
This guy is a great photographer that show awesome skills in a lot of areas.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mike Bates
Mike Bates had a studio near Lake Arrowhead. His studio was in walking distance from Rob's cabin. It was usually closed everytime I was in Lake Arrowhead, but Mike has a sale on his work AND WAS FINALLY OPEN! I didn't have to look in his window to see his work. I talked to Mike for a little bit and I was really impressed by all his great photos in so many different fields. Proof of an excellent photographer!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Johnny Cash
I am not much of a "You Tuber." I find it is the most addicting thing on the Internet. But I gave into my urges and decided to check out some musicians and after about an hour or so, I landed on Johnny Cash. Johnny made a few albums after June died to keep his mind occupied. Here is a video from one of my favorite songs of Johnny's later career, God's Gonna Cut You Down.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Go and tell that long tongue liar,
Go and tell that midnight rider,
Tell the rambiler, the gambler, the back biter,
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.
Well my goodness gracious,
Let me tell you the news.
My heads been wet with the midnight dew.
I've been down on bended knee,
Talkin to the man from Galiee.
He spoke to me in a voice so sweet,
I thought I heard the shuffle of angels feet.
He called my name and my heart stood still,
When He said "John go do my will"
Go and tell that long tongue liar,
Go and tell that midnight rider,
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter,
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
You can throw your rock, hide your hand,
Workin in the dark against your fellow man.
But as sure as God made black and white,
What's done in the dark,
Will be brought to the light.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Go and tell that long tongue liar,
Go and tell that midnight rider,
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter,
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.
Although Johnny was a religious man and this song was talking about God verses Satan, I relate this song to my life as good verses evil. Sometimes you need to stand up to that evil presence and tell it to back down. Eventually good will triumph over evil, weather it is sickness, personal issues, or any other strife in your life.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Go and tell that long tongue liar,
Go and tell that midnight rider,
Tell the rambiler, the gambler, the back biter,
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.
Well my goodness gracious,
Let me tell you the news.
My heads been wet with the midnight dew.
I've been down on bended knee,
Talkin to the man from Galiee.
He spoke to me in a voice so sweet,
I thought I heard the shuffle of angels feet.
He called my name and my heart stood still,
When He said "John go do my will"
Go and tell that long tongue liar,
Go and tell that midnight rider,
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter,
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
You can throw your rock, hide your hand,
Workin in the dark against your fellow man.
But as sure as God made black and white,
What's done in the dark,
Will be brought to the light.
You can run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Run on for a long time,
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Sooner, or later, God'll cut you down.
Go and tell that long tongue liar,
Go and tell that midnight rider,
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter,
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down.
Although Johnny was a religious man and this song was talking about God verses Satan, I relate this song to my life as good verses evil. Sometimes you need to stand up to that evil presence and tell it to back down. Eventually good will triumph over evil, weather it is sickness, personal issues, or any other strife in your life.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Arrowhead
I went to Rob's cabin last weekend in Arrowhead. It's a pretty cool place to hang out and get away. I was planning to read, but we watched Terminator 2 & 3 instead...
The image below is a fireplace outside of the cabin. We used it once before, then we found out that there is a high fire hazard in Arrowhead. We could have been arrested. So no more outside fireplace.
We went looking for a hiking trail with a creek. We managed to hitch a ride in the back of a truck to the top of the hill. Well...Erica did all the talking. We kind of just hang back and hope to get invited.
The image below is a fireplace outside of the cabin. We used it once before, then we found out that there is a high fire hazard in Arrowhead. We could have been arrested. So no more outside fireplace.
We went looking for a hiking trail with a creek. We managed to hitch a ride in the back of a truck to the top of the hill. Well...Erica did all the talking. We kind of just hang back and hope to get invited.
We found a creek and a lot of boulders to hike on. With freezing water everywhere, you really have to be careful.
Rob is losing his balance...
...and fell down. Erica helped him up. Notice the weight ratio...Rob is, oohh...about double... Don't worry, they saved the hat. 
"Nature Girl" stole my gloves!
They don't call it Big Bear for nothing. Bear tracks in the snow... it was bigger than my hand.
Ice Ice Baby. The ice eventually cracked (while I was standing on it...) and i fell in. It was cold. I can now check it off the list of "Things I accidentally don't want to do, but makes a good story anyway."
Monday, January 21, 2008
Dr. Martin Luther King
Through a few of my courses of academic study, my anthropology teachers always say at the beginning of the semester, "Believe it or not, American society is progressing. If you think society is unfair today, you should have seen it fifty years ago." Today, no society is perfect and the idea of utopia is pretty far fetched. A journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step, and with people like Dr. King, we are one step closer to a better society.
As you may or may not know, I like to travel, mostly on my motorcycle. Through my travels, I have learned to be more humble and tolerant towards people of ALL walks of life. Life is short and we need to lend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate than others because social status, ethnicity, or gender.
So if you have a holiday or you are working today (like me, I have to feed my dog), take some time to observe how Dr. Martin Luther King changed and inspired the world and think what direction you would like our society to go. Our society changes together. Elections are coming this year. Peace through action.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Been Fooled Again...
When I was in Russia, they said that the temperature went down to -20 degrees. For some reason, that sounded pretty rough. I asked how they can survive in such extreme weather. They said they "just dress properly for it." I have been looking at the weather in Moscow for six months to see if their weather really got that extreme. I even downloaded the weather application in Celsius for my google home page. Wait a second...CELSIUS! I have been fooled to believe they lived in harsh weather. -20 degrees C is about 0 degrees in Fahrenheit! BLASTED RUSSIANS! No wonder they really didn't complain. Russian weather is equivilent to weahter in Chicago or NYC.
With other regards to snow, I am going to my friend's cabin in Lake Arrowhead this weekend. Here are some Ansel Adams snow images for your enjoyment.
With other regards to snow, I am going to my friend's cabin in Lake Arrowhead this weekend. Here are some Ansel Adams snow images for your enjoyment.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Big Sur, Part Three
This beach had mostly rocks instead of sand. Right away I heard the very unusual calming sound of the waves pushing and pulling the smooth rocks back and forth from the edge of the ocean. And there was PURPLE SAND!
The edge of the world.
The edge of the world.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Dr. Suess Quote
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go."
– Dr. Seuss
– Dr. Seuss
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Big Sur, Part Two
The long and winding road.
We went to a small beach where you can walk around on sand instead of death defying rocks. The beach was hidden by a forest. We got directions from a nice guy with no teeth, and the directions were pretty much, "turn right after the funny looking tree."
At this beach, I was able to get real close to the intense wave action.
This little cove looks like a calm place to take a picnic...
Not so much. The waves crashed on the rocks so hard and fast, I was almost scared for my life. But I dont get scared, even when I am three feet away from death.
There were a lot of photographers standing around waiting for the sunset.
We went to a small beach where you can walk around on sand instead of death defying rocks. The beach was hidden by a forest. We got directions from a nice guy with no teeth, and the directions were pretty much, "turn right after the funny looking tree."
At this beach, I was able to get real close to the intense wave action.
This little cove looks like a calm place to take a picnic...
Not so much. The waves crashed on the rocks so hard and fast, I was almost scared for my life. But I dont get scared, even when I am three feet away from death.
There were a lot of photographers standing around waiting for the sunset.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Big Sur, Part One
Erica took me on a quick run up the California coast to Big Sur after Christmas. The only way to get to Big Sur is by the twisty Highway 1, so I convinced Erica that she should take a break from driving and let me drive the long "dangerous" road. I easily found out that her mustang, well, handles nicely...
One of the first things that I was amazed by were the huge crashing waves on the coast. The waves came so fast and slammed so hard that the water shot up really really high. It was a powerful force of nature to witness, and I wanted to capture it. The water was definitely not safe for people to swim in. Instant death and all that stuff. So below are some before and after of the waves crashing.
Before
After
Before
After
One of the first things that I was amazed by were the huge crashing waves on the coast. The waves came so fast and slammed so hard that the water shot up really really high. It was a powerful force of nature to witness, and I wanted to capture it. The water was definitely not safe for people to swim in. Instant death and all that stuff. So below are some before and after of the waves crashing.
Before
After
Before
After
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Random quote from a book I am reading
"Don't turn away from possible futures before you are certain you don't have anything to learn from them.
You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past."
-Unknown
You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past."
-Unknown
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy 2008
I just got back from a quick year end getaway from Big Sur with my girlfriend, Erica. Don't worry, I brought my camera and took some pictures. I'll post those soon.
Typically when I get home from any kind of trip, it usually takes me a day or so to think about the trip and any new ideas I may have about life. So upon the returning in the new year, I have realized that the most unbalanced area in my life has always been reading. Most photographers have a hard time reading. I have never met a photographer that was a bookworm. Ironically, we are visual people that reads live objects and emotions, not words.
My New Year Resolution is to read more. If you read ten pages a day, that is roughly 300 pages per month. And realistically, I could read a book or two per month. This is a very reasonable goal for me, and I am going to work at finding time and getting better to read.
Typically when I get home from any kind of trip, it usually takes me a day or so to think about the trip and any new ideas I may have about life. So upon the returning in the new year, I have realized that the most unbalanced area in my life has always been reading. Most photographers have a hard time reading. I have never met a photographer that was a bookworm. Ironically, we are visual people that reads live objects and emotions, not words.
My New Year Resolution is to read more. If you read ten pages a day, that is roughly 300 pages per month. And realistically, I could read a book or two per month. This is a very reasonable goal for me, and I am going to work at finding time and getting better to read.
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