Home for the Holidays 2011

On the way to my home in Hayward is an interpretive trail and on Christmas day it seemed like a good day to pay a visit. It's great spot for bird watching and right next to a bike trail that I used to ride with my friends. Early morning or late afternoon are great times for stopover.

Clark County

The family decided to get together in Vegas this year for Thanksgiving. With a bit of extra time, my brother and I decided to take a side trip to Clark county. This old Model T was an interesting subject. You wonder about all the history....all the places it's been and the people it carried.

Jock Sturges

Jock Sturges' portfolio of Misty Dawn is one of my personal favorites. When I heard he was paying PCNW a visit I signed up right away. The small group was designed to allow all of us to show our images and get feedback. It was valuable to hear what he had to say. "Where is the blood?" is one of the things I remember him saying, challenging us to go further with the subjects we had been pursuing.

Annie Clark in Texas

Watching Annie Clark live makes that trip to Texas worth it. I loved Strange Mercy and was very much looking forward to hearing it live. With three albums under her belt, it was going to be a mixtape selection, but I got what I was wishing for,...a live performance of Neutered Fruit :).

The day before I visited Forth Worth and it does still feel like cowboy country.

Champions tennis and Smith Tower

This exhibition tennis match was great entertainment. We got to see Johnny Mac live (and do his rant-act...an act of course :) ). Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and Michael Chang.

Earlier, my brother and I paid a visit to Smith Tower. Below is a nice view of the pier.

Pearl Jam in Vancouver

You never know when a band might call it quits. Celebrating their 20th anniversary.....that's a tempting situation. I just had to see them live if this happened to be the last chance.

As you might expect, loyal fans from both sides of the border filled the place. I have to say the wow part of the evening for me was when they performed "Alive"....everyone sang with Eddie and that was loud and clear, a very powerful moment.

San Juan island kayaking

Kayaking the San Juans is one of the great benefits of living in the northwest. We didn't spot any whales but did run into some seals and eagles.