Archie Bray Foundation 2010 summer auction Part III

Well the fun ended with a "Sold" as the last ceramic piece was auctioned off. This happened as the sun went down and the moon started to peek over the mountains. Which gave me a great opportunity to shoot a couple twilight photos of the Archie Bray Foundation.

Archie Bray Foundation 2010 summer auction Part II

While at the Archie Bray Foundation auction I was able to get a few decent shots of people interaction. Be it of the crowd, musicians, or residents.

Documenting an event is always fun to do and as you take more photos you see even more photos to take. All you have to do is get beyond the shyness (at least for me I do) of taking photos of people.

Enjoy!

Archie Bray Foundation 2010 summer auction Part I

I know it has been a while since my last post, but a lot has been happening. I have moved to a new city, Bozeman, Montana. Moving sure does take it out of you, and getting to know your surroundings is a great way to take a break from the unpacking and to have some fun.

One of these breaks was to go to the Archie Bray Foundation summer auction in Helena, MT. My wife and I had a wonderful time being able to see the facilities, interact with the residents, see some great ceramic art, become an expert at the slingshot again and watch a fun auction to raise money for the foundation.

If you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping by.

These are a few photos of the facilities, mostly of the historic and art structures. In the next post I will have photos of the events.

4 years and another World Cup is over

AAahhh viva Espana!! A month of my life spent watching the World cup, but this is the only time I will plant myself in front of a tv (or in my case the computer streaming or the bar) and watch Sports, 3 games a day for a month solid. Pure awesomeness and this World Cup did not disappoint. South Africa, thanks for a great world cup.

Now I have to be patient and wait another 4 years for world cup to come around again. Hopefully it will time well spent for team USA to get ready.

Now back to photography.

Shiny Hammers

I just received these two shiny hammers from Brent Bailey. I had to take some photos of them before I used them (which I will do tonight). These two hammers are
A 3 lb modified hammer

A 3.5 lb Abrazo hammer

They have a great feel and man do they look cool. After tonight I will be able to tell you how they work for me.

Oh Seattle what a harsh mistress you can be

Oh Seattle go ahead and let the sun shine on down, so that the mass of budding plants can spew the billions upon billions of pollen into the air. Which I will breath in and be hit with the worst allergy attack yet this year.

I soooo want to go out and enjoy the sun but the invisible exhale of plants has knocked me on my butt.

Here could be one culprit. Though I know it isn't.

More Spring color

Here is some more spring color, which I felt the need to post because it is grey and wet outside again. The pink Dogwoods are blooming spectacularly this year.

Spring Color

Spring color is in full bloom here in Seattle. Especially in the Magnolia area, where I live. Walking around the neighborhood with the camera I am assaulted by vibrant colors. Which is great to see after this gray winter. This photo shows a range of the colors available currently.

Holy Giant Urinals Batman!

So you've drunk a few beers and it's time to make some room for a couple of more. You can see where the restrooms are and so you go on over and walk in. Where upon you are overwhelmed by this huge urinal. And I mean huge. The top of the automatic sensor is taller then me, so let's say it is at six feet high (approximately 2 meters). The urinal itself is one big piece of ceramic, I would say 32" wide by about 4 feet 10 inches high and about 18" deep.

Luckily I had my camera with me and took a quick photo. It is so fun to just be surprised by items like this, just when you think you have seen all the urinals there are, pow you come across this one. You can find this one at the Irish Pub in Seattle in Magnolia off of Dravus.

Are Baby Carriages EVIL!!

Well some of the shops in Copenhagen, Denmark think so. I ran across this sign in quite a few place in Copenhagen. Usually you would see this no baby carriages sign with a no bike sign. Seems the Danish dislike the Baby Carriages more then skateboards, because I didn't see a no skateboarding sign anywhere. Where as here in America no skateboarding signs are a dime a dozen. And I have never seen a no baby carriages sign here in America. I love finding theses little idiosyncrasies in different cultures.

How to knot your tie?

So you're walking along, late for a dinner where you need to be dressed to the nines and you still haven't tied your tie. In your flustered state you can't remember how to tie it, doh, what to do. Well if you are lucky enough to be in Reykjavik, Iceland you can stop at this alley entrance for instructions. Now this is a cool sign / wall art. As well as being helpful.

No Dumping . . . Whatever

Sometimes while walking around you notice / come across the strangest signs. Take this one for example "Dump No Material Whatever". You can stop and think about it for a moment and come to the conclusion that you are not to dump anything here. But if you read through it quickly and look at how the text is placed you can read it as "Dump No Material . .mmm . . ahh . . Whatever". Meaning I am trying to stop you from dumping anything here but oh whatever do what you want because I truly don't care. Just Saying.

Ice Bar in Iceland

Back in February I was able to go to Reykjavik, Iceland for the weekend. My wife and I had a great time and hope to get back there in the future for a much longer stay.
While there I was able to get some fun photos. Here are a couple from the Ice Bar. It is more of a novelty place to go to, but you just have to go do it once. Just remember you have to pay to go in where upon you get a parka to wear and a free shot of Jeager Meister ( the drink frozen in the big ice blocks).

Pabst mural in Fremont

Everytime I walk by this mural in Fremont near Rain City Video all I can think is:
This is what the world looks like after consuming to much Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

Though I don't have this type of experience, especially from drinking to much PBR, it is what I imagine.

The Iron Horseshoe

I was going through my archive of photos, which just grows and grows, when I came across a horseshoe picture I forgot to publish in my Horseshoe series.

I don't know of anyone else who makes this shoe. But, my friend Mike Carson, a Blacksmith in Woodland, CA, forges a lot of historical items. This shoe made from a rail road spike was traditionally used by Railroad Companies to Shoe their Iron Horses.

What with the change in technology for trains and railways these Iron Horses have been forgotten. I wonder if anyone out there still has raises this breed?

Seattle in Neon: Hale's Brewery

Aahh, Hale's Brewery & Pub a great place to get a beer and a hamburger. They also have a pretty straight forward neon sign. You can find Hale's in Fremont.

Seattle in Neon: Neon

Here is an old neon sign that is still acting as a sign, hah. You can find it over in Fremont/Ballard on Leary Way Northwest just after Hales as you are driving east.

Seattle in Neon: Red Mill Burger

I just in time to post one more blog before the end of February. You would think it would still be winter here in Seattle, but as you can see by the light sky in this Red Mill Burger neon sign, it is spring. Weird weather.

Enjoy your burgers under a cool neon sign, at this Interbay location on Dravus.

Seattle in Neon:

Sound Bank's killer whale neon sign. With some other neon signs in the background, though they seem to be broken at the moment, because I have not seen them lit. Located on 5th Ave.

Seattle in Neon:

Here is another unique neon sign for the Dahlia Lounge. I don't know if this sign was made originally for this restaurant or some other restaurant. I will have to find out. This neon sign has the fish's tail moving back and forth. Located on 4th Ave.