agnoli

Sorry, I shot a lot of pictures, so I'm breaking this night up into a couple posts.
 
The Elks were gracious hosts and we thoroughly enjoyed their environs. The thought did cross more than one of our minds "When I grow up I want to be an Elk". They even accept women these days.
By the end of the night we were all adorned with pins from the Exalted Ruler.

         

Click here to download:

...._and_friends_part_two.zip (1024 KB)

Ever since Lewis remade himself as a media persona, hanging out with him has become more entertaining. In Spain the pros were either out to buy him a beer or beat him senseless. Luckily he's painted himself as a lover not a fighter, so he's been able to sidestep most altercations. Witness here Lewis applying the tried and true, "I'll just keep talking until they get bored" defense when approached about his stance on european surfers.

             

Click here to download:

0...._and_friends_part_two.zip (1341 KB)

we finally tore ourselves from the bar to go in search of food, only it took a good hour to tear ourselves from the bar.

               

Click here to download:

1...._and_friends_part_two.zip (1760 KB)

Aaron was kind enough to host a night of music at the Elks lodge down on Post. Five sets of 5, he kept it moving along with a good mix of original blues, folk, and alt-c. He runs a tight ship and it shows. Ryan and Lewis played a nice set of acoustic, electric, and piano backed by everybody's favorite drummer. The whole singer songwriter thing made me think about how i spend my time and if there's any of that inside of me. Nah, I think I'll stick to shooting photos and blogging.
The crowd was a nice mix of everybody's friends and the local elk personalities. We met the "Exalted Ruler" and his queen as well as the MC of the night, were treated to the 11 o'clock moment of remembrance, and a wonderful tequila at the very friendly bar.
A most memorable night in my pantheon of experiences due to the mix of old friends, new acquaintances, and totally unique venue. I'll post more pics of the bar scene shortly.

http://www.myspace.com/ryanscottcline

     

Click here to download:

ryan_cline_and_friends_at_the_.zip (699 KB)

Lewis and Ryan waiting to go on.

     

Click here to download:

0ryan_cline_and_friends_at_the_.zip (772 KB)

I decided I hate red and green lights, they are so harsh they just wash out the chroma values. They are really hard to shoot around, maybe i need to figure out a better white balance setting. When I open my night club its going to be candle light, or something equally soft but even toned.

             

Click here to download:

1ryan_cline_and_friends_at_the_.zip (1671 KB)

closing time....

Everybody has their strategy, some work, some don't. Some only work against other equally warped strategies. Obscure strategies change the nature of the game. Witness Enzo and Adrian playing the Boardwalk and Park Place strategy. It had Adele puzzled if not a little entertained.

         

Click here to download:

monopoly_strategies.zip (1147 KB)

mmm, pork chops and cabernet.

     

Click here to download:

0monopoly_strategies.zip (696 KB)

Dave brought his camera gear, we played around with remote triggering his flash (Canon Speedlite 430EX) with my master (Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2). I originally bought the ST-E2 for its AF-assist beam so I could shoot in extremely low light conditions, but using it for its intended purpose was also very cool. I ended up holding the flash in my left hand while shooting with my right. The flexibility of the rig makes for infinite lighting possibilities, none of which i fully explored. It did make night into day, the change in temperature being my main complaint, will have to get a set of gels or something.

           

Click here to download:

1monopoly_strategies.zip (1462 KB)

more pics from last last weekend.
while enzo, bowen, and I played on the slopes the rest of the gang lounged at the cabin enjoying the sun, and entertaining themselves with the antics of adrian.

         

Click here to download:

more_ski_weekend.zip (651 KB)

.

               

Click here to download:

0more_ski_weekend.zip (1458 KB)

smile, the paparazzi are everywhere.
 
more pics from yesterday. once we returned from skiing it was straight to the internet. we are all so connected.
 
B and T were already back from their snow shoeing/rock scaling experience and were preparing dinner, good smells filled the air. flank and serrano appetizers set the stage for the 6 inch thick lasagna, truly a wonder of the modern world.
 
we celebrated my 40th b-day. complete with angel food cake and rocky road.
 
after celebratory dunk in the snow the kids were put to bed.
 
Drank all night waiting on news from kitty and vasco.

                                             

Click here to download:

ski_weekend.zip (7482 KB)

pics by kristol,

went to homewood to ski with sander and karen.

love the shot of enzo in the snow, showing of his newly found powder prowess.

                     

Click here to download:

homewood.zip (783 KB)

I'm a little too exhausted to blog, shayne and crystal are cooking, the rest of us are hanging out having a little snack before dinner and talking about Lewis' ability level.

but for all his hedging, lewis was at the top of roundhouse when the lift stopped.

homewood tomorrow.

                                           

Click here to download:

ski_weekend.zip (3537 KB)

Ange is in fresh from LAX, met Suneil for drinks at the tia margarita.
dropped Ryan off on the corner to do a little recon.
Back at the cabin. played a little, then introduced a third guitar and spent the evening tuning to each other, almost melodical in its atonality.
Shayne and i sit and listen. Avery, if you are reading this you should come over.

>

.

.

.

.

.

.

Deferred maintenance is partly learned, partly cultural for me, lately I've been wondering if its truly an innate human nature. With respect to our automobiles its definitely innate. Take for example the above picture. Witness Lewis driving his girlfriends car late last night along the lagoon road with the gas light shining brightly. We've just coasted down the hill into the y to save gas, and are debating whether he can make it back to the city w/o filling up. Of course its christmas eve/morning and nothing's open so its all very academic at this point. We are reminiscing about how coasting down from Pantoll was routine in our high school days. It was sport to see how far into Tam Junction one could get before applying the gas. Apparently this is not just a male thing, my Ex called hours earlier, stranded by the side of the road half way to SB, having misjudged the distance between gas stations.
The kicker to all this is that Lewis is driving his girlfriend's car because his car, a second generation deferred maintenance vehicle, ( passed down from his father Michael, the King of deferred maintenance to the Prince, Lewis ) is only reliable enough for checking the beach during daylight hours.
I should talk, I'm driving around an unregistered vehicle that needs to have the coolant topped off every week or so. The replacement radiator and waterpump sit in my garage, awaiting spare cycles in my hectic life. I think I'll have time in the new year.

I arrived late to dave and adele's christmas gathering. life is good.