Let the road trip begin

Let the road trip begin, originally uploaded by billaday.

It's time for vacation. Here's the run-down: we're in Malibu here, on our way up Highway One to San Luis Obispo, Hearst Castle, Monterey, Half Moon Bay, and Napa. I snapped this shot without Isabelle knowing--it appears my paparazzi skills are (sadly) developing.

Day 243

jewelry district

jewelry district, originally uploaded by billaday.

We went into downtown Los Angeles to visit the Jewelry District. Even though I didn't walk around and snap any photos, there were plenty of red lights and traffic. That meant many opportunities to take pictures while I was stuck at intersections. See, there is an upside to traffic.

Day 242

retired train station

retired train station, originally uploaded by billaday.

I found this old building just south of the freeway in Monrovia. It was right next to some old train tracks, so I think it used to be an old train station.

Day 241

she can swim

she can swim, originally uploaded by billaday.

Dude. Geneva is just over one year old, and she can already hold her breath and go underwater. I was shocked! Little kids are supposed to have floaties and kick their feet in the water. I wasn't even sure she'd get her head wet. Sure enough, she loved going underwater. A couple times, she was a little freaked out; I just showed the camera to her, and she was stoked. Dude.

Day 240

channel mixer

channel mixer, originally uploaded by billaday.

Here's a Mackie sound board. A mixer, if you will. A channel mixer.

Here's why the title is funny. In Photoshop, I applied two different channel mixers to the photo of channel mixers. You see, in Photoshop, a channel mixer combines different channels (red, green, blue) and you can choose how to combine them.

OK, maybe not funny to all, but if you're a photographer and a sound guy, you should be chuckling to yourself.

Day 239

waterproof case!

waterproof case!, originally uploaded by billaday.

I finally got a waterproof case for my camera: the Canon WP-DC17 Underwater housing. I looked into dSLR housings, but gave up after discovering that they cost $1000. This is roughly 10% of that, so I'm pretty happy. If summer would just keep going, I could keep taking cool pictures underwater. Wednesday should make for some underwater fun...

Day 238

wicker

wicker, originally uploaded by billaday.

I like the weave and the shadows. SImple, yet interesting.

Day 237

city hall by night

city hall by night, originally uploaded by billaday.

I must say, this is one of the coolest places to play a concert at. This is the back side--we played in front for L.A.'s first Relay for Life. Thanks to Wayne for helping me choose today's photo-a-day... I had lots to choose from.

Day 236

climb.

climb., originally uploaded by billaday.

Alas, the final day of my brief San Diego trip. I've had lots of time to myself between visiting friends, and this shot reminds me of those times. I arrived three hours early to my friend's house, and spend most of the time in this building, sorting through my zoo photos. I threw away 400 shots, and am now down to 130. I suppose this would be a good time to talk about the philosophic notions this photo holds (climbing the ladder of _____), but I won't.

Day 235

Handout

Handout, originally uploaded by billaday.

I went to the San Diego Zoo today while waiting to hang out with my friend Ryan. This chimp saw a churro, ran over, and firmly put her hand out.

Day 234

carve

carve, originally uploaded by billaday.

I went in the ocean with Brent and my underwater camera housing. It was a blast... way more fun the surfing (badly). This is Brent's favorite secret spot, south of San Clemente. The cliffs in the background are pretty cool.

Day 233

earthquake damage

earthquake damage, originally uploaded by billaday.

There was a 5.8 earthquake, and I was at home to feel it. Even though I was just 8 miles from the epicenter, it didn't feel too big. Friends in high rise buildings in downtown L.A. and San Diego said it was strong. I was on the phone with a friend, casually walked to the front doorway, and kept chatting. After the quake, I moved my guitars off the shelf, and checked for damage. As you can clearly see, our house was hit hard. One picture frame was slightly off center. Whew.

Day 232

after the jump

after the jump, originally uploaded by billaday.

I got a new underwater camera housing. This is my first test with it in my pool. I like the lighting on this shot; the bubbles are right after I jumped in the water.

Day 231

Lid

Lid, originally uploaded by billaday.

There's always an interesting angle to photograph when it comes to my good ol' Nalgene bottle. With the lid off, there's a nice depth of field.

Day 230

Top Gun is the greatest movie ever made

Top Gun is the greatest movie ever made, originally uploaded by billaday.

If Top Gun is the greatest movie ever, why isn't this photo the greatest photo ever? Or is it? Or isn't it?

Day 229

the moth

the moth, originally uploaded by billaday.

The Moth don't care if The Flame is real,
'Cause Flame and Moth got a sweetheart deal.
And nothing fuels a good flirtation,
Like Need and Anger and Desperation...
No, The Moth don't care if The Flame is real.

Day 228

Computer lab

Computer lab, originally uploaded by billaday.

Here's my summer school computer lab. We set up three drops for all the cables. It looked pretty sweet.

Day 227

grassy shadows

grassy shadows, originally uploaded by billaday.

A bit of running around to wear out the little ones before dinner. I like the long shadows in this.

Day 226

old hotel

old hotel, originally uploaded by billaday.

Here's the outside of our summer school program. It used to be a hotel, and out program rents it out. I like the repetition.

Day 225

this place is swingin'

this place is swingin', originally uploaded by billaday.

Remember the days when being on a swing was awesome? Remember the days when you could still actually swing? Remember the days when you swung anyway? I do.

Day 224