Out & About Galleries

Airshow Nation : It's obvious if you look around here that I'm an air show fan. With this gallery, I'm adding yet another air show to the collection. Nellis Air Force Base is the "Home of the Thunderbirds." Each year at the end of the air show season, they put on a show for the good citizens of las Vegas. Free parking. Free entrance. Great static and flying exhibits! So I went this year, and while there shot some of the Las Vegas strip. Enjoy. I find it interesting. As you walk around the strip, and through the casinos ... almost nobody is smiling whose smile hasn't been purchased in some fashion. But at the airshow, almost everyone is smiling. Big ear-to-ear grins when the jets fly over. Big smiles talking to the pilots and crews. Big grins at campy stuff like racing a MiG 17 against a jet powered car. I find this fascinating.

Airshow Nation

It's obvious if you look around here that I'm an air show fan. With th ...

Updated: Nov 22, 2009 3:25pm PST

Pax Electronica : A Tale in Three Acts Act I: My son grew up in our household never knowing a time without a computer in the house. He played games on our old Radio Shack TRS-80. He played console games like Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda. He played computer games on our Macs and PCs. In college, he studied computer animation and after graduation worked for game companies like Surreal (where he worked on The Suffering) and ArenaNet (where he worked on Guild Wars). After a detour through grad school to get his MBA, he now works for NCSoft, one of the worlds biggest game companies (which is about to launch their new game, Aion). Intermission: This past weekend, he invited me to PAX09 – the largest game conference in the US – which is held here in Seattle. And he provided a “Speaker Badge” so I could get into the show. He and I met for coffee in advance and headed to the show before opening Sunday morning. “What happens if someone asks me what my speech was about,” I asked him. “Don’t worry, they won’t.” Act II: In my working life I have attended many big conferences and I always thought it would be fun to crash a conference. Pick up an unclaimed badge at the last minute. Talk my way into the show. Eat the rubber chicken and hit the hospitality suites. But to this day, I have never tried it on purpose. I accidentally crashed a conference once in Spain because I was confused about which conference room my conference was in. It took be about 3 hours to figure out I was in the wrong place … the conference being in Spanish and my command of the language primitive at best. But I digress. Here’s what happened at PAX09. Act III: My son and I approached the Exhibitors’ door to the conference early. The guard looked at his Exhibitor badge and let him pass. He looked at my Speaker badge and tried to stop me. I was carrying my big pro-looking Nikon D3 camera. I told the guard I was “His Publicist,” never stopping, never making eye contact, and never looking back. The guard let me pass. We got to the door to the show floor itself and another guard let my son pass, but stopped me. “I’m his publicist,” I said to the guard holding up my Nikon, which guard was profoundly unimpressed and refused me entry. “We were informed that a Speaker badge had the same access as an Exhibitor badge.” Well, the guard would have to verify that. A few minutes passed while he was in dialog with someone at the other end of the radio. No conclusive answers were forth coming, but he let me pass. So now I’ve fulfilled my dream to intentionally crash a conference … even though I was invited. Once in, it was a hoot. 80,000 people attended the conference. It occupied the entire venue of the Trade Center. There were tons of booths set up by game companies. There were Booth Babes! There was a ton of schwag. There were lots and lots and lots of eclectic attendees. All in all, it was an incredible and incredibly enjoyable show. Thanks B for the invitation. Oh, and remember the Speaker badge? As I was chatting with folks, about a dozen asked me what I spoke about. I told them my topic had to do, “with intellectual property considerations of buying a start-up game company.” I could actually have given a talk on this subject, but no one asked follow-up questions. I took about 500 pictures on the trade show floor. Most folks were happy to have their picture taken or to have pictures taken of their booths. I ran into trouble in one booth. A guy told me, “The Company wants to know who’s taking pictures of their booth.” I introduced myself with my real name and said I was “an independent.” I then started interviewing him about the show, traffic through their booth, what he thought of competitors and he forgot to ask me anything else. Ah, the gift of gab! Anyway, here are the pictures. There are Booths, Booth Babes, Game Art, Game Paraphernalia, and presumably paying conference attendees. What a hoot!

Pax Electronica

A Tale in Three Acts Act I: My son grew up in our household never kno ...

Updated: Sep 09, 2009 10:31pm PST

Les Canards Sauvages : A wise man once said, "I chose the road less traveled...now where the heck am I?" Which is why I rarely lead on our motorcycle road trips. I tell others that during my 30-year career as a consultant, I led much of the time and now I’m content to follow. But the truth is, when I lead a pack of bikers, I make wrong turns. It’s more efficient when I follow. My daughter, son-in-law and I just got back from a 9-day road trip on our motorcycles from Seattle to Banff, Alberta, Canada. We chose the roads less traveled, but didn’t get lost. We reprised Dante’s Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso when it came to weather. We encountered plenty of interesting people including an 80-year-old town historian, a lesbian couple, a Luxembourger innkeeper, a helicopter pilot for a smoke jumper team, and lots of bikers ranging from daring to demure. In the end it was a great trip; everything a road trip ought to be. Recommended if you’ve got a powerful bike between your legs and the time to enjoy it. But I’m getting ahead of myself … check out the photos, for the meaning of “Les Canards Sauvages,” and the rest of the story. Most of the "color commentary is stored in the caption of the map.

Les Canards Sauvages

A wise man once said, "I chose the road less traveled...now where the ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2009 5:06pm PST

Seafair : Each year we take teh boat to watch the Blue Angels at Seattle's Seafair. And we did again this year. But this year I had an added treat. A friend of mine drives Unlimited Light Hydros competitively. Last year he won Seafair in the Miss Critical Logic. and this year, he invited us into the pits where we could not only watch the Blue Angels but also watch the Unlimited Light Hydros and the Unlimited Hydros race. Fun!

Seafair

Each year we take teh boat to watch the Blue Angels at Seattle's Seafa ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2009 8:47pm PST

Vintage Auto Racing : On the 4th of July, my friend Chris and I attended the 21st annual Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage car race, tickets courtesy of UBS (thanks Tim). Here's how the brochure described it: The Pacific Northwest Historics features many of the world’s rarest and most beautiful pre-1970 race cars. Most have been restored to mint condition and a handful retain the patina earned while racing years ago. This year, more than 250 vintage race cars from all over the West Coast and Canada participated. Fan favorites include Ferraris, Lotuses, Cobras, Corvettes, Porsches, Austin Healeys and some less recognizable names like Elva, Ginetta, and McLaren; many with impressive racing histories. Some of the cars are valued at over $1 million, but the high values don't hold back the owners and drivers - most cars will exceed 100 mph and some over 150 mph during the wheel to wheel competition. The Pacific Raceways circuit is a challenging 2 ¼-mile road course that includes nine turns, a 300 foot elevation drop and a near ¾-mile straightaway. Spectators are welcome in the paddock area and encouraged to take a close-up look at the cars and visit with the drivers. The first 4 photos here show some of the more interesting cars. The next 7 show the course. The next 19 show the cars during the race. and the final 15 show various bits and pieces. Enjoy!

Vintage Auto Racing

On the 4th of July, my friend Chris and I attended the 21st annual Pac ...

Updated: Jul 05, 2009 11:36pm PST

Road Less Traveled Tour : My daughter, son-in-law and I just completed a 1.200 mile road trip on our Motorcycles. It was great, great, fun. Why do I like these trips? Partly I simply enjoy riding a powerful motorcycle. I like the sensation of speed. I like that my skills seem to improve on these trips. I like the physics of cornering, accelerating, and braking. Maybe it’s similar to riding a powerful horse. Maybe it’s similar to skiing a powerful hill. I don’t know, but I like the riding. I like riding a bike that turns heads. It’s not just another cruiser. It attracts attention, curiosity, and conversation. Sometimes it’s with other bikers, sometimes not. People smile when they see it. I like being in riding gear and relating to other riders without class, rank or badge. I like that other riders wave when we see each other on the road. I like the road less traveled. In cities we’re used to cutting freeways through hills. We’re used to straightening the crooked path. The road less traveled goes around hills, climbs valleys defined by crooked rivers, and conforms to the texture of the lumpy planet. I like that you can smell the difference between farmland and forest. I’ve always liked weather. In our normal lives most of us are separated from the weather around us. We’re in our cars, in our buildings, unaware even of the weather that’s happening. I like the feeling of a cool dawn before a hot day. I like the look of clouds that change before my eyes. I don’t always like being too hot, or too cold, or too wet. But I like simply being aware of the weather I’m in. I’m a sucker for Americana. I like our small towns with their diners, their town halls, and their main streets. I like the funny conversations that happen when you strike up a conversation. I like a restaurant that serves biscuits and gravy (I don’t actually like biscuits and gravy – but restaurants that serve it tend to be good ones.) I like that people are helpful when I get lost. It makes me want to be helpful in return. I like the company. Spending time with my daughter and son-in-law is fun. Enough! Maybe it’s enough to like it without becoming over analytical about why. Here's the link to the Play-by-play ... http://www.digitalquixote.com/system/blog.php

Road Less Traveled Tour

My daughter, son-in-law and I just completed a 1.200 mile road trip on ...

Updated: Jun 03, 2009 8:41pm PST

Fireworks : Who doesn't love fireworks? We live on Lake Washington. 4th of July fireworks are the reason I have a boat. To see fireworks up close (sound you can feel) without 27,000 of your closest friends standing up in front of you at the best parts ... well that's pretty cool! I took these photos on 7/4/2008 and 2009, hand held from a rocking boat. If you've never tried this ... it's realy challenging. The first is the best and clearest shot. The others show some artifacts of the boat's movement. The ones you're not seeing? Well, there's LOTS of movement in those.

Fireworks

Who doesn't love fireworks? We live on Lake Washington. 4th of July fi ...

Updated: Jul 05, 2009 12:36pm PST

Seattle Grunge : I drove over to Seacrest Park today to photograph the Seattle skyline at sunset. Immediate problem: Clouds obscuring the sun. So this is the take. Maybe worth looking at. I recognize these have a dark theme. With markets as they are ... I'm feeling in a dark mood i guess.

Seattle Grunge

I drove over to Seacrest Park today to photograph the Seattle skyline ...

Updated: Apr 11, 2009 1:07am PST

Notch Day April 2009 : From our house, the Olympic Mountains 80 miles west of Seattle form a "notch." The sun sets in the notch twice a year approximately April 5 and September 5th. Your mileage may vary because of leap year. Usually it's too cloudy or rainy to see the notch on the actual notch day but this year it was spectacularly clear. So here for your vicarious pleasure is Notch Day - April 2009!

Notch Day April 2009

From our house, the Olympic Mountains 80 miles west of Seattle form a ...

Updated: Apr 05, 2009 8:51pm PST

Best of 2008 : I take a lot of photos each year (20,000 to 30,000), and at the end of each year I try to sort out the best of best. I've narrowed the candidates down substantially, and with the help of lots of "friends and family" have narrowed it down to these 19. So think of these as the "Peoples Choice Awards." In order from number 1 to number 19 - here are ... the best of 2008.

Best of 2008

I take a lot of photos each year (20,000 to 30,000), and at the end of ...

Updated: Jan 01, 2009 11:12pm PST

Oyster Run: Characters Welcome : It all started with a few guys getting together at the end of the summer to go for a ride and eat some oysters. Limp Lee had just returned from months of working in Alaska, He talked with the some guys and they all met at what was then the California Tavern in Marysville. They then decided to ride along HWY 9, stop at some places along the way and end up in Everson to have oyster cocktails. The next year a few more people joined in, the next year a few more, and by the fourth year there were almost 200 bikes. We couldn’t believe it! Well, as the years went by there we just too many people to have an organized run up hwy 9, so Limp Lee talked to the beautiful city of Anacortes about having the run there. I think at first the town was not real hip on the idea, as they were not sure what to expect and most of the town closed up as the bikes rolled in. But soon more and more businesses stayed open and now the whole town has joined in..... and the rest is history. As for how Limp Lee got his name, well that’s another story!

Oyster Run: Characters Welcome

It all started with a few guys getting together at the end of the summ ...

Updated: Sep 28, 2008 8:57pm PST

Seattle Today : I spent the day today in Seattle, my home town. This is a great city, and a great people-watching town. Enjoy.

Seattle Today

I spent the day today in Seattle, my home town. This is a great city, ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2008 9:40pm PST

Mt. Rainier : Part I: First Five Photos Paradise, on Mt Rainier, is 112 miles from my house by the most direct route. I know this because I've driven it 4 times in the last week looking for the perfect picture of this great mountain. The first trip, I spent the night at the remodeled Paradise Inn. Good news, the remodel didn't harm the historic Inn's character. Bad news, most of the improvements were to infrastructure items which also didn't improve the Inn much from a visitor's perspective. On the first trip, I came prepared for cold, for rain (or snow), and for wind ... just not all four at the same time. The clouds started at the ground and it was difficult to see beyond about 20 feet. Not much good for photography. On the second trip, the weather had warmed up, the wind stopped, and the skies were clear ... better than clear, humidity was very low. A perfect day for photos. I drug my sorry ass out of bed at 5:00 AM and was on the mountain by 8:00. I was there so early I had it to myself for a couple of hours. By noon I'd hiked about as far as my aging and slightly hurty knees would go and returned home with these lovely photos. The line of cars at the National Park entrance was 2 miles long when I left. I got out while the getting was good! Part II: Last Seven Photos Several weeks later my wife and I returned to hike the Sunrise side of the mountain. Very different feel. Very different climate. Great fun. Great hiking. Less of a story line. I put my long 300 mm lens on my camera with the intent of exploring the texture of the glaciers descending from the mountain. As we hiked, our perspective changed as did the direction and intensity of the sun. The weather was perfect ... temperature in the 60's, humidity low, a cloudless day ... truly a lovely spot. I am delighted with the photos that result ... just what I wanted.

Mt. Rainier

Part I: First Five Photos Paradise, on Mt Rainier, is 112 miles from ...

Updated: Sep 20, 2008 4:11pm PST

Americana : When I was young, say 7 years old, I remember traveling by car from Billings, Montana to my grandmother's cabin on a lake in Iowa. It felt like a bloody long trip, but it exposed me to "Americana," in the form of road house restaurants, by-the-side-of-the-road motels, canvas waterbags hung from the grill of the car ... are you feeling this? Now, I can relive this nostalgia trip on a journey with my daughter, on our Ducati motorcycles, from Seattle where I now live around Crater Lake (Oregon) and back ... 1,200 miles. I treasure the time with my daughter. And I delight in the nostalgia trip.

Americana

When I was young, say 7 years old, I remember traveling by car from Bi ...

Updated: Aug 22, 2008 10:02pm PST

Angels 2008 : Seafair Seattle 2008: The first weekend in August every year, Seattle throws a party. There are lots of things going on ... a parade, a marathon, pirate high jinks, unlimited hydro racing ... and a performance by the Blue Angels over Lake Washington. And each year I take our boat to the show line and watch/film the Blue Angels. This year, as usual, there were about 500 other boats with the same idea. The weather was warm. Boats were full of young people. Some young people should wear bikinis, and in fact it would be criminal not to, ... and some should not. Anyway, enjoy the angels, blue or otherwise. Let the record show, I put the Blue Angels before the other angels.

Angels 2008

Seafair Seattle 2008: The first weekend in August every year, Seattle ...

Updated: Aug 03, 2008 9:31pm PST

NW Flower & Garden Show : If you live in the Pacific Northwest in February, the only “flower power” available is at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. And for me, the “power flower” of the show is the orchid. It’s why I go. I could go to stroll around the convention center for 3 hours at an average pace of 0.5 mph due to the crowds. I could go to look at the gardens created by fantastic garden designers and set up indoors for the show. I could also go to see funky garden art, or peruse four thousand twenty-two different varieties of Sunflower seeds. Nope, I go for the orchids. But I’m ecumenical, I’ll even look at the occasional rose.

NW Flower & Garden Show

If you live in the Pacific Northwest in February, the only “flower p ...

Updated: Feb 24, 2008 12:19pm PST

Concorde : In July 2000, I had a chance to fly the Concorde - by accident - and for free. I was on my way from London to San Francisco when a system wide radar failure occurred. One flight after another from Heathrow was delayed, delayed again, delayed yet again ... and so it was with my flight. I noticed they were readying the Concorde for take-off and I asked if there was space aboard. Yes, came the answer. I'm a gold-tier British Airways flyer ... can you put me in one of those empty seats, I asked. yes, came the answer and the rest was history. Little did i know that a few weeks later, a Concorde would crash at Le Bourget and end the types flying history. Do Not Adjust Your Set: These pictures were taken in July 2000 with a first generation digital camera. They are as big and as good as they'll ever get.

Concorde

In July 2000, I had a chance to fly the Concorde - by accident - and f ...

Updated: Aug 29, 2009 5:05pm PST

Experience Music Project : At Seattle Center, Paul Allen (Microsoft fame) has created a Rock & Roll museum and Science Fiction museum called the Experience Music Project (EMP for short). Herre are some photos from opening day.

Experience Music Project

At Seattle Center, Paul Allen (Microsoft fame) has created a Rock & Ro ...

Updated: Aug 29, 2009 5:29pm PST

SFMOMA : On 15 June 2002, we visited the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. This is first rate museum with art of virtually all genres: painting; sculpture; photography; and architecture. The museum had two temporary exhibits on at the moment: 1) A mixed media sculpture by Sarah Sze; and 2) A print exhibit called Perfect Acts of Architecture. Most of the pictures below are of the Sarah Sze sculpture. I think you're going to like these!

SFMOMA

On 15 June 2002, we visited the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. ...

Updated: Aug 29, 2009 5:38pm PST