Chicago Pix

Had an idea earlier this month for a good Christmas present for Stacy. Took some shots in Matthew's neighborhood in Chicago while we were there for Thanksgiving. Then I merged them with pix of us. Kind of a visual metaphor for our lives being weaved with Chicago since Matthew and Alyx call it home. May try more variations on this idea in the future.

Wizard World Dallas

Before the west TX trip, I took Andrew to Wizard World, a comic convention in Dallas. While not as big as ComiCon in San Diego, Wizard World is still on of the main comic conventions in the country. Lots of comic artists, collectors and whatnot. Not to mention the fans, many of whom dress up as their favorite characters.




Right outside of the Arlington Convention Center was the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, which will replace Texas Stadium. It's still under construction, and looks very impressive up close.




Andrew checking out some of the merchandise.




Lou Ferrigno signing autographs.




Cast of characters waiting for the costume contest to begin.




Even Batman's a fan.




Master Chief.




Superman with highly questionable hair.




Hellboy.




The Hulk, looking a bit depressed.

West Texas

So it's been way too long since I added any posts here, so here we go.
In November, we went to west Texas to check out the McDonald Observatory. Very sweet. The area boasts the darkest night skies in the continental U.S. Perfect for stargazing. The shot above is a panorama of a valley next to the observatory in Ft. Davis, TX.


Me, Stacy and the boys on the road to Ft. Davis, where the scenery gets really beautiful.




The boys being their normal unassuming selves.




A self portrait.




The local wildlife.




The visitor's center at the observatory.




The dome of the 2nd largest telescope.




The telescope inside the dome. It was about 35 degrees in there. They keep the temperature close to what the night time temp. will be that night, so the mirror won't fog up when they open the dome.




Me and the boys in front of the biggest telescope on the grounds.



The boys checking out the view.




Some of the local color.

Maker's Faire Austin

Andrew and I made it to the Maker's Faire last weekend. Crazy stuff, but very cool. It's put on by Make Magazine, kind of a hacker's tech guide. Some of the stuff is over my head, like two guys who were trying to get people to sign up to help us get a moonbase up and running asap. Andrew and I slowly backed away from that table. Everything from fire displays, to fish and lobster covered cars, to a lifesize Mousetrap game. Fun times.

Enchanted Rock

We finally got out to Enchanted Rock this past weekend. The place is beautiful, and a fairly easy hike up to the top. Really good views of Texas from up there. Since I couldn't find our camera to take with us, I've located shots on Flickr that I'll substitute here. Just imagine us in the shots instead of these complete strangers.




Picture Stacy and I here instead of this couple. We were at least as excited as they seem here.




Picture Cole on the left, minus about 150 lbs (hopefully with a shirt), and Andrew on the right (shirt preferable also). These guys probably have the same personalities as the boys.




I could've taken this shot.



I also could've taken a shot like this, to which Stacy would've replied, "Take pictures of us, not random stuff like that!" Actually, upon further reflection, the shot would've been of something more random like a weird crack on a rock or a lizard's butt.

Our new pad

The dust has settled after our move to the new apartment. We've shrunk down from almost 3000 sq. ft. to 1200, but it's really nice. A lot closer to work downtown and church, so that helps a lot. Will post shots now that we've found the camera.

This I Believe

Matthew's birthday was just a couple of days ago, Sept. 3. A perfect day for him to get the news that an essay he wrote was published on NPR's website, on their "This I Believe" section. This I Believe is reminiscent of a similar project done in the 50's. Matthew's entry is based on an experience he had on a train in Chicago.

Read it here.

Alyx has entered the building.

We delivered Alyx to school last week. She's attending Columbia College, and is happy as a clam to be in downtown Chicago. We lugged her stuff from the airport to the train, to Matthew's apartment, then to her dorm room on the 22nd floor of her building. Still can't believe we now have two of our kids in Chicago.

Check out the pix here.

Nice Shot

Found this image in my email this week. Good stuff.