Here are the pictures from the now 5 years running Ocean Christmas party. I can’t wait to amp this party up someday with swanky evening clothes and butlers.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! from the Ocean’s
Bishop Bouldering
Here are some images from a trip up to Bishop, California. We went climbing in the Happy Boulder area as well as a day in the high ball behemoths of the Buttermilks.
I also took a quick trip up to Bear Creek Spire back in October. My friends had to bail on the climb due to severe weather and ice but I spent the day fly fishing for my first time. Successful I might add too. Here are a few images of that trip as well. Click!
Charles & Selia’s Engagement
Blake & Kiersten’s Newport Engagement
Wow, long time no write….
I feel like I continue to write blogs a few times a year that have to do with it being a while since I’ve written anything. I guess I’m not much of a blogger. I can tell you that I have in fact done a few things as of late.
The last post I had written sadly was over Christmas. At the time I had just finished up working on Yogi Bear, not entirely proud to put my name on such a project but it was work and good people nonetheless. I’ve been unemployed waiting for the next gig to come along since the end of November. I’ve spent my time shooting a few weddings, co-produced a commercial for a new Microsoft tablet product, and kinda finding my center if that makes any sense.
I have spent some extra time at the climbing gym, a few camping trips to the dessert, and even took up bikram yoga through a groupon. Spending time reading, hanging out with the dog, and having great conversations with my wife about life and how we should do it better. Inevitably during the stressful times of work it overwhelms me with time and effort I am always gazing out my office windows dreaming of a better life and a more perfect world circumstance. With my extended time off I’ve gone through so many stages of anxiety, stress, anger, joy, happiness, and now I think thankfulness.
A wise man turned me onto a book called Prayers, by Michel Quoist. There is a poem or prayer in it called Thank You. It goes on to say that we must know how to say thank you and to be thankful for seemingly mundane things that we experience everyday. For me the very act of saying thank you is a humbling experience. It is the realization that something was provided for me that I was not able to provide myself. Here it is for you to read:
Thank you , Lord, thank you.
Thank you for all the gifts that you have given me today.
Thank you for all I have seen, heard, and received.
Thank you for the water that woke me up, the soap that smells good, and the toothpaste that refreshes.
Thank you for the clothes that protect me, for their color and their cut.
Thank you for the newspaper so faithfully there, for the comics (my morning smile), for the report of useful meetings, for justice done, and big games won.
Thank you for the street cleaning truck and the men who run it, for their morning shouts and the early noises.
Thank you for my work, my tools, my efforts.
Thank you for the metal in my hands, the whine of the steel biting into it, for the satisfied look of the supervisor and the load of finished pieces.
Thank you for Jim who lent me his file, for Danny who gave me a cigarette, and for Charlie who held the door for me.
Thank you for the welcoming street that led me there, for the shop windows, for the cars, for the passers-by, for all the life that flowed swiftly between the windowed walls of the houses.
Thank you for the food that sustained me, the beer that refreshed me.
Thank you for the car that meekly took me where I wanted to be, for the gas that made it go, for the wind that caressed my face, and the trees that nodded to me along the way.
Thank you for the boy I watched playing on the sidewalk opposite.
Thank you for his rollers skates and his comical face when he fell.
Thank you for the morning greetings I received, and for all the smiles.
Thank you for the mother who welcomes me at home, for her tactful affection, for her silent presence.
Thank you for the roof that shelters me, the lamp that lights me, for the radio that plays, for the news, music, and singing.
Thank you for the bunch of flowers to pretty on my table.
Thank you for the tranquil night.
Thank you for the stars.
Thank you for the silence.
Thank you for the time you have given me.
Thank you for life.
Thank you for grace.
Thank you for being there Lord.
Thank you for listening to me, for taking me seriously, for gathering my gifts into your hands to offer them to your father.
Thank you Lord.
Thank you.
Now I know that not everyone believes in God or a Lord but regardless we all have things to be thankful for everyday, way more than we typically acknowledge on a regular basis. And I know that I will forget to be thankful tomorrow or next week but today I am thankful for what I have and for what I don’t have. Maybe take a gander at life today and see what you have to be thankful for.
Christmas Cookie Party 2010!
Hey friends,
Here are this years photo’s from Christmas Cookie Party 2010 with the Ocean’s. I hope you enjoy. And if you want any photo’s in full size in good resolution please just email me with the photo number and you email if I don’t have it.
Merry Christmas everyone and hope this brings you some holiday cheer.
Nick & Laura…. and Dani
Wallpaper Images!!
2010 Road Trip
>>Click & Enjoy!!!<<
In lieu of working on A-Team to now Yogi Bear, Laura and I had about 6 weeks off in between. We spent 10 days on the East coast visiting family, enjoying a wedding, and the big city. After spending the last 6 months or so going crazy over finding cool gadgets and Rover accessories we finally left Los Angeles and hit the road.
We headed out taking highway 1 up the coast starting in Santa Monica and continued all the way through to Newport, Oregon. We passed through wine country, beautiful beaches, and beautiful vistas that we were able to see up close while stopped in traffic/road closures for an hour or so at a time. The road was a bit longer than expected, but still worth it.
We then ventured through Portland and into Eastern Washington, over the mountains to the town of Leavenworth to visit friends and attend a beautiful wedding up a mountain road. As soon as we left Leavenworth it proceeded to rain like crazy. The Rover had some problems. Needed the stereo re-built (too many miles with no music), and ended up rebuilding the ignition. We stayed in Washington for a bit, hung out with some family and friends and did a little vegging for a few days. We then headed back into Portland, got the car fixed, enjoyed some NW coffee, a few VooDoo Doughnuts, and some beer from one of my favorite microbrews, Rogue Brewery. We were also able to attend a sold out show of one of our favorite bands, a gift from on of our favorite people Sarah Tiffany. Mumford & Sons, they were amazing and I highly recommend them if you haven’t jumped on the Mumford bandwagon yet. After getting some help from PDX Rovers to get back on the road we began our long, very long journey through southern Idaho and hwy 84. There really is nothing there at all. We got gas and that’s it I think.
After a long journey through Idaho, we found ourselves in Utah seeing the first change of a horizon in quite some time. Utah was sunny, bright, and towns named things like Snowville. It was a nice change. And to top it off when we pulled into Salt Lake City we got to see some of our wonderful friends Nash, Kora and Bellie. It was a wonderful 16 hours =) We then continued our journey south and entered the beautiful Bryce Canyon. Just pulling in was quite an experience driving into our campsite at the base of these bright red, Mars like canyons. It was a gorgeous place unearthly in its colors and shapes. Next and equally as beautiful and awe inspiring was Zion National Park. Totally different in its beauty. Enormous rocks shooting up into the sky with names like “The Sacrificial Altar”. Everything we saw and all the images I took couldn’t really show or describe the beauty of the things we got to see.
We then made our way south to Arizona. Our plan was to see some part of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We also wanted one last driving adventure too, soooo… we mixed the two options and made our way to Tuweep Point. This outlook is the lowest lookout point in the Grand Canyon and the road to get there was described as hazardous, 4×4 required, and to travel at your own risk. So we did it. Laura still fighting a touch of heat exhaustion and the temp being somewhere about 100 degrees or so. The road turnoff was mostly unmarked except by a mile marker and then 68 miles of dirt road straight into the dessert. It consisted of dirt, large rocks, holes, flash flood zones, and sand traps. It was really what overland is all about in a Range Rover. Then we thought we came to the end and then we make it to a dirt road that changed under our tires to just the natural rock of the area which is not a shaped or manicured road whatsoever. The final two miles or so of this road was pretty gnarly, 18 inch rock stairs and traverses where the Rover barely had clearance enough to continue, and this was just to make it to the campsite area. But once we did, boy what a site. There was no one around for miles and miles and not hardly a sound. Later one other car came which was a Budget Rental Jeep that took a beating the whole way and looked it by the time it made it to the camp area. But alas we found ourselves perched on the edge of the Grand Canyon, no fences, no regulations looking down seeing rafters pass by and eagles sore at eye level. There we sat watching the sun go down over the canyon, it was a surreal moment just sitting in the quiet of the dessert with no one around except for the birds. It felt fake and small but all so huge at the same time. Quite an experience.
So, after making it back onto the highway, we started heading towards home. Our plan was to head to Lake Meade near Vegas, bad idea. It was hot, nothing around, and impossible to find a place to actually get into the lake without owning a water vessel of some kind. So, we high-tailed our way out of there and now had to find a place to stay. Made a few calls along the way and found ourselves in a town called Primm, NV. We stayed at one of the big casino/hotel/restaurant/water park/outlet mall. It was so awesomely cheesy and over the top. And awesome. They allowed dogs in the rooms and everything. Now we pulled in at this point with the dirtiest of cars which the dust build up from the dessert road caused all the locks to no longer function which resulted in a broken door handle and dust in every orifice of the vehicle. And Laura and I both hadn’t showered in 15 days. This hotel with all of its amenities like showers, soap, a pool with a fountain, a/c, a bed with pillows and stuff. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. I took two showers actually just cause I felt like the first shower was still dirty. Then we treated ourself to some Casino food fare and gambled away maybe $10 bucks for the rest of the evening. It was a much needed break.
Then off we went. Came back to the city of Venice, hung out with some of our dear friends Ty & Katie, and sat down and just relaxed for the first time in a while. It was a great trip filled with adventure and learning experiences and so much beauty. Below is an image of a trek on a map to show our journey. I have a bunch of images linked below as well.
>>Click & Enjoy!!!<<
Past, Present, and Philidelphia
Again, on our East Coast adventure we took the train to visit Laura’s Aunt & Uncle (it looks funny putting it Uncle and Aunt) Mark and Barb. They graciously walked and fed the city to us for a few days. Also our first trip to The City of Brotherly Love. Quite an enjoyable place and you can’t help but to feel the history in that place. Although it’s all been monetized and watered down for the passing tourist you couldn’t help but to feel inspired about what happened in those halls and meeting rooms to bring us to where we are today. Here are some of those images.
>>Click & Enjoy!<<