Borrego Mates

Spidey!
Thanks to Clayton, I was treated to a sweet Offroad Adventure through the canyons and badlands of Anza-Borrego State Park. The weather was perfect, the roads were treacherous and the photos were plenty =)... a crikey good time if I do say so myself.

Quartz-rock-plant thingy with a little photoshop love. Shot inside the slot canyons.


The badlands overlooking the park. The desert haze adds a cool 1970's kinda feel to this shot. Off the distance is Ocotillo Wells home to hundreds of thousands of ATV's and dune buggies and probably the reason for so much dust in the air.


Looking West at the begining of a sand dune formation.

Thanks Clay!

-David

Not Fun

"... at least they didn't get my surfboard."

-David

From The Archives

This is still my most cherished surfing shots...taken some 4 years ago. Swamis - San Diego

-David

Cabrillo National Monument

A couple lazy Sunday's ago, Jessica and I found ourselves as "tourists" in the city we call home. Cabrillo rests at the tip of Pt. Loma and had remained hidden to us for all this while. It's really a treasure that helps define the city, some of the best views of both downtown and the Pacific are to be had:

Looking at the 6 ft. bulb inside the lighthouse.


Although it might not look like it, those are about 6-8 foot perfect waves rolling through the Pt. (Click to enlarge) Off in the distance you can see the Coronado Islands home to some of the best tuna fishing on the west coast...mmmm....yellow fin tunnnnaaaaaa.


The Hotel Del Coronado in all it's opulence and glory. I typically shy away from B&W because I find the color so much more intriguing, but this shot seems kind of timeless in the way the light is hitting only the hotel and leaving the more modern developments covered in shade.


Somewhere in there, you can see Tom Ham's lighthouse...future home of awesomeness.


-David

Yearly Yosemite

Ahhhh San Diego

Drink it in:

iNano

iUrban

iGatley 3G

Alright so the photo quality isn't great....but I'm stoked none the less. Thanks Jessica!

New Orleans - French Quarter / Garden District

Some snapshots from around the city.










-David

New Orleans - Self Guided Swamp Tour

New Orleans is incredible.

Jessica and I just got back from another incredible adventure. This time we found ourselves in the humid tropics of Southern Louisiana.

On our first day to the city, we left the city behind and headed to the infamous swamp. Devin, Darin and I returned to the same place that almost claimed our very lives a year earlier. We returned to much nicer weather, and oddly, many more man eating animals.

The path leading you in to the swamp.

Before long, that path takes you to a swamp river and a boardwalk 3 inches above the water level. In effect, putting you within biting distance of dinosaurs. This guy was happy hanging out on said trail until I almost kicked him in a stoke of blind stupidity.

The weather this go around couldn't have been in more contrast to last year if it tried. This same tree last year. Amidst 60 mph winds and vertical downpours.


Jessica had her national geographic game on, and spotted this 8 foot beast from across the river. If you look closely you can see him/her tucked away in the shadows. Alligators may not be as big as crocodiles, but I imagine this bastard wouldn't do too bad in a red-headed photographer eating competition.

She also tracked down this spotted owl with my camera and popped off a terrific shot. I guess any girl who can handle a Nikon D70 like her is worthy of keeping around ;)

This thing was nuts. It had talons the size of frizbees, and a beak that cut through the mightiest of oaks. This "cute little" owl of death had the potential to do some damage and it knew it. From its perch, immediately above the walking path, it would swoop down at innocent tourists like a dive bomb from hell, and then at the last second, hit the brakes and fly up to the next tree.

If I have a spirit animal, I've decided this was it. As it guided us out of the park I felt a connection with it. Perhaps it was it's shared hatred of tye die t-shirt wearing tourists, or perhaps it was the fact that it knows the secret amount of licks it takes to get the center of a lollipop, but either way...I liked it.

Moving on.

'
I'm not sure there exists an animal of the swamp that can't kill you. Or at least remove a limb. This snake may look like a garden snake... but judging by the catfish eating crabs, the harbinger of death owls, the man eating alligators, and the ROUS (yes rodents of unusual size)... I'd say this snake is a black mamba capable of killing a small village.

Even the most innocent of skinks seem ready to strike with lethal force. Ok, maybe not a skink. Maybe a skank would be deadlier, but who knows...this may be a skanky skink!

I'm not sure, but my money is on poisonous arrow frog.

This picture freaks me out, still. Watching this guy tromp through the river was badass. I felt like I was in Jurassic Park and the electric fence just broke down, and my ford explorer didn't work. And then this ... freaking alligator found me. Ok well whatever, you get the point. Alligators = cool...real cool.

Anyhow. No crazy shenanigans this time. No floods of biblical proportions, no epic car chases fording rivers, no death sprints back to the parking lot...just animals, everywhere.

More Nola Blogs to come =) For now enjoy "the money shot".



-David

love of my life

On the Horizon

=)

Visiting the Visitors

It still amazes me where people view my blog from. I think it's even cooler that people from China are finding my blog about China despite that country monitoring and in many cases blocking the majority of outside websites.
Anyhow, I've decided i need to visit all the places that are visiting me. Especially that little guy all by himself down in Argentina!
=)
-David

Arizona - Baseball A's vs. Angels

Took in a great game today at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Mesa, AZ. The (deep breath) Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim and the Oakland A's (A's were running a split squad today and had the real fresh meat on the field).

We had some great seats for 10 bucks this go around. Spring training brings most of the farm raised talent to the field and and can be a real guessing game as to who is who, hence the program this gentleman had in hand.

The Angles brought out all their studs, above is Fransisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) and he's arm angles of impossibility. His elbow is literally behind his head....he's a mutant.

The A's catching someone in a pickle.

Classic baseball scene. Harden on the mound, 3-1 count, runner taking second...

Watching the A's second string outfielders take the field was like watching a bunch of circus clowns in a tripping contest...but with less skill.

Valdimir Guerrero. Grand Slam. Freak of Nature.

Stud.

Vlad the man.

The A's got shut out 6-0 with something like 3 hits. This was the only highlight...a cleanly fielded ground ball to short.


Great game. Not sure if Jessica and I will make any more this year, real life is calling us back. There is one more night game a couple hours before our flight...but if the aromas lofting from the BBQ in this backyard are any sign of things to come...I'm not leaving this sun drenched lounge chair if someone pays me.

Here's to the regular season opener on the 25th... 6 days 9 hrs and 50 minutes from now =)

-David

(Heard some rumors of the A's trading Harden to the Yankees today, saw the yankees scouts out in full force, and a guy from baseball prospectus didn't deny the rumors)