The Rain in Spain...

Another macro image to finish out the week. I found this beauty just off the street next to an apartment building. It was waiting for me. Look around the places you go everyday and find the beauty.

Poppy

Saw this guy poppin' and lockin' this morning and thought he'd be a great subject. Turned out to be quite the gentleman.

Easter in the backyard

Swamp Boardwallk

It's just as hot and humid as it looks. And swampy.

Happy Easter!

Kinda Blue

My lady's been gone all week and I've been feeling kinda down. I'm so thankful she's coming home tomorrow.

Red Rose

Dragonflyus Greenus

You'd never know that a few feet away sway hundreds of alligators.

Hogwarts

Whew, that was quite a trip. I traveled back on Sunday without my wife but with my 3 kids. 3 kids, a plane flight, a bus ride, and, oh yeah, getting up at 4 a.m. I was a bit toasty. I thought I'd return to the blog with a non-iPhone picture. I promise the next one won't be Harry Potter related!

Dumbledore's Entrance

I have seen Hogsmeade, and it is good

See the full gallery on Posterous

We had a magically fantastic day yesterday at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando. For any hardcore Potter fans out there this is a must see. The care and detail that went into the creation of Hogsmeade and the smaller scale Hogwarts is amazing. They definitely went for quality over quantity so the area is not huge, but there's a lot packed in there. You can visit Zonkos Joke Shop, Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes and have a bite to eat at The Three Broomsticks. Pro tip: go for the frozen Butterbeer, it's awesome.

Inside Hogwarts Castle is the most amazing theme park ride called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Incredible. Could be a bit scary for younger kids, but if they like roller coasters they'll have no problem.

There ate so many souvenirs and Potter world memorabilia to be had that your wallet could be hurting by the end of the day. Definitely sone things you can't find anywhere else. Dud I mention that the Butterbeer was awesome?

Something we did that I highly recommend is staying in one of the hotels inside the park. This gives you early access to the park attractions and gives you line skipping privileges at many of the rides.

Whew, I can't believe I just all that on my iPhone. My thumb's tired! Hope you enjoy the pictures (they're all iPhone as well) and I'll post again soon!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

See the full gallery on Posterous

I can't believe we're here!

Yellow Leaf

Ok, so the whole posting from posterous thing hasn't worked out so far. I'm lame. Today I'm resorting to the good old fashioned "post from my computer" method. I spent yesterday at the Happiest Place in Orlando, Gatorland. They have something for all your gator-lovin' needs. That's not dirty. We had a great time, despite the 90 degrees and humidity. I'll give you a little yin and yang today; something scary and something sublime.

Flying away

My family and I are winging our way to Florida today to visit friends and family. We'll be gone for about a week, but I want to keep things going on the blog. I've linked my posterous account to the blog so I can post from there. Hopefully I'll be able to post a picture and a few words every day so that you guys can share in the humidity with me! Look for a picture later today from somewhere over America.

Fruit of the vine

This is the merlot Wine Cellar at The Grand Del Mar. They had a cellar this size for each type of wine. It'll make you a little tipsy just looking at it!

Walk this way

Back at the Valley Performing Arts Center today. I had so much fun during my afternoon shooting here. I sent some of my pictures to the Performing Arts Center and that put them up on their Facebook page! Pretty cool.

The Grand Del Mar

For the first time in nine years my wife and I got out of town for one night without kids. Glorious. We didn't venture too far, just San Diego, but it was a world away. This escape was aided immensely by the hotel, ok resort we stayed in. The Grand Del Mar is simply amazing. If you are looking for a refuge from the basic noise of life, this place is it. It is situated next to a nature preserve with hiking and horse trails and miles of forests. Beautiful grounds, beautiful architecture and an amazing staff (big shout out to Amanda!) make this a place we'll be going back to.

This is one of the many pools located around the property and I was lucky to catch it at sunset.

Mountains out of raindrops

Better Times Ahead

Experience of a Lifetime

This is not an April Fools joke people!

O M G. I just put my deposit down for a photo workshop in, wait for it, Ethiopia! More specifically we'll be spending 6 days in the religious center of Ethiopia, Lalibela. And it will be during Ethiopian Christmas. *catch breath* Aaannnnddd it will be led by one of my favorite photographers on the planet, David duChemin. This guy is an amazing humanitarian and travel photographer who puts vision and creativity before gear and technique. I am over the moon. There were only 8 spots and I was lucky to get one. I'll be traveling next January and be gone 2 weeks. I know it will be tough on my family, but my wife sees it as a wonderful opportunity for me and has been very supportive. She's a keeper.

As the time gets closer I will be talking more about the gear I'll be taking and my preparations for travel. Stay tuned, it's gonna be awesome!

This is a picture I took of a sunrise in Addis Ababa in 2006.