The Wild Kingdom in Omaha

We just got back from Omaha. We were out visiting my mom, who has lung cancer, along with the rest of the Bayer Clan. It was pretty emotional to see everyone, including a couple of nieces and nephews I'd not met before.

It's been close to 10 years since I'd been back to visit. Some things had changed; more gray hairs, people softer around the edges, less worry about stuff and more enjoyment of the moment.

One thing that hadn't changed was the culinary tour of Omaha. It started with Angus aged steaks (Nothing like them, ever!), continued on with an apple and melted brie omelet, then spinach and artichoke calzone, and finally Jamaican jerk bean soup and club sandwiches. Pound for pound (pun intended), you can't beat Omaha for good eating. Go figure!

My mom looked good,all things considered, though she was definitely a bit weary. I only saw one spark from her all weekend, and when I did I couldn't help but grin because I knew she was in there somewhere still fighting. Bottom line, cancer sucks.

Anyway, from L to R: Josephine, Kyle, Jay, Colin, and Emory- the latest incarnation of the family.

Deep Creek in Springtime

Kyle and I went hiking into Deep Creek in search of the native rainbow and Brown Trout. Didn't catch any, but still enjoyed a beautiful morning scrambling over boulders with the sounds of rushing waters at our side.

When we got home, we found a note on the table. Seems Tami went on her own adventure; to the Carson Convention Center for a Stamping Expo. To each his (or her) own!

Bendo, Baby!

So, Kyle & I are sitting around trying to figure out how to afford more fishing trips. Understand that when we go out, everything cost double out of pocket because it's two of us. Kyle was lamenting that he couldn't earn enough money as a 13 year old to make a significant dent.

I was holding onto a logo design, which I proposed to him to develop as a fishing apparel company to earn a little money for fishing. It's called BENDO, a slang term for when your rod is bent from having a fish on. So, on the shoe-stringiest of budgets, we made some hats and sold them pretty quickly. Most were sold to the very genuine & decent anglers on getbentsportfishing.com.

Now we have some seed money to try a t-shirt. The design above is a collage collaboration between Kyle & I called "Tuna Slam." Hopefully, folks will get excited about it.

The best part of the whole thing has been working with Kyle on this venture. Granted, he has 13 year old attention span sometimes, but he also has 13 year old energy and unabashed enthusiasm, A win-win for both of us!!!

"Try" Rugby

With yet another winter storm bearing down on us, we made the escape to San Diego for the IRB 7's International Rugby Tourney. If you have never been to an international match, it's an amazing cultural experience. The best part, though, is my brother and his team, Hyde Rugby, are also out for the games. Since we only get to see Tal once a year, we really go all out and enjoy it.

If you happen to get Fox Sports Network (FSN) on your cable TV, look for the documentary on Hyde Rugby, which is running all month. You'll find through watching it that the players are phenomenal young men. Tami got to meet them this year and see first hand why Kyle and I love the tourney and the guys on the Hyde team.

Of course, when we finally made it home, we were greeted with 2 feet of new snow to shovel....

Pics are of the tourney, my bro, the Mexico National team, and Kyle & I with the Hyde Rugby players, and the rugby family.

Like Smoke Through a Keyhole

One of my favorite movies is Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It's bittersweet, but with a message that life's to short to short your life. One of the lines in the movie is "Like smoke through a keyhole...." I'm not exactly sure what that means, though it referenced time passing by so quickly, but it seems to make perfect sense and it's got a lyrical quality when spoken.

That's kind of how my relationship with my folks has been the last ten years. Like smoke through a keyhole.... It started with one of those heated family arguments where neither side saw fit to compromise. After a bit, it was an uncomfortable distance, slowing leading to life just getting on down the road. A child, a family, a career, up and downs and adventures. And ten years gone by.

Now, my mom has lung cancer with some serious chemo & radiation in her future. She's just mean enough to beat it, but then again..... Sometimes I look at her and think about how amazingly stubborn she is only to realize that the same trait was passed on to me.

I'm not naive enough to think that there's a storybook ending in all of this. No emotional reconnection on grand scale. But, when the chance comes, I will tell her I appreciate many of things she did give and that we shouldn't go another ten years without talking.

Today's photo's are right after a massive snow storm. The clouds lifted right about sunset, making our little valley a beautiful winter landscape.

Sorry for not Posting

Man, it's been a tough January. I've been knock down sick now for about a month, but I promise I'll get busy taking photo's, working on prints, and getting back into life real soon. 

The photo is not of me being sick, that is unless you consider it was right after Kyle and I partook in the tradition of eating the heart of the first large sportfish we ever caught. Kids, don't try this at home.......

Moon Glow on Mt. Baldy

It's a full moon tonight; the brightest of 2009. I tried to get some time lapse shots, but the wind was blowing so hard, it was buffeting my car. Anyway, this was shot at 6 seconds, well after sundown. The glow on the horizon is caused by Los Angeles and not twilight. 

Shot's of the Day

Tami and I rolled down to the Armand Hammer Art Museum today for to look at the Gouge Exhibition on wood and linocut. Matisse, Picasso, Munch, and others. WOW! Anyway, here's shots for the day for 01/01 and 01/02.

Happy New Year

I hope 2009 is a productive year for everyone! One of my resolutions is to post a 'photo-a-day' and I hope to capture a years worth of stuff for a homemade photo-book when it's all said and done.

Meanwhile, here's the last photo of the year, shot at 6:00pm on 12/31/08. Call it Ghost Train. Shot 6.7 @ 8 seconds. Click on the image for a good look!

Finishing 2008 with a Bang

Kyle and I jumped off the mountain today for a last fishing trip in 2008. It was beautiful out on the water. Chilly at first, but it warmed to the low 60's. We knocked it out, bring home about 10-12 pounds of fresh caught snapper, rockfish, and perch. Kind of fun to look east today. We could see our mountains nearly from Catalina Island, or about 75 miles away.  Nice end to 2008!

Slow Train Coming

There was a time when "hoppin' a rail" meant freedom, manifest destiny, a chance to stumble into something greater than ones self. Or, as a photographer once waxed nostalgic, where Woody Guthrie would have roamed.

But the rails are dirty, dangerous ribbons of metal and men; where hot days and cold nights rule. The rail riders today are not the charming hobo's from the past, sitting around a campfire singing in simple prose. They are outsiders; beyond Madmax and the Matrix. All at once angry, but scared to admit a simple fact, that they are alone, tossed aside, discarded.

I see the rails a lot in my job. I never considered them for anything other than for their utility, which is why I decided to 'train' my camera lens on them for a day. The result is the above photo, entitled Slow Train Coming. Hopefully, it evokes that sense of taking you some place further than when you started.

Mac Daddy

So, the computer got a virus. Ended up losing a bunch of programs and about 800 songs on my music library. Plus, the pop-ups and spam were horrible. The PC was getting long in the tooth at about 5 years old, and it was the first (and only) PC I've ever owned.

After looking around, I decided to return to Macs. I arranged for a no interest purchase through work and snuck in a beautiful iMac this week. While Tami was teaching on Friday, I set it up in her craft room and said nothing. I swear she walked in an d out of the room a couple of times before she finally saw it.

Her initial response was an ass-whuppin' for me (not for the purchase, but the lack of consultation), but now she's had some time on it and she's pretty darned pleased. Whew!!!! Anyway, now the whole family will get more out of the computer experience because this thing rocks!

When at First You Don't Succeed

Well, the print in the last post was just not working. Getting the registration right for the plates was just about impossible, considering I needed to print 25. So, I did a quick wood cut version of a paper craft type tree I had seen before.

Hopefully, this will be the one that works. First print was good.

Both Sides of the Looking Glass

Patrol in a police car is one of the most boring things imaginable. So, it was with great delight and amazement that I ran into a photographer of renown while parked next to a rail crossing known for transients. Of course, I was not aware of the 'renown' bestowment at the time (and I apologize to Justine for probably sounding ridiculous...), and thought she was an intriguing artist on a tragic calling; to find the romanticism in modern day train riders.

It was great to be able to discuss art with someone while wearing a uniform. I don't know that I've ever had that opportunity, unless you count arguments with fellow officers that their Velvet Elvis constitutes fine art.... What I found was that she was humble, completely open to conversation, and lacking in anything I would consider as pretentious. Just a decent person pursuing a vision.

Of course, I got home and found that her work commands prices greater than my combined photographic income over the years, but then again, she's the one 3000 miles from home pursuing the perfect shot.

Anyway, it's nice to know that a parallel world that finds beauty in decay can occasionally bump up against the world I occupy at work. Gives me hope for the future!

The aspen print is a two plate relief print for a Holiday Printmaker's Exchange I'm participating in.

Silverwood Sunrise

Every now and again, you get honored to see an amazing sight. This morning, Kyle and I were heading down to do some fishing and got to witness one amazing sunrise. The colors were as vibrant as I can recall. The way the light played off of the lake was incredible.

The fishing wasn't nearly as good as the sunrise, though Kyle did manage to bring home a decent size sturgeon. I was a bit concerned about cooking it up because it is such an ugly fish. But, the fillets were probably the best freshwater fish I've ever had; kinda like alligator. Deep fried them in an eggwash and beer batter and they were seriously tasty!

Hope you enjoy the pics! Click on the sunrise; it'll enlarge and it's worth the effort!!!

Happy Anniversary

Curtis & Tami Bayer

1st Dance

November 17, 1990

Thanks for 18 years of being the best wife I could ever hope for! It's been an amazing journey, with the best yet to come!

BOOOO!

Kyle 'outgrew' Halloween this year. Instead of fishing for candy, he out out fishing for, well, FISH! We went out to Catalina for the day and had a great time. Caught some nice sheephead and kelp bass and enjoyed an amazing sunrise with rainbow. Even saw a half dozen grey whales. Enjoy the pics!

Knott's Scary Farm

My son loves Halloween as much as anyone could love a holiday. Aside from the candy, anything involving gore and costumes is his idea of fun. For the last 5 years, he's wanted to go to Knotts Berry Farm during the Halloween season, when it transforms itself into a 'monster sized' haunted park. I always told him when he turned 13, we would go. Well, guess what........

We arrived at the gate at sunset and I was immediately terrified. The guests waiting in line were as frightening a bunch of goths, emo's, vato's, and metal heads as I've ever seen (for definitions, ask your teenager). Once inside, there were literally hundreds of ghouls and freaks in wildly outlandish costumes trolling in the shadows for a good scare.

Several mazes were set up with names like Club Blood, Killer Clown College, etc. Within the mazes, all manner of freaks would jump out and scare the beee-jeeeesus out of you. The props were Hollywood quality with body parts strung out and blood galore.

The scariest moment occurred when we were in the Lost Vegas maze. Aside from two-headed gamblers and pit bosses looking for souls, we stumbled in a gentleman's lounge, complete with pole dancing vampira's. What was scary was Kyle and his friend Wyatt transforming from giggling laughing neo-teens into wide eyed teenage boys. All of a sudden, they were very attentive and focused. It wasn't until Freddy Krueger tickled them with his blade fingers did they move.

Overall, a fun night with big burgers and onion rings at Johnny Rockets 50's Diner finishing out the night. Happy Halloween to all!

Kyle and Wyatt and a fun open lenses shot capture the essence of the night.

The State of the Union Address

The silly season, ooops, I mean the Election Season is upon us. Actually, I wish it was silly, but this time around it is far, far from it.

There are some profound choices to be made this year at both the Federal and State levels. With all due respect to the Republicans, I admire John McCain immensely. He is an American hero with the credentials to prove it. Beyond his war experiences, he has often voted his conscious rather than falling along Party lines. A genuine figure.

That being said, his choice of Sarah Palin is such a monumental failure to his legacy as a public servant that the only thing potentially worse is the effect it will have on qualified women seeking the White House or Executive Mansion in the future.

Obama? He certainly is intriguing. I don't really care about his pastor or whether he associated with a member of the Weather Underground. But, his lack of experience has to be considered. What will he bring to the table in the next four years when Americans will be in a position and status they are not accustomed to? Will he bring our folks in the Middle East home?

Joe Biden ain't a bad VP choice. He's too hot headed for the top spot, but his background and experience could certainly help.

Kind of a shame that McCain didn't reach across the aisle to choose a Democrat for his running mate. Talk about a 'maverick' move! The line could have been "Not a Republican Agenda; Not a Democrat Agenda; An American Agenda..."

Personally, I've been a Green Party voter for over 20 years. As an outsider looking in, the Presidential Election is not choosing the lesser of two evils, but the evil of two lessers. So, what do we do?

I think it's time to take stock of ourselves. We need to do the right thing for the right reasons, and at the right time. We should help our neighbor knowing it may never be repaid. If we are receiving charity, we should not consider it a right but an opportunity to pass it on and be gracious in the process.

We need to respect that we are all different. Diversity in Community, Unity in Purpose. We are men, women, conservative & liberal, straight or gay, young and old, black, white, brown, red, yellow, Christian, Muslim, or Atheist. In the end, we are hoping that happiness comes our way and that we make a difference when it comes time to call it a day.

So, make sure you vote. And more importantly, regardless of the outcome, show dignity, respect, and sacrifice so that we can leave things a little better than when we found it.

Photo was during a massive forest fire in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Change is in the Air

I think Autumn is here.... One day, it's 80 degrees and sunny and the next day it's 40 degrees and foggy. The leaves are turning and falling in the wind. Squirrels are busy loading up on acorns and pine nuts. You can smell the spicy scent of smoke in fireplaces. A great time to be on the mountain!

Tomorrow, I'm showing at the Pine Cone Festival in Twin Peaks. Hopefully the weather and economy don't put too much of a buzz-kill on the event. I did a few new pieces for the show and offer up "Happy Hour" as a tribute to shortening days and crisp nights.