Weeks 2 and 3

 Weeks two and four here in East Texas top image from Newton v Henderson and the bottom 3 from Van @ Spring Hill.  Football in full effect here.

Back on the Field

First game of the new season here in East Texas. Covering the game for ETSN.FM so while I was waiting for the boys to take the field I had to entertain myself, and the Kilgore Bulldog drill team help pass the time.
I'm sure I will have more of these in the coming weeks as the season unfolds.

USA Football International Bowl

Three of my favorite images from last weekend's USA Football International Bowl U-17 game against team Canada at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

A new Year, a peek at the old

Two shots from the last assignment of 2014. The bride in her reception Sari.

Uglyhat and Flag Day

Yesterday was Flag Day, and the Caveman Crawl in Bridgeport.  I took the first shot waiting for the first runners to show up to my obstacle, UglyHat  looks pretty good, all J.J. Abrams/Micheal Bay-ed with the lens flare.  Then while on my way home I saw this and thought, "Only in Texas."  I have been to about 40 out of the 50 states and have never seen the state flag fly with Old Glory on top of a crane. 

Hazy Mother's Day in the Ouachita National Forest

I've said it before, I always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere or to get home, and never have time to shoot anything interesting or fun coming from or going to a job.  Case in point; two weeks ago I was assigned the graduation ceremonies for University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  I was late leaving and so I drove through the switchbacks of the Ouachita National Forest in Southeastern Oklahoma at night, and partially in the rain.  I described it as the setting for the horror movie Wrong Turn: Oklahoma because it's the kind of out of the way place that if you disappear no one will ever find you. 

Anyway it was night driving up so I got to see nothing, on the way back I was trying to get back because it was Mother's Day and the wife was understandably upset that I wasn't there to begin with and even more annoyed that I wouldn't be making it back into town before noon.  It was a beautiful morning with sparse clouds and I had a good sunrise getting out of Arkansas, but once I hit the Ouachita again a haze rolled in and blanketed the low peaks, this is the only look out cut into 259 that I saw and I caught it as a little sun was trying to break through.  I wish I would have been able to sit for a while and see if I could have had a little more hit the valley, but it's not a bad shot.

US 59

Sunday I had a PR assignment in Houston.  I am always in a hurry when I am driving there or back, but this time I told myself I was going to stop and take some pictures.  I had my oldest step-son with me helping me drive so I got to sit and look out for shots.

The top image is a closed down drive-in south of Nacogdoches on US 59, which the state of Texas is turning into interstate 69, and will be soon demolishing the old structure.  So, I had to make sure that I stopped and documented it before it was no longer there.  I don't know if I will get a chance, but it faces west and I would really like a shot of the sun coming up right next to it. 

The middle image is from downtown Houston, the sugar skull I saw on a junction box right in front a cemetery and  thought it was too perfect to pass up the shot. 

Finally, the bottom image is one that I have been dying to get since the first trip I took down 59 last January.  I have also seen the tag in Dallas and out on I-20 on a railroad bridge so I am guessing that it was the same person cruising around Texas throwing up the Bob Omb tag for us.  I just think it is excellent that this guy is just hanging out in the middle of the Big Thicket in between Moscow and Corrigan Texas it's too perfect.

Warrior Dash Mississippi

Last Saturday was Warrior Dash Mississippi.  Here are some of my favorites from the day.  Great race venue, if only we could have parked closer than a million miles away that would have been excellent.  The guys on the construction crew wanted to buy #uglyhat but I let them know that my race companion was not for sale under any circumstances.  First race of the season that felt like summer, and I got a little crispy sitting under the sun all day.
(c) Gameface Media

Survival Race Sunday

Sunday was the Texas Survival Race outside of Dallas.  Mother Nature thought she would be funny and add to the mud, by throwing down a thunder/hail storm, just as the first runners where getting to us.  Thankfully #uglyhat saved my head.  I was perched on top of the climbing wall, slipped on a wet 2x4 and fell, didn't drop my camera though, so that was fun. 

After the morning water works it was business as usual though, hung out up there all day and stayed relatively clean, and dried out eventually.  Got done and as I was leaving saw a couple of guys drinking cold ones in the parking lot so I stopped of course.  

Thanks for the beers guys.

600 Miles: The Results

Here are a few of the shots I took over the weekend.  The finish line is always fun but it can get backed up and then its just not as cool.  Out on the course is low stress, but its all very repetitive, so when you get something out of the ordinary you remember it.  Hence, the dribbler and the ladies making faces at me during the Rock n' Roll Dallas half on Sunday.

Oh and it is always highly important to do your make-up before you go jump in the mud.

Metroplex Challenge

This past weekend was the Metroplex Challenge in Ft Worth.  On Saturday night there was a NCAA division one women's meet, I got to photograph from the floor.  Here are a few of my favorites, the purple is LSU the maroon is OU the red is University of Arizona.  These ladies were on their game, it was the Texas heavy OU team that ended up winning the competition.  

USA Football International Bowl Weekend

This past weekend I shot for USA Football at their International Bowl in Arlington.  It was nice to get back out on a football field as a stringer for someone, I haven't been able to shoot any games since moving from Florida, no one around here seems to need a freelancer.  Friday night was cold and windy, the game was a blow out and I shot way to many frames, but I was trying to stay warm so what can you do?  As it happens, I left the lights on in my car, had to wait about 4 hours for roadside assistance to get to me after one failed attempt and two phone calls later, so that I finally made it to sleep at 4 so I could get up at 6:30 and shoot a little 5K race before the afternoon game in the final photo here.

It's always something, I swear.

Rugged Maniac Houston

Last weekend was Rugged Maniac Houston, my last race of the year.  It started out partly cloudy and about 60 it ended overcast, windy and about 45 with the windchill, I was having flashbacks to Savage Race Dallas toward the end of the day.  I didn't have to get wet or muddy though so that is always a good thing.  The 3.5 hour drive to get there and get back wasn't the best in the world but I survived.

My first few months in Texas, were eventful, stressful and overall not the best things happened to me or my family.  I am looking forward to a new year and making our new home a better and more positive place; I know that 2014 will be an improvement over 2013 and for that I am grateful.  I would like to thank everyone at Nuvision, Race Pace, and Marathonfoto for letting me hit the ground running after our relocation to East Texas, and I look forward to more in the new year. 

Happy holidays everyone.