"The Kingdom" by Bethany Dillon

I have been a fan of Bethany Dillon for a few years now, which seems odd because she is currently just 19 years old. She has such a great voice and is an amazing songwriter. Kind of like Taylor Swift but in the Christian Contemporary genre.

www.bethanydillon.com

Colby's Graduation - Tucker, Grace and Colby

A slightly different take

Geese - O - Rama

Just up the road by the West Fargo 9th grade center.

Sherlock Holmes

I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories for as long as I can remember. To this day I still read primariliy mystery novels. And if you've never read them, Larry Millett wrote an excellent series of books based on the idea of Sherlock Holmes coming to Minnesota.

I hadn't heard anything about a movie, so I was quite suprised when I saw the trailer. I was even more suprised that it looks pretty good.

Quote

There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are. Ernst Haas

Monk and Neagle - Dancing with the Angels

Monk and Neagle - Dancing with the Angels

Another one from our hospital CD.

www.monkandneagle.com/blogformusic

Another Way

Photo by Off the Planet

So in addition to looking through photo galleries, photo blogs, and webcams another way I've found to find places to take pictures is to read what other people have done. This is by far the best example I have come across. The authors have a real passion for photography and an amazing ability to put the process of trying to take a great picture into words.

http://offtheplanet.typepad.com/2_girls_and_the_world/2005/08/day_10_wolves_m.html

Webcams

In addition to browsing work by my favorite photographers, I also have a few sites that I go to that have live webcams of some of the locations we will be visiting this summer.  If they are this beautiful on a webcam, I can't wait to see them in person.  This is from Olympic National Park.

First Light by Gary Hart

garyhart.aminus3.com

I spend a lot of time looking at pictures online. The aminus3 community is one of the best places to see a lot of good work in one place. As I find photographers whose work I admire I will add their sites to my bloglist on the right. Gary Hart and Don Smith do absolutely amazing work. Please check out their links. I guarantee it will be worth your time.

One of mine

One of my favorites from a few years ago. This was taken at Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a 2 second exposure taken at about 6AM. I was literally the only car in the parking lot.

Skillet - You Are My Hope

We used to have a mix CD that we would listen to when Jess was in the hospital of slow songs by christian bands that don't usually do slow songs. As I find them I will be posting them for you. If you spent any time with us in the hospital, you have probably heard this before. The song starts after about a minute. www.skillet.com


Skillet

John Sandford

I read a really good article about John Sandford on the Star Tribune website this week. click here to link His Prey series is the first mystery/suspense series that I ever read. Of course since then I have started on a couple of other series: The Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler, Sean Dillon series by Jack Higgins, Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods, Pendergrast series by Preston & Child, Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn, Scott Harvath series by Brad Thor, Alex Cross series by James Patterson, Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffrey Deaver, Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, Sigma series by James Rollins, Scarecorw series by Matthew Reilly....... wow I read a lot. That might be where Noah gets it from.

Galen Rowell - Rainbow over Potala Palace

Once Jim Brandenburg got me interested in photography, Galen Rowell helped me refine my vision. The picture above was taken while a tour bus he was on stopped to capture the rainbow over the palace. Not happy with the view from where they were stopped, Galen ran over a mile to get an angle where the rainbow looked to be going directly into the palace. Of all the people on the tour, he was the only one that got the shot. Galen Rowell and his monthly column in Outdoor Photographer magazine were the foundation I used as I learned to be a photographer. www.mountainlight.com

Things Left Unsaid by Disciple

I love internet radio. You get a chance to listen to music thats outside of the mainstream that you just can't hear anywhere else. I was listening to www.christianrock.net this morning and heard the song 'Things Left Unsaid' by the band Discipe. While no song will ever perfectly relate to our situation there are a rare few songs that get really close and I would have to put this song in that category. Hearing the song today was very well timed as it repeated the message of last nights season finale of Grey's Anatomy of the importance of saying things when you have the chance and not letting things go unsaid.

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

The Picture That Started It All

Brother Wolf by Jim Brandenburg

This is the picture that first got me thinking about being a photographer. His Brother Wolf book and Chased By The Light were the first photography books I ever bought. I am constantly amazed by his work. www.jimbrandenburg.com

New Music by Mat Kearney

We had been listening to Mat Kearney long before he made it big by having his song Breathe In Breathe Out on the season finale of Greys Anatomy last year. This is the first song from his new album that comes out next week.

www.matkearney.com

Impossible - Manafest (featuring Trev McNevan)

Two of my favorite christian alternative artists Manafest and Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch collaborating on the song impossible.

Hello World

Hello, this is my first post.