Heeby Jeebies

Here is another little tidbit from Florida.  I went to the boardwalk to shoot one of the models I had lined up while I was there and off to the sides were these dense, lush forest.  Automatically it caught my eye and I wanted to shoot there.  I went down to do a little scouting, and ran into a cob web.  When I pushed on it to get it out of my way, my hand felt a huge web.  I looked over to my left and about 2 feet from my head was the spider below.  It was just slightly smaller than my hand....fingers and all.  Needless to say, I have never moved so fast in my life.  I'm sure the high-pitched screaming and all the flailing didn't put the girl I was shooting at ease.  I blamed my pee stained pants on the humidity.  These 8-legged man eaters were EVERYWHERE in the trees once I took a look from a safe distance where I shot the photos.  It creeps me out just thinking about it.  I checked what type of spider it is, and it's called a Golden Orb-Weaver. Hence the golden web.  I could have been called the golden-stream-in-pants-maker after seeing that evil sucker.  Try not to have nightmares.  

p.s.  I'm pretty sure that smaller male spider is no longer with us.  It gives a whole new meaning to having your head bitten off by your spouse.  

daddy's girl

Daddy's little girl.  Yes, it's true, my little girl went to Homecoming.  I got a little teary as she and her primped posse rolled out of the driveway in a 15 passenger van with tinted windows.  A polygamist limousine basically.  She looked amazing, as you can see from the pictures.  Her date Skylar was a very nice young man.  The only thing I told him was, "can I trust you to take care of my daughter tonight?"  He said yes, obviously the only correct answer.  I picked her up at midnight from a pool party they had after the dance.  Needless to say, she said she said it was a perfect night.  Again, how is a dad not supposed to get a tad misty over that.  I'm only human!

The only hitch of the night was before her date arrived.  Bubba was panicking because she forgot a boutonniere.  No problem.  I figured, how hard can it be to build one out of an Albertson's rose?  Bubba, Gina (her faithful companion) and I went to the store and picked up aforementioned rose and some enormous needles (no straight pins to be found).  We got back to the house and I was MacGivering a boutonniere when the task seemed hopeless.  I came up with an ingenious plan.  I took the rose, greenery and baby's breath, tossed them on the floor and stomped them.  I thought Bubba was either going to cry.  When I explained the method to my madness, it became clear that I am, in fact, a genius AND an incredible liar.  Her date arrived and I told him I had forgotten the real boutonniere at my house and had accidentally sat on the makeshift one.  Of course Bubba, being the brutally honest one, foiled my plan and spilled the beans.  I must say that my plan was still the most logical, because if bubba had tried to pin that little rose on him with the giant needle she had, she would have given him a heart transplant and I doubt we could have stopped the bleeding.  It all worked out in the end.  Enough said.  I'm old. My daughters are getting bigger and more beautiful everyday, and I have no idea how to make a boutonniere.  I'll practice for the Weasel's Homecoming.

KJ 

Bubba and the Weasel

Hey everyone is Bubba.
I decided I would just post some pictures of what bumpy and I were up to since my dad doesn't do it. Hope you like them! :)

11 minutes of fame

Here is the article in the prestigious Sugarhouse Journal about my current group show.  It even has a picture of me with my short (relatively speaking) hair just for mom.  Enjoy.

KJ

http://www.mysugarhousejournal.com/pages/full_story/push?article--Area+artists+showcase+talent+in+heart+of+Sugar+House%20&id=3616900--Area+artists+showcase+talent+in+heart+of+Sugar+House

A very good day

here are a couple of pictures from my trip to Florida.  I'm staying in the hotel on the far left (thanks to McGraw-Hill publishing) and I'll never be the same when it comes to travel. If this is how "the other half" lives, I want to change halves.

I went to the beach today.  Just me.  It's a Monday and so only a few people were at the beach outside the hotel.  There are a few specific days in my life that stick out as simply great days for one reason or another.  The majority of them involve my family and my girls.  Today was a very good day.  A day I'll always remember.  Just me, and the water and the sand and the sun.  I will always remember this day.  I can't explain why.  It's much more than just the beach.  It was just a very good day.

A little story from today (Monday).  The water is extremely shallow.  I can walk about 100 yards out into it and the water never gets above my shoulders.  After that it drops just about straight down.  It is crystal clear water and you can see small and even large schools of fish swimming around.  They even occasionally bump your legs.  While I was about 90 yards off the beach, something kept bumping my leg.  Low and behold, it was about a 16-18 inch shark.  No mistaking a shark.  It wasn't aggressive and it wasn't big, but nonetheless, I figured that where there was a little one, there was a big one.  I walked slowly back to the shore and the little guy followed me the whole way, bumping my legs and doing circles.  It was very interesting.  It had a flat, wide head and black stripes on each side.  The beach attendant told me it was either a hammer head or a Bonnethead shark.  Both are common in the shallow water.  They're not aggressive, just curious.  The only thing I didn't like hearing was, "it's not feeding time anyway."  He should work in P.R.

KJ

Proud Gardeners

Most of our garden has been fruitful this year and I had to post a picture of all the tomatoes Riley and I picked this evening. I didn't realize we had so many, but we just kept finding more and more. Riley is also very proud of her pumpkins. The big one she's sitting by is the largest we've ever grown! Our corn has also come on in the past week and has been a delicious addition to our meals.

Yellowstone Bear World

On Labor Day we took the girls to Yellowstone Bear World. It's one of those local attractions you drive by a million times and tell yourself you'll never go there. Well...I guess the rest is history. Bear World won out over the Fair and actually driving to Yellowstone. The girls had fun, but there seems to be something wrong with watching bears sit on their haunches catching powdered donuts in their mouths. It kind of reminded me of watching mom feed Keith and Scott when they were younger!