I was out driving...

...and I decided to find something to shoot (with my Nikon). The day was nice and I found a few woodland creatures to film.

Sometimes when shooting wild animals, you get them to cooperate and sometime you don't. the deer was young, and was not too shy, the rabbit, not so much. he ran away and turned his back on me.


As always, click on the photos to enlarge.








The Spring wild flowers are blooming, and I will get some other photos of them here soon. Here is a taste until then. -Frank

Just stuff...

Sometimes I use the internet at work. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled by my internet at home. It's not blazingly fast, but but it runs around 4-5Mb/sec. But the net at work is provided by Hughesnet. Wow, what a turd that thing is. Here is a screen shot of it on a good day! Notice the ping rate...


Click to enlarge


Here are a couple of photos that I took last year when we went to Lassen Park


Click to enlarge


Click to enlarge


And one of a friend John when I was messing around with zoom exposure. Trippy!


Click to enlarge


That's it for now. Back later...

Here we go...

So here I am. Back to my blog after many months of not posting.

A few things have and will be changed. First off, I have a new avatar. As some of you might know, it's from the Culpepper flag. The basic design is also on the Gladsen flag as well as inscribed permanently on my upper left arm.
It seem that our present government has decided (for us, by the way) that we should give up what we have and let others less fortunate (read, people that don't want to work) have what we have. I'm against it. Just wanted to put that out there for the record...

And while I'm on the subject of changes, you may have noticed that I have intentionally left out political talk in the past from my blog. That is another change that you will see here. I'm done with all of the political correctness. It's ruining our country. Again, just putting it out there for the record. If you don't like it, there is a little red X in the upper right corner of your screen.

So, getting that stuff out of the way, what's new in my life? Well for the last 3.5 months, I have been working at a camping resort type of facility. It's a long way from home, 82 miles round trip, and it doesn't pay much, but at least it's a job. It pays about half the bills or a bit more. Gotta go hustle the rest by selling stuff I have and such. Maybe this November we can get some new blood in and get the economy working again. I sure would like to go back into my real job of construction so I can get out of poverty.

Getting ready to sell my Mustang Cobra. If you haven't seen it, you can see photos here it's a wicked supercharged '93 SVT Cobra. Crazy fun to drive. If you are interested in it, get a hold of me here.

I will also have an '03 Ford F-250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke diesel for sale here soon. Crew cab, XT package, Etc. it has 4" exhaust and a Edge with Attitude programmer and some other aftermarket stuff on it. Runs great.
Where's the photos, you may ask... Well I have tons to post, just nothing right at the moment ready for the blog. Here is something to keep you occupied while I dig out some others.

Everyone likes ducks!



(Click photo to enlarge)


Okay, enough jabbering for now. Must leave something for later....

I'm still here...

Okay, I'm a bad blogger. I never send anything to my blog, even though I like to see it updated on a regular basis.

Tonight, I was reading my email and got a message from an old friend and a link to a photo of him and a nice red rock cod. I wanted to send him a photo of a nice halibut I caught last year, but didn't have the photo on my notebook. so, knowing it was my blog avatar, I went over to Blogger to snag it.

Lo and behold I look at my dashboard, and see a couple of friends blogs listed that I follow (not very regularly in the recent past though) and I clicked over and read them.

My buddy John's blog, HERE always has some insightful words, mixed with his usual matter of factness. I enjoy reading it because it's real world, and frankly, I like the way he writes. Thanks John...

My other buddy Davester, HERE. What can I say, he is dedicated. He blogs everyday, always with good content, always with a good message, and a good video or two. He spends lots of time on it and it shows. Excellent blog if I say so myself. Thanks Davester!

So why make a fuss over all this. Well, after reading these two blogs I got inspired. I really enjoy blogging, but rarely think about it. I really need to change this. So, best I can do is try and get to blogging again. Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things and make this blog into something.

Frank

Hey, Battered, and TANC Project

Hey All!

Been AWOL again. Work has been very slow and I have been off work for a full month. I really have to find some work here soon. Even looking outside the construction industry.


Battered and Bruised!

Found this article today about the guy that should have never messed with this ex-boxer. I love these kind of stories! Story here...


TANC Project info

If your not informed about the TANC transmission product then here is what it's all about..

In a nut shell, some of the larger (and not so large like Redding Utilities) have gotten together and are trying to put 2 more 500kv electric lines through the North state. they claim that it will help with bottlenecks and that they are going to tie into "Green" energy. What it's basically all about is that they are trying to get some of the Obama stimulus money and in reality, there is no plan for an "Green" energy to tie into.

The proposed lines are going from Santa Clara to Ravendale and stopping. We have been fighting it for sometime. If you live anywhere in our valley, you could be affected by this project.

There are three proposed routes that are all on the valley floor. If you end up on one of the routes, you may have to have high power line towers on your property. Don't like the idea of that? Tough! they are planning on taking the property they need through Imminent Domain. Yo will be paid a small price, and they will put towers on your land, and you will have to live under these lines. Your property values will drop significantly and you will be stuck.

DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOURSELF OR YOUR NEIGHBORS!

Come out and helop the fight, or at least get informed. There will be a meeting in Redding at the Cascade Theater on July 8 at 5:30 PM. There is also plans for another meeting in Red Bluff later in the month.

If you need more info in this travesty, you can get it at this website or you can leave me a comment here and I'll get back to you.

Still MIA, Ansel Adams

Sorry all, still MIA. But now back in town and ready to do some blogging here soon.

A quick quote from one of my favorite photographers...

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." - Ansel Adams

Another Day in Berkeley, Car stuff, Work

Still working down here, though getting closer to finishing. Currently sitting in a Peet's Coffee shop hammering their Internet and having a cup of decaf so I do get ballistic on the Berkeleyites.

Finally picked up a couple of small jobs in town. Haven't had much of that in awhile.

Not much else going on right now. I have some good car show photos from the Corning car show that I have to get off my camera and onto the blog. It's a nice little car show that I like to attend. Will be heading to the Restomods in Reno show next month. I have never been to that one, so I'm looking to go. Plus the ride to Reno/Tahoe should be a fun one in the Cobra.

Need to do some repairs on the Cobra here soon. One of my door lock actuators went bad and need to replace it. Got a window motor getting bad also. And possible will be doing a clutch in the near future. Always something...

Working, Car parts and Car show weekend

So I have been back working in Berkeley (hence the reason I have the Berkeley photos) and have been working on the Lobby of the Hotel Shattick Plaza, which is a large hotel remodel.

Here is a photo of part of the lobby we are working on. The white and black checkerboard is white marble and black granite. Should look pretty nice when it's done.




Been doing some work on the Cobra. Has some stuff polished and installed new performance rotors and brake pads. Made a big difference in braking power. Got a smoking deal on a set of cryo treated rotors on Ebay. Still can't understand how the guy can sell them that cheap, but I'm not going to complain. Here is a photo of what they look like...





Previously, I mentioned that I went to Knotts Berry Farm to a huge car show last weekend as well as a show and shine and a photo shoot of a friends car that will be in Muscle Mustang magazine. I will be posting photos of this in the days to come.

Here is one that I took when I visited the Kenne Bell shop in Rancho Cucamonga on Monday. They built the supercharger that is on my car. I parked my Cobra in front of their shop and snapped a few photos.

Back, More Berkeley Fun and some Car Stuff

So I'm back! I hope I can get back into the swing of things and post here daily if possible. I have lots of material and photos to share that I have been collecting as of late.

So, getting back into it, I have a new installment of "Only in Berkeley!" We will start out with this photo that I took of a business that had just moved.





But as I pull back with the camera, this is what someone decided to add to the scene...





And for all my car and truck friends, here is a video of a way cool Ford lightning sent to me by my friend Billy in Colorado Springs.







That's it for today. I have some really good photos from a giant car show I went to over the weekend at Knotts Berry Farm with over 1700 cars! Stay tuned...

Sorry all, new notebook,

I have been long gone from my blog as of late. I will try to make it up to you with some photos and stories here soon.

Been working out of town and have been busy.

I am going to try and put an RSS link here on the blog so everyone can just subscribe to it and then you will be able to get updats without having to check with the blog all of the time. Should be a good addition.

I purchased a new notebook a couple of weeks ago. It an HP Pavilllion dv-7 and seems to have all of the bells and whistles that a person would need. It's my first Windows Vista machine, although I have set up one or two for other people. I like Vista so far, but it seems a bit bloated and memory hungry. But wioth 4GB of RAM, a fast SATA hard drive and Vista 64bit, it seems to run good.

Don't give up on me. I'll be back here with some new stuff.

Frank

Weather, Only in Berkley and Why I carry a Gun

The weather has been incredible. It's the middle of January and it was near 80 degrees the last couple of days. Soon the crawly creatures and flowers will be out and I can ply my skills at macro photography with my new Nikon 60mm micro Nikkor lens. Bring it on!


While in Berkley this last time for work, I spied this interesting graphic scratched into the concrete around the corner from the job. While this isn't the only city you might see it in, it certainly could be seen "Only in Berkley!"

(click photo to enlarge)

I visited with a friend, David who has a technology business in Corning called California Technologies He also does photography using Nikon equipment as I do. We were doing some testing with external flash units and wireless connections. I have to say, the Nikon flash units work very well. I am thinking of getting another flash so I can use the wireless function for some portrait work and off camera macro work.


I got this in my email a couple of days ago and thought it was good.

Why I Carry a Gun

My old grandpa once said to me, "Son, there comes a time in every man's life when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin'.

I don't carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don't carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don't carry a gun because I'm angry. I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.

I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to Heaven, I want to be a cowboy.

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.

I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because, unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.

I don't carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

"Police Protection" is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime; they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whoopin'."

Remember the average response time to a 911 call is over 4 minutes.
The average response time of a 357 magnum is 1400 FPS.

Weather, Freak of Nature and Valkyrie

The weather has turned bad today. Rainy and gloomy. Not much fun when you have a day off. The forecast is for a bit clearer Sky's tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I will have the day off to do anything fun. We shall see...

I had a few photos sent to me by one of my friends. I thought this one was interesting. I have seen albino deer before, and there is actually a strain of white dear. But I have never seen one like this whitetail buck in my life! Freak of nature, or something that is more common than most think? who knows...

(click photo to enlarge)


Over the weekend I went to the movies and seen Valkyrie with Tom Cruise. Since I have not studied World War II, I was not aware of this story, or the other 14 attempts of Hitler's life.

The movie was good, and the story line (based on a true story) was well written. I thought Tom Cruise did a good job in the movie. The sets and wardrobe were excellent also. Venture out to see it if you like this type of movie.

Photo Gear, Ninjas, and Drag Racing

I finally got around to getting a new camera bag. It's a Lowepro Nova 5. About 3 times the size of the bag I originally had been using. Much more room and protection for my gear. A couple of cool features with this bag is that it has a built in rain flu that you can pull out of a hidden pocket and cover the bag in case of inclement weather. The rain fly stays attached to the bag so you can't loose it. It also has built in belt loops in case you feel the need to install it on your belt (it's much too large for that) or buy Lowepro's harness set and wear it like a fanny pack, which may work okay. Here are a couple of shots of it...

click photos to enlarge




A friend sent me this photo today and I thought I would share it. You have to be carefull these days as Ninjas are everywhere!



A few months back I went to the Redding Drag Strip to try my hand at drag racing. I have always wanted to try it, but never had the opportunity. Now that I have a car that is worthy, I gave it a try. While the car is worthy, I'm not as a driver. But I had a blast, and that's why I went.

Here you will see me and my teal Cobra running against a friend with his black 03 Mach 1. Can't wait until the track opens again for the street legal drags and test and tune nights...

New additions today, Weather, Range

Today I added the Ansel Adams picture of the day in the right hand column and also a new favorite links addition of "The Obama Clock"

The weather was very nice today. Most of the day it was nice and sunny, but still cool in the low 50's. Headed out to the range to practice some. Headed out again tomorrow with a bunch of friends. Should be a blast!

Merry Christmas, Mustang and only in Berkley

First of all, I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas. Here is a bit of joy I snapped last week for you enjoyment.


(click for larger view)


Most of you know that I'm a Mustang guy. I found this on the net and thought I'd share..


'Twas the night before Christmas and in the garage,
There wasn't a trace of a Chevy or a Dodge.

The presents were wrapped and the lights were all lit,
So I figured I'd mess with the Stang for a bit.

I popped the release and I lifted the hood,
When a deep voice behind me said "looks pretty good."

Well, as you can imagine, I turned mighty quick,
And there, by the workbench, stood good ol Saint Nick!

We stood there a bit, not too sure what to say,
Then he said "don't suppose that you'd trade for my sleigh?

I said "no way, Santa" and started to grin,
"But if you've got the time we could go for a spin!"

His round little mouth, all tied up like a bow,
Turned into a smile and he said "hey! Let's go!!"

So as not to disturb all the neighbors' retreat,
We pushed the Mustang quietly into the street,

Then, taking our places to drift down the hill,
I turned on the key and I let the clutch spill.

The sound that erupted took him by surprise,
But he liked it a lot, by the look in his eyes.

With Hoosier`s a' crying and side pipes aglow,
We headed on out where the hot rodders go.

And Santa's grin widened, approaching his ears,
With every up shift, as I went through the gears.

Then he yelled "can't recall when I've felt so alive!",
So I backed off the gas and said "you wanna drive?"

Ol Santa was stunned when I gave him the keys,
When he walked past the headlights he shook at the knees!

Then the big block exploded with side exhaust sound!
Santa let out the clutch and the tires shook the ground!

Power shift into second, again into third!
I sat there just watching, at loss for a word,

Then I heard him exclaim as we blasted from sight,
"Merry Christmas to all...........what a great night!!!"



While working in Berkley, I spied this contraption. Sort of a rolling Obama shrine. Certianly something you would "only see in Berkley!"


(click for larger view)

MIA again, Only in Berkley, and Ide Adobe Days

Well as you can see, I have been missing in action again. Had other things going and just haven't gotten over here to do some updating on what's going on. I have been collecting material for the blog, so I should have some stuff to read here now.



Since I have been working in Berkley (or Bezerkley as many call it) I have gathered some good tales and photos I will share here in my "Only in Berkley" on going posts.

Today, I have a photo of a guy I ran into in Berkley the other day. He seemed like a Kool Kat and was certainly a working man...


(click photo for larger size)


Yesterday, we had our annual Ide Adobe Days. I stopped by to take some photos and get there just before they were finished. I have posted the photos over at my website. You can see them HERE

New lens and New Photos

I purchesed a nedw lens for my camera. It's a Nikon AF 105mm Micro Nikkor. A nice prime lens for macro work. Unfortunatly, it's been cold and foggy here and the micro creatures that I watn to photograph are all in hibernation. It will have to wait until warmer weather I guess.

I did get out to our local shooting club today. It was our end of year dinner and shoot. We also do a Toys for Tots toy drive for local kids. We had about 65 or 70 people out today, which I believe is about 20-25 less than we had last year. All in all, it was a good day after the fog lifted some. A good time was had by all. I took some snapshots a t the event, and you can view them here
TSA end of year shoot and dinner

Weather, Christmas Parade and Thanksgiving

The weather has been un-seasonably warm here. It was around 70 degrees the whole weekend. I'm beginning to wonder if we are going to have a Winter this year...

We had our Christmas parade last night. It was warm and clear, so I decided to go out and snap some photos and see if I could figure out how to shoot the parade without using a flash. I did get some photos without the flash, but some I had to use it. That's okay too as I needed the practice with the SB-600 Nikon Speedlight. It works great! You can view the Photos here. As always, you can view them as a slide show if you scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "slide show".

www.bigfranksworld.com/frank/events/rbchristmas2008/

We had a nice Thanksgiving. Good food and some time off from work. Unfortunately, I didn't think about taking a photo of the Thanksgiving table fare. Maybe next year...

Sorry, work

Sorry all. I have been MIA for the last while. I had some out of town work and didn't have a chance to add to the blog in awhile. I'll try and work that out in the future.

Back to work, Shoot the moon and crazys

We I have finally gone back to work...sort of. I worked a full week this week, but probably won't next week. We are waiting on materials, but once here, we should be good for awhile. After having more than 5 months off this year, it almost feels funny working a full week.

I got a chance to do show photo work tonight. Thought I would try and learn how to photo the moon. It's not as easy as it would seem, Many, many bad photos later ( like 70-80 ) I finally got one that I liked. Here is the one I like the best...

Taken with the Nikon D50 and 70-300mm Nikor ED lens

I worked in Berkley, Ca. this last week. What and eye opener that city is. They drive like maniacs, and also act like them too. I'm really WAY out of my element there to say the least. Luckily, I spend most of my time there either on the job, or at the motel.

The highlight of the week was getting flipped off by some crazy bull-dyke. A wonderful place indeed!