A Very Derrick Christmas
We took Sloan to Kilgore’s A Very Derrick Christmas but left early due to hangry baby.
Día de los Muertos
Was fortunate enough to spend part of my day with friends at the Longview Day of the Dead festival! It was a great turnout despite the threat of rain. It felt like I was only there for a brief moment but it was amazing!
LACAC HOWLS & GROWLS, and Story Time at Books & Barrels
We spent Saturday surviving the brief moment of heat we were exposed to at Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center’s Howls and Growls, but it was… actually really too hot for Sloan so we scoot’d and skedaddled over to Books & Barrels for Story Time with Kelly la Artista (Kelly Danielle Ramón)! Sloan was about as tired as she could be, until story time picked up and she had a real life Winnie the Pooh her own age she could interact (intensely) with.
Caldwell Zoo
Zoe, Jade, Sloan, and myself went to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler today! Jade, Sloan and I had never been to a zoo and Zoe and Jade had Sloan so I could take photos, it was pretty awesome and almost every single animal there looked fat and sassy and absolutely happy. With the exception of one fox that looked like they’d rather be armed with a knife and a bottle of tequila. 😮 I absolutely LOVED the flamingos!
three Roots Boutique in Gladewater Texas
Zoe, Sloan, and myself went to Three Roots Boutique in Gladewater Texas this morning!
Children’s Story Time with Austin Behlke at Books & Barrels
We went to Independent Bookstore Day at Books & Barrels today to listen to Austin read some books to kids! Ended up getting a couple of books and it was the first time we’ve had to come in since they’ve started reorganizing! Sloan even gave Zoe some free dental work. Independent Bookstore Day is observed on the last Saturday in April. It is a national one-day celebration that supports and celebrates independent bookstores across the U.S. On this day, bookstores host events, offer discounts, and provide safe spaces for literature and ideas.
Downtown Longview Sunset
Had some spare time this afternoon, missed the Downtown Longview Gingerbread Walk, but it was a pretty sunset!
A Super Collider of Zigs and Zags Book Launch
Was more than happy to photograph the book launch of Brendon Behlke’s poetry collection: A Super Collider of Zigs and Zags at Books & Barrels tonight! A collection of over 100 poems, each poem was submitted as a prompt to an AI art generator and produced the artwork on display. Published by Fontaine House Publishing. Brendon Behlke
Longview Poet’s Society
Went to Poetry Night at Books & Barrels, listened to some of my favorite people speak, watched Austin and Brendon re-enact some dopeass dancing skills, played a round of who-knows-what at Silver Grizzly Espresso, and admired this funky weather while crossing the street!
Sloan’s first Trick-or-Treat!
Zoe, April, Carrie, and myself took Sloan and Jade to “THIS is HOWL-o-WEEN” Trick or Treat Carnival” hosted by Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center and then to her very first Trick-or-Treat in downtown Longview! We dinked around one of our favorite haunts (Books & Barrels), had some drinks at Silver Grizzly Espresso, flopped out at Wild Honey Creamery, and then made our rounds to all the vendors handing out candy to my very own Mothma’am! I also took a couple of shots of Jade with the Canon EOS M3 to calibrate it before letting her use it for the day: These are my two favorite photographs of Sloan that Jade captured:
Yamboree 2023
Breezed through the Gilmer Yamboree today! We didn’t do a whole lot because we are still getting used to going places with the baby girl but she enjoyed looking at all the stuff at the Gilmer Yamboree and seeing all her family! Got more photos of her and our family than much else, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Pumpkin Glow 2023
Went scootin’ and skedaddling through the Ellis Home and Garden Pumpkin Glow at here in Longview today! Sloan was tired more than anything, but enjoyed dinking around through the walk-through, and there was plenty to see and do even for babies! Though honestly I think she was down to throw hands at the petting zoo for some odd reason…
Longview Poet’s Society: Outspoken Bean at Books & Barrels
The Longview Poet’s Society hosted The Outspoken Bean at Books and Barrels for a free poetry workshop and reading on Wednesday night (February 15th 2023) and I am thankful to have been invited to be a part of it! It was wonderful to see so many people turn out to support art in East Texas!
East Texas Gusher Days
Started off and on sprinkling, was hoping to take a lot more photos but we mainly just made the circuit and talked with just a couple of people working stands (Easley Haus, Apothecary & Oddities gave The Child a free soap sample), might make the rounds again tomorrow!
Upshur County Youth Softball Black Widows vs. Winnsboro Baseball & Softball Association
Kid did an entire softball tonight! Then we celebrated with Sonic and Chipotle!
Upshur County Youth Softball (Black Widows vs. Thunder Chickens)
Got to watch The Child play her first game today! Link: Website, Facebook Second game started at 7PM, you could tell everyone was tired.
Longview Art Walk (October 7th, 2021)
As much as I enjoyed shooting last night and editing photos until late in the evening, I was exhausted today but still wanted to run amok in historic Longview and see some of the arts! I ended up mainly chatting up artists, briefly reuniting with friends, oogling other photographers work, and looking down back alleys and cobblestone side streets for cool places to shoot portraits in the future. I did have a brief moment where there was entirely too many people and I just ended up petting doggos and looking for cool bugs to photograph. No bugs, but found some weird bulbous plant just dingling about right outside the main square. ArtWalk Longview links: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Longview Poet’s Society (October 6th, 2021)
Everything I know about poetry pretty much comes from Redd Foxx and Andrew Dice Clay, which isn’t to say I can’t appreciate poetry… I’m just not inclined to be able to do more than listen and know what I like. Regardless! I do like Brendon, I’ve known him for quite some time, longer than anyone else I’ve known in Texas, and I asked him if he minded if I came to take photographs of the poetry reading at Books & Barrels (website), which I did! I hadn’t really shot anything with an actual camera since the freeze, so it was super nice to actually get back into it, even if it felt super awkward at first!
Ouray Colorado
We did our first hike in Ouray at Box Canyon Park, Perimeter Trail was short but stunningly gorgeous but a bit scary for anyone that’s terrified of heights, which my wife is. But after that we spent the rest of the afternoon walking through up and down Main Street and looking at the same Poop Emoji socks at every gift shop in Ouray.
Snowmageddon 2021
This snow reminds me so much of Virginia, so it’s nostalgic for me, but man oh man is Texas not prepared for this… not at all.
Big Bend National Park
Zoe and I went on our first vacation, our first camping trip, and our first long-distance road trip with friends who invited us to go camping with them and their family! I got to try my hand at astrophotography for the first time!
Assassination City Roller Derby
First bout of 2020, things have been super weird with folks getting sick at work, but we moved to work at home (which is how I’ve worked for the past ten years until working at a brick and mortar at Assurant) and I probably moved 40 computers for people that needed help getting their stuff into their car, ran home, grabbed Zoe and then ran back up to Thunderbird. I was exhausted but the upside is I actually sat down and got to WATCH roller derby for a bit instead of constantly fretting over settings. Of course that’s when all the massive hits happened and epic moments, so of course I felt bad for sitting rather than shooting. I still […]
Assassination City Roller Derby (Conspiracy vs North Texas Fighting Unicorns) Bout 2
I was invited back officially as a ACRD photographer! Which really what that means is that I’m actually just welcome to come and shoot any time rather than asking/being asked. ^.^ Which is great! Links: ACRD Website, ACRD Instagram, NTRD Website, NTRD Instagram
Assassination City Roller Derby (Conspiracy vs North Texas Fighting Unicorns) Bout 1
I was invited back officially as a ACRD photographer! Which really what that means is that I’m actually just welcome to come and shoot any time rather than asking/being asked. ^.^ Which is great!
Gloriana Rodriguez – PDNB
Glory agreed to a shoot with me to test out my new Canon EOS R5! It’s hard to take bad photos of her, she’s just professional through and through, and well, a legitimate honest-to-goodness professional model. Link: Instagram
Zoe’s Graduation University of Texas at Dallas
Almost endless days and nights of hard work and study culminated today for Zoe!
Gloriana Rodriguez – The Fabrication Yard
Glory was available to shoot at The Fabrication Yard and I wasn’t going to pass up on the chance!
Assassination City Roller Derby
My second time shooting with ACRD, and I have to give big huge thanks to Wicked for inviting me and reminding me that I’m more than welcome! There are some amazing photographers here too, I seem to roll in right as things are starting and they’re all set up with c-stands and remote flash units, I feel a bit like a nitwit trying to stay out of their way but also see what they’re shooting and interested in.
Assassination City Roller Derby – May the 4th (be with you)
Feels super awkward shooting a new league, the handful of times I’ve shot Dallas Derby Devils it was closed practices and this feels official, well… because it’s actual “We’re selling tickets!” games. I met Wicked through Jayne (Hexa Dessie Maul) Ochoa who skated for ACRD and then for DDD, and I met Jayne in Photography class at Richland College, and she helped us out on a light painting night class. This feels really “real” official.