Dogs, Diners, and Patios

I thoroughly enjoy the randomness of finding people for the blog and approaching them.  I was at dinner with friends about a week ago and noticed the gentleman below.  I enjoy this restaurant.  It has a great patio for dining.  It even has a nice fire place for those more chilly nights.

Meet Eric!

Eric was the patriach of his family.   What drew me to him was his smile.  It was warm and genuine.  And, of course, we each have about the same amount of hair!  He told me he is an Alaskan transplant.  I guess he decided to move to a warmer climate!

Meet Otto, the protector of the family!

Otto was having a heck of a time protecting the family, begging for food, and growling at some of the dogs that were with other restaurant patrons. 

Eric and his family were most delightful.

Thanks Eric..and Otto!

A Bit More Evening at the Lake

One of the local camera groups sponsored an evening at a lake focusing (no pun intended) on how to take portraits including a sun set. It was an incredible night.

I got a bit impatient waiting for the right angles to try the sun set. But, this couple was gracious enough to let me take a few photos of them on a dock.

Meet Harsh and Payal.

They are both from India and are working in the states. 

My thanks to you both!

Sunshine and Gratitude

This young lady was obviously getting ready to go for a run around the lake.  She stretched....and stretched...and waited...and waited.

Finally I approached her and asked about a photograph.  And, she graciously let me take this photo.

Meet Haley!

She is a Montessori pre-school and kindergarden teacher.   When I asked her what I could say about her, she replied, "Gratitude is the hearts memory."  I asked for more clarification.  But, she just smiled and said, "it has been a good week."  Fair enough!

As for the photo below, the sun was still a bit too high. But, I liked the colors.

Thanks Haley!

Another Photographer!

This gentleman was lying back in the grass completely at ease. 

Meet Alex!

He works for a non-profit and, in his spare time, runs his own photography business/website!  Check it out!  He creates incredible images.  I may need to take a few lessons! 

And, meet Puff Ball.

His owners weren't especially interested in being photographed.  But, Puff Ball didn't seem to mind.

Thanks Alex!  And, thanks Puff Ball!

An Evening at the Lake

While waiting for the sun to drop a bit lower in the sky, I wandered around introducing myself to people enjoying the evening.

This couple had a wonderful dog and were having a great time with him. 

Meet Jesse and Melissa.

Their dog, Cooper was having too much fun to sit still and be photographed.  So, I missed him!  But, trust me, he was cute!

The photo below is just to prove I was really there.  The sun was still too high and clouds were moving in.  But, I liked the photo.

Thanks Jesse and Melissa..and Cooper!

Musket Men

The Twin Cities Muzzle Loaders had a tent at the Game Fair!

Meet Jim

Meet John!

GREAT period costumes and very knowledgeable about muzzle loaders!  Nice guys, as well!

Thank you gentlemen!

Big Dogs, Puppies, and the Big D

One of the fun things about the Game Fair is that dog owners can bring their dogs and test their retrieving skills.  You can see, this one is FOCUSED!

Meet Charlie



His off-spring was there to give dad support.
Meet Apple!

After watching the dog retrieve, the Big D turned to PaPa and asked, "Can I get a dog?"

Well...Christmas is coming, Big Guy.   Christmas is coming.

Puppies!

I took the Big D to the annual Game Fair this year.  Who couldn't stop and smile at this?  I think she had 10 puppies.  They were all cuddled together sleeping on top of one another.

 



This little one was on top.  Probably easier to breathe and still keep the warmth of all his brothers and sisters.

They are cute.
Thanks little ones.  May you have a happy life and chase plenty of birds.

The Moonrise Hotel

I was lucky enough to schedule a trip to St. Louis while friends from LA were also there.  They stayed at the Moonrise Hotel in the Delmar Loop.   The entire hotel is themed around lunar landings and cartoons, etc. featuring the moon.  GREAT black and white photography of moonscapes in the rooms.

But, the rooftop terrace was fantastic.  The day temps were near 100.  But, it cooled down a bit at night and made it quite pleasant.

Meet Kimberly and Beth who took good care of us!

The bar was well stocked and I liked the decorating color combinations and lighting!

The lunar motif!

And, the street scene.  Nice and quiet.

An Unusual Bike Ride

While visiting in St. Louis, I caught the local news.  It ended with an announcement that the next day was the 5th Annual Naked Bike Ride.  

That had to be a photo opportunity!  If you haven't heard of this event, a quick Google search will get you all kinds of information AND photos that are NOT SAFE FOR WORK!  Be careful please!  This is a global, annual event held in dozens of cities around the world!

I wasn't able to make the start of the ride.   I did make the finish where about 250 riders celebrated the experience.

Clothing is optional on the ride. Participants often opt to wear masks or some sort of disguise in the event that photos are taken of them that COULD be slightly embarrassing. 

Meet John and Lala!

Meet Jake! 

I have a few others but they will NOT be making the blog.  Sorry.  But, my sincere thanks to ALL who agreed to let me take their photographs!

Music Folk

I try to visit Music Folk when I get to St. Louis.  I love the store.  They have a wonderful selection of old and new guitars, at least one luthier, and many other stringed and percussion instruments  They offer lessons and have a loyal clientel.  And, they let me walk into the store and play guitars.  They also carry the picks that I like.

Meet Matthew!

He LOVES stringed instruments.  So, when he found Music Folk, he found his home.  He plays in a band called Little Hills Breakdown. 

I actually took another photo of Matthew a day earlier.  The photo didn't turn out well at all.  So, I went back the next day.  Matthew was kind enough to give me another shot at it!  I like this photo a lot.

Meet Dennis:

Dennis is a fingerstyle guitar teacher at Music Folk.  I didn't have time enough to listen to him play.  But, I will try to catch him on my next visit!

My thanks to you both!

A New Kind of Skin Head

Meet Dave..of Dave and Nanci.

Nanci is the creative genious of the helmet skins pictured above on the devilishly handsome model, Dave.

I thought they were great.  Can you imagine them on the Heck's Angels crew.  Think of 50 riders, all going down the street in something like this:

Yes...that is a one-wheeled trailer.   NICE.

Thanks Dave and Nanci for the photo!

Manly Men of the Road

When I wander around at events like this, I am always looking for someone that strikes my interest.

Meet Dillon!

The pipe got my attention!  He  is a Norwegian who has decided to travel around for a while.  He basically is a touring biker!  Thanks for stopping in Minneapolis!

The guys below cracked me up.  They were just leaning against the wall and not saying much to one another.  But, the sign between them caught my eye.

Meet Skip and Cory!

They were pretty funny guys.  When I asked about them and what I could include in the blog, they said, "nothing".  I countered with, "come on..SOMETHING."

It turns out Cory is a stay at home dad. They have been friends for a while.  And, they build bikes.  When I asked if they had any bikes on display, they pointed straight out from where they were sitting.

Meet one of their bikes.  AWESOME.

I am not sure the photos do the bike justice.  It was spectacular!

Thanks guys!   Ride safely!

Snakes and Fat Willy

While you may disagree, I think a big snake is a huge draw in a crowd like this.
Meet B!

She was thoroughly enjoying the snake and the attention!  If you are curious, she is a passionate kick-bloxer!

Meet Charlie.  Yes...that's right.  Charlie!  She has a great hat.  And, she seems to wear the snake well, too!

Finally, meet Fat Willy!

He told me his real name but I was sworn to secrecy.  He is a magician in Vegas and the snake is his.  If my notes are correct, Charlie and Fat Willy are a team!  They were back visiting family.

It was wonderful meeting all of you!  Thank you!

Families and Friends

I noticed this family wandering around the bikes and enjoying the crowd.  So, I asked whether I could take their photo.

Meet Mark, Lori, and Dell! 

Mark is a glass blower.   Lori is the mom.  And, the big guy is 2 yrs old!  He was having fun!

I had to stop and chat with the couple below.  I noticed the hat immediately.  I had a challenge trying to get the lighting right for this photo.  It was very bright with a high cloud cover.  The sky almost blends with his hat and the edges of the cigar tubes are a bit hard to see.

Meet John and Jennifer!

John is an architect and Jennifer runs a small business where she house and pet sits for people who are traveling.  Both love the idea of being entrepreneurs.   I loved the hat.  

They were having a great time together and didn't hesitate when I asked to photograph them!

My sincere thanks to all of you!

Shipwreck and Kissing!

Meet Shipwreck!  

When I walked by, I was surprised to see the old turntable with speakers.   That warrented a photo on its own!  I commented to the gentleman above about "old school" and we were chatting about the turn table.  I asked whether I could take his photo and he was gracious enough to say yes.

When I asked his name he said, "all my friends call me Shipwreck."  Now...that's a story!  It seems he worked at a children's museum in Chicago on a schooner until he sunk it.  I didn't get the "how did this happen" part of the story.  But, I am pretty sure explosives were NOT used!

I walked into a small theater where the lobby was air conditioned to try and cool down.  I met the couple below. 

Meet Keith and Teri!

Keith and I chatted about photography and cameras for a while.  He asked how I liked what I was using and I let him test it out.

I thought they looked great!

My thanks to Shipwreck, Keith and Teri!

The Younger Crowd

Meet Mike and Linley:

As I walked past them they were both very friendly and happy.  Lindley must have been sending out signals.  She is also a photographer!  Well, she is going to school to develop (no pun intended) a career in photography.  Mike is a singer in a punk rock band.  I think I said something stupid like, "do you do any Simon and Garfunkel?"  The attempt at humor may have been lost.  But, they were delightful and charming.

They had met friends at the bike show.   So, meet their friends:  Matt and Megan!

Megan is a nursing assistant.  Matt is the proud owner of the bike he is standing against.  The WWJCD stands for, "What Would Johnny Cash Do?"  Funny!

Finally, these two deserved a photo.  I didn't get their names.  But, she was walking around in the evening dress and parasol. He was walking on stilts with a burlap bag on his head!

They were attracting quite a crowd!

My thanks to you all!

Bearded Lady Continued

Meet Shelly Rae and Larry!

I liked this couple.  They had wonderful smiles and were obviously having a great time.  It shows in the photograph!

Meet Pat and Duke, the dog!

I am not sure who was having more fun....Pat..or Duke.  And, I think Duke won the tug of war!  Everyone loved watching Duke.  And, he enjoyed being the center of attention

My sincere thanks to you all!

Bearded Lady participants

Meet Susan!

OK..Susan is NOT a bearded lady.  Let's just clear that up right away.  I was wandering around and noticed her walking toward me.  I recognized her immediately from the Heck's Angels group!  I had posted her image along with a few others from my Heck's Angel's ride and felt horrible that I had forgotten her name.  So, I introduced myself to her again and she remembered me!  She was gracious enough to remind me of her name and let me take another photo of her for the blog.  Thanks Susan!  It was very kind of you!

Meet Megan!

Megan was resting in the shade and enjoying the people watching when I walked by.   She loves motorcycles and rides her own.  Her first bike was a Honda CB 354.   I had not heard of this model before.  It is actually a pretty cool looking bike!  Thanks Megan!

Meet Jake!

I liked Jake's goggles.  He is a welder by trade and these goggles were handed down to him from his father or grandfather.  He removed the welders glass and replaced it with normal tinted glass.  Rather unique!  Almost steam punk!

Thanks Jake!

Finally, I just liked this resotred bike.  It was AWESOME.

My thanks to you all!