This Week: Various and Sundry Works Before I had a digital camera, I had a point and shoot film camera like everyone else.  Mine was a Canon Advantix and I used it for various things and invariably never developed the film.  I finally just threw a lot of stuff away because I knew there was nothing very memorable on it anyway, but I kept one roll of film.  I moved it when I...

This Week: Various and Sundry Works Before I had a digital camera, I had a point and shoot film camera like everyone else.  Mine was a Canon Advantix and I used it for various things and invariably never developed the film.  I finally just threw a lot of stuff away because I knew there was nothing very memorable on it anyway, but I kept one roll of film.  I moved it when I changed apartments.  I was always very careful with it and always knew where it was.  It was the roll of film that had four shots from the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial. I'm a huge fan of NASA and manned space flight.  It makes my heart soar to think of people exploring space.  I was heartbroken when Columbia fell.  I was at a solo competition when I heard about the shuttle destruction.  I found out in the morning and had to wait all day for the contest to be over before I could get home and watch the news.  The summer before the accident I got to see the commander, Rick Husband, at a concert I was attending in San Antonio.  His daughter was in the honor choir and they announced that one of the songs from the concert would be used as a wake up call on his next mission.  This mission. It was such a happy moment.  My worlds collided in the best way.  All day at the solo contest I kept trying to remember if this was the mission he was on.  This was before I had my always in my pocket iPhone.  As soon as I got in the car I flipped on the news and within minutes they were reading the names and there it was.   This was also a difficult time because I was living in Houston.  The home of the astronauts.  The home of Johnson Space Center.  The news was constant and it was sad.  A few days after the accident the President came to Houston for a memorial service.  That was the first evening I had time to get away and go down to JSC.  I grabbed my camera, bought some flowers and headed out there.  After I parked and was walking toward the memorial I looked at my camera.  Four shots.  Four!  I took my four shots, paid my respects, shed some tears and was glad I had the chance to have this moment.  I came home and took the film out of the camera and put it in a drawer.  And it stayed in a drawer for six years.  I finally got it developed late last year.  Of the four shots only two came out since it was dusk when I was there.  Here is one of them.  This photo is special to me for so many reasons and brings back so many memories. Flickr Favorite: Space Shuttle Endeavour by gsusmaniac

This Week: Various and Sundry Works The view from my hotel room when I was in Chicago.  The desk clerk asked me if I wanted a room with one or two beds.  I told him I wanted the one with the best view and I have to say I was pretty happy with the selection.  Navy Pier is in the distance as is Lake Michigan.  I have to say just about everything was nearly perfect for this...

This Week: Various and Sundry Works The view from my hotel room when I was in Chicago.  The desk clerk asked me if I wanted a room with one or two beds.  I told him I wanted the one with the best view and I have to say I was pretty happy with the selection.  Navy Pier is in the distance as is Lake Michigan.  I have to say just about everything was nearly perfect for this trip.  No trips this year because I am going to work on paying off my credit card.  Once that is done I will have a lot more financial freedom to take a lot more trips.

This Week: Various and Sundry Works One of the things I got to do on the High in Houston tour was go to the top of the Esperson Building.  The Esperson Buiding is one of my two favorite buildings in Houston.  I never thought in a million years I would be able to go to the top, but the organizers of this tour completely delivered on the "High in Houston" concept.  From this...

This Week: Various and Sundry Works One of the things I got to do on the High in Houston tour was go to the top of the Esperson Building.  The Esperson Buiding is one of my two favorite buildings in Houston.  I never thought in a million years I would be able to go to the top, but the organizers of this tour completely delivered on the "High in Houston" concept.  From this building I had a perfect view of my other favorite building in town, the Gulf Building  which you see here.  The best part of this story is that earlier I was able to go to the top of the Gulf Building and I had a great view of the Esperson building .  The circle is complete.  Photoblog Pick: Bird Watching by Your Waitress

This Week:  Various and Sundry Works I did lots of cleaning out of folders, websites and mobile phones this weekend so this week is going to clean out my miscellaneous folder.  First up is the bedroom that goes along with the bathroom in Saturday's mirror project.  Luxurious!

This Week:  Various and Sundry Works I did lots of cleaning out of folders, websites and mobile phones this weekend so this week is going to clean out my miscellaneous folder.  First up is the bedroom that goes along with the bathroom in Saturday's mirror project.  Luxurious!

Mirror Project: Restored This is from the High in Houston taken in the penthouse of one of the hotels we visited.   This hotel was originally a bank and recently received a $35 million reinvention as a hotel.  This grand room is actually three stories with the living room on level, the bedroom and bathroom on another level and a lounge and patio overlooking the skyline on another...

Mirror Project: Restored This is from the High in Houston taken in the penthouse of one of the hotels we visited.   This hotel was originally a bank and recently received a $35 million reinvention as a hotel.  This grand room is actually three stories with the living room on level, the bedroom and bathroom on another level and a lounge and patio overlooking the skyline on another level.  Right in the middle of the bathroom is a clawfoot tub.  Grand indeed.

This Week: Magic at HMNS Houdini.  The name itself is magical.  This trunk was used in Houdini's Milk Can Escape.  You can read more here and see a wider view of the trunk. The Magic exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science runs until September 6, 2010.  Every Wednesday through Sunday from 11 - 3 p.m. there will be magicians roving throughout the exhibit....

This Week: Magic at HMNS Houdini.  The name itself is magical.  This trunk was used in Houdini's Milk Can Escape.  You can read more here and see a wider view of the trunk. The Magic exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science runs until September 6, 2010.  Every Wednesday through Sunday from 11 - 3 p.m. there will be magicians roving throughout the exhibit.  I thank the museum for the opportunity to attend a media preview and get a sneak peek of the show. Since I also volunteer at the museum I'm sure I will be spending much more time here.  You can see a few more photos in this Flickr set .

This Week: Magic at HMNS Years ago I was watching a special show on C-SPAN that was focusing on a different president every week.  The show usually set up at one of the presidential libraries or museums and one year one of the guests mentioned that his degree was in Museum Studies .  I found that fascinating and ever since I have paid much more attention to the ins and outs of...

This Week: Magic at HMNS Years ago I was watching a special show on C-SPAN that was focusing on a different president every week.  The show usually set up at one of the presidential libraries or museums and one year one of the guests mentioned that his degree was in Museum Studies .  I found that fascinating and ever since I have paid much more attention to the ins and outs of museums, how they lay out exhibits, and made the choices they do to present an exhibit or market themselves.  If I could start all over again I think I would like to work in a museum, but of course I would have to have today's knowledge because I didn't know that when I was 18. Case in point. I absolutely love these floating cases. They are beautiful, it is easy to walk around the entire object, it has an impact when you walk into the room and it is a floating case in a magic exhibit for goodness sake.  They are perfect.   Flickr Favorite: NASA's Blue Marble by Goddard Photo and Video Blog

This Week: Magic at HMNS One thing I really loved about this exhibit is the design throughout.  The normal museum placards that explain the overall scope of what you are seeing were designed with a nod to posters of old.  They are very colorful as you can see and I can't wait to go back and really examine each piece.  

This Week: Magic at HMNS One thing I really loved about this exhibit is the design throughout.  The normal museum placards that explain the overall scope of what you are seeing were designed with a nod to posters of old.  They are very colorful as you can see and I can't wait to go back and really examine each piece.  

This Week: Magic at HMNS Eddie Diijon traveled the world doing magic tricks, palmistry, tarot and with his flea circus.  He even appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.  You can see a video retrospective of his work here.   Make sure to check out the museum's web site set up exclusively for this exhibit.   Photoblog Postscript: Ode to My Dad by J. R....

This Week: Magic at HMNS Eddie Diijon traveled the world doing magic tricks, palmistry, tarot and with his flea circus.  He even appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.  You can see a video retrospective of his work here.   Make sure to check out the museum's web site set up exclusively for this exhibit.   Photoblog Postscript: Ode to My Dad by J. R. Ball

This Week: Magic at HMNS The Houston Museum of Natural Science has opened up a new exhibit on Magic and I got to attend a preview.  I am also a volunteer at the museum and I look forward to seeing what kinds of things they have cooked up for us to do in this exhibit.  Magic is fun and makes everyone smile.  This is the entrance into the exhibit.  Once you walk through the...

This Week: Magic at HMNS The Houston Museum of Natural Science has opened up a new exhibit on Magic and I got to attend a preview.  I am also a volunteer at the museum and I look forward to seeing what kinds of things they have cooked up for us to do in this exhibit.  Magic is fun and makes everyone smile.  This is the entrance into the exhibit.  Once you walk through the doorway the head in the center starts talking to you. I'm excited to share that I have my first magazine cover! One of my photos was used for a local publication.  I'm excited and I'm very happy with the final product.  You can see the cover here.