outer banks

Went to the Outer Banks in North Carolina this weekend. The forecast said scattered thunderstorms again, but I decided to risk it after all the comments saying it is always like that. Only got rained on a little the first night and my new tent stood up pretty well. Forecast for the second night was severe thunderstorms, wind and rain and it was clear and calm all night. I saw a few lighthouses, walked along the beach and saw the field where the first ever powered flight happened. All in all a relaxing, fun weekend. The one thing the pictures don't show are the number of mosquito and fly bites I'm trying hard not to scratch now. Plenty of DEET but some still made lunch out of me.

a more authentic experience

Another night infront of the Olympics tonight. More swimming, more drama. I'm going to drag myself away from the TV this weekend and go to the Outer Banks (even if the forecast mentions scattered thunderstorms again).

Cooked a chicken stir-fry this evening and still trying to get used to cooking on an electric hob. Much smoke and spluttering. Dinner tasted good and while the smoke hasn't yet cleared, it is a much more authentic viewing experience. The air quality in here looks to be pretty close to the same as in Beijing!

amazing race

Photo by Rod Mar

What a fantastic 4x100m freestyle last night in the Olympics. Really riviting racing! Phelps sure looks happy about that gold and that his chances for 8 are still alive - probably more excited because it looked so unlikely at the end of 350m. If you are interested in sports photography, Rod Mar's Olympic blog makes interesting reading. Vincent Laforet is also worth a look.

bad blogger

Yes, I haven't been posting a whole lot recently, and now the Olympics have started. I haven't watched much TV in the last few years, but now I'm traveling for several weeks for work. Not much to do in the evenings. I've found out that with careful planning you can watch a solid 5 hours of CSI every evening. After a couple of weeks of that I've just about gotten over the excitement of the moving picture box in the corner of the room and ready to rejoin life. this morning I hiked 12 miles around a park here in the middle of Cary, NC. Beautiful weather, sunny, not too hot and well covered forest. Beautiful. But now, I'm back on the couch watching beach volleyball, cycling and Michael Phelps kicking butt in the pool.

I really do plan to pick up my camera again soon. Honest. I took a few shots last weekend back in Austin and am going to head to the beach this coming weekend. Pictures to come!

photography drives you mad

I'm away from home for a few weeks and thinking about going to the Outer Banks to do a bit of camping. I've got free weekends and taking pictures by the beach sounds great. I could go this coming weekend, or the next - maybe even the week after - there is no pressing hurry. I just checked the long term forecast for next weekend. Scattered thunderstorms. My initial thoughts - oh, I'll skip it then, it'll be wet. Who wants to go to the beach in the rain? Then my photography brain speaks up and I start thinking 'hmm, broken clouds, dramatic light, perfect time to got to the beach!' So I'm torn, between my sane, don't camp in the rain thoughts and my drive to take pictures and get soaked.