News from Dubland

Looking Ahead to Spring

2010-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

Jackson Bentley: What attracts you personally to the desert?
T.E. Lawrence: It's clean.

-Lawrence of Arabia

Every year around this time I get the itch. The itch to ditch the city for a bit and experience the outdoors again. Now that the cold and the rains have passed (mostly) I am anxious to go out to the desert and experience the first signs of spring. So in about two weeks Heidi and I are taking Jo on her first camping trip to Death Valley one of our favorite places in the world. Some people think I'm nuts, but I find it quite invigorating wandering in the desert. I find it's a great place to go get away from everything and clean out all the mental cobwebs. This year, especially, I have felt a craving to get away and recharge. To go somewhere where there is no one to talk to, no cell reception, or any other distractions that crop up daily here. And most importantly, get a chance to see sights like this.

In other news around Dubland I managed to carve out some time yesterday and today to work on some of my own work. Mostly tidying up Dubland and working on a couple bigger personal projects. I would love to say I could have something from these projects to post on the site but that would be very ambitious at the current state of said projects. Needless to say this weekend has re-energized my creative juices and I want to keep things rolling. I am also inching closer to creating an email newsletter highlighting my latest work on the web site. I should have more details and an actual sign-up form in the coming weeks.

End of Hiatus

2010-02-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile. The past couple of months have been a bit overwhelming. Since Thanksgiving we've sold our place, moved in with my in-laws, sold my truck, bought a Pathfinder. And on top of that celebrated Christmas with both sides of our family. We did make sure to arrange the move well after Christmas. But the whole process has wiped me out. I still am trying to make the adjustment to our new arrangements. Not to say that things are bad, my in-laws have been great and very supportive of us. Just taking some getting used to.

But now the dust is starting to settle and it's time to move on. You will notice a few tweaks to the web site. And expect some more in the near future. Like an email newsletter, and more integration with my Etsy page. I also aim to post to the the blog, here, at least once a week.

New Wrinkles in Life

2009-11-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

After two months on the job as a stay-at-home dad I have a newfound respect for parents that stay home and watch the kids. I had hopes of having time to work on my freelance work during Jo's downtimes, but that is few and far between. I didn't think I had any romantic notions of lots of personal time but my expectations have been adjusted.

I have truly cherished all the time I have been able to spend with Jo. However I am starting to get antsy. Antsy, wanting to find the time to look for more work be it full-time or freelance. Antsy to get to a place where I can contribute financially again to our family.

One aside, I have had time to work on my photography as anyone who frequents the site can atest. Now I hope that that creative energy will filter into my other creative interests.

I am also eager for Thanksgiving, the chance to get with family have embark on a new adventure either here in So Cal or elsewhere (we have settled on a location for Thanksgiving).

High Sierra Trail Trip Recap

2009-09-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Little over a year ago my wife Heidi, my father-in-law Doug and my friend Dennis were climbing White Mountain when we started talking about future adventures when we started discussing the High Sierra Trail. The trail starts in the western Sierras at Crescent Meadow and cuts across the range to the Whitney Portal in the east. The trail itself is about 50 miles long and connects with the John Muir/Pacific Crest Trail which takes you to the Whitney Portal topping the trip off at around 71 miles total.

Needless to say we couldn't get it out of our heads, so we made plans last fall to do the backpack. But as we got closer to the trip some of the faces on the trip changed. Shortly after we talked seriously about going on the trip we found out Heidi was pregnant with our first child, Josephine, so she had to drop out. Then Doug had to bow out because of work commitments. In their places my brother Andrew and Dennis' co-worker Steve joined. We also worked out a plan to swap cars with Heidi's Uncle Dave and his friend Jeff, who were on the High Sierra Trail as well but going the opposite direction as us. Thus making transportation much less complicated.

We embarked on Sunday August 30th finishing a day early September 4th due to bad weather. It was quite incredible seeing such a range of environments from the lush fern meadows in the west to the moon-like environment above the tree line near Mt. Whitney. I think the only criticism I have of the trip is we moved too quickly, needing to cover so much ground each day. We could have used two more days on the trail to take our time and enjoy the scenery a bit more. However I was able to get a good survey of the area and now have an idea of places I like to go back and visit.

My favorite places were Moraine Lake and Precipice Lake, hands down. Moraine was our stop the third night and was well away from all the crowds, and just picturesque. Precipice was merely a brief stop of a long day, but it was a phenomenal lake with such incredible colors. You'll see why when I post the pictures. Walking the Kern River Valley was incredible as well. And finishing the trip walking through all the amazing granite cliffs was icing on the cake.

We ended the trip early because of sleet and lightning atop Mount Whitney the day we were climbing it. It was quite auspicious being 14,000 feet up sea level on the face of a mountain and hearing a thunder-crack in the midst of snow. It was a bit of a disappointment but at the same time now we have a great story of how we ended the trip.

It was quite a trip. And now I can say I have walked the complete High Sierra Trail. I will be posting photos from the trip on the photo blog and eventually in the best photos in the media section of the site. A larger sample of photos will also be on my Flickr account. Hope you enjoy them as much I did taking them. In the meantime enjoy these links.

Map of our intended itinerary

Flickr photo set

National Park info on the High Sierra Trail

The Latest and Greatest Dubland

2009-09-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the latest version of Dubland. The biggest difference you will notice beyond the new look and feel is I have now implemented a fullfledged photoblog in the "daily photo" section. All the old dailyphoto posts will remain on my blog but all future dailyphoto posts will now be on the photo blog. The blog section will go back be being a traditional blog. I probably won't be adding daily posts, ideally a couple of posts per week.

Still trying to iron out all the kinks in the Media section so bear with me.

Changes Coming

2009-09-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of changing the site, so the site might act a little buggy the next couple of days. I should also have the new High Sierra Trail pictures when the switch is all done.

B Roll: Sequoias in Profile

2009-09-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

New Army Pass: A Look Back

2009-09-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

Taken in 2007.

Trunk Texture

2009-09-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

Taken in 2007

Cottonwood Lakes at Sunrise

2009-09-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Framed Sequoia

2009-09-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

Tree Lichen

2009-08-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

Archived photo from 2007

B Roll: Fallen Log

2009-08-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Archived photo from 2007

B Roll: Sequoia

2009-08-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

Fire Scars

2009-08-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Archived photos from May 2007.

Among Giants

2009-08-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Some more archived photos from 2007. This week ended up far busier than I had envisioned. Hopefully I will have some fresh photos for next week.

Branches at Dawn

2009-08-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Another archived photo, taken 9/07 at the Cottonwood Lakes.

High Sierra Dreaming

2009-08-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

As I continue to get ready for my High Sierra Trail trip I thought I would share some past Sierra experiences. This photo was taken during a trip Heidi and I did 2 years ago up to the Cottonwood Lakes and Mount Langley.

Sign It With an S

2009-08-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sign seen on the Main Street of Virginia City.

B Roll: Bricks Abound

2009-08-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

B Roll: Plethora of Power Lines

2009-08-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Being an older town, it's always interesting to see how technologies are brought in.

Bodie, Mono, and What-not

2009-08-21T04:50:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately these shots were taken as we were passing through. Got to both places too late in the day, and seeing how this wasn't a photo trip per se, we weren't able to linger. Definitely going to come back up here to spend more time.

Virginia City: Intriguing Gutter

2009-08-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Highlands: Juniper in the Wind

2009-08-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of long exposures of a juniper tree at sunset.

Streets of Virginia City

2009-08-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

A brief look at a popular tourist destination in Nevada. Didn't see Hoss or Little Joe while we were there.

Sunset Through the Smoke

2009-08-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Reno with smoke from a fire in the Sacramento Fire according to the news.

B Roll: No Parking

2009-08-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

Some close up pictures of Virginia City.

B Roll: Rusty

2009-08-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

A little late but here's Saturday's photos.

Reno at Sunrise

2009-08-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

High Sierra Trail: Looking Ahead

2009-08-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

Looking back images like these (taken in 2007) get me more and more excited to get back to the Sierras. In a couple of weeks I will be embarking on a trek through the High Sierra Trail which spans the Sierras east to west starting at Crescent Meadow (above) in Sequoia National Park and ends at the Whitney Portal 82 miles later.

The Call of the Open Road

2009-08-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

The above photo is an archived photo from March 2008 on Highway 190 between Death Valley and Lone Pine.

As the summer is winding down I am looking forward to a couple of trips up in the mountains. I feel like I have been idle way too long, and can't wait to get out on the road again.

Fullerton Loop: Fence Posts

2009-08-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

Fullerton Loop: Fence Line

2009-08-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

B Roll: Last of the San Gorgonio Pics

2009-08-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the last of the San Gorgonio photos. Monday it will be back to the Fullerton Loop.

View From the Top of San Gorgonio

2009-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

A few select images from the summit of San Gorgonio, including a shot of San Jacinto.

San Gorgonio: Glider Above

2009-08-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

As we got to the peak this glider soaring just above us getting within 100 feet or so from us.

Fallen C-47 wreckage on San Gorgonio

2009-08-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

According to the plaque on the trail a C-47 crashed into the mountain in a 1952 snowstorm.

San Gorgonio: Fallen Timber

2009-08-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

San Gorgonio: Dennis Rounding the Corner

2009-08-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

San Gorgonio

2009-08-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went up San Gorgonio, the tallest peak in Southern California. So I will be taking a brief break from the Fullerton Loop photos to show some of the images I captured on the hike up San Gorgonio.

Sunday's B Roll: Fullerton Loop

2009-08-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

B Roll: Long Grass Everywhere

2009-08-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here's some additional photos I felt needed to be seen.

Fullerton Loop: Don't Go Into The Long Grass!

2009-07-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

Taking this picture made me think of one of my wife's favorite movie quotes from The Lost World.

Fullerton Loop: Long Shadows

2009-07-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Long Shadows near sunset.

Fullerton Loop: Into the Brush

2009-07-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Fullerton Loop: Water Depth

2009-07-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Gauge to measure the amount of water that collects at the Brea Dam.

Fullerton Loop: Joe

2009-07-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Close up of some graffiti on the Brea Dam spillway.

B Roll: Graffiti and Whatnot

2009-07-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Those of you familiar with my work know I love texture. I couldn't pass up these photos.

B Roll From The Fullerton Loop

2009-07-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

On the weekends I thought I would showcase some of the photos that didn't quite make the cut during the week. I still think there is something worth showing in these photos, they just weren't the first choice, or didn't fit for that particular day. Enjoy.

Fullerton Loop: Brea Dam

2009-07-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Part of the Fullerton Loop trail is a flood basin. This dam was built by the Army Corps. of Engineers for flood control.

Fullerton Loop: Cobwebs Galore

2009-07-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

These photos are from a stetch of the trail so choked by cobwebs, dust, and pollen I felt I was in Shelob's Lair in Lord of the Rings.

Fullerton Loop: Bastanchury Overpass

2009-07-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Fullerton Loop: Cobwebs

2009-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Taken on the Fullerton Loop, part of an overpass tunnel.

Fullerton Loop: Persistence

2009-07-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

On my first day out photographing the Fullerton Loop I ran across this blade of grass poking through the concrete and basking in the last little bit of sunlight for the day. This photo is actually a composite of two photos since I liked a little of what both added to the picture as a whole.

New Pet Project.

2009-07-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

With my newfound free time. I am going to start posting daily photos that I am currently working on. To kick it off I am going to spend the next few weeks photographing the Fullerton Loop Trail. A local trail I have enjoyed exploring for the past 10 years. It's a great place in the heart of Fullerton to just get away from the daily grind for an hour or two. I have used very often to get away or prep for my longer backpacking trips.

I hope you enjoy this little exploration.

A Menagerie of Thoughts

2009-07-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today marks two weeks of unemployment and so far it has been anything but boring. Here I was hoping I would have a lot of free time to do odds and ends of things I have needed to do around the house for months, and some time to decompress from the stress of my situation. Not so much. Granted I have been able to get a lot of things done, just whenever I finish a task a feel like three more pop up. It has been a mixed blessing being unemployed right now. On one end I know Heidi enjoys having me around to help her with Jo, but at the same time we wonder how long we can financially make living off of unemployment and disability checks. But I have had some good down time to help clear my head which has been nice. Here's some thoughts I have had over the past couple of weeks.

• It's amazing how quickly a day passes just watching a newborn baby. They really don't do much (eat, sleep, poop, repeat) and yet after a day at home looking after Jo the time just seems to fly.

• When an interviewer says "How attached are you to your salary figure?" it usually doesn't bode well.

• I have learned not to get my hopes up. Just because someone says they may have something for you I have learned to not count on it until they sign on the dotted line. I learned that long ago in the business world but it's constantly getting reinforced these days. Granted I have never been unemployed before and have only been fully unemployed for about two weeks. I can't even fathom what people who have been unemployed for nine month to a year are feeling.

• It's quite infuriating when you hear about all these government programs that are supposed to help out people like Heidi and I, and when I look into them we don't qualify because we either make too much or we don't make enough.

• They should call USA network the NCIS network they play that show all day everyday.

• It's quite a challenge to create a routine while at home all day and with a newborn it's almost impossible. First newborns have no schedule, second there are so many distractions at home it's a challenge to keep focused. After 10 years of going to work, I feel so displaced having nowhere to go in the morning.

• Though I have never been a big goal setter, but I am seeing how goals are very important out on your own. It helps give you hope, something to look forward to. I have a few so far this summer. Obviously one is get a new job. Another one is do the High Sierra Trail (Sequoia to Mt. Whitney). I am so eager to get out in the mountains again. it should be a good diversion, and thankfully relatively cheap since I have all the gear. Yet another goal is to start putting up pictures up on a daily basis starting next week. Just away to keep my creative juices flowing while I am idle.

That's just the beginning of my thoughts over the past two weeks. I am sure more will hit the blog in the near future. Now that I feel like I am getting a grasp of the things I need to do at home I should have more time to work on my own work, including the web site, my art, and other projects I have been meaning to get to.

Those on Facebook can check out my photos of Jo over the past couple of weeks. I am still trying to unify all my different web entities. More on that later.

Josie Part III

2009-06-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

Here's some photos of our little girl and her homecoming. Enjoy.

More on Little Josie

2009-06-07T19:25:00.001-07:00

Both mom and baby are doing well. Heidi had a C-section after about 12 hours of labor. The doctor felt Josie was under too much stress. So they quickly got Josie and out and cleaned her up. Now we're just enjoying our new baby. Below are some pictures of Josie with her grandparents.

Newest Weston

2009-06-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Josephine Lois 6lbs. 10 oz. 19 inches Born 2:00

Newest Photos

2009-05-26T13:06:00.001-07:00

Last week I was able to spend some time on some photos that needed some fine tuning. Hope you enjoy them. They are all on my Flickr account right now, but slowly I will move the best of the bunch to dubland. Enjoy.

Hope Springs Eternal

2009-05-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

How can you say no to a face like this... Enjoying a slow Memorial Day and a nice long walk with Lucy the morning light was perfect for a couple of quick shots of "Queen Lucy"

Liberian Reflections Part II: Yekepa

2009-05-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Looking back at when I first seriously considered going on the trip to ABC I had a completely different perception of the locale than what Yekepa turned out to be. Hearing the town was in the middle of a rain forest and a seven-hour drive from Monrovia, the big city and capital of Liberia, I was expecting a bunch of thatched or mud huts under a canopy of 40-foot trees. That was not the case. Granted, the town buildings weren't much better than mud huts (we actually did see some), what we did see was a community trying to eke by amongst the remains of a once thriving mining community.

Back in the 70s and 80s I guess Yekepa was a vacation destination. There was even a country club and olympic-sized swimming pool, all courtesy of the Lamco Mining Company. I guess it was a gorgeous place. Most of the housing, constructed by the company, was simple by our standards but luxurious there, mostly consisting of four concrete walls and a roof.

As the country spiraled into civil war Lamco and ABC pulled out, as did most western companies and organizations. Now, 15 years later all that's left of most of the structures are the concrete walls and whatever else looters couldn't run off with and weather couldn't wear away. Most of the locals who reside there now have made their own modifications to these existing structures, while the remaining abandoned structures are slowly reabsorbed by the jungle. It was rather surreal to see all the abandoned stuructures and equipment. I felt like I was in a Mad Max, or some other post-appocalyptic movie.

Three years ago Arcelor Mittal, a major steel company from Europe, moved into Yekepa with the intention of reopening the mine. With them came a new hope of a revived Yekepa, followed by more excitement when they chose to rebuild the school. However with the global recession and decline in demand of steel there is growing concern Arcelor Mittal might have to pull out, or at least scale back their operations in Yekepa. You could sense the uncertainty in the air. The Sunday we went into town to attend church the pastor even spoke about all the gossip of the company's potential exit.

The community as a whole was a lot bigger than I thought it would have been. I never heard any actual population numbers, but we saw a fair share of people when we went into town. Brad, James and I had the honor of watching a local soccer (football) match which was a big deal in the town. There had to be several hundred watching the game. As I mentioned before we also went to church in town, which was quite an experience. Coming from a rather reserved Baptist, and now Friends, background, the worship style in Liberia was completely out of my norm. Meeting all the locals was very easy. They were very friendly and eager to meet visitors. I never once felt unsafe wandering the area (except always keeping an eye open for snakes).

You can see more of my Yekepa photos on my Flickr page here.

Liberian Reflections Part I: The Library

2009-04-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

Setting aside time to blog about my trip to Liberia has been a challenge of late. The sudden need to search for new employment and get ready for a baby seems to consume any free time I have. So I am setting aside the time now.

As I start these reflection posts I felt the best place to start was the whole reason we went in the first place, the Library. If you are just stumbling across this blog for the first time I'll quickly recap... My wife's grandma, Lois Lindley, passed away last summer. Her grandpa, Verl Lindley, along with the help of family, friends, and all the people Lois impacted throughout her lifetime of ministry, was able to raise the funds to rebuild the ABC University library in her honor. The University itself was destroyed 16 years ago by civil war in Liberia and is currently being rebuilt by close family friends of the Lindleys, Del and Becky Chinchen.

All that being said none of us were quite sure what state the Library was going to be in when we got there. And I was wondering how much a team of six could really do to get a library fully functional in less than two weeks. We were all pleasantly surprised to see the library building itself was very far along when we arrived. Most of the heavy construction was finished, the tile was mostly laid out, and electrical lines were run. We were able to focus more on setting up the furniture and computers, and deciding how the books were to be arranged. Of course that ended up no small task. We had a few unexpected setbacks, like losing 28 computers on campus due to a faulty voltage regulator on the university generator and discovering we didn't have all the necessary equipment to set up the library software. However, it was satisfying to be able to say we finished what we came to do in the 10 days we were on campus.

Beyond the library itself meeting all the people tied to the school was enriching as well. Meeting the students, faculty, and the workers was so great and humbling at the same time. Hearing the stories of what many of them went through during the war and just to get to ABC made me realize how much we, as Americans, take for granted. Many of the students didn't even own a book before they started classes at ABC. Listening to the countless heartbreaking stories was sobering. And yet seeing the gratitude and joy on their faces as the campus, and their country, is progressively being rebuilt was so energizing. Just walking through the campus during the day we would continually have passersby say "Thank You."

Getting past all the technical issues of my job at the school and meeting the locals and students helped put a face to a struggle I had only a passing knowledge of. I have seen countless photos and video of people suffering and in need, but nothing really captures your attention as much as truly seeing what these people go through on a daily basis. I know I had it easy as far as mission trips, I had a nice bed, four walls, and three somewhat substantial meals, but seeing the state of the rest of the country was an eye-opener.

That's all for now. Later I plan to post more on my experiences in Yekepa, the orphanage, and Monrovia.

To see more photos of the Library and the complete trip visit my Flickr page. I have broken them into four sets: my favorite photos, photos of ABC and the library, photos of Yekepa (including the abandoned mine, trainyard), and the orphanage.

Rolling Out the Liberia Photos

2009-04-27T15:59:00.001-07:00

Kids At Play At the Orphanage, originally uploaded by dubland.

Here's the first batch of Liberia photos. Several more to follow, as well as some more in-depth posts on my trip. I apologize that they have taken so long to get up but the past month has been so crazy. With losing my job (at least half of it), having to move dubland to a new server, revamping dubland to be more of a job search tool, and starting the whole job hunting process life has been a blur.

For now these will all be on Flickr until I decide where to house the complete set. Hope you enjoy the photos.

More Finished Photos

2009-04-25T21:29:00.001-07:00

Mt. Lone Pine (with Whitney in the Background), originally uploaded by dubland.

Here's the last batch of photos I finished last weekend. These photos are all from my trip to Death Valley last March. Next batch of photos are my Liberia photos. Eventually I will move these over to the Dubland site. Hope you enjoy these photos.

Onward and Upward

2009-04-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

Spire of Dublin at Dawn
Originally uploaded by dubland

Well this past weekend was a nice unwinding time. I have been going pretty much non-stop for the last 6 weeks. First it was prepping for the Liberia trip, then the actual Liberia trip, followed immediately afterwards with job-hunting. Mentally and emotionally I am pretty wiped.

So Friday and Saturday I spent away from my work and had a little vacation from my computer. Sunday I opened up my computer, but just to work on some old photos I had been meaning to get to. It was quite therapeutic, and it helped recharge my creative energy. So over the next couple of days I'll be rolling out some of the photos I worked on, onto the site and Flickr.

These photos are both landscape photos that weren't taken in the traditional landscape horizontal format. Something about these two shots drew me to take them vertically. The above photo was taken in Dublin, last year, with the Millenium Spire in view. The one below was taken in Lynden,WA back in February just outside of downtown.

Lynden at Sunset
Originally uploaded by dubland

The Revised Dubland

2009-04-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's up and running. Just a need to do a little more tightening but Dubland has been revised to include my professional portfolio, including web sites, print work and videos have done over the past 9 years. Between that and working on my resume I am pretty wiped. It's ironic how I am busier now with a reduced workload at work than I was when I was fully employed. Go figure. Hope you enjoy the new site.

Finished Liberia Photos

2009-04-06T11:55:00.001-07:00

I was able to finish some of the photos I took on my trip to Liberia, and they are now on Flickr. I'll slowly move them over to Dubland after I finish some maintenance issue with the site. In the meantime enjoy these photos. Tonight I am supposed to meet with the Liberia team to share our photos and video. More to come!

Say What??

2009-04-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts of late but the last two weeks have been quite a roller coaster. I found out last Tuesday, only three days after getting home from Liberia that my hours and pay were being cut in half effective April 1st due to slow business. And potentially I could be let go altogether if work doesn't pick up in the next couple of months. Quite a jolt! Especially with a baby on the way and Heidi going to part-time work afterwards. Thankfully my boss did give me a sizable bonus to help offset the reduced pay but that only goes so far.

I have gone through the whole gamut of emotions. Multitudes of questions are creeping in my mind. Can I make my mortgage payment? Will be able to find a comparable job? You get the picture. On top of that I have been spending most my days of late rapidly working on the new web site for my work during the day, and my own site/resume in the evenings as well. So much to do in what seems to be very little time. I think the whole situation has really worn me out.

But then I remember how I have been through far worse (maybe not financially) and God didn't abandon me then. And part of me is eager to see where He leads me. Heidi and I are doing some serious praying and searching to see where we go now.

So it might be awhile longer before I can post my Liberia pictures and some of my thoughts and stories from the trip. But I do intend to post them.

Back Home

2009-03-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well I am back in the States after a very taxing trip back. We left the ABC campus Thursday morning and didn't reach home til Saturday night. We did spent most of Friday seeing the sights in Monrovia which was quite fascinating and sobering. Then we took off from Monrovia around 9:30 PM and landing in Brussels around 4AM. Then a seven hour layover there, followed by flight to DC, and finally our last connecting flight to LA which touched down just before 7PM.

In the midst of the mental haze I can say for sure it was a great and enriching trip. One, I am sure, I remember the rest of my life. It was so rewarding to see the library finished and seeing the beaming smile on Grandpa's (Verl's) face as the library was getting dedicated was great to see. I know it was a very satisfying and emotional trip for him. And to top it off he was made a chief of the county by the ABC professors (more on that in a later blog entry).

It was quite humbling and eye-opening to see what the Liberians have gone through and are still going through as a result of the 20 years of civil war. Seeing how excited the students, and professors were to have books to read and a place to read, you realize how much we as Americans take for granted. Most of the current students at ABC have had little to no access to books up to now. For the whole two weeks we had students and workers saying, "Thank you" as we passed.

I will post more later this week as get more time to work through my thoughts and reflections on the trip and a little more coherent. With more photos and hopefully video in the near future.

Finishing Touches

2009-03-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well believe it or not we are almost done with the library. We are putting in the last shelves and books, and I am double-checking all the network lines to make sure they work. After that we clean up and make everything look good. So hard to believe we are almost done. And with time to spare. Not a whole lot,we leave Thursday morning, but it's nice not to have to hurry things through.

As for the lost computers, it looks like the school lost 31 computers. Thankfully we have 18 to help absorb some of that loss. Still working on recovering some of the data on a few of the key computers.

Tomorrow I should have photos to post of the finished library. Back to work.

Out Exploring

2009-03-15T02:39:00.000-07:00

This entry was supposed to go out Saturday, but time just slipped away.

Moving past the computer fiasco (looks like about 20 or so are gone) we finally went out and explored the area a bit. Joni, our Samaritan's Purse leader, took us out to see a few sights in Yekepa.

We first stopped at a nearby orphanage. Man, talk about humbling, seeing what little these kids had. The orphanage was a collection of all the orphans in the county, from toddler age to 16 years old. As soon as we got out of the car the kids instantly ran up and started shaking our hands and hugging us. They then took us on a tour of their facilities, including a newly built living area, the local school building, and the church where they worship. Our hearts break seeing these kids bantering for our attention. The most heartbreaking was the older kids who, you could tell, don't get the attention that the younger kids get from visitors. We could almost see the tension in their eyes how they so wanted love and affection, but at the same time were so guarded, as though they'd been hardened over all the years in the orphanage.

Afterwards, we went to a plot of land the contractor who had helped with the rebuilding of ABC last year had purchased for all the workers that had worked with him. He bought it with the expectation that the workers would use the skills they had learned working on ABC to build their own little town, start their own shops, and start practicing their trades. Pretty amazing. I never met the guy but everyone here has high praise for him.

We then went to an abandoned train yard that the mining company had used before the civil war. Man it was incredible. I could have spent a month there taking pictures. It was so surreal seeing all those locomotives stripped down and abandoned. I guess they were all only a year old when the civil war broke out. Once I get back I will have a whole series of shots from this place, I am sure.

Ummmm...

2009-03-14T02:30:00.000-07:00

Well we have had our first technical difficulty. Yesterday afternoon right before dinner the voltage of the generator on campus went rapidly up and knocked all the power out. After restoring it we found that almost all of the computers that were plugged in, even those powered off, were gone (as far as we can tell right now). Talking to Bryan, our on call electritian (Thanks Bryan) we are trying to figure out what happened and how best to prevent it from happening again. Thankfully I had only plugged in two of the library computers at the time, and all the rest of the computers will be behind UPS backups which should help protect the computers from future incidents.

So today I am trying to assess the damage and figure out how many functioning computers we have on campus. We're praying for the best. I was able to take some good pictures, but not sure when I will get a chance to look at them. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to post, since we won't be working tomorrow.

We Have Lights!

2009-03-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well the lights are now working in the Library. Thanks to James and Brad they cranked though the remaining lights and even installed all the blinds. We were also able to set up the network in the library as well. Next step is to set up the computer room and finish up the network inputs in all the other rooms. Things are starting to take shape. Doug and Judi are still trying to get all the library software squared away. It's always fun trying to contact customer service from a remote place like this. And Grandpa furiously put on all the switch plate covers. So furious in fact he broke some glass doing so (you'll have to ask him about his phenomenal strength).

Interestingly, we didn't have the local workers today because it was a national holiday, Decoration Day. It's a day to go the grave sites of you family members who had died in the wars over the past 20 years. It is quite interesting working with the locals. I could spend a whole post on that.

As we were wrapping up this afternoon we got bombarded by a major rain storm. In fact as I write this I have lost my internet connection so I am going to have to wait to post this. Quite dramatic rain here. We now have some little ponds around the campus, not sure how long they will stay. As the rain started to come down, James took on one of the students in a game of 21 (basketball) at the gym. They wagered James' T-shirt, which he lost. The student was so happy to win a T-Shirt and James had to retreat back to the house shirtless. Now he doesn't need a shower tonight.

That's all for now. Hopefully we can post photos of some completed rooms soon.

First Day at ABC

2009-03-10T12:02:00.001-07:00

Well we made it. After 3 days of travel we made it to the campus. Quite a grueling trip though. Seven hours in Brussels seemed to be an eternity. And the 3 hour technical stop in Ivory Coast en route to Monrovia was a bit tiring but we made it. And were greeted by muggy muggy weather. The city is right on the beach, in fact our night in the guest house in Monrovia was about 30 yards from the beach. We fell asleep to breakers which was nice (the A/C was even nicer). Yesterday was a 7 hour drive up to Yekepa, which wasn't bad, but man it felt good to be finished with the travel for awhile.

Today we start off running. Quite a bit of the library was already done which was nice. The drop ceiling, most of the tile work, and all the walls were already done. I was busy working on the network lines for the computers. James spent the day putting in all the lights, Doug and Judi spent the day conversing with customer service for the software company that made the library system. Brad went in between both James and I helping whoever needed the help at the time. And Grandpa (Verl) had the most important job of the day, supervising all of us to make sure we did it all right.

That's all for now as it is starting to rain. Hopefully it will remove all this muggy weather. Next time I am aiming to include a picture if time permits.

First Leg Down

2009-03-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well we made it to Washington DC. Now we have a 5 hour layover before heading out to Brussells. The above picture is light-mural-thingee (that's the technical name) that is just across from our terminal. My next chance to post will probably be Monday night or Tuesday when we get to the school.

Now we have to find something to fill the 5 hours.

One Day Away

2009-03-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

Just over 24 hours away from embarking on our journey to Liberia. I doubled checked my list and I think I am set. I am all packed. And belive it or not I actually have some space to spare. That never happens. Course going minimalistic I am only taking the bare essentials.

Saturday is going to be quite a day. First we leave for LAX at 3AM for a 6AM flight. Then we should touch down in Washington DC with a four hour layover. After that we head to Brussels where we have an eight hour layover (yes I said eight). Then on to Monrovia where I believe we're suppose to arrive in the 10PM Monday, and crash at a guest house. Then the final leg is a 7 hour car drive into the jungle on a completely neglected road. Figured this would be the perfect time finally sit down and read Brothers K. I just hope I don't get too stir crazy in those two days.

Here are some before photos of the library. Hopefully I can take some more once we get to the school.

More Washington Photos

2009-03-04T09:19:00.001-08:00

Eagles Aflight (2009)

Well I was able to squeeze some time out yesterday to finish a few more photos from my Washington trip a few weeks ago. The above photo was taken on San Juan Island. As we were winding down our day on the island we ran across six bald eagles in the trees just off the highway. So naturally we pulled over to take some shots. As you can see I got a few good shots. Such magestic birds, you really do have to see them in person to really appreciate them.

I also finished a shot of the rocky shore on the island. I still have a few more pictures I think I can pull from the bunch, but they will have to wait til after I get back from Liberia. Course then I will have even more photos and video to sort through. In the meantime enjoy the photos on my Flickr account. Some will be up shortly on my main site.

Bald Eagle Overhead (2009)

Rocky Shore - San Juan Island (2009)

Ramping Up

2009-02-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

In little over a week I will be boarding a plane for the long trip to Liberia, and all of a sudden I have a sudden rush of concern, "Am I ready?" Have I thought through everything I need for this trip? Heck no! Course being how this is my first real experience doing a trip like this I am not sure there is a way to truly prepare for an adventure like this, no matter how much you talk through it with others.

Am I excited? Definitely. But part of me wonders what am I doing going on a trip like this. Traveling thousands of miles to a very remote jungle to rebuild a library in a country I know nothing about (other than it was founded by freed American slaves.) Wondering how am I going to solve the IT issues for this building, since I am not an IT guy.

But then I realize how this whole process has been an incredible blessing. How six months ago Heidi's grandpa first brought up the idea of raising the money for rebuilding a library for the college in honor of Heidi's grandma. How all the funds came in, and then some, in the midst of a worldwide economic collapse. How originally I wasn't going to be able to go because of timing, and now I am. It has helped reinforce in me that God is truly sovereign, and He allows us to be part of the process for our own transformation. I just pray I can be open to being the vessel of change God wants me to be, as well as be sensitive to the change he is doing in me.

I also pray I don't forget something important when I pack this week.

Sunset on San Juan Island

2009-02-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

San Juan Island at Sunset (2009)

Here's another finished photo from my Washington trip last week. We had such wonderful sunset weather the whole time we were there as you can see. I was actually a little disappointed we didn't experience any weather at all. There is still about two to three more photos I'd like to finish from this trip so keep posted. Just not sure if I am going to be able to finish them before I leave for Liberia.

Heidi at Sunset

2009-02-22T21:41:00.001-08:00

Heidi at Sunset (2009)

After a full weekend of painting our old study to become a baby's room, and making the social rounds I finally got some time to work on my photos from Washington last weekend. Here's the first one. I was hoping to finish some more but my photoshop is acting squirrelly. So going to have to wait a little longer before I can post some more.

The photo itself was taken at Bald Eagle viewing park near Lynden. I just happened to be setting up my camera when Heidi walked into frame. It looked so good I thought it would make a great picture.

Returning from Lynden

2009-02-18T09:33:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Heidi and I embarked on our final trip without the worry of kids. We went up to Lynden, WA to visit Heidi's brother and sister-in-law who just moved up there. For those of you not familiar Lynden is about a 30 minute drive from Canada.

It was quite stunning up there, and we had wonderful weather. While everyone down in Southern California was waterlogged we had sunny skies. We got to enjoy a nice trip to the San Juan Islands, where the above picture was taken. We also soaked in the sights near Bellingham and Lynden. These are the first batch of photos before I have really cleaned them up. There are many more to come.

We ran across about six bald eagles on San Juan Island, this is a close up of one of them. Such beautiful animals.

Looking down David and Rachel's street.

This is the view just outside David and Rachel's apartment.

Wasn't sure if this was the work of a huge comic book fan in Bellingham, a gorilla marketing campaign by Warner Brothers, or a political statement, but I got a chuckle out of this.

Timber, David and Rachel's dog styling in an Angels Beanie.

Trip Starting to Take Shape

2009-02-11T12:19:00.001-08:00

Well, things are starting to fall into place for our Liberia trip. Above is a picture of the team going to Liberia. They are from left to right: James Domingo, husband of Heidi's cousin Joy; Judy Hammer, my mother-in-law; me; Verl Lindley, Heidi's grandpa; Brad Fielder, family friend of the Lindleys; Doug Hammer, my father-in-law. We have plane tickets, and we're about to send off our visa applications. This trip is slowly becoming more tangible. I also found out a couple of weeks ago I might be the resident IT when I am there. Which should be interesting since I am primarily a design guy who works on Macs. I am sure I'll be able to set it what they need but it might be messy for awhile. Thank goodness I'll have internet access over there.

The Perfect Cake to Celebrate a Baby Girl

2009-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

How can you not mark the birth of your new daughter without Darth Vader? Yeah I thought so too. I am sure I'd have no problem convincing Heidi this is the perfect cake for our baby girl.

Rainy Day Triptych

2009-01-28T09:14:00.001-08:00

Here's a piece I have been working on this month. Still trying to figure out the best way to display this on the web site but for now I hope this will give you an idea of the piece. It was pieced together from a couple outings in the rain last year. I am also planning at least one more accompanying piece. For the time being enjoy the piece.

Library Container Arrives at ABC

2009-01-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Well the first phase of building the Lois Lindley Memorial Library at ABC is done, the container of materials for project that was sent from Southern California just before Christmas has arrived on the campus. Now we just have to put everything together. A funny aside, I guess all the shipping containers that have been sent to ABC, end up staying there, since no one wants to pay to have them sent back. So now they have several of these containers laying around campus, and they're not exactly sure what to do with them. As for what needs to be done next for the library, my understanding is they will actually start fixing the library before we arrive, and we'll join in the work when we get there. But we'll see what actually happens. Exciting stuff though.

Liberia

2009-01-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

Well the year is starting out with a bang. I have volunteered to go on a trip, organized by Heidi's Grandpa, to the country of Liberia to help rebuild a library at the African Bible College in Yekepa, Liberia. The library is being named the Lois Lindley Memorial Library after Heidi's grandma, who passed away last summer.

Del and Becky Chinchen, family friends of my in-laws and the school founders, are in the process of rebuilding the whole college after fleeing the country almost 20 years ago in the midst of a civil war. They were asked by the new Liberian President to come back to Liberia and rebuild the college, and have been organizing the rebuilding process with churches and various ministries.

It is quite amazing to see what has been accomplished already as they are reclaiming the college from the jungle building by building. The photos included in this post were taken by my father-in-law on his trip last summer, when he went with a team from Granada Heights Friends Church to build a computer lab on the campus. On an aside you should check out his web site if you've never seen it, he's quite the photographer.

I am excited and a bit overwhelmed by the potential of this trip. I know I am being trendy (going to Africa and all), but I have always wanted to do a trip like this. To have a chance to get out of my comfort zone and my culture for a bit, to see how I can help and change someone else's circumstances and be changed myself as well. I also wonder what can I truly do to help out, but I am open to see what I can do.

Right now all I can think about though is how there is so much I still need to do before March and how am I going to get it all done. I will post more on this as the weeks unfold. In the meantime please prayfully remember Heidi and I as we prepare for this upcoming trip. Especially since she will be home two weeks without myself, her parents, or her grandpa; and 7 months pregnant.

It's a....

2009-01-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

GIRL!

Heidi and I found out today we're having a baby girl in June. Still weird to think in less than five months. We're going to have a little baby girl in tow where ever we go. I feel like I should have some deep and profound thoughts right now, but all I can think about is that I have no idea what's about to happen. Maybe that's for the best.

Orphans

2009-01-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple more photos I recently finished. The first from Dublin, and the second a joshua tree at Red Rock Canyon. Not sure how to categorize them so they are stuck here til I decide where to put them. I am also trying to figure out how to display another piece I finished this past weekend. hope to get it up in the next day or two.

More Finished Photos

2009-01-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

As I said yesterday here are some more of the photos I finished over the Holidays. Hope you enjoy them all. Most were, again, from our Death Valley trip last spring. These are way overdue, some are merely cleaning up already existing photos. You can see all of most recent work just to the right in the little mini-gallery here on the blog.

Holiday Break

2009-01-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

Finished Quasi-HDR image

Original image

Now that Christmas and New Years are over it's back to work. The break has been productive though art-wise. Finally got the above picture the way I wanted it.

The photo was from our trip to Death Valley last spring. Coming back from Death Valley we came across this view as we were heading into Lone Pine. It was funny because we were trying to find the place where Heidi's dad had taken one of Heidi's favorite photos of his, and we ran across this. Hope you enjoy it.

This photo was my first attempt at an HDR image (after the fact). Technically I would have shot it a lot differently had I originally intended it to be an HDR image. Maybe in the near future I can get some more actual HDR images. I am also finishing up a piece that is very close to a finished piece. Maybe in the next couple of days.

Christmas 08

2008-12-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well we managed another Christmas. We spent a fairly quiet four days in Thousand Oaks with my family. And had by far one our coldest Christmases, closest we'll probably come to a white Christmas in So Cal. We also had a fun little trip to the Santa Barbara zoo. Enjoy the photos.

Updated Photos.

2008-12-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

With all the busy-ness of Christmas winding down I was able to spend some time on my photos the last couple of weeks. And I added the above photo taken from Bergen, and "fixed" some others. So far "Bergen in the Mist - Harbor Ship" and the my Mount Rundle photo on the site have been updated. Hopefully I can get some more quality time on the photos over the New Years break.

Photomatix

2008-11-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law introduced me to some new software that looks rather impressive called, Photomatix. It's an HDR program that can do some impressive things to photos. Like the above photo. For those not familiar with HDR photos, basically you take the a series of shots all taken at different exposures and the software combines them all into one file with an incredible range of lights and darks. You can see some HDR examples here.

I am still haven't been fully converted to the HDR camp. You can do some impressive work if you do it right. But some photos still warrant the traditional approach. I mostly see this HDR software as another potential tool to accomplish what I want to make. The above photo was actually just a tone map, not a true HDR image. I am still working on a true HDR image, it's not quite the way I'd like it. More to come.

Back from Red Rock

2008-11-04T16:04:00.001-08:00

Well we survived a rather wet weekend camping at Red Rock Canyon. And as you can see that didn't stop me from getting some pictures. The above picture was how the campsite looked when I first got up. The bottom picture is Heidi and I while we were hiking through the park after all the rain. Thank goodness my parents came with their trailer. I am not sure Heidi would have been sane trying to keep a puppy entertained all day in a tent while it poured all day. It was a nice relaxing trip regardless of the rain. I hope to finish a few more pictures from this trip.

Feels Like New

2008-10-30T11:03:00.001-07:00

Well I finally was able to set aside some time to change the look and feel of the blog. All the new features on Blogger makes customizing the blog tons easier. I hope in the next couple of weeks to add a current work mini gallery and easier links to my work so people can come here to see what I am currently up. The above photo was one I took on a trip Heidi and I did last year to the Cottonwood Lakes and Mount Langley in the Eastern Sierras.

I should have some new photos next week after our little trip to Red Rock Canyon. Should be lots of fun.

What Was Lost Is Found

2008-09-03T10:02:00.001-07:00

I know it's been quite awhile since I posted anything. This summer has been quite a roller coaster with Heidi's grandma's passing, the birth of the first Hammer grandchild, the upcoming Hammer wedding, trying to adjust to a puppy in a condo. On top of all that I was in a bit of a creative funk, course all the summer stress might have been a big cause of that.

Regardless I am trying to get back to the art. I had a big surge of inspiration last week when I was finally able to recover all the photos I took in Olso on our trip last May. I have been scouring the web for software to recover corrupted flash cards which was quite frustrating. Anyways here are the photos I was able to work on over the Labor Day holiday.

Here Comes Trouble

2008-06-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Lucy and I am the newest edition to the Dub clan. You can read more about me here.

Back from Europe

2008-05-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well Heidi and I made it back from Europe to quite a pile of work to catch up on (amazing what three weeks away from work and two natural disasters do.) All that being said it was a great vacation, we got to see some incredible sights and meet some great people, but I was definitely ready to come back home.

Later this week, once the dust settles I do some reflection of the trip. In the meantime enjoy the photos I have posted, to see the full group you can check them out here.

Dependence on Technology

2008-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well two days ago I found out all my pictures I took in Oslo might be gone, due to an evil card reader that corrupted my card. I am holding out hope I can restore it, but we'll see.

I'll leave to rest of our travel stories to my wife the wordsmith.

And yes Reindeer tastes good.

-dub