My neice, Grace Parker, whose Fort GIbson Junior High basketball team never lost a game, recently made her debut with the high school varsity and JV teams. They won both games, but her uncle’s indoor no-flash sports photography wasn’t very productive (Obviously, I need more-expensive lenses). Here are a handful of shots, though. Grace is the one with the blue headband.
I’ve watched OU play the Longhorns at least a dozen times. But it’s always in Dallas, so I’d never been to a game in Austin. By happy coincidence, I was in Austin to go to a reception at the law school honoring Robin Gibbs (the founder of my law firm) on the night before a UT/Texas Tech game. Robin had tickets galore, so I got to see my first Longhorn ballgame in Austin. Actually the most striking thing about it was how eerily similar it was to games in Norman — just change the colors.
Notice my hideous orange costume — I was undercover and/or trying to be at least modestly gracious to my burnt orange hosts, who somehow love their ‘horns every bit as much as we love the Sooners (Reminds me of the Police song from the 1980s — “The Russians Love Their Children, Too”.). The “couple” in the stands is a friend and Gibbs & Bruns partner Jeff Kubin, with his sister Jennifer. The happy family pics are the Reasoners; the pretty girl in the picture with me is my goddaughter, Olivia Reasoner. By the way, the Longhorns won the game easily; but the Texas Tech band killed the Orange band.
I came to Moab primarily for a photo workshop (more to come on that), but of course I brought my mountain bike. It’s Moab, after all (mountain bike mecca). These are just pocket camera pictures — but sometimes equipment quality is less important than LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. This is a place called “Hidden Canyon.” It’s about a one hour mountain bike ride (over tons of slickrock!) off the road, not too far from the Canyonlands airport. Maybe someday I’ll get a ‘real’ camera up there.
(Actually, one of these pics — with more trees — is from a trail near downtown Moab). And: (1) Yes, that’s my bike; (2) Yes, I took that picture of myself; (3) Yes, Mother, I know I probably shouldn’t be an hour’s ride into the wilderness by myself.
Another summer means another trip to Wichita Falls for the Hotter’n Hell Hundred-mile bike ride. For the one-millionth consecutive year, Scott and I sported the yellow G&B jerseys, based on the hopeful belief that the lighter yellow color would reflect the sun and keep us just a little cooler. The temperatures were well over 100 degrees by the end.
The lowlight of this year’s trip was the flat tire I had in the first 10 miles. It was still just after daylight, and when I stopped roadside to fix the flat, I was swarmed (and bitten) by so many mosquitos I broke out in hives. Worse, I thought the hives were more mosquito bites (like 1,000 of them!?!); I was a little freaked out. Thanks to my loyal HHH team — Shane, Scott and Mike — for helping me with the flat, calming me down, getting me Benadryl, and letting me draft behind them for an hour or so while the symptoms subsided.
