chris & mandee's wedding

A few weeks ago me, Pat, and his family spent the day in Yachats Oregon celebrating the marriage of Pat's step brother Chris and his now wife Mandee. Since they were not hiring a photographer, I volunteered to take some wedding photos for the two of them (with the help of Pat and a tripod, since we were both in the wedding as well). The weather was primarily overcast, but there were a few shots where the sun peaked through slightly. Not too bad for the Oregon coast in May.

Below is a sneak peak of a few of the hundreds of images I have been editing for them over the past couple weeks. Please keep in mind, I am no wedding photographer... just doing a little favor (so be nice).

((( click on the images to view them larger.
open them in a new tab to view them much larger. )))

[[ chris & mandee. 5/19/2012. yachats, oregon. ]]

game of thrones

I am pretty sure that by now everyone and their Mother is as addicted to Game of Thrones as I am, but in case you have not started watching yet, you are definitely missing out.

Me and Pat were introduced to the first season of the HBO series sometime last year and although we were initially a bit thrown off by the pilot episode/prologue we decided to keep watching and realized how incredible everything about this "show" really was. From the set design and costuming, to the amazing acting and character development, to special effects and shooting locations, the quality of this television series is truly incredible. However, to praise the success of the show we must first praise the author George R. R. Martin for coming up with such a detailed and twisted plot and describing it in excruciating detail over what will be seven books in A Song of Ice and Fire series. These are not any teenage novels. Love, lust, deception, betrayal, black magic, secret plots, twists and turns around every corner, opposing royal and lorded families, war, vengeance, sex, murder, the undead, and of course, dragons.

The books mainly follow four houses throughout the series (although many other characters and families are introduced along the way): the Starks, the Baratheons, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens. Although I will not trouble you with the details of each house, I will say that you are initially prompted to fall in love with the Starks, and then find yourself torn among them all as you begin to side and sympathize with other characters as well. Because the books are not written from one perspective but switch back and fourth between characters (as does the series), it is hard to simply choose one favorite character. I initially was drawn to Arya Stark and Daenerys Stormborn (Targaryen), but have found myself sympathizing with Jon Snow (Stark), and Tyrion Lannister as well.

Since we just watched the finale of season two last night I thought I would take the time to post a little bit about the series. Me and Pat are also on the 5th book.

As a visual reference for this post, I decided to throw up the opening sequence. This is a compilation of all of the castels shown on season 1, and those from the beginning of season 2, as created by Michael Delving (before Quarth and Heronhal were shown). The opening is incredible, it seriously amazes me every time I watch it, (and as with the series, it is ever changing to match the books and chapters being explored).

"When you play the game of thrones, either you win or you die."

brasada ranch :: part VII

The majority of my Sunday was spent on the golf course riding along on the 18 holes Pat and his family were playing. For someone who never plays he isn't half bad either, even picking up a par. Here are a few of the shots. I was trying out some new lens filters, but I think they fuzzed up a few of my pictures, not sure how impressed I am with them. Either way...

[[ sunday 18. ]]

brasada ranch :: part VI

Saturday morning we "climbed" up Spirit Rock again for a little adventure and some fresh air. I did not take as many pictures as last time, but got a couple good ones I thought I would share. The sunset images are from Sunday night in the backyard, and for some reason... there was indeed a cowboy hat.

[[ spirit rock. sunset. ]]

weekend adventures 58

Last weekend I was very thankful for the extra weekend day so that we could get some relaxation in with our adventures.


friday
Work Friday was torture for both me and Pat because we were so excited for our weekend adventures. After stopping for some delicious dinner in Sisters we finally made it to Brasada, grabbed some drinks, sat by the fire, and enjoyed the stars before bedtime.

[[ margaritas. dinner. fire. ]]

saturday
We grabbed some breakfast and then went for a little "hike" up Spirit Rock since it was fairly nice outside. It was suuper windy though, so we headed back after a little while to get ready for the concert (which I posted about yesterday). The rest of the night went as follows: Deschutes Brewery, dinner, venue, stand in line, grab a seat, people watching, beer, sunbathing, freezing, porta potty adventure, vodka lemonade, gloves, terrible opening band, people watching, waiting, waiting, waiting, the d, lots of singing along, picture taking, people watching, the end, scramble out of the venue, back to the house, stew, excedrine, sleepy time.

[[ spirit rock hike time. ]]

sunday
Pat's family is big on golf, so we decided to go out with them so that Pat could play as well. I also took a bunch of pictures from that and the hike which I will post tomorrow. This took the majority of the day, but, the weather was a LOT nicer than the day before so I had no complaints about being stuck outside. The rest of the day was spent in the resort hot tub, eating a delicious dinner Pats mom made (paiaya), the fire pit, Led Zeppelin, and a random kitchen dance party.

[[ golf course. ]]

[[ picture time. ]]

monday
That was pretty much it, Monday was just relaxing, dinner, drive home, bed time.

the d :: part deux

Saturday night we saw Tenacious D at the Bend Amphitheater in the Old Mill District. Neither of us had any idea what to expect. The show was packed, they played a super long set (including everything me and Pat wanted to hear), the banter in between songs was freaking hilarious as one might expect from Jack Black, and the people watching was glorious... seriously... I don't know where these people come from. This was definitely not our standard type of concert, but it was a lot of fun. I only got a couple decent pictures (definitely in the market for a new little camera), but me and Pat took a ton of video with our phones, and the audio actually turned out pretty good.

[[ our tickets. ]]

[[ glorious people watching. sitting in the grass waiting. freezing hands & vodka lemonades. time for the d! stage. ]] 

[[ the only "close" ish pictures i could get because my little camera is a jerk and decided to be broken during the show for no reason. ]]

I am not going to post any of the videos we took because there a large male organ in the background and a lot of swearing, but here is a youtube link if you want to check out some of the songs and silly banter. 

the d

In a few short hours me and Pat are heading to Bend for our glorious Memorial Day weekend! (I did not even realize it was Memorial Day and that I therefore get Monday off until two days ago, so I am extra excited for the happy surprise). Our friend Brad, and his soon to be wife Alia are meeting us there for some (hopefully sun-filled) festivities, and of course... a little Tenacious D.

Yes, thats right, Saturday we will be in downtown Bend listening to Jack Black (and KG) "shred some guitar" <--- says Pat. Lets just say he is more than a little excited. When I first got a notification about them performing in Bend I was super surprised because not only do they never tour, but they certainly never pick Oregon for a random show. So this is pretty much a once in a lifetime deal, and Pat is quite fond of Jack Black and all of his crazy antics (and made up words).

I hope the show is a little something like this...

((( The clip is from School of Rock )))It is in German for some reason... and has stupid words in front of his face... but it is the only one I could find on YouTube and its the one I wanted to use, so, sprechen sie deutsch?
Skadooosh