Day 151 - Extreme Close-Up

Um, no . . . no handouts here.

Day 150 - Deer

There were four deer feeding in a small clearing next to a stream, and I was using my Uncle Max's hunting techniques to get as close to them as possible to take their pictures, but then a group of noisy tourists spotted them and they fled into the woods.

The deer, that is.

Day 149 - Steller's Jay

The Steller's jay is one of two jays common to Yosemite (the Western scrub jay being the other), but the Stellers' were surprisingly quiet for jays.

Day 148 - Snow Plant

The Snow Plant is found extensively in Yosemite, but only right after the ground thaws. It's a parasitic plant that feeds on the fungi that lives under the decomposing pine needles in very moist ground.

Day 147 - Texture

This bark almost shredded like well-made barbecue . . .

Day 146 - Texture

Another tree, another completely different bark texture.

Day 145 - Texture

I love the texture on this grizzled old tree trunk.

Day 144 - Holiday Traffic

Just got back from a long weekend in Yosemite . . . remind me not to travel to popular National Parks on holidays - these poor people were waiting in this mess for almost three hours just to leave the Valley floor. Beautiful scenery, brutal traffic congestion.

More pictures & video coming shortly . . .

Day 143 - Bull Riding

Despite the fact that either the PBR or the venue wouldn't let me bring my DSLR in (I sent strongly worded "disappointed customer" emails to both), I'm very grateful I have such a good point-and-shoot camera.

Day 142 - Snack

This was my snack at the bull riding . . . way better than a Dodger Dog.

Day 141 - Bull Riding

Went to a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event on Saturday . . . notice the ear tag on this bad boy - his name is "Toxic Shock."

Day 140 - French Toast

Sometimes you just need comfort food . . .

Day 139 - Singing

You go . . . let it all out . . .

Day 138 - Camera Phone

The Zac Brown Band put on a great show, although the tour's sponsorship by a beer company prevented people from bringing their own beverages into the Bowl with their picnics.

Bummer.

Day 137 - Camera Phone

Blackberry Smoke was the opening band - think a Lynyrd Skynyrd/Allman Brothers hybrid; notice the Hollywood Sign above the shell in the background.

Day 136 - Camera Phone

Made Southern-style banana pudding for last weekend's concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

Day 135 - Camera Phone

Driving home from Temecula after a weekend of thunderstorms, the snow on the mountains was spectacular.

Day 134 - Camera Phone

Not as much detail as my DSLR, but not bad for a phone.

Day 133 - Camera Phone

Another one of Nashville's great honky-tonks . . .

Day 132 - Camera Phone

I think I took this from the Griffith Observatory . . .

Day 131 - Camera Phone

(sigh) . . . Dog & pony shows are no fun, no matter what they're labeled.

Day 130 - Camera Phone

If you have to listen to someone talk while drinking, have some fun with the drinking part . . . Tina & H-Mac know how to have fun.

Day 129 - Phone Camera

Happy Hour should never be mandatory . . . it's just not happy.

Day 128 - Phone Camera

The Gin Blossoms performing post-race at Hollywood Park.

Day 127 - Phone Camera

This is the basic camera installed in my Droid phone . . . and it's Dodger Stadium before it became a police state.

Day 126 - Phone Camera

H-Mac & Rosie, my very good friends and colleagues, at Dodger Stadium, also with The Little Orange Box.

Day 125 - Phone Camera

Five Guys just opened up a store in the Fox Hills Mall, a couple of miles away from where I live. This is the one in Carson, taken with The Little Orange Box setting in RetroCamera.

Day 124 - Phone Camera

My parents' backyard again, this time with the PolAndroid setting in FX Camera.

Day 123 - Phone Camera

My parents' backyard, taken with the Bärbl setting in the RetroCamera app.

Day 122 - Phone Camera

There hasn't been a whole lot to take pictures of lately, so I sorted through all the photos I've taken with my phone. Here's my good friend and colleague Steve at Wurstkuche in downtown L.A., taken with the FX Camera app.

Day 121 - People I Dig

Peter Giles is the voice for Fox Sports' television promos for both Major League Baseball and NASCAR; he's also voicing all my training pieces for the Acura TL.

He also did this...

Day 120 - Sunset

Got this quickly last night at Terranea . . .

Cinco de Mayo

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made a quick batch of guacamole this morning before work . . . and showed the ingredient remnants to prove I didn't just buy a container at the store . . .

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the Fourth be with you!