Going Bananas on Mill Avenue

The yellow one was with the Justice League on Mill Avenue.
Here's of a shot of the big yellow guy making his presence known to Clif the Lawyer.

Clif the Lawyer likes a good time just as much as the next guy. But the banana just wouldn't leave him alone. Big Yellow actually caused Clif to miss a nice bus shot. But did Clif lose his cool? Heck no, Clif the Lawyer's got enough patience to be a doctor.

Here's the the banana with four runners warming up for the P.F. Chang's Marathon.

One of the girls shouted in a German accent, "HEY, WHY ARE YOU PHOTOGRAPHING A BANANA?"

To which I adeptly replied, "I, I DON'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA!"

The big guy looms high above Mill Avenue in the high rise parking garage with Clif, Rick and Casey.

Here I am trying to get artsy with the banana and a windo reflection shot. Looks like I'm all about bananas and reflection shots.

The big banana didn' make it to the end of the shoot. I got hungry. There will be other bananas and other shoots.

Moshing with Skeletal Secrets and a Couple of Cactus Shots

Hanging with Skeletal Secrets


A couple of weeks ago I took advantage of an opportunity to attend a Skeletal Secrets Concert. Above, I can be seen standing with former student band members Gabe and Nick. I'm the goofball in the middle. I still want to know what the hand signs mean.

Got to tell you, I'm not so old that I can't enjoy a little heavy metal music. As a matter of fact, I happen to know there are countless subcategories of metal music. You've got you basic death metal, speed metal and black metal. Skeletal Secrets is known across the greater Phoenix area as an operetic metal band. The lead singer, Chelsie, a current student of mine and a talented opera singer, handles the lead vocals.

I didn't realize they still had mosh pits. Obviously, I'm a little old for mosh pits. On the other hand, it's like Leroy Satchel Paige said, "When it comes to age, it's all mind over matter; it you don't mind, it don't matter."

It's been a little over two weeks and I almost have full range of motion back in my neck and I'm hardly limping at all, thank you.


Justice League Cactus Shots and a Window


These sans banana, cactus shots were taken on the last Arizona Justice League of Photographers adventure along the road between Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat.

Something about the protrtuding nails intrigued me. I couldn't help wondering who drobve the nails into that saguaro. Why? When? Mysteries are good thing.

Here's a window shot taken in Tortilla Flat. All me to point out that it wasn't easy keeping that camera hogging giant banana out of these pictures.

SnYder CoMics

Watch for the newest SnYder CoMic this Sunday. Remember, I didn't want to set the bar to high with the first comic. I'm ready to get serious about the second panel. You people had better look out because I feel something big coming .

Wait, maybe it's gas...

The Arizona Justice League of Photographers Rides - the Train III

Thought I'd post a few photographs from the most recent Justice League photography shoot.

These pictures were taken by Eric the Photographer. As the handle implies, he actually takes pictures for a living. Eric is our Yoda, our Mr. Miagi, our Seargent Carter...

Got to tell you, I'm really digging this reflection image. From left to right, that's yours truly,Clif the Lawyer, Mario the Chef, and Eric the Photographer.

The streets of Phoenix were absolutely deserted.

Look, here's a shot of me talking on a cell phone next to a phone booth. Bet you don't see that everyday.

Then again, maybe you do. It could be that there's an old phone booth in front of your office and every stinking day some joker stands next to the booth, talking on his cell phone while shouting, "Hey look at me. I'm standing next to a phone booth talking on a cell phone. Bet you don't see that every day."

Here's the historic Luhrs Tower. Built in 1929, this building served as the backdrop for a scene in Hitcock's Psycho as Janet Leigh crossed the street with the bank deposit she was supposed to make for her boss.

These guys were singing:

I come from the land down under

Where beer does flow and men chunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run you better take cover.

Weird, huh?

It's all about the clouds.

Here's Mario the Chef yucking it up with Marge and Hank at The Coney Island Grill.

The Arizona Justice League of Photographers shoot it out in downtown Phoenix.

Absolutely nothing happened to any of us while were standing in front of this building.

Clif the Lawyer has a Blog and Arizona Justice League of Photographers Rides - the Train II

I'd like to take this opportinity to blatantly plug fellow Arizona Justice Leaguer, Clif the Lawyer's new blog. Check him out at :

http://www.fatesensation.com/photoblog/

Clif the Lawyer is one of the smartest guys I've ever known. And he's got an unstoppable left handed hook shot.

Here are a few of my shots from the Arizoona Justice League's train shoot.

Artsy, huh?

It's alive.

At some point hanging out with talented photographers like Eric the actual professional photographer, Clif the Lawyer and Mario the Chef will start to rub off on me.

Or not.

Here is another of my failed attempts at a group shot.

I fully intend to post a few of Mario the Chef and Eric the Photographer's shots this week.

What did one hat say to the other?

You stay right here, I'll go on a head.

The Arizona Justice League of Photographers Rides... The Train

On Saturday, October 10th the Arizona Justice League of Photographers rode the light rail to downtown Phoenix. We purchased our all day passes for 3.50 and waited. The 10:15 train slowed down a bit ahead of the stop. As we jogged ahead to make the train the heartless bastard left us in the dust. Eric the Photographer noticed the driver giving us a hand signal that must have meant we were number one in his heart.

We caught the next train where I attempted to get a group photo. It’s not as easy as you’d think, not if you’re technological nincompoop like me.

As I was trying to get the shot, I mentioned to the guys, that I had made up a joke that had already been made up by someone else.

"Hey fellas." I said, "What did the governor of California say when he wanted to become a composer? I'll be Bach."

Clif the Lawyer (behind the camera) proceeded o ask, "What did the governor of California say when he wanted to become a chicken? I'll be bach, bach, bach, bach."

I should point out that he sounded very much like a chicken.

I might also point out that I laughed - very hard. It's inprtant that I include this kind of thing so you can get the real feel of an Arizona Justice League of Photographers shoot.

After 27 failed attempts, I was able to get a shot of all four of us. (left to right) That's Mario the Chef, Clif the Lawyer, Eic the Photographer and yours truly. By the way, no one checked our passes. We could have ridden for free - if we weren't the ethical types.

Downtown Phoenix was pretty much deserted.

There was an awful lot of construction going on. I thought everybody was broke.

Here's a shot of Mario the Chef trying to keep up with Eric the Photographer. It's not the Mario walks so slow, it's just that Eric is the fastestwalker I've ever seen.

Hungry from all of that fast walking we ducked into a joint called the Coney Island Grill.

This joint had some serious atmosphere. That's Marge and Hank and they run the place.

We spent a half hour or so enjoying hot dogs, burgers and sodas.

I don't remember hearing Hank speak. But Marge, she was the Energizer bunny, baby. She went on for 30 minutes without stopping.

Hank and Marge are from Chicago, but they've been in Phoeniz for 30 years. She's a former legal secretary and back in the day, she ran a tight ship. Marge told us stories about Phoenix power brokers like Phil Gordon, Fife Simington, and Janet Napolitano.

The food was good, but it was Marge that really made the experience.

If you're ever in downtown Phoenix you're missing out if you don't stop in to have hot dog with Marge and Hank ant the Coney Island Grill.

I like this shot. It was taken right after we left the Coney Island Grill. I forgot I was still holding half a cup of Diet Coke when I raised the camera to shoot this magnificent picture. Drenched myself. Anything to provide a little entertainment for my fellow Justice Leaguers.

This picture had to be taken. There's got to be a story behind the pink rose with a broken stem.

There are more photos to post and stories to tell. Eric sent me some beautiful photos. I just have to figure out how to load them up. Look for The Arizona Justice League of Photographers Rides - The Light Rail Part II later this week.

The Arizona Justice League Rides Again - Bumble Bee Ghost Town

The second expedition of the Arizona Justice League of Photographers is now in the books.

We met early Saturday morning at a park in West Phoenix. The fun began when Clif the Lawyer rear ended Eric the Wedding Guy's van and they nearly got into a fistfight. OK, maybe they didn't almost get into a fist fight. Maybe Clif didn't rear end Eric. Maybe they were just deciding who was going to follow who. As far as I'm concerned, the fist fight story is a lot more interesting.

Our destination was Bumble Bee, an old stage coach post about half way between Phoenix and Prescott. The road was rough...

and treacherous.

I had the opportunity to be scared to death. Did I mention I'm terrified of heights?

The town was so minute we literally caravanned right through. Eric suggested we take a few desert shots before heading back to Bumble Bee.

Notice how the Palo Verde tree has wrapped itself arounf the Saguaro cactus in the above photo.

Not something you see every day.

Saguaros are a magestic site to behold. Every time I stand next to a Saguaro I'm reminded from a news story from a few years back. A couple of kids brought their shot guns out to the desert to do some shooting. They stood at the base of a Saguaro and blasted away. The cactus fell on them and they were killed instantly. Guess those Saguaros are heavy. Sometimes Mother Nature fights back.

Speaking of Mother Nature fighting back, check out the gorgeous Prickly Pear Cactus. They were everywhere.

I decided to slice one of the pears off the cactus with my handy Swiss Army knife. Then I asked Eric the Wedding Guy to hold it so I could take a picture. Eric and yours truly soon found out why they call it the Prickly Pear Cactus. The pear you see above is covered with hundreds, perhaps thousands of fine razor sharp barbs that are invisible to the eye. You don't feel them going in but once they're in they sting like nobody's business and they're really hard to remove. You learn something every day and I guess sometimes you got to learn the hard way. Thanks again for helping me out with the photo, Eric.

Old barbed wire fences were ubiquitous.

Darn, I love it when I get to use the ubiquitous in a sentence.

Here's Rick the I.T. guy and Clif the Lawyer snapping away. Did I mention it get's really hot in the desert?

Established in 1879, Bumble Bee was originally called Snyder's Station. Founded by a character by the name of W.W. Snyder, (no known relation to renounded blogger, W.Z. Snyder) the town was a stop on the Phoenix to Prescott stage coach line.

The town died out when a Phoenix to Prescott rail road put the stage coach line out of business.

Bumble Bee, Arizona rose from the dead in the 1930s.

Entrepreneurs built a ghost town and gift shop on the site.

The ghost town tourist attraction didn't last long and what remains is a ghost town of a ghost town.

A handfull of gritty Arizona still inhabit Bumble Bee.

The microscopic town actually has a modest functioning school house.

I guess Bumble Bee is the a great place for people who love the desert and don't care for crowds.

The Justice League finished up the day with a few pictures and lunch in Rock Springs. I'll do a posting on phase II of the adventure later this week. I'll also post some amazing shots by the league's legitimate photographers.

As far as the Justice League of Photographers go, I'm the novice of the group, but I suppose I'm picking things up as I go. Come to think of it, I'm learning not to pick up prickly things.