my five year reunion i made fotographs.  here are a few from a post that's to come next week. i'm uber excited for the rest of the wedding fotos.

the girls from circle city planners did a fantastic job!  it really looked fantastic. an event for..ahh, i actually don't know what the event was exactly, but tonya from circle city said there people from companies like coke, lowes, cvs, state farm, primesports, and many more.  now, i don't know what that all means, except that i got to make some pretty tasty fotos..  here a few. 
design by circle city planners.
venue location, crowne plaza hotel.


wisdom from the hapless.
don't make fotos that you think people will like.  make fotos that you know you will love.

for those who have waited patiently to see Jack Flash and the reef.  (NB: if you have no clue to whom or what i am referring, please see the previous post).  i am by no means an expert at panoramas nor at stitching fotos together.  so i avoided both of them and put four pictures really, really, really close to one another in order to try to relay to y'all the 'rock stampede'.
foto one) the car
foto two) as we approach the reef
foto three, four, five, six, seven) Jack
foto eight) said hilletts.  i let him off here and he made his way to the far mountains.
foto nine, ten, eleven, twelve) the four close fotos, but not stitched, of the reef
all others) reef
all other others) other side of the reef --  well, actually the last few are of dragon's canyon.

this post was meant for yesterday, but i forgot to post it.  so much for trying to post for 365 days in a row.  here's to fulfillment!

i pulled into the gas station (somewhere in utah) and saw a weathered, elderly man sitting on the curb next to the door of the station.  i figured he was there to ask for money or food.  while i approached the door, and him, he pulled out a banana from what looked like an old backpackers pack.  you know what, this guy isn't here to ask for money; he's here taking a break from wherever he's come.  as i meandered through the station's inside looking for who knows what, i decided i needed to talk to that man to find out where's been and where's going -- he might have some wisdom for me: traveler to traveler.  i walked out to...but i was too late.  he had already left. dang. 
well, i jumped into the car and headed west again.  yet there he was at the entrance ramp to the interstate with his thumb up.  you better believe i pulled over (my mother gasped when i relayed to her what i did).  "where you headed, sir," i asked.  "hanksville, but you can just take me to state road 24."  "well, hop in."  boy was he elated.  he said no one really wanted to pick him -- i was a little apprehensive myself.  he was a stranger, and he appeared a little...you know. 
"headed toward san rafael reef" he told me.  "what's that?"  "oh, you'll see."  we came upon it and i saw.  i saw a wall.  a wall not meant to be touched, not even looked upon without an immediate appreciation for God's power.  'OH', i thought, 'OH WOW.'  i told him that i was a photographer driving this car, my brother's car which was an old struggling of a thing, out to san diego so my brother had some transportation there.  he loved the car, and thought it was such a nice car and wondered why my brother would let me even drive it.  i didn't think of his comment as an 'ouch', as if i didn't have the capabilities to drive it.  but rather i thought of it as a moment to agree even though it truly was a beat-up car.  many a people don't even have cars.  for instance, Jack Flash, my new friend riding next to me, took a bus from georgia to utah.  he didn't mind the long trip on a greyhound.  so he was quick to note that i had a car and this to him was a luxury.  Jack was right.
i pulled out my camera, held it with one hand and turned to Jack.  "don't worry i'm a professional," and quickly snapped a few fotos of the mammoth reef.  "there's a place up near the reef to take some pictures," he said.  "great, i'll do that...so, what's your name?"  "Jack Something-or-rather, but my trail name is Jack Flash."  obviously, i could only remember his trail name.  he told me, "Jonathan, i live in georgia and i don't want to sit inside all day not doing a thing besides collecting social security.  so i come here." 
Jack described the reef and it's glory.  "there's a stream," he started, "that you need to stay near otherwise you'll die of the thirst.  you have to be careful, for the path goes up and down, up and down which means i only do a mile a day."  come to think of it he didn't describe it's glory much past that, how could he?  have you tried to describe the grand canyon?  'ah, it's a big hole.'  well, of course the grand canyon is more than a big hole. and the san rafael reef is more than a few paths and a stream.  it's a rock stampede that blazes through the desert.  it can and should evoke all emotion.
we arrived at his exit.  "are you sure you want me to just let you off here?" i asked him one last time.  his finally destination i found out was still ten more miles down the road toward hanksville.  "no, this is plenty enough.  thank you."  "tough, i'm taking you to wherever you need to go."  "well, i won't deny you.  thank you again, i really do appreciate your kindness to an old man."  Jack's not old.  he's living the dream.  with a backpack he's decided to just take his time and absorb, be enveloped by creation.  "when you see the three hilletts, that's a-where you can drop me off."  sure enough, there were the three 'hilletts'.  i slowed down, pulled over and let him out.  the reef was still a good three miles away.  yet, no road or path led directly to it.  only a fence next to the road was the closest man-made thing in sight; however, the fence was meant to keep people out. 
"Jack, can i take your picture?"  "well, sure. go right ahead."  "it's just that you're all i hope to be one day."  "thank you. and thank you once more for all that you've done for a stranger."  i made a few pictures, he gathered his things. i then watched him hop the fence and walk toward the reef.  "see ya, Jack," i shouted.  "we'll be seeing you, Jonathan."

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i decided to hold out on pictures for this post.  you'll see photographs of Jack and the reef soon enough.