It’s been way too long since I’ve been here. It’s good to be back!

Today’s photo is from a gig I did in the metropolis of Waring Texas. A few weeks ago I was contracted to videotape an event at the Waring General Store and really had no idea what to expect. After spending a few hours at the store having fun, eating great food and listening to live Texas music, I have to say; if you ever find yourself in the neighborhood on a Wednesday night, stop by the Waring General Store for Steak Night. Waring TX is really just a crossroads in the Texas Hill country between Welfare & Comfort Texas (come to think of it, I’ve spent a lot of time somewhere between welfare & comfort).  Every Wednesday night Don Strange of Texas hosts a feast complete with lots of great food, live music and an atmosphere that can’t be beat.

Last week we took a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate our daughters 21st birthday. We all had a great time. We saw a couple of shows (“Love” and “The Mac King Show”) “Love” was very good, although acrobatically not on a par with the other Cirque shows we have seen. So far “O” is my favorite. “The Mac King Show” was a last minute addition to our trip and a very pleasant surprise. He was quite entertaining & easily worth the inexpensive (for Las Vegas) $35.00 cover.
The above shot was taken from our daughters suite at the Bellagio. A couple of months ago I booked a couple of rooms at a cheapo rate through Hotels.com. I was rather surprised when we checked in and the front desk clerk notified me we actually had a suite and a standard room. Since it was Audrea’s birthday, we gave her the suite. A few hours later we were notified that there was an error & the suite was actually reserved for another John Rogers, however we were welcome to stay in the suite for the previously paid rate.  Sweeet! (Or should I say Suite!?) Later that evening the four of us watched the amazing choreographed fountains perform their magic to the music of “Chorus Line”
This is actually a crop of the full image. Since panoramic images end up so tiny here I thought I’d do a square crop for the blog.  Click here to see the full un-cropped version.

Last night my mom and I had a great time at a Texas Rangers game in Arlington. The game was great (we won), the staff was wonderful & the hot-dogs were only a dollar. When my mom talked to me about going to see a Rangers game I was excited. I also was really hoping to be able to bring my camera. I was very pleasantly surprised when I checked out the Rangers website to see what would be allowed. In fact, the Texas Rangers have amazingly reasonable rules regarding photography equipment. They basically state that cameras are fine as long as they don’t interfere with another guests enjoyment of the game. That makes sense. Heck, they even allowed me to bring my tripod. The whole attitude at the ballpark was very friendly. While shooting the photo below I was approached by a security officer. I was anticipating the typical reprimand for taking photographs and a bit of questioning as to what I was photographing. I was amazed to discover the officers mission was to suggest I also take a look at the view from one level up as a possible photograph. Unbelievable.

In contrast, the Dallas Cowboy’s (and many professional & college sports venues) have rules that approach the ridiculous. For instance, the new Cowboy’s Stadium rules state:” ONLY small cameras are allowed, video cameras and cameras with zoom lenses are prohibited.” I suppose they are now confiscating guests new iPhones at the gate since they have zoom lenses… Anyway enough of my ranting. I just hate ridiculous rules created my lawyers to protect people from taking photographs. Speaking of the Dallas Cowboys; The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington has an amazing view of the new Cowboy’s Stadium. I’m sure the reverse is also true, but I would never be able to do a similar photograph of the Rangers Ballpark. The Dallas Cowboys would never allow me to bring my camera into their stadium.

This cute guy’s (or girl, it’s difficult to tell from this angle…) ancestors were no doubt partially to credit for us having National Parks. Theodore Roosevelt visited this area to hunt buffalo (bison actually,) when he was young and fell in love with nature. Later during his presidency he created the first National Parks to help protect and prevent development of our unspoiled lands. It was quite a new and controversial concept.
We recently attended a wedding in North Dakota. As first time visitors we really had no idea what to expect. We were quite pleasantly surprised by beauty of the badlands. We stayed in Medora which happens to be the location of the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This guy (and many of his cousins) greeted us as we made a morning drive through the park.