Dale's DIY Sandbags

Yet another thing I forgot to blog about!

Dale LOVES a project. And as winter dragged on in January, Dale decided to make his own sand bags. He didn't want to pay the $25-$35 each (click on prices to see the styles he modeled his after) at the camera store for a bag of sand--he just couldn't justify the price. He made a total of 10 and he said they cost him about $6.50 each to make, using the same materials as the commercial equivalents!

He borrowed a bag from our friend Pat and then reverse-engineered the bags to make his own. He's even had photographers on message boards offer to buy the bags (empty, of course)!

The bags started out as a simple piece of fabric, of course.

He had to add handles...

And without sand, it's just an empty bag. He put the sand in plastic bags to reduce leakage.

Finally! A bag with sand in it. Each bag has 15 pounds of sand--perfect to create leverage for his light stands!

Here's a link to his photo gallery, showing step-by-step how he did it. And here's a link to a PDF Dale created to give to other photographers with a do-it-yourself nature!

And here's a picture of two of them in action--against our still bare orange wall!

Dale's new lens...

Dale got a new "tilt-shift" camera lens. He's been wanting one for more than a year and he found a great deal on ebay so he grabbed it up. The lenses are known for sharp focus--that allows the shooter to create fake miniature photos! Which is my favorite kind of thing.

Here is a construction site from Dale's building! Look! It's a miniature construction site! But it's REAL! Hee. I'm easy. You can click on the photo to make it super big. It's sweet.

This also looks much tinier than it really is. And it's also in pretty sharp focus. Neat-o!

Pat's 40th Birthday Party--Surprise!

Last night we had a lovely time at our friend Pat's 40th birthday party. It was a surprise party thrown by his wife (and my BFF) Rebecca!

Pat's a great guy--just look at him!--and we were happy to spend the evening celebrating in his honor!

Dale took some photos, of course, and you can check out the gallery for Pat's party by clicking here. But I took this photo of Dale--and since he's both camera shy and reluctant to smile I think this one is extra special! He's smiling and at the camera!

Dale's Winter Photo Essay Final Part!

Ever wonder how they clean the windows on a 35-story building? Let’s just say not much has changed in the past 50 or so years; a plank of wood (otherwise known as a Bosun’s chair) with a few straps, some rope, and a bucket with tools. Freaky!

I am not one who is usually put off by some life-threatening thrills in semi-controlled circumstances but hanging off the side of a building on a piece of plywood is very low on my list of desired activities. If it were a climbing harness, on the other hand, I would be all over doing that.

And a few commuter bikes for good measure.

Dale's Winter Photo Essay Part 2

Recently we had some snow and on 2/13/08 we had crystal clear blue skies.

This is what my morning commute looks like.

The shots below are from my office windows on the 28^th floor. The sky was so clear is was surreal. Unfortunately shooting though the windows caused a nasty color shift in the upper right corner.

Dale's Winter Photo Essay Part 1

Maybe I am a bit sadistic but I really enjoy a good snow in the city and today did not disappoint as you will witness below. Of course my joy is not supported by those around me who have to drive to work – including Rebecca – but since I am wholly reliant on the train and the trains are not affected by snow I am perfectly fine getting a few inches.

These first four shots were taken while at lunch at the Fidelity building across the street from my office.

I didn't realize until a few weeks ago that the moose is actually made up of car bumpers.

A view from my window at work.

After work I took a walk to Millennium Park a few blocks away. In the summer there are free concerts in the park, a reflecting pool, picnic areas, gardens, etc. It is really an oasis in the city. In the winter the activities are limited but they do have an ice rink and the video sculptures at either end of the reflecting pool are still in operation.

The Cloud Gate – “The Bean”

Video Sculptures

Dale’s Speaker Project

A post from Dale:

I have had the below set of speakers for about 16 years and though these 20+ year old speakers are not exactly attractive, I absolutely love the sound and it would cost an absurd amount of money to replace them. Why? Because I am NUTS!

So, like most men, I prefer function over style so the big ugly boxes did not bother me much until Rebecca noted they were an obvious eyesore. She reminded me of this OFTEN – and I realized I had to do something about them.

I launched a scheme to wrap the original black boxes in new wood in an effort to make them more attractive. It did not take long for my nutty mind to decide I needed to build brand new cabinets out of walnut and take what was supposed to be an easy project and create a major endeavor over the Christmas holiday.

I managed to get Dad to agree to all of this – I think he just might be a little nuttier than I am; thankfully it did not take a whole lot of convincing, honestly. He is a pretty easy mark, sometimes.

View below exhibit A, the 24-year-old ugly black box:

Following are a few shots of Dear Ol' Dad working his hide off on yet another one of my projects. Thankfully he has not charged me for glue and fasteners over the years or I would be in the poor house.

Think we have enough clamps on it? Honestly I think we could have used a few more of them but we made do.

Here is 50% of the finished project – sans the finish. The other one was in the confines of about 10 clamps allowing the glue to dry. Pretty darn hot looking if you ask me.

Yeah, about the finish; Dear Ol' Dad left me to fend for myself in that regard – I must be losing my touch with him. Actually, he is smarter than I give him credit for because finishing these SOB's was a lot more work than I had originally imagined they would be, which is usually the case.

Here they are on the dining room table – note the subtle orange wall in the background – waiting for the walnut banding to cover the plywood edge.

Test fitting the banding before permanently attaching it.

Now here they are really coming together, each cabinet has a couple coats of Danish Oil to really bring out walnut figuring. This is what I had in mind when I selected this wood – great looking grain and a deep warm color. It is just a shame that I will be covering the front of these with fabric.

After getting three coats of hand rub polyurethane on them it was time to take them for a test drive; I am pleased they sound and look better than ever.

Here they are completed with vintage fabric fronts. As mentioned above, my goal was to get these to better fit with our mid-century modern style and I think I have successfully done so. In fact, a coworker saw this picture on my computer and asked, "What's with those old speakers?"

I honestly think this past Christmas has been one of the best; I got to spend a ton of time with my dad doing something we both love – working with wood - and I will be able to see and use these speakers everyday for years to come. Nothing beats the pride of accomplishment.

Of course, working on speakers was not the only thing I did over the holiday; I also managed to whip my mother in a few games of scrabble, which rarely happens. No doubt she is chomping at the bit to reestablish her dominance on the scrabble table.

Nothing beats doing what you love with people you love.

Now I wonder what project I can sucker my dad into next year...

Dale's New View

Dale works nearly 30 floors above the city on Michigan Avenue.

His company recently renovated and Dale got a plum spot--right be the windows. He was pretty happy about that. Good thing his coworker is afraid of heights, I guess.

This is the computer lab area and its view.

Dale is Shooting Weddings!

Dale's gotten a couple of gigs as a second shooter on some fancy weddings.

Even though we don't know these folks we thought you might be curious to see some of what Dale's been up to. Look how lovely this mansion venue was!

Very sweet candid.

Inside the tent reception!

The Bride & Groom!

A quiet moment...

Chicago Bears Dude

A Chicago Bears football player was filming a commercial on the street a few weeks ago near Dale's building. He took a few photos.

There's been a ton of commercials and films shooting in the city this summer, including the next Batman movie, Angelina Jolie's new movie and numerous commercials.

Chicago Bears dude.

Near Dale's Office

Construction near Dale's office.

The view from the conference room in Dale's office building.

On the street in the city.

Dale meets Floyd Landis

Dale had an exciting celebrity encounter last weekend! He went to Floyd Landis's book signing on Michigan Ave. last week. Floyd won the Tour de France last year and is in a battle to keep the title; he's been accused of doping, an accusation he stridently denies.

Dale arrived early and got a great seat to meet one of his bike-riding heroes.

Floyd and Dale--so cute and nerdy!

Dale had a hard time getting this picture. Everyone--including the pro photographers in his midst--was calling Floyd's name. Dale hollered out, "Floyd! You have dreamy eyes!" and Floyd looked over and stared at Dale like he was deranged.

Later Dale had Floyd sign his book: To Dale. You have dreamy eyes! Floyd.

Edited to add: Dale read the book and thoroughly supports Floyd's fight to be the rightful winner of last year's Tour de France!

Dale's Birthday

We went to Buzz Cafe a couple of weeks back, before Dale's birthday on the 16th. He loved their coffee so he picked up a pound of coffee. So then he needed a coffee grinder. We picked one up for his birthday. We also enjoyed a visit to Robinson's #1 Ribs, a famous chicago rib joint.

The ribs were hearty, sticky, and tasty! They go generous with the bbq sauce. Good call, Dale! Later that evening, we headed to a party at our friend Anne's house. She made homemade apple pie and tart adult beverages called Sidecars. Thanks for the fun evening Anne!

Some Lunch Shots & New Job

Dale started a new job in the city yesterday! He's very excited to be back to taking the train to work each morning and he's right down on Michigan Ave. This is his first direct hire/no contract job in Chicago and he plans to stay with this company for some time.

Dale took a few shots recently that he's proud of and thought we'd like to share.

Ah, depth of field!

Dale feels these shots are "pretty" and technically pretty great!

I like this one. I'm a fan of breakfast.

The Statue of Liberation

Dale was so excited about this wacky roadside attraction that he wanted me to cross post it from my Roadside Curiosities blog to our personal blog:


I was in Memphis last weekend and saw one of the best roadside attractions I've stumbled upon in years! This takes the cake, people! This is the Statue of Liberation through Christ aka The Lord's Lady Liberty. For a complete FAQ click here.

I can't tell you how excited I was when we spotted her, standing on the corner of Kirby Parkway. She beckoned to us and we had no choice but to submit.

So enchanted were we, we had to circle her to get a better look. To what did our wondering eyes appear?

Better than reindeer. This liberated lady features a tiny chapel/altar under base/skirt. There is a spot to kneel and pray (for forgiveness?), a "tomb" made of sprayed plastic foam that features the slogan "HE IS RISEN" above an alcove that I'm guessing is supposed to be where Jesus chilled out before he woke from the dead. I like the white sheet that provides a shroud of Turin flavor. Crappy soothing relgious music is pumped in below the altar.

The statue is rife with amusingly heavy-handed symbolism, including my personal favorite: The Lord's Lady Liberty is shedding a tear. "THE TEAR represents Lady Liberation’s despair over America’s rapid decline from its Judeo-Christian values. She weeps for our nation’s self-destruction as the protective hand of God is removed. Yet, she realizes that there is still hope for America if we return to God through Jesus Christ."

There were scads of flags about the property and we were quite confused by what looked a lot like a rebel flag. I'm still not sure what it was. We caught this photo of the US flag and (I think?) the state flag? Anyway, this baby is WELL worth the trip. She's a beauty!

More City Photos!

Things have been pretty quiet around Casa D&B! Nothing too exciting. Dale has been picking up photography assistanting gigs (which is pretty exciting in and of itself). I've been crazy insane busy at work, editing all of the company's 2008 calendars.

Dale went downtown today because he's building his architectural portfolio. These are a couple of the shots he considers "keepers" from the day! Above is a church on Michigan Ave. He didn't know which one but it sure is pretty, no?

Some huge-normous buildings along the river. Dale said he walked for miles and had an enjoyable day.

This is his favorite photo from the day downtown. I like the twist of shadows and the city in the background. Dale said he had to wait quite awhile for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds.

Random Life Stuff

Here is a poor photo of my new beloved lamp! It's THE HOTTNESS. It's so deliciously weird. I really can't take my eyes off of it!

And to commemorate the big day, I took photos of us at breakfast; we were deliriously happy with visions of gold tacky antique lamps dancing in our heads:

I almost look tipsy! And slightly cross-eyed. Weird.
--rebecca

What's up with Dale?

He got a new coffeemaker and is in hot pursuit of the perfect cuppajoe! He's making two or three pots a day with a strange alchemy involving a variety of coffee types, a new grind for each style of coffee and on and on. It's quite the experiment. Good thing I like coffee! --Rebecca

I made awesome pancakes for b'fast using the most awesome mix from American Spoon Foods.
I got the mix from Rebecca for Christmas and I've been ordering it ever since. It's heavenly! I like the wheat and malt mix best. YUMMY! Buy some, yo!