Chase Eating Donuts

Chase sure loves his filled donuts. I thought these pictures were too cute to not share. He had chocolate filled, then had some Apple Fritter . . .

Chase's First Bike Ride

Chase got to take his birthday bike (thanks Aaron) out for its inaugural ride in the hood and I had my camera along to take some pictures.  We weren't out that long as the sun was going down, but he had a blast.

Nikon 24-70mm With Lens Hoodie and Sleeve

And finally my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G with the Op/Tech Lens Sleeve (6") and the LensCoat Hoodie (Small). I keep this lens on my camera mostly, so I have did not order the pouch for it. More pictures are in the gallery when you click on the picture.
The combo can be ordered from Adorama at the links below:
$9.95 OpTech Lens Sleeve (6")
$12.99 LensCoat Hoodie (Small)

Update 02.09 - I added a LensCoat LensPouch Large Wide pouch to complete the combo!

Nikon 14-24mm With Lens Hoodie, Sleeve, and Pouch

Here is what my Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G lens looks like with the Op/Tech Lens Sleeve (4") and the LensCoat Hoodie (Medium). Excellent protection for this. I also ordered a LensCoat LensPouch (Medium Wide) for storage. More pictures are in the gallery when you click on the picture.
The whole combo can be ordered from Adorama at the links below:
$8.95 OpTech Lens Sleeve (4")
$13.75 LensCoat Hoodie (Medium)
$17.99 LensCoat LensPouch (Medium Wide)

Nikon 50mm With Lens Hoodie, Sleeve, and Pouch

I am very anal about lens protection for my Nikon and I think I have finally found what I feel is the best combination of protection for my lenses that get put in my camera bag.
I have been using the LensCoat Hoodie Lens Caps on my lenses, and I just got some Op/Tech USA Lens Sleeves to match.

For the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G I purchased a LensCoat Hoodie (Small) and a Op/Tech Lens Sleeve (3").

Op/Tech makes a "Hood Hat" but I prefer the LensCoat variety since they include a hard plastic/foam insert to protect the front element. The same insert is found in the bottom of their pouches as well.  The "leather" tab also appears to be thicker and stronger than the ones on the Op/Tech variety.

When the pair is used in combination, it provides excellent protection for the lens. I typically use keep this lens with the hood on at all times, and I believe that if your are a "hoodless" shooter, it will work as well, but the LensCoat Hoodie XS may be required for the perfect fit.
The padding seems more than adequate and the neoprene will provide excellent moisture restistance due to the rubber inside.  I have no problems putting this lens now in a non-photo backpack if I need to take it on the go.

I also purchased a LensCoat LensPouch (Small Wide) to keep this lens in for storage, although when I shoot, I can leave this at home.  This is ideal since the hard foam/plastic inserts makes the lens "float" in the middle of the pouch with protection on the top and bottom.

The whole combo can be ordered from Adorama at the links below:
$7.95 OpTech Lens Sleeve (3")
$12.99 LensCoat Hoodie (Small)
$16.99 LensCoat LensPouch (Small Wide)

Full pictures are in the slideshow which are linked by clicking on either picture.  I will post pictures for the Nikon 14-24mm and the 24-70mm later today.

Reds Game 3

Chase and the rest of the Reds had a good game on Saturday. They came up with the "W" in a 15-14 squeaker past the Braves.
Chase was the first batter and the first run that was made in the game . . . we are very proud of him as he gets better through the season.

Congrats!

Reds Game 2

Chase (and the rest of the Reds) played his second game of T-Ball tonight.  Pictures were hard to get since it was a night game, and it gets dark early.
I think the Reds came up with the win . . . and except for the ants biting my feet, all was good.
I will pass on the flip flops next time.

Chase and Aaron

We went to lunch today at Miyako's for some sushi and I took these pictures as we were leaving.  Chase and Aaron looked so cute together, and no the matching color shirts was not planned . . . I think.

Baby Zach in Adobe Lightroom

I played around a bit in Adobe Lightroom and came out with some nice soft effects.  These pictures are from my little experiment.
I had these pictures printed up from Walgreens in 4x6, but Aaron took them all back with him to Seattle . . .

Chase's Second 6th Birthday Party

Chase's 6th birthday was on Tuesday, but we decided to have a party for him today since the Seattle Stebners were in town.
I was quite disappointed with the cake design from the Frosted Bakery.  I asked for a Star Wars cake, and had some figures to put on top, and I got what looked like an X-Men "X" on the top of the cake.  We had to get them to write "Happy Birthday Chase" on it when we went to pick it up.
Needless to say, I was expecting to have some Star Wars design, not a "runway" that they put on the cake.  The cake was yummy though . . .

Meeting Baby Zach

We got to spend some time with Aaron, Kim, and baby Zach Stebner today and see him for the first time.  Zach was born August 1, 2009.
Chase loved meeting his new cousin, and Courtney got to hold him a few times without him crying.
I even had the chance to spend some time humming to him . . .

Red's First Game

Well the Red's had their first game at Queenston Field today . . . it was a good game and there were some amazing plays.  Chase did well, although we need to get him smaller pants, socks that don't go to his waist, and a belt to keep his pants up.  Next game is this Saturday morning . . . and Aaron, Kim, and Zach will be there to watch as well

Civic Needs Fixin'

Well I find myself at Goodson Honda again today as my car is making some strange noises. I had Honda do some routine maintenance last Friday as I was approaching the 50K marker. They replaced the transmission blood, tire rotation, oil change, and much needed windshield wipers, just in time for the rain over the weekend. When I left the dealership last Friday, my car was making some strange vibrations and noises from the front wheels. Today they say that my alignment was off on the rear, and it messed up my tires. I directed them to Honda TSB 08-001 which addresses the issue I am having. Let's see if they replace my tires while they are at it as they are messed up now.

Houston Texans vs Oakland Raiders

I got to take Chase to his first NFL game to see the Houston Texans romp all over the Oakland Raiders. Chase had a blast the first half, but quickly got tired of the game. I guess there was not much of a game with the Raiders not able to do anything with the ball.
We got to see my buddy Damien and his Orange 11 Tailgaters. I managed to sneak in my Nikon D700 and my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens into the game. Click on the picture for the slideshow

Chase at T-Ball Practice

Chase had T-Ball practice today and here are some of the pictures that made it to the photo lab to get printed. Doesn't he look cute in the catcher's uniform? Click on the picture for the slideshow.