Discovery Green

Today Dustin and I took a short drive down to Discovery Green in downtown to try out his new Nikon D5000 and 18-105mm VR lens.  The weather was gloomy, but we did meet some fellow photogs while out on our shoot.  Lunch was at Bigs on Montrose, and the sliders left little reason to come back for more.

Amazon Wish Lists

In the spirit of Christmas, sometimes it is easier to shop for someone when you know what they want.  Make an Amazon Wish List to make sure you get what you are looking for.  I have posted these known Wish Lists on the right navigation bar somewhere, and have taken a quick look at them.  Not sure what is up with Kim wanting kids stuff for Christmas, maybe Zach needs his own . . .

If you haven't checked out Amazon's Universal Wishlist, I would recommend that as you can put things that are not sold on Amazon.com in your special list.

Here are some Amazon Wish Lists that I am keeping my eye on . . .
David Segura, Courtney Stebner, Chase Stebner,
Aaron Stebner, Kimberley Stebner, Zachary Stebner

Still waiting on Wish Lists from these fools peeps . . .
Dustin Russell, Emil Salameh, Elena Salameh, Jacob, and Stephen

Update 12/01 - Zach has his own wishlist!!!!!!

Baybrook Mall and the Gingerbread Man

Today we went to have lunch with my parents, then to hit the Lego store in Baybrook Mall for some Christmas presents.  We did spend some coin at the store, and while Courtney went to Yankee Candle (gay), Chase and I went to snack on some Gingerbread (Wo)Man.

Stephen's Birthday Party

This should be considered a PART DEUX to the last post, but I thought this deserved a new post.  So maybe his birthday was really last week . . . and maybe you can't even tell that this party was in the museum, or a big white garage . . . but it was fun.
The kids started the day with some drawrings (yes I said that) and some coloring, then off to see some Mummy, or just some stuff that they use to make a mummy.  Then back to the room to catch some salmonella playing with the reptiles.  When it was all said and done, we had less than 30 minutes to eat some cold pizza and some salmonella cake (yet to be determined), which was actually quite delicious (the cake, not the pizza).
Anyway here are the shots, click on a picture for the photo gallery . . .

Houston Museum of Natural Science

We went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science today to go to Stephen's birthday party and had some time to see the stuff in the museum.  Chase loved it as it was his first time to see the dinosaur goodies and the other cool stuff.  Click on Chase's face to see the rest of the pictures . . .

Reds Game 8

Well in this game the Reds played what looks to be the Little League World Series winners . . . as they were much older and bigger than our guys.  We still have a good game and gave them a good fight (see the pic of us smacking them), but it would have been better to play someone our own age I guess

Reds Game 7

Another game another win . . . I think.

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.