Fires above Palm Springs

I was driving home from Carl's Jr. and saw the flames dancing on the ridges and valley of the San Jacinto Mountains, just south of town. The fire had been reported as starting on the Idyllwild side during the afternoon and came over the crest of the mountains by nightfall, and made a feeble run at the Indian Canyons valley floor. As of now, the winds have subsided, and it appears this fire will be handled quickly by the firefighters who have hiked up to stamp it out.

Restaurant Hama

Formerly Sushi Hama, this Venice sushi bar gets good reviews from many sources, including Frommer's in the NY Times. I think it just looks cool.

More from Venice Beach...

The guy on the wall was yakking on his phone... must've been at it for over a half-hour. Amazing how many people passed by on their bike, skateboard, and rollerblades yakking on their phones too.

I guess it's been almost two months... jeez.

Spent the day at the beach. Rode my bike from the Santa Monica Pier to Will Rogers State Beach (about 2 miles) where the path ends out onto the PCH. I turned around because I didn't want to dodge traffic. If you've ever driven the PCH north side of Santa Monica you know what I mean. Read my book there at Will Rogers and had a nice rest with the whole beach to myself pretty much! Rode back, got some lunch, and went to Venice Beach to take some pics. Always love people watching at Venice Beach.

Desert Poppy

Today I hiked Lost Palms Oasis at Cotton Spring in Joshua Tree NP. Wildflowers are starting to pop here and there all over the desert. I passed oodles of them on the way into the park, but managed to find more on my hike. There is something about roadside flora that seems cheap and dirty.

Araby Trail

Yeah, I'm back in Palm Springs... that's the Bob Hope Estate in the lower left.

2007 Twin Cities Marathon

The marathon course goes right by my house, so I got my ass outta bed on a Sunday morning and got a few nice shots. These are all the front-runners leading the pack. They are probably just over a mile into the race at this point.

Christy Love and You Know Who

Christy Love and You Know Who, originally uploaded by timophoto.

Christy Love made Boogie Wonderland huge in the Twin Cites. She is a great singer and an energetic performer.

Big Check

Master of Ceremonies, Dark Star, presents a check on behalf of Canterbury Downs to 35W Bridge Relief Benefit Concert organizers for minnesotahelps.org.

35W Bridge Relief Benefit Concert

I recently participated in the 35W Bridge Relief Benefit Concert, as an event photographer, which took place at the Fineline Music Cafe in Minneapolis. It was a great success, raising $40,000 for affected families of the disaster. There were many local and national sponsors who donated items for the silent auctions and raffles. The Fineline donated a portion of bar sales. Canterbury Downs donated a check totaling $5,000, and was presented by the evening’s master of ceremonies, Dark Star, from WCCO radio.

I was truly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this cause with all the top-notch organizers and participants who made this event truly remarkable. Some of the bands were instrumental and at the forefront of organizing the event and making it come together in a very short period of time. The staff at the Fineline were more than accommodating in providing the venue. It was great seeing the nice turn-out and all the news coverage the event created. This was truly a testament to the real sense of community and genuine caring and humanity which we are all so very fortunate to have all around us in this great city and state. I am very proud to be Minnesota born and raised... I will always be a Minnesota boy, no matter where my journey’s in life take me.

If you are still wondering how you can help those affected by the 35W bridge collapse, please give a visit to www.minnesotahelps.org to find out more. I would also suggest looking for other benefits forthcoming in the Twin Cities area in which you can volunteer and participate in. It has made a huge impact on me and helped me deal with the difficulty I had accepting that something this devastating can really actually happen... right here, right now, and to me and you.

I took over 1200 photos during the seven hours at the benefit concert. Following are some of the highlights of the bands performances and also presentations from a few noted individuals. I will provide future links, when available, to view more of the photos.

Hairball

Hairball, originally uploaded by timophoto.

Headlining the 35W Bridge Benefit Concert at the Fineline Sunday night was Hairball. It was awesome to see all the great bands and be a part of such a great cause! Last tally was about $40,000 raised to assist families affected by the bridge collapse.

Jellybean Johnson

Jellybean Johnson, originally uploaded by timophoto.

Jamming the Uptown Art Festival on a rainy Saturday night.

I-35W in the Mississippi River

top_20070801_4047 copy.jpg, originally uploaded by timophoto.

Huge deck section at a 45-degree angle, jutting out from the east bank. You can see more sections of the bridge near the center of photograph and to the right, just below the drop created by the lock and dam. The bridge in the background it is the Cedar Ave. Bridge, which paralleled I-35W. The bridge support in foreground is old and left behind from a previous structure that was removed.