Gift-a-Portrait No. 1

The very first Gift-a-Portrait recipients: Adorable, Fun and Silly... yes, all three adjectives beginning with capital letters, because shooting with them was a Blast!

Leah and Giselle were such cuties. They were both silly in a good and fun way. Enjoy.

Coffee and Cars - December 2012

Houston Coffee and Cars

December 1, 2012

Vintage Park, Houston, TX

I have finally gotten the chance to go through my December C&C photos, and actually got the motivation to edit them. The last meet of the year proved to be a big one in terms of car and spectator attendance. While there were a lot of frequent attendees, there were some that I have just seen this month (completely relying on my faltering memory).

The number of cars were at a record high, but I was not too impressed with the type and quality of cars that I saw. Although I might just have been at the wrong area at the wrong time. Having said that, some cars caught my attention, and they have been duly rewarded with a snap or two, or many.

This month's coverage would include a vicious domestic muscle mutant, a raw hot rod, and three Japanese oldies but goodies (including an international favorite off-road vehicle).

New Fixie

As you might have known, my first mountain bike was stolen. It was heart breaking to say the least... considering how patient I was on holding off on buying a bike, and adding to that how excited I was when I finally got the opportunity to actually buy one. The Marin that I eventually got was a pretty good deal - an intermediate bike that was substantially discounted to reach the price point of a beginner bike. 

I waited for a few months before finally deciding on which type of bike to get as a replacement. Once again, I found a good deal, online on Black Friday. The buying experience was better and more exciting this time around; mainly because my wife bought it for me as an early Christmas gift, and because I did not know which color combination of bike I was getting (mystery bike deal).

Enter the Phantom 2.0 from State Bicycle Co. The bicycle has a fixed gear, with a flip-flop hub for free-wheel. It looks stunning, and the ride is awesome. Today was the first time I took it out on the bike trail, and I logged 9.8 "sMILES" (smile + miles).

The weather was perfect, and the sunset was breath-taking. I'm hoping to keeping this bike for as long as I can ride, and maybe upgrading it along the way. More sMILES to come.

NOTE: Please excuse the usage of a rock to prop the bicycle up.