Omaha Daily Photo

Fireworks!

2011-05-20T20:21:00.001-06:00

This is an Instagram of an iPhone photo of the new stadium near my house. I love being able to see the fireworks from my window!!

Happy New Stadium!!!

2011-04-22T00:08:00.000-06:00

The brand spankin' new TD Ameritrade Ballpark in Omaha opened this week! I'm SOOO stoked about the stadium being open! I live a few blocks away, and I can't wait for the College World Series to be held there this year. I got to tour the whole stadium this week, and I kinda wish I played baseball;)
This isn't the best stadium shot, and I'll definitely be posting more, but the moon through the stadium lights in this shot makes me pretty happy.

Happy Sunday!

2011-04-17T12:52:00.000-06:00

This was actually taken last Sunday morning, but I love that I could capture the beautiful sky with my phone!

Mary Poppins is in town!

2011-01-30T13:38:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen it, check it out at the Orpheum Theater! (www.Orpheum-theater.org)

Omaha is pretty in the Fall!

2010-10-18T17:20:00.000-06:00

Omaha Fashion Week

2010-09-25T18:50:00.000-06:00

What a fabulous show! More links and photos soon, but this was my view for the finale of Omaha Fashion Week. ;)

After the storm.....

2010-09-15T16:59:00.001-06:00

This was my view out the window after a very rainy afternoon the other day! Beautiful. Enjoy!

Pretty awesome sky...

2010-07-18T20:01:00.001-06:00

I love my neighborhood....

2010-06-15T09:55:00.001-06:00

View from the rooftop hot tub. I love North Downtown Omaha!

Omaha Farmers' Market

2010-05-08T11:53:00.000-06:00

Oh, what a beautiful day!!

Tornado watch weather...

2010-04-30T14:46:00.001-06:00

I love it! ;)

Happy Weekend!

Awesome view...

2010-04-07T18:57:00.001-06:00

I love the view from the roof of my new apartment!!

It's been too long...

2010-04-06T14:04:00.003-06:00

So many things have changed this year! Change is good, though;)
I have so many photos lately, but most Omaha photos have been on my iPhone. In the interest
of starting up again with this view into the Omaha that I see, you may see quite a bit
of iphonography in the future. We'll see how it goes!
This photo was my view lately on a life-changing trip!

First snow!

2009-10-11T20:58:00.002-06:00

As I was getting ready to go shoot a wedding yesterday, I glanced out the window
to find this. What in the world happened to fall?

UNWASHED

2009-03-06T00:55:00.002-06:00

So, I have been a little absent lately, but I have literally taken THOUSANDS of images in the last month! And with a new camera, too! ;-) Here is one of the shots I took at the UNWASHED art show opening event at the Bancroft gallery. This show was organized by my friend, Joel "Mighty" Damon. More to come!

Backstage Fun...

2009-01-19T21:38:00.003-06:00

These are some of the guys that I got to hang out with at the Magnolia Hotel this past Saturday night. Earlier in the day, I was downtown for a rehearsal for a super exciting, fabulous event that is coming up soon, and through some random networking, ended up last-minute shooting a fashion show that night! The show was a Fashion Bar event with Agency 89 and clothes by Torrid. The room was packed and everyone was excited about the show. As a photographer, I had a lot of fun, but next time I'll make sure I have some more time to prepare and get more fun runway shots than I was able to get this time. Here is a little backstage fun, with Blake and some of the models!

Largest Christmas Tree EVER....

2009-01-09T13:04:00.002-06:00

Ok, well, it's maybe not the largest one in the world, but the Christmas Tree at the Western Heritage Museum (the old train station in Omaha) is not a small tree! I remember going there when I was little and almost being convinced that Santa had put it there, because there didn't seem to be a door large enough to bring it in. I know how they get it inside now, but it's still one of my favorite things to see in the city at Christmas time.
(Lots of fun - non-Christmas related - things coming up, but I wanted to make sure to post the tree!)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T17:59:00.001-06:00

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas - full of blessings and more joy than you could imagine!!!

More birds...

2008-12-22T23:21:00.005-06:00

So, I guess I am keeping with the bird theme;-) I shot this on a photo shoot that I did last weekend. It was a beautiful day out! Around 45-50 degrees, which is a heat wave for Omaha in December! The very next day, the temperature went down to 2 degrees, and I heard on the radio that the wind chill was -28 degrees! Crazy.....I really hope these little guys found somewhere warm!

Ducks Almost in a Row

2008-12-21T16:39:00.002-06:00

So, the last few months I have been in the process of starting my photography business! I'm so excited, and I can't wait to get out there and take more photos. I feel like the business was starting itself before I thought I was really ready for it! I've been feeling like I have to catch up....but I'm a little more relaxed now. I am just taking things one step at a time. I still have a day job that I absolutely love, so I'm not looking to leave it any time soon. However, awesome things have been happening so far for Fandango Fotos! So now that I finally feel like my ducks are almost in a row (haha...get it? ;-) ), I want to keep up this blog again as well, as a way of showing off the thriving metropolis that is Omaha!

Oh, how I miss the leaves already!

2008-11-10T11:54:00.002-06:00

I actually took this photo earlier this year in April as I was eagerly awaiting more signs of spring! It's hard to believe how fast time is flying by, and now the trees are once again starting to look like this as winter approaches much more quickly than I would like to believe. Time for hibernation!

ps - and now that I finally have my business blog set up and things are moving well in that area, hopefully, I will be back to post here more often.

We need some tropical weather!

2008-05-28T22:43:00.001-06:00

Omaha is not what you would call "tropical". We have our really hot and muggy days in the summer, but the majority of the time, "tropical" is what we dream of when vacation comes to mind. This week has been rainy and today is actually pretty chilly, so here's a reminder that summer is really on the way!

El Oso Perez

2008-05-26T14:36:00.002-06:00

So, it would seem that last September I kind of dropped off the face of the earth.....or at least the Daily Photo world. I'm terribly sorry to have left without warning. Today's photo of a sloth at the Henry Doorly Zoo is to represent my hibernating through the winter and abandoning my poor little blog here.
I still take photos pretty much every day, and have more than made up for my lost blogging time on flickr.com.
Now that I have some business/login issues taken care of I would like to restart my city photo blogging. There are still many great things to take photos of in this city. And as another update: I have two new cameras since I left here!! I received a Canon Rebel XT and a Canon G7 for Christmas, and I couldn't be happier!
So, I don't expect anyone to still be checking in here, but if you do, I hope you will accept me back into the daily city photoblog world!

Animoto=Amazing

2007-09-18T02:05:00.001-06:00

Check out my new video! You guys have to try out this site!

Heaven will have a chocolate fountain!

2007-09-14T11:38:00.000-06:00

No celebration should be called complete without a chocolate fountain, and some great fruit to dip in it! This was part of the dessert table at the banquet that I mentioned yesterday.

Centerpiece....

2007-09-12T23:53:00.000-06:00

My church, Core Community, held a banquet on Sunday in honor of our campaign to create a community center.
Our vision is "To acquire a community center to serve the city that would also provide worship space. We envision a space that is a hub of multiple communities - artists, musicians, the physically needy, businessmen... Leadership forums, regional training, music venue, art gallery, social mercy..."
You can learn more about it at our website: www.corecommunity.org

Still celebrating....

2007-09-11T00:37:00.001-06:00

Wow, those shots look HUGE!! These were enjoyed recently to celebrate a friend's birthday. Yesterday we celebrated with fireworks, today with shots....we will see how we can celebrate tomorrow!

Long overdue video....

2007-09-10T02:07:00.000-06:00

I promised a looong time ago to post my little video of the 4th of July fireworks, but I didn't know how to post it until now finally Blogger has a little video button. So, here are some fireworks to start out the week with a bang!

Back to Ribfest...

2007-09-06T07:18:00.001-06:00

I kind of got ahead of myself....this is the stage where my friends played at Ribfest last month. The stage was amazing, and it was great to hear them on such a big scale. I'll post a video soon so you can all hear this great band that i keep talking about. In the meantime, go to www.myspace.com/chrissaubmusic where you can hear his songs. He even has a new single on myspace that won't be out until September 15th when his newest CD is released. If you are in Omaha, check out his schedule on Myspace and go visit us!

Omaha at night....

2007-09-03T20:40:00.000-06:00

After a concert the other night I was walking around downtown with a new friend. The weather was beautiful, and everything looked so pretty that I just had to take some photos. We walked around the lake on this path you can see here. Well, I walked along the rocks on the side of the path, and was reminded of the times my dad took me there when I was little. I loved to walk on those rocks, but my dad didn't so much like the fact that they drop off into the lake. Well, I never fell off then (or now), but I did sit down on them to take this picture. There are ducks on the lake/pond, and they swim up close to the rocks when people feed them bread crumbs. So, this is my take on a "bird's eye view" of Omaha's skyline.

Ribfest

2007-08-30T22:20:00.000-06:00

Here is another shot from Ribfest. These booths were in the bottom corner of yesterday's photo.

Update: Oops. I looked closer....these booths were actually to the RIGHT of the booths in the bottom corner of yesterday's photos. :-) There were a lot of booths!

Storm clouds rolling in....

2007-08-29T23:10:00.000-06:00

The last week or so has been full of thunderstorms. I love to watch and listen to storms. My friend, Chris Saub, and his band played at Ribfest. I'll post more pictures in the next few days of the booths close up, but I love this one of the clouds coming in. As soon as the band finished packing up and got on the road, it started pouring.

A question of Black and White...

2007-08-23T10:20:00.001-06:00

Most of my photos lately have been of music events, so I decided to give you a break from that and show you a little bit more of the city. This photo was taken at Village Pointe. It was not so many years ago that the most frequent dining that went on in this area was done by cows. Ok, well, really I don't know what exactly was there, but there wasn't much. Now, however, you will find a beautiful and classy shopping, dining, and entertainment area. During the summer, there is an open area where you can bring a lawn chair and listen to live music. My friend Chris, who you have read about before, has played there a few times. The area really is quite pretty, with flowers and sculptures in the roundabout driving areas, like the one in the picture.

Braving the heat.....

2007-08-22T14:22:00.000-06:00

Here is part of of the crowd who braved the incredible heat to stay outside and listen the music at the Taste of West Omaha. The blue and white striped tents housed some of the different food vendors who participated.

Rock Stars!!

2007-08-21T11:07:00.001-06:00

Here is Lemon Fresh Day again, along with my beautiful friend and amazing business mentor, Aileen. She wants to be a rock star and she put on a great show up on stage - for one song at least.

A Taste of Lemon...

2007-08-20T11:19:00.000-06:00

Here is another shot of Lemon Fresh Day at the Taste of West Omaha event. They put on a great show. I'll post a shot of the crowd tomorrow.

Singing at the Taste of West Omaha

2007-08-16T10:52:00.001-06:00

Here is my friend, Danny Garcia, singing with Lemon Fresh Day at the Taste of West Omaha. Roja, a Mexican restaurant is in the background. The stage was set up in the parking lot, and there were many food booths from different vendors, and tables set up all around the lot. According to the event's website, despite the extreme heat, over 15,000 people attended the weekend 2 day event on August 4th and 5th. It was definitely hot out there, but it was a lot of fun. When the guys played the sun was pretty much right behind them, so I didn't get great pictures of the stage, but some of the closeups came out alright.

Lemon Fresh Day...

2007-08-15T01:20:00.000-06:00

Lemon Fresh Day played recently at the Taste of West Omaha, and I will be posting a few more photos in the next few days. Also, more about the event tomorrow.

I actually watched another band!!

2007-08-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

I have a couple of friends who laugh because the only band I go to see all of the time in Omaha is the Chris Saub Band. Well, I recently went to a couple of shows of another band - Lemon Fresh Day. They played a couple of weeks ago at the Prestige World Class Lounge. We had a great time at the shows, and I got some fun shots of my friend Danny in the band.

Hello, again!!

2007-08-13T23:50:00.001-06:00

I have posted a photo of Myth before, but I had to show them off again! Omaha is getting cooler all the time - and this place is one of my favorites! Brian and Joanna, the owners in the picture, are fun and friendly, and extremely COOL! If you are in Omaha, you have to head on down to the Old Market, stroll around and take in the sights, then grab a table at Myth and cool off with one of their tasty martinis. On Thursdays, you can sit back and listen to some of Omaha's finest musicians.

*Now, really, if that didn't merit a comment from a certain lurker out there, then I will have to draw on some creativity that I don't think i have in me!! :-)

Band shot at the concert...

2007-07-26T23:50:00.000-06:00

Here you can see more of the band! The horn players joined in on the recording of the last album, and it is great fun to see them live!

It's been toooooo long....

2007-07-25T23:43:00.000-06:00

Here is my friend Chris (Chris Saub - I have shown pics of his amazing band before!) playing in an outdoor concert at the Village Pointe stage. They have an outdoor concert series in the summer, and it is a great family event. There were a LOT of people there that day!!

*PS - I have started a business! I am super excited, but that has kept me a bit occupied lately. I'm starting to get back into a routine again, so I will hopefully once again be joining the faithful daily posters! No promises - I will take it one day at a time.....:-)

A few more fireworks......

2007-07-09T18:18:00.001-06:00

Thanks for the comments last time! Here is another shot of the fireworks from the 4th.

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2007-07-04T23:21:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to watch the fireworks from the roof of Harrah's Casino, in Council Bluffs across the river. On the left is Omaha's skyline. It was an amazing show!!

Snake spit....

2007-06-30T12:14:00.001-06:00

....because really, what's more fun than getting spit on by a snake???

Worth the wait!

2007-06-21T01:06:00.000-06:00

It was great fun watching the kids wait for these buckets to flip! They would get so excited and would all scream as they saw the bucket start to tip over.

Sorry again, about the wait! I've been having internet issues this week. However, I do have good news!! I finally bought Photoshop Elements. I'm so glad I did. I didn't realize it had so many capabilities. Now, I can do a little more to my photos that pass them through a quick crop and enhance in iPhoto. So, bear with me as I learn how to master Photoshop!

Hero of the day!

2007-06-18T23:05:00.000-06:00

Another photo from the water park. This guy was the hero of the day for all of the smaller kids. The buckets in the photo periodically fill up with water, and then, when they are full enough, they spill over and splash all of the kids below. Well, it seems that sometimes this did not happen soon enough. Imagine the happy screaming from all of these kids when this guy was successful in tipping the bucket!

Summer fun

2007-06-15T20:29:00.000-06:00

My favorite 9 yr old decided to have his birthday party at a water park here in town. I work days, so by the time I leave work, the hottest part of the day is usually over, so it was great fun to be outside all day!! I have several pictures I'll be posting of this great park, but these girls seemed to have to right idea for keeping cool.

Nice chandelier....

2007-06-13T22:19:00.000-06:00

Here is the bar area of the Stumble Inn. The big bull-pen was off to the right as I took this picture. The antler chandelier was begging to be shared. I was holding the camera up, waiting for people to move so I could take the picture, and didn't notice the smoke until after I took it, but I think it looks kind of cool. This bar is not technically within Omaha city limits. Last year Omaha passed a smoking ban law, so most places are now smoke free.

Rodeo

2007-06-12T21:29:00.000-06:00

Sorry, everyone! I know it's not a great quality photo, but really, the bull-riding still makes me giggle when I think about it. Somehow, I can't imagine getting up voluntarily in front of all of those people to get thrown off a fake bull, much less paying for the experience. Large quantities of alcohol would have to be consumed, and I'm not really much of a drinker. Still I applaud these brave souls....they have more guts than I do! I'd much rather stand outside the ring and take pictures!!

Ride 'em Cowboy!

2007-06-11T00:59:00.000-06:00

A friend recently took me to the Stumble Inn. We had a blast hanging out with some friends and watching the brave (and/or possible drunk) souls who rode this mechanical bull in front of everyone in the bar. The place has wood floors, antler chandeliers, and this huge pen in the middle where you can pay to ride the bull. I got some great photos, but no bull-riding for me that day.

Posting has been sporadic this week, sorry about that! Thanks for those of you who keep coming back to visit! I love, love, looove my job at the hospital, and I know how lucky I am to be able to say that, but after all, it is a hospital, and we deal with emotional things like illness and death. As an interpreter, I get to know my patients very well sometimes. This past week or so has been very emotional and tiring with one family in particular, and I haven't made it out to take many photos. It's a blessing to know that in some small way, I can help make a difficult time for someone maybe just a tad brighter.
However, my camera and I are planning to spend a lot more quality time together in the upcoming days!! :-)
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Life Net....

2007-06-07T13:28:00.001-06:00

At the Donate Life event that I posted about recently, the Life-Net helicopter made its annual appearance. They open the helicopter for taking pictures, getting in to see what it's like inside, and the pilots are there to answer questions. The kids love it! I work with some of the EMTs who fly sometimes, so it's fun to see them there. Close to the end of the event, the helicopter takes off and everyone can watch - from the safe distance behind the row of security guards whose elbows are in the picture. I'm very proud of my hospital! Patients are brought in from many places, and I frequently hear/see the helicopter as I'm arriving or leaving work.

Woodmen Tower

2007-06-06T22:44:00.001-06:00

The Woodmen Tower, in downtown Omaha, was the tallest building in the city for over 30 years. With 30 stories, it reaches a height of 478 ft. It is the home of the Woodmen of the World insurance company. In 2002, First National Bank's opened its new headquarters in a 634ft building which now ranks as the tallest. The Woodmen Tower has been my "skyline" since I was little and moved here. I was driving downtown recently and snapped this photo from my car (hence the fuzziness). There was an eerie glow to the city that night, and I like the light in this photo.

Progress....

2007-06-04T20:11:00.001-06:00

This is a new shopping center that is being built in my old stomping grounds. I grew up in a suburb of Omaha. This is in Papillion, where I went to high school. When I was little, and not even that long ago, this whole area was farmland. I was amazed to see all of the stores that are already opened in the area. It will be beautiful when it is finished, but it was kind of sad also. The whole area is soooo different from how I remember it. I guess it's all in the name of progress.

Omaha has the best music!!!

2007-06-03T20:59:00.000-06:00

These are my friends! Chris Saub, Matthew Tobias, and Steve Packwood. They are the Chris Saub Trio, and the best band in Omaha, and pretty much anywhere. It's possible that I could be (slightly) biased, but they are amazingly talented. They played a few days ago at a bar called Two Fine Irishmen, and that is where I took this picture. I took a short video of them also, and as soon as I figure out how to put it up here, I will do so. In the meantime, check out their website and listen to their music www.chrissaub.com. The guys, and Chris by himself, play all around town, about 4 times a week. They played at the Omaha Entertainment Awards (this past January was the first year), and are frequently featured on the radio here in Omaha. To give you an idea, here is a description from their website about the newest CD:
"Aero Regalla" contains 12 new vibrant tracks. Though the album falls under the umbrella of Pop Rock and Roll, listeners will be delighted to find tracks representing other genres: Big Band Swing, Party Funk, and Smokey Rhythm and Blues, all accompanied by a new horn section. A "love opus" and a "soaring anthem" are accompanied by a string section. Even the "Rock and Roll" songs have their unique influences: 60's Brit Rock, 70's Riff Rock (Led Zepplin), coupled with modern tonality and freshness. Intelligent lyrics, creative arrangements and eclectic pop songwriting will allow this album to stand on it's own.

Theme day - View from your bedroom.....

2007-06-01T19:47:00.000-06:00

The view from my balcony is much more fun....but here you see the view from my room, which is the theme after all! Sadly, my flower boxes have no flowers.....They will soon, but I'm not known for my gardening skills. I'm working on that. From the balcony the only view is of the sky and the trees, which I love. If you look back in my archives, I actually have a few pictures taken from my balcony. During the crazy snowstorms, it was the safest place outside to take pictures! And the lightning shot that I posted was also taken from the balcony whose corner is visible here.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Theme day shots from these great cities:

Seattle (WA), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Toruń, Poland - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Madison (WI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Omaha (NE), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stockholm, Sweden - Grenoble, France - Lubbock (TX), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Hyde, UK - Joplin (MO), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Kansas City (MO), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Manila, Philippines - Sydney, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - London, UK - Chandler (AZ), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Singapore, Singapore - Hamburg, Germany - Sydney, Australia - Tenerife, Spain - Moscow, Russia - Lyon, France - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Evry, France - Hayle, UK - Mumbai, India - Kitakami, Japan - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - La Antigua, Guatemala - Paderborn, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Madrid, Spain - Lyon, France - Selma (AL), USA - Shanghai, China - Baziège, France - Cologne (NRW), Germany - North Bay (ON), Canada - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Stayton (OR), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Hong Kong, China - Trier, Germany - Joensuu, Finland - Paris, France - Greenville (SC), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Cork, Ireland - Bastia, France - Vancouver, Canada - Brookville (OH), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Mainz, Germany - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Torino, Italy - Montréal (QC), Canada

In the clear...

2007-05-31T15:38:00.000-06:00

Hey, everyone, I'm back!! I was a little over-ambitious and still had planned to post in the last few days....hmmm....I'll think better next time and warn you. I was on call from Sun afternoon until Tues morning, and still worked my regular shift Tues. Wednesday was still kind of a blur. So, now my sleep schedule is now back to normal, which means I am no longer a zombie and will return to regular posting. I love my job, so understand that I'm not complaining about the overtime, but it does leave a little less time for other interests! Today's photo is one from the storms a couple of weeks ago. I heard an announcement a few minutes ago about a storm watch, so this might be going on outside again. Have a great day everyone!

Meet your thoughts here....

2007-05-26T17:57:00.000-06:00

The title of my post was the inspiration of the name for this great new music venue, Myth, in downtown! I love the title, and I fell in love with the place as soon as I walked in the door. Omaha has a great local music scene, and we have been sadly without a great new acoustic music venue for a while. My friend Chris Saub (the best musician anywhere, in my opinion! Check out his website to hear some amazing music!) played there on the opening night. I got to meet the owners afterwards. They are the couple in the photo, with one of the bartenders in the middle. The place has a great atmosphere, wireless internet throughout (soon I will be blogging with a martini in hand!), and NO televisions, which helps a lot with the ambiance. I love the place and will be heading back soon!

If only I were still this flexible!!

2007-05-24T22:49:00.000-06:00

These are 2 of my favorite kids in the whole world. They are my friends' and not mine, but I love them more than I can express, and I'm so blessed to be a part of their lives and to watch them grow up. It definitely is an amazing thing to remember back to changing the diapers of a little tiny baby, then to come back to the moment to watch them do things like this crazy jump!

In a galaxy far, far away.....

2007-05-23T23:21:00.000-06:00

.....actually, it's still just Omaha. Not a quality photo, but I thought is was fun enough to post. The last time that I went out downtown, I came out of a club with a friend, and this is the scene we found in the street. Stormtroopers in the middle of the Old Market. I heard one guy walking by in the street say, "Dude, if I could get chicks like that, I'd dress like a Stormtrooper too!" I took some pictures, but we didn't go talk to them. I'm not sure exactly why they were there, but they were swarmed by people wanting to take pictures of and with them.

No lifeguard on duty....

2007-05-22T23:32:00.000-06:00

This is Lake Manawa, another photo from our day at the lake on Sunday. The little girl by the lifeguard stand is a little friend of mine. It was a beautiful day at the lake. We're planning on going pretty much every Sunday during the summer, so I'm excited. Lake Manawa is actually in Iowa, but it's only a 20 minute drive from my house.

Donate life...

2007-05-21T23:21:00.000-06:00

Saturday was the Life-a-thon, the yearly event sponsored by the Nebraska Medical Center. I work quite a bit with transplant patients, so this is an issue that is very close to my heart. There is a walk/run, a carnival for the kids, a pancake breakfast, and the Life Flight helicopter is there for people to explore. I took my friend's kids (like my niece and nephew) with me and had a blast

A day at the beach....

2007-05-20T23:39:00.001-06:00

No, I was not lucky enough to go on vacation to an ocean this week! I spent the afternoon at the "beach" at Lake Manawa, with some friends. It really is a beach....it's on a lake, so not quite the same as the ocean, but it's the closest you'll find in the middle of the United States. My little friend in the photo here was pretty pleased with herself when she succeeded in completely burying my foot.

Street scene....

2007-05-19T19:32:00.000-06:00

Here is the scene in the street in front of one of the buildings I showed the other day. I'm on my way out to go have a glass of wine on the patio of a French restaurant on this street! I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
Update: We actually ended up going to the Upstream. It is the shorter, tan-colored building in the middle of this photo. We sat on the patio, right under all of the trees you can see in front of the building. The patio is right on the intersection, so there is plenty to see. Last night, there were some people across the street with some amazing telescopes. Our waitress told us that Venus was very close to the moon, or something like that (I'll have to Google it!) and people were paying for a look through the telescope.

M's Pub

2007-05-18T16:06:00.000-06:00

Here we have a couple more of the beautiful old buildings of the market. On the first floor of the one in front, you can see M's Pub, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the Old Market. It is THE place to enjoy a nice relaxing glass of wine out on the patio, watching the people stroll by. Here is what the founder has to say about the place - quote taken from M's Pub's website:

We opened for business on January 18, 1973, to an enthusiastic clientele which we have tried never to disappoint. The present owners cherish the Pub, and have greatly embellished the menu which remains imaginative and unusual.

Is it a restaurant or is it a Pub? Is it, perhaps, closer to being a European cafe? You, dear customer, may be the judge. For it is you who rule in this establishment.

--Mary Vogel, founder of M's Pub in 1972

History and Omaha.....

2007-05-17T22:50:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things about the Old Market is that it is the heart of Omaha's history. Omaha was born and established as a town through these old businesses. As new businesses have taken over, some of the buildings have been torn down, or have had drastic makeovers, but many of them still show the original company names or advertisements. I hope that this sense of history is saved for many years to come.

Music in the Market

2007-05-16T23:48:00.000-06:00

I love the street musicians in the Old Market! I played the flute long ago (and still can - just not nearly as well as before), and I love that this guy played all sorts of songs, with no sheet music, calmly leaning against the railing as the people sped by.

On the patio...

2007-05-15T23:36:00.000-06:00

Mr. Toad's is a great bar on one of the main roads of the Old Market. I have many memories of great get-togethers there with friends for birthdays or other celebrations. This patio, in the picture, is a great spot to have a drink and watch people enjoy the Market.

Hello again!

2007-05-14T20:15:00.000-06:00

Today I'm sharing two photos to make up for the interruption yesterday! I was with my mom, celebrating Mother's Day, and arrived home late at night....to find that my computer would not connect to the internet!
I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! In the first photo, you can see a family ready to head out on a carriage ride....I don't know them, but my story is that they are a mom and her children in honor of Mother's Day!

Here you can see one of the second floor hallways of the Passageway. Walking down this hallway, you can look through little windows on one side to see the great hallway from my photo the other day, and on the other side the entrances to the shops that line the Passageway.

Souq

2007-05-12T13:01:00.000-06:00

This one of my favorite stores down in the Old Market! They have beautiful clothing, decor, and jewelry items. I can almost imagine I am in a far away place as I browse through the beautiful hand-made items from India with the fragrance of incense all around. This is the first store in sight as you enter the Passageway that I showed the other day. This photo shows the outside entrance, but there is a door inside the store that leads to the Passageway. Most of the stores that you can access from inside the Passageway also have doors leading to the outside. It really makes the Passageway seem like a secret world inside.

Stretch....

2007-05-11T22:05:00.000-06:00

So, the other day, I showed you an old-fashioned trolley with a wedding party touring around the Old Market. Today, we see another, more modern mode of transportation for special occasions. Along with spring, comes prom season. I saw from far away that this stretch limo was filled with high school students going to dinner before prom. I did the same thing when I was in high school, and seeing them sure brought back some memories!
**As an added bonus, you can see the air freshener hanging from my rearview mirror, along with the great necklace that my sister brought to me from Namibia! I was on my way home when I saw that the limo was on that street, and had to snap a quick photo. :-)

Worse than legal charges.....

2007-05-10T13:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I mentioned shopping in the Passageway. I tried on a few things, and was delighted to find this sign in the dressing room! I did not shoplift anything, but I did, however, buy a beautiful pink shirt made in India and some pink and sparkly bangle bracelets to match!
I'm not sure exactly how the spotlight effect showed up as I played around with the contrast of the photo, but I thought it was kind of fun and decided to leave it.

Old Market Passageway

2007-05-09T23:05:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite parts of the Old Market is the Passageway. As lovely as it is inside, you can't really tell that it is there from outside. The door looks like the entrance to another store, but upon entering, this is what you see. Along both sides of the bottom, and also of the second floor where I was standing, there are lots of really fun, eclectic stores. I couldn't resist doing a little shopping, and bought some great new bangle bracelets at a store that has lots of different things from India! I haven't eaten at Trini's, the Mexican restaurant in the photo, for a long time, but it was really good the last time I was there - and the delicious smells were making me hungry as I walked around with my camera!

"Just Married"

2007-05-08T16:34:00.000-06:00

Dsole has a good eye! Down in the lower corner of yesterday's photo, you can see the back of this trolley and it's announcement! I almost switched yesterday's photo because it would give this one away. I thought maybe no one would notice, but Dsole was quick! The wedding party in the trolley seemed to enjoy themselves immensely as they toured around the Old Market. Many pedestrians cheered and yelled congratulations as they saw the trolley pass by. This trolley can be rented for weddings, but also for other groups. I have seen it around town since I was little. He is "Ollie, the Trolley", and I will show a couple more pictures of him in the next few days, but today was for Dsole! (Make sure to check out her site, also! She takes some great photographs of Madrid!)

Old Market

2007-05-07T12:41:00.000-06:00

First of all, thank you so much, everyone, for your very nice comments and birthday wishes! I really appreciate them!
A while ago, I posted a couple of pictures of The Old Market, and promised more to come. I went downtown for lunch with my mom for my birthday, and spent some time wandering around with my camera afterwards. In the next few days, I will try to share with you what life is like in the Old Market. This is the place where Omaha was born. Many of the buildings have been there since Omaha first started to grow. For those who take the time to look up, you can see the original names on many of the buildings, giving an idea of what this business district used to be like. With stretch limos driving alongside horse-drawn carriages on the streets of uneven brick, the Old Market is an amalgam of history and modernity, and people from all walks of life, from the very formal to the most casual. Something is always happening. In and among the old buildings, there are restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs, and a great eclectic variety of fun stores to shop in. One of my favorite things to do is people-watch. It's so interesting to see different kinds of people downtown for all different reasons.
I hope you enjoy this little trip through this enchanting part of my city! I recommend clicking on the photo to see the detail of the street musician, pedestrians, restaurant fronts, and even Ollie the Trolley (more on him in the days to come).

I guess I asked for it!

2007-05-06T19:41:00.000-06:00

So, the other day, when I posted the storm picture and mentioned how excited I was for thunderstorm season to start, maybe I should have clarified WHEN I wanted a storm! It seems that someone was paying attention to me, and wanted to give me a nice birthday present. Yup, today is my birthday!!!!!!! (Nope, I'm not saying how many:-) )
Last night, I was supposed to go to a concert for a while, and also two parties. (that might give you some idea of what age range I fall into!) However, there were crazy storms, and it seemed safer for a little while to stay at home. My mom, who lives about 20 minutes away from me, called and said that a tornado had touched down between where she is and Omaha. The storms were headed pretty much straight for Omaha. So, I stayed home for a while, and missed the concert. I kept myself busy, though, taking 8,000 pictures in the hopes of getting a fun lightning shot! So, today's post represents nature's early birthday present to me!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

2007-05-05T11:07:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a very Happy Cinco de Mayo!! Here in Omaha, there is a parade and a carnival. Here is a photo of the Mexican Consulate to tide you over until I get a few pics of the carnival. I went to everything last year, and it was a lot of fun. I'm only going to pass by the carnival for a few minutes today. El Seis (6th) de Mayo (tomorrow) is my birthday! So, I have lots of plans with my family, and this year, there is way too much going on this weekend to be able to do everything. The Air Show is also this weekend. I'm hoping to be able to go to that tomorrow, and I will be sure to post pictures.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Cinco de Mayo:
Cinco de Mayo ("The Fifth of May" in Spanish) is a national, but not federal, holiday in Mexico which is also widely celebrated in the United States. It commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin over the French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Tis' the season....

2007-05-02T22:42:00.000-06:00

...for awesome summer storms! This is not the sky today. However, it is finally Spring for good (just in time for my birthday, which is coming soon!!) I love the sky and especially the sky during spring/summer storms. Here in Nebraska, the weather changes so fast sometimes that a common saying is, "If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait 5 minutes." The storm in this picture came on pretty fast. Looking in one direction, it seemed like a bright, sunshiny day....but in the other direction there were these amazing dark clouds.

May Theme Day - City Exchange!!

2007-05-01T22:36:00.000-06:00

Update: HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY, RUDY! I saw after I posted this photo that Rudy, from Antigua Daily Photo is having a one year anniversary. I enjoy his blog quite a bit, and I loved his city when I went there in January. So today's photo is in honor of Rudy and Antigua Daily Photo!
Ok, I'm a little late, but it's still May 1st here! For a little while, at least! This picture was taken on my trip to Antigua, Guatemala in January. I loved Antigua!! It is a beautiful city, and I would love to go back. I have a loooot of pictures from Guatemala, so I'm glad to be able to show one off.
Check out these other Theme Day Photos!

Monte Carlo, Monaco -
Rome, Italy -
Singapore, Singapore -
Tenerife, Spain -
Rotterdam, Netherlands -
London, UK -
Montréal (QC), Canada -
Melbourne, Australia -
Naples (FL), USA -
Bastia, France -
Hong Kong, China -
Mazatlan, Mexico -
Buenos Aeres, Argentina -
Manila, Philippines -
Arradon, France -
Madison (WI), USA -
Evry, France -
Seoul, Korea -
Shanghai, China -
Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia -
Sequim (WA), USA -
Singapore, Singapore -
Budapest, Hungary -
Baziège, France -
Hamburg, Germany -
Toruń, Poland -
Nelson, New Zealand -
Madison (WI), USA -
Vantaa, Finland -
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Mainz, Germany -
Dubai, UAE -
Saint Paul (MN), USA -
Cork, Ireland -
Stockholm, Sweden -
Menton, France -
Tel Aviv, Israel -
Albuquerque (NM), USA -
Kitakami, Japan -
Stayton (OR), USA -
Szentes, Hungary -
Stavanger, Norway -
Grenoble, France -
Villigen, Switzerland -
Paris, France -
Hyde, UK -
Moscow, Russia -
Joplin (MO), USA -
Jakarta, Indonesia -
Greenville (SC), USA -
Cape Town, South Africa -
Asheville (NC), USA -
Seattle (WA), USA -
Kyoto, Japan -
Tokyo, Japan -
Madrid, Spain -
Auckland, New Zealand -
Oulu, Finland -
Lubbock (TX), USA -
Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina -
Baton Rouge (LA), USA -
Sydney, Australia -
Maple Ridge (BC), Canada -
Vancouver, Canada -
Seattle (WA), USA -
Selma (AL), USA -
Chandler (AZ), USA -
Sharon (CT), USA -
Manila, Philippines -
Lyon, France -
New York City (NY), USA -
Los Angeles (CA), USA -
Brookville (OH), USA -
Hayle, UK -
Wailea (HI), USA -
Saarbrücken, Germany -
San Diego (CA), USA -
Boston (MA), USA -
Saint Louis (MO), USA -
Cypress (TX), USA -
Anderson (SC), USA -
Torino, Italy

O!

2007-04-30T10:39:00.000-06:00

I hope you all have not given up on me entirely! I have been working more, have been sick, and going through photography withdrawals! I have several more pictures of the Anti-Immigration Rally, but I would prefer to show more of the nice side of Omaha, rather than the negative parts.
This O! symbol has shown up in several areas in the last few years. The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce started the O!plosion as a way for Omahans to become more involved in promoting our city. In May, samples of an art project based on this symbol will be displayed around town. I will be sure to keep an eye out for them and document them here.

Racism is the real terrorist...

2007-04-22T07:21:00.000-06:00

There was a small group of Latinos as counter-protesters at the Anti-Immigration Rally last weekend, that I already posted about. This is one of their signs. I think that it is very fitting and very true.

Not about race?

2007-04-20T15:33:00.000-06:00

First of all, PLEASE read the description before being offended!

I debated whether or not I really should put this picture here - especially since I don't want someone to see it on the Portal and be offended without reading it first. There are some things about Omaha that are not so high on my list of things to show off. One of them is rather political. Omaha has a surprisingly volatile history as far as racism is concerned. The more I have read about that history in the past few days, the more surprised I have become. The following is an article that I wrote and submitted to the website of one of our news stations here. I will translate into Spanish soon, and post that as well.

Protesters lined up on Dodge Street Saturday with dozens of United States flags and homemade protest signs. With their signs and battle cries, their negativity towards what lies south of the border was much more evident than their concern for the supposed purpose of the protest.
This rally was announced as a protest against the sentences imposed by the U.S. government on 2 border patrol agents, Ramos and Compean. Groups present included the Nebraska Minutemen and the United Citizens of America. They claim to only want to enforce the laws regarding illegal immigration and to secure the borders. Everyone knows the immigration situation needs to be resolved. The laws are not working and the system must be fixed. Everyone has an opinion of how that needs to happen.
On the surface, the mission of these groups might appear noble. However, when you look beyond these highly repeated mission statements and focus on what they are actually saying and doing, the image begins to change. To begin with, I only saw one sign about the two border agents, and heard almost nothing. What I did see were signs saying things like “Illegal aliens, get out!” and “Illegal? NOT welcome – but I’ll exploit you!!” I have photos of all of these signs, along with video of some of their statements. I heard such things through the bullhorn as “Defend an illegal alien and you defend a rapist!” and “Stop the flow of disease – Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, and Pinkeye!” They are making bold generalizations without documentation to back them up.
The other principal misrepresentation that I see has to do with race. The website announcing the event clearly states, in bold letters: “This is NOT about race.” Yet their actions show differently. I don’t remember ever seeing such a blatant example of racism so clearly directed at a certain population. In this case, the hateful, dehumanizing statements were directed at Mexicans. Among the homemade signs were such phrases as “Go back to Mexico!” and “La Raza-it should be La Racist!”. One protester was so riled up he crossed the street to yell in the faces of the counter-protesters, and had to be taken away by police. The most shocking of all, from this group of flag-bearing patriots, was a huge Mexican flag on which someone painted a black circle with a line through it. The few Mexicans that were actually present among the small group of counter-protesters were speaking perfect English and saying that they were born here. The protesters did not bother to listen to any of that and continued to blindly scream at those who were, in reality, fellow citizens. This kind of blind hatred needs to be recognized for the racism that it is. One thing is to be against illegal immigration. It is quite another to assume that any person who looks “latino” is illegal and to insult them.
As an observer of this rally, I am concerned. A brief glance could lead to either dismissing the event as nothing or to embracing the cause based on a mission statement that is no more than an excuse for deeper motives. The simple use of the term Minutemen provokes images of armed militia ready to fight. Another sign at the rally warned, “Americans, Unite – or face Civil war!!” They say that history repeats itself. I sincerely hope that Omaha is not a community that wants to see acts of racist hatred from the past repeated in our city. I believe that, as a community, we must be aware of events like this. We cannot afford to ignore it or we run the risk of the situation escalating beyond control. Racial mob violence has led to an ethnic group being forced to leave Omaha in the past (1909, South Omaha’s Greek Town), and I do not want to ever see that kind of destruction happen again.

In Memoriam

2007-04-18T00:05:00.000-06:00

My condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
**photo taken in Guatemala, at a roadside flower cart, near Mazatenango.

Anti-immigrant protest....

2007-04-15T23:03:00.000-06:00

First of all, about the title...since I know someone will try to say that it is not true. The groups I could see present at the protest were the United Citizens of America and the Nebraska Minuteman chapter. I know someone will see the title of this post and try to say that those groups are not against immigrants in general, just against illegal ones, but I titled this based specifically on yesterday's protest. A small group of (mostly young) Latinos, and friends of Latinos did show up. I saw them, and spoke to some of them. During most of the time that I was there, not one person could have been an illegal. There were a couple of American girls, obviously married to Mexicans, as well as several students and young people. The protesters across the street kept yelling at them to "Go back to Mexico" and that they are "not welcome here" with their "drugs, diseases, etc." While their message was obviously meant for a wider audience, they were very directly yelling at this group of people. They were yelling all of these hateful things without even knowing what their legal status was. They saw a Latino, and assumed they were illegal, which infuriates me.
Second, I know that one of the freedoms we have here is our right to protest, but please, people, be honest about what you are protesting about! Their rally was advertised as a "Protest for 2 Border Patrol Agents" (quote from the announcement on their website wakeupusa.net) Their website has a quote in bold letters saying, "This is NOT about race." If that is true, then why were the protesters holding signs saying things such as, "Go back to Mexico" and "La Raza, it should be La racist". One of the most shocking things to me though, was a defaced Mexican flag. This was a group of obviously patriotic people, carrying dozens of American flags, showing pride in their own flag. Still they had the unbelievable audacity to claim with their words that their protest was not about race, yet display a Mexican flag on which someone had painted a black circle with a line through it.
As I have said before this subject is quite close to my heart. I will probably post a few more of these photos in the next couple of days, not because I'm proud of them, but because it is something that is happening here in my city, whether I like it or not. If anyone is interested in commenting with their opinions about immigration, I would love to hear them. Just please keep the comments to the level of a healthy debate!

Immigration...

2007-04-14T11:35:00.000-06:00

When I posted this earlier, I forgot the (slightly important-sorry) detail that this photo was taken during the "Day Without an Immigrant" Rally of May 1, 2006. It was so amazing to see thousands of people of all different races, colors, ages, shapes, sizes, etc. coming together in support of each other. This country has been built on that kind of ethnic variety. It's sad to see that so many have forgotten that. Once emotion and racist hatred get in the way, it's hard to get someone to see that the problem is not the immigrant himself, but rather the system which should have been changed long ago. The point of the rally in this photo, and the other rallies of the same day, was for people to see what this country would be like if all of the immigrants were sent home. The idea was along the lines of the movie "A Day Without a Mexican". If you haven't seen it, it's very thought-provoking. I think that people who blindly jump on the bandwagon of "Close our borders! Deport all illegals!" need to seriously think through what that would mean. Are they really willing to do the jobs that would be left open? Or are they willing to pay the higher prices that would result from paying someone enough to get them to do the job? I highly doubt it.

I'm sad, and somewhat ashamed, to say that there is an anti-immigration rally today in Omaha, across the street from the Mexican Consulate. This is a huge issue lately, not only in Omaha, but in the whole country. This is part of what I studied in college, and it infuriates me to see so many opinions thrown around that are not based on facts. I have read some of what this group that organized the rally is putting out there, and it's frustrating to see people jumping on the bandwagon of something that they don't understand. They hear media-skewed facts and adopt them as their battle cry, even though many have done no research themselves. I have conversations with people all of the time, who quote the titles seen in the news as their own opinion, yet the are surprised when they are presented with facts.
This is obviously an emotional issue for me. I am going down by the rally today to take pictures and to see what is going on.

What do you all think of the immigration issue?

One last time....

2007-04-11T20:21:00.000-06:00

It's been cold again the last few days. I decided to use up the rest of the few logs I had left to take advantage of the cold for one last night with the fireplace! It's wood-burning, no gas, and I was so proud of my little fire that I had to take a picture! Hopefully, Spring will arrive for real now, and the fireplace will rest until the fall.

Home of the Eagles.....

2007-04-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

Central High School has been providing education for Omaha Public Schools since 1859. This school is near downtown and right across from the Joslyn Art Museum, whose doors I showed the other day. My sister studied here, but I went to a different high school. However, I have always loved the building.

Happy Easter!!

2007-04-08T21:57:00.000-06:00

Happy Easter everyone!!! For Easter, I thought that I would show the doors to my own church! We are a relatively small church, started about 7 years ago. Core Community is the name, and you can find the link to the church website in the sidebar. We meet in the Omaha Community Playhouse.

A little more than the doors...

2007-04-07T23:21:00.000-06:00

This is quite a bit more than just the doors....but I like the view of the whole church. This is the First Presbyterian Church close to downtown. I will have to find out how many churches we actually have here, but I seem to see one on almost on every corner. Many of them are very beautiful.

Joslyn Art Museum

2007-04-05T23:15:00.000-06:00

Now that my attention has somehow become focused on doors, I have noticed many of them in Omaha that I like. We have many (relatively) old buildings with decorative doors. These doors are at the entrance to the Joslyn Art Museum. I have seen many great art exhibits there. Today, there was a banner by the door advertising an Impressionists' exhibit - I will have to go soon. Aside from the art, the building itself is beautiful. I have been to a few weddings there. They have an atrium area with a fountain in the middle of it which will definitely be showing up here in the near future.

Más Puertas....

2007-04-04T19:16:00.000-06:00

So, I'm following my little them started the other day with the door at the castle with the doors from St. Cecilia's Cathedral, which I last posted about here. I guess it's fitting that the day I took this picture was the first warmish day this year....and yesterday and today we've been back to cold weather.
**Internet difficulties and lots of work have kept me from posting daily this last week....I will be back to daily soon! Thanks for your patience!

Beautiful door....

2007-04-02T10:59:00.000-06:00

This is the front door at Joslyn Castle that I have posted about before. I had forgotten about this picture. I love the detail, especially of the frame around the door. And here you see reflected the freezing photographer! The day that I went to take pictures there was still snow on the ground.

Tango!!!!

2007-03-31T16:25:00.000-06:00

Fuzzy photo, taken while driving - but I like the message. I have been trying to find more of these billboards. I have seen many, but now that I want to take pictures, I can't find them.

Dreaming....

2007-03-27T19:13:00.000-06:00

This sculpture is on the grounds of the Joslyn Castle that I posted about recently. I feel like she is not so much looking at something, but daydreaming about faraway things or places - or maybe that's just a reflection of how I've been feeling!

Spring thunderstorms!!!

2007-03-24T10:58:00.000-06:00

The sky was beautiful the other day during the thunderstorm! I love it when you can clearly see the dark clouds rolling in. That was the case with this storm, but in this break in the clouds you could see the sunset that was happening on the other side of the storm clouds! It was impossible to capture exactly what I was seeing, but the dark storm clouds were very much in front of the pink shining clouds. Some people complained about the thunderstorm, but I LOVE spring storms, and I'm so glad there is no more snow!!

Model airplane?

2007-03-21T15:40:00.000-06:00

One more shot from the Air and Space Museum. The "man" in the photo is obviously an model, and it makes this shot look like it must be of a model airplane also. However, the model aviator is about 6ft tall! (quite a bit taller than me!:-) ) The plane is a real one. There are a few displays like this in the museum, where they use models to try and show what it would have been like around a certain plane back when it was actually used.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird...

2007-03-18T18:49:00.000-06:00

This is another shot from the Strategic Air and Space Museum. The SR-71 Blackbird is one of my favorite planes. It was used as a reconnaissance aircraft and could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth per hour at an altitude of 80,000 ft. the SR-71 broke records in both speed and altitude. According to Wikipedia, this Mach 3 aircraft, "broke the world record for its class: an absolute speed record of 2,193.1669 mph (3,529.56 km/h), and a US "absolute altitude record" of 85,068.997 feet (25,929 m)." It was also reported as going from one US coast to the other in 68 minutes and 17 seconds, and from New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds. My dad told us a story at the museum about the crew of one of these planes requesting clearance for 40,000 ft from an aircraft control tower. The tower told the plane, that they were cleared, but it would take them a while to get up to that altitude. The crew replied that they actually wanted to DESCEND to 40,000 ft.

loom - 1 yr anniversary

2007-03-16T22:03:00.000-06:00

Omaha may not be known as a "party-central" town, but we do have our great parties. There is quite a variety of culture among the young people in Omaha. This photo was taken at España restaurant at the 1 year anniversary of a fun monthly gathering known as loom. As one article put it, the intention of loom is as follows:

This is not just about dancing, music and drinks. Rather, we want to create a communal experience - people coming together, using music as a mode of fellowship and release. loom is a monthly world-beat dance event with the intention of social progress. With an environment and music incorporating Latin, African and American culture, this event is geared towards an eclectic crowd with all ethnicities, religious, cultural and social backgrounds. This is about creating a sanctuary of sacred dance energy, of peace, of unification of all peoples.

It's great to such a varied group of people get together to celebrate and have a good time, regardless of whatever differences might keep them in different social circles in their daily lives.

J. Doe

2007-03-15T21:36:00.000-06:00

This is one of many J. Does in the Omaha area. In 2001, many of these sculptures appeared around town. All were in the same basic shape, but decorated by different artists. They were on display around the city for several months. Omaha has quite a large, varied arts/music scene for its size. Many of the J. Does were purchased by their sponsors and are still on display in different places, but the rest were auctioned off as a fund raiser, with a part of the proceeds going to the City of Omaha Public Arts Commission. If you would like to see more of these works of art, (not photographed by me), you can find a link here. There was a great variety of themes among the statues. Some of my favorites were the Immigrant, Produce-R-Doe, The Sky's the Limit, As Young as You Feel, and Heart and Soul. Here is one statue that has the J. Doe Statement displayed on the bottom.
It was a great project, that really showed off the artistic and creative talents we have here in Omaha. I read somewhere that a similar project will be displayed this year, so I will be keeping my camera ready to show them off.

How many planes fit in one building?

2007-03-13T20:04:00.000-06:00

I went with my family this past weekend to the Strategic Air and Space Museum (more commonly called the Air Force museum around here). It is an amazing place. My dad knows everything about the planes, and is the best tour guide. He is also an amazing photographer and gave me plenty of great pointers. It's hard to choose just one photo, but I like this one, because it shows most of the planes in the room....at least, more than half. And, yes, these are all the real thing!