It's been a little over a week, 9 days to be exact, since we all lost one of my all time favorites. Tom Petty left us on Oct 2nd this year, and it hurt. Part of it may be that I am still saddened by the loss of my mom, grandpa, and aunt in August, but Mr. Petty has been a big part of my life for a very long time. I'm pretty sure my boys may be tired of hearing his jangly guitars and raspy voice every single time we get in the Jeep. Seriously, his greatest hits album has been in my CD player for more than 3  or 4 years. It was only pulled out a couple of weeks ago for the first time in eons because my wife got me the new Foo Fighters album. However, as soon as I heard the news, TP was back in the player spitting out, Breakdown, Refugee, Running Down a Dream, I Won't Back Down, Free Fallin', American Girl, The Waiting, Don't Do me Like That, Learning To Fly, Stop Dragging My Heart Around, Mary Jane's Last Dance, etc. It is such an amazing album from a true icon.

After so much personal loss this summer, I couldn't help but wonder how Mike Campbell and the rest of the Heart Breakers were holding up. They have been together longer than any of their other relationships.

     There are few things better than riding with the top back on the Jeep, getting lost in the mountains of Colorado, while singing along with Runnin' Down a Dream followed immediately with I Won't Back Down. It is something I have done so many times that its probably how my family thinks of me. 

Rest In Peace Tom. Know that you will be missed but your soul lives on through your music.

Bueller...

Bueller...

Bueller...

Went out last night to shoot Oklahoma City's ferris wheel in the appropriately named Wheeler District. It's a wheel with a history, just not a local one. It was purchased in 2008 on ebay. But this is not just any old ferris wheel on ebay, this is "THE" wheel from Santa Monica Pier. The thing has been in movies, tv shows and commercials for years! I got there right as the park was closing for the evening so I only got 1 or 2 shots of the wheel lit up. However, there was a lot of light in the area from the surrounding buildings. All these shots are done with existing light and long exposures. It was completely dark outside. The shots with color look like daylight because of the light reflecting off the clouds and the white balance settings. You'll notice the stars in them if you look close enough.