Zion National Park.....

Another 900+ pictures at Zion- That place really kicks butt!

More seen here:
http://dbaleckaitis.hostei.com/index/

900 pictures of Belgium

Here is a link to a very small subset of those pictures:
http://dbaleckaitis.hostei.com/belgium/

Another from Sedona

Devil's bridge

Sedona Arizona was a beautiful trip- We got to explore several hikes including Devil's Bridge which was just spectacular. Outside of the sheer expense of Sedona; $5.75 for a cheap beer, 49% tax on rental cars, expensive non-good tasting food, (Artist community) and rather rude local people it was a fun trip. It was funny how when we would meet some friendly people they all mentioned that they were either from Chicago or originally from Chicago. It was very apparent on the trails- most locals wouldn't even acknowledge your "Good Morning" while passing on the trails.

Sorry for so little activity.......

I have been slowly putting together a better site- lots more pictures, a true picture a day, ability to rate pictures, clean layout and an overall better experience. I am hopeful to have the site up soon-


Dan

early riser or bright-eyed and bushy tailed

How about a swim?

How fast can you swim?

Are you.... looking at me?

Taken in the Florida everglades

cute little upset Wren

Great Blue

Head Shot

Why Lightroom will win

Without a doubt if you take hundreds of pictures in a year or even thousands- the software for editing those pictures gets old or can't do what you want it to do. That is where lightroom steps in..... Its more intuitive and easier than Photoshop its only downside that I see are it's database management. Currently I use Imatch for my photodatabase software and I must say it is really good. After much debate I recently went through all my pictures- deleted o.o.f. images and just plain bad images. So I'm down to ~17,000 keepers in which I could sort them using location, people, things, etc. This is something Lightroom does not do well at all.

Back to Lightroom- This program gives you the flexibility to edit the same image over and over without destroying the image. The sliders and even the free presets out there can keep both hardcore photographers and point and shooters happy for years to come. Not to mention it is cheaper than Photoshop and allot of other so-called photo editing programs.

Once I Caught A Fish This Big...... Manistee, MI

....Then The next Day I caught This......

Camp Sagawau Near Lemont, IL. (Cross Country Skiing)

Talk about a blast! Went Cross Country Skiing at Camp Sagawau in Lemont this past weekend and had fun. Bellow is the gps map of the trails. Cost for rental (skis, boots, poles)=$12, Cost if you have your own equipment =$0. The trails are well groomed and you feel well secluded in the forest and the trail ends going though a prairie.

Camp Sagawau (Cross Country Skiing) at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

Another published

Just got word that an image of my has been selected for a book and it looks like it might be the front cover!


That will make two front cover images sold-

"Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy............"

Dan

Hockey......

I truly enjoy watching hockey.....

It is a game of skill, strategy, teamwork, speed, and finesse. In this picture I was
hoping to capture the speed/movement of the game.

Dan

I have always found that cemeteries are full of large pieces of art.
My hope was to capture the moment with my camera.

Dan

Sin Bin or "They make me cry"

So last night I had a chance to see a Chicago Balckhawks game.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL! Of course they lost 5-0

Tis the season

ANY QUESTIONS?

The Road

Making waves

Rubber Duckie...

Braided

Moen.....

So three years ago I install a really nice Moen shower set. Here is the Link
It looked and worked very well until recently; the diverter (spigot) developed a leak and that particular part could not be ordered. I then noticed the lifetime warranty and contacted Moen by email on Monday. I explained what was leaking and that I could not find the receipt..... I got a replay that a replacement part had been sent and I should receive it within 5-7 business days. Well that replacement part (They sent the whole diverter and not just the plastic part that began leaking) showed up today, Thursday.

Thank you Moen, you have earned my loyalty!

Dan

Broken Bones

Broken Back Barn

I found this barn interesting....

Dan

Thief

Looking at this "Gargoyle" cling onto the side of the building is quite startling the first time you glance at it....