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I Saw the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile

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“I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner, That is what I truly wish to be ..”  now everybody sing!

It’s the Wiener Mobile!! I’ve heard about it, I’ve seen it on TV, but never seen it in person. Today at lunch it drove the front door and I yelled out, “Oh my look it’s the Wiener mobile!”  The scheduled visit was at Walmart in Omaha Nebraska and to Walmart I went for lunch. (alas no hotdogs were available for eating outside)

Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile
Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile

The photo above is an official Oscar Mayer event photo taken on an iPad and automatically sent to my email with all sorts of social media possibilities. They are very well connected to Twitter, Facebook, blogging from the road and of course Kraft Foods has a very complete website.

It goes without saying  I took photos of my own, in my own style and I’m going to post them next week. But I was so excited to see the Wiener Mobile I had to post it today!! I even got a Wiener Mobile whistle!

Until next week and the full story eat an Oscar Mayer hot dog and sing a happy song.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNddW2xmZp8]

US Marine Corp Graduation

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A year ago this month my youngest son left for  Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and started 13 weeks of the most challenging accomplishments anyone can face. Becoming and earning the right to be come a U.S. Marine.  At the

Across the parade deck hundreds of new Marines march in their platoons as the last maneuver they will complete before leaving MCRD full fledged Marines. The Marine Band plays to open the ceremony, the chaplain leads every one in prayer and then the parade of dress blues begin. This is my second Marine graduation, my oldest is also a Marine,  but  the tears of pride still flow just as fast and my hands shake as I hold the camera.

Marine Corps Graduation, San Diego CA
Marine Corps Graduation, San Diego CA
Marine Corp Champlain leading off the graduation
Marine Corp Chaplain leading off the graduation
MCRD, India Company, Platoon 3213, October 7, 2011
MCRD, India Company, Platoon 3213, October 7, 2011 (son 6th from right)
My New US Marine
My New US Marine, November 2011

Since graduation my new Marine has attended MCT (Marine Combat Training) in Pendleton CA, Corrections training in San Antonio TX, and is now back at Pendleton as his permanent duty station. Congratulations to my newest U.S. Marine, he makes me proud.

I found this draft sitting in my WordPress folder.In evaluating my stats in WordPress my US Marine Corps postings represent 20% of views. Very popular topic, but considering every parent of a new Marine searches the internet for every scrap of information they can find to learn more about the journey ahead, I can understand.

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Grilled Kabobs, Food on a Stick

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Last week I got tired of the same old thing, grilled pork chops, chicken breast. I wanted something fun and different.  Shish Kabobs sounded fun, I even bought permanent metal skewers instead of the thin bamboo that burn and break in half. This means I have to fix Kabobs again, darn. (read sarcasm here)

What is it about food on a stick that is so tasty? Maybe it’s the lack of utensils, the youthful feeling you get just like when you sucked down a Popsicle sitting on the back step. Think about it corn dogs, Popsicles, and all kinds of state fair food are found on a stick. I’ll get to that on a later post.

Shish Kabobs on the Grill
Shish Kabobs on the Grill

Not really a recipe here.  It’s pretty much personal preference. I used chicken , pineapple, sweet peppers, mushrooms and pieces of corn on the cob.  After seasoning everything with a Garlic Rosemary mix I lathered it with a sweet Chinese sauce made from a mix of Dorothy Lynch (french) dressing, poppy seed dressing, soy sauce and ginger.

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Huey Lewis and the News: Heart of Rock and Roll

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My Adventure with Concert Photography

I love a good concert, especially if it’s free, and even more if it’s outside. Outdoor concerts are a hobby photographers dream, there are not “gate searches” or “bag inspections”, or at least not at the concert venues I’ve attended.

My favorite concert so far has been Huey Lewis and the News. I challenge anyone who grew up in the 1980’s to NOT like Huey Lewis and the News. Really, the songs from Back to the Future? “Heart of Rock and Roll”, “Power of Love“, and “Do You Believe in Love” are anthems of my generation. Ok, I might be exaggerating , but Huey Lewis songs take me back to my care free teenage days.

Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis ( ISO 800, f/5, 1/100 sec, 230 mm)

Huey is one of those rare performers that sound even better live than the recordings. Can’t say that about today’s artists that need a recording studio and a back-up of electronics to make a Top 10 song.  He has real musicians, including saxophones, trumpets and he really  rocks the harmonica! It was awesome!

Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis rockin the harmonica (ISO 1600, f/5, 1/125 sec, 220 mm)

This concert was in part of the 4th of July Celebrate America free concert sponsored by Bank of the West in Omaha Nebraska. What’s better than Huey Lewis in concert, watching him for free. My friend Beth volunteered her son to set out blankets at 7 am to reserve a spot for that nights concert. So much of the time the singing idols of my youth have been disappointing as they look like aging rockers. Not Huey, he looks just as good and his voice is still pure and timely. He puts on a great show and everyone thoroughly looked like they enjoy what they do.

Huey Lewis and the News in concert Omaha Nebraska
Over 60,000 attended the Free Concert
Huey Lewis and the News in concert Omaha Nebraska
Thank You Omaha

We sat about 25 yards from the stage and below is a shot I took from our blanket. This is the closest I’ve ever been at a concert and it was very easy to go right up to the stage. The top two photos were from right up next to the stage. As I use my Canon Rebel XS more I’m learning how to tweak it to get great shots.

All Access: Your Backstage Pass to Concert PhotographyConcert Photograpy: How to Shoot and Sell Music Business Photographs

I have to say the top is my favorite, but I have many of the night. There are a couple I’ll post in the future. Scarlett Drive and Mockingbird Sun were the opening bands and they were very good. I took the opportunity that night to practice with my 75-300 mm lens and night photography. I’m becoming more pleased with the results all the time.

Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News (ISO 1600, f/5, 1/125, 130 mm)

Night Photography Tips

This year I have upgraded to a Canon 7D camera, but you don’t need a fancy camera to get the great shots. All the photos here were taken with a low level Canon Rebel XS camera. The secret is knowing how to use all of your cameras resources.

  1. Shoot on manual, seriously, you can make your camera take better pictures when you have more control.
  2. Don’t be afraid to push your ISO to the highest level. If it’s grainy Lightroom has a great noise feature to fix in processing
  3. Shoot RAW, you can get another 2 stops exposure steps in a really dark setting.
  4. Shutter speed, the more you zoom in the faster your shutter speed will need to be to compensate for hand shake.
  5. Use a tripod, or mono-pod, if that option is not possible, brace your hand/arm against an immovable object. This is NOT your friends shoulder as she jumps and dances around. Let out your breath as you click the shutter.
  6. Push the aperture as low as you dare, most of mine were taken at f/5, it allows more light in and gives you a higher shutter speed in return.
  7. Meter for the light. Most stages are well lit and you don’t want to blow out the lights. The dark backgrounds on the stage remains “pure” Push your shutter half way down and move your camera to the background and the lighted foreground. Notice how the red light on your meter moves.
  8. Don’t be afraid to experiment and take LOTS of pictures. They can be deleted in Photoshop or Lightroom in editing and post production
  9. Use your histogram on the back of the camera, to a point. It’s night time, it will push to the left, but aim to have a lot of the information in the midtones.

Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm IS II Lens and Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens + 16GB Green’s Camera Package

Night and Low-Light Photography Photo WorkshopNight Photography and Light Painting: Finding Your Way in the Dark

My Favorite Huey Lewis Songs and Videos

 

The Power Of Love (2006 Digital Remaster)Huey Lewis and the News Songbook

Information and Facts About Huey Lewis

The Classical Beat: Tanglewood Defines Summer Music in the Berkshires

Sunday, June 28, 2:30 p.m. in the Shed: Huey Lewis and the News 2015 Tour: Featuring special guest artist Jamie Kent. • Monday, June 29, 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.: Tanglewood presents their traditional String Quartet Marathon featuring string TMC …
Have A Question For Huey Lewis and the News? Go To …

Ironically, for important news on Huey Lewis and the News, the “Ask Huey” section of his website might not be the best place to go. … Latest Galleries · 2015 Summer Blast Off – Seaside Heights, NJ. Radio.com; Music News.
The 5Cast: Top 5 Huey Lewis and The News Songs …

In this week’s episode, Tyler and Ben rank the Top 5 songs of one of their favorite bands, Huey Lewis and The News. This is what pop music used to sound like, before these damned kids turned it into bleep blorping computer …
{outfit} Romping Around with Huey Lewis and the News …

We got to see Huey Lewis and the News, who were amazing! They did one of my favorites songs, … new post: http://melodyjacob1.blogspot.com/2015/06/summer-style-kimono-inspiration.html. ReplyDelete · Rachel Dinh June …
How Back to the Future II Got 2015 Surprisingly Right

Marty inadvertently stumbles upon a Huey Lewis and the News concert, but realizes in short time that the band isn’t actually there. Instead, it’s a realistic hologram on a theater stage, eternally preserving his idols in their best …
Huey Lewis Talks ‘Frightening’ New Song | Billboard

Huey Lewis & the News are starting to think about new music — and even have something in their pocket already. … Hot Rock Songs Jan 10, 2015 8 With A Little Help Fro… Classic Joe Cocker: The Universal Masters …