Randy

Surprise!

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My father-in-law George just turned 50 on sunday (August 3rd).  It’s kind of a big deal.  To celebrate the occasion my mother-in-law and the rest of the family had been planning a surprise birthday party for months.  To add to the fun George Jr flew in, unknown to George Sr, from Portland Oregon and stepped out from behind everyone just as dad thought he’d said hello to everyone.  You can just see the rush of emotion in his face as the realization hits him that his son is here.

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As plans do, everything to keep George out of the house fell through so Rachel and I made a last minute ditch effort to fix it.  We managed to get him out of the house for a few hours by bribing him with lunch and a movie (Dark Knight).

Municipal Failure

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A few weeks ago I took my Father to lunch at Donnelly’s. We had some great food and beer and shared a few laughs. When we got back out to the parking lot we discovered that someone had hit Rachel’s car and had done a decent amount of damage. Nothing left for us to identify the perpetrator but the scrapes and dents.

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A phone call to the police later and we had information on a good lead. Apparently the parking lot for Donnelly’s is monitored by a fancy new $25k security system at Fairport Electric. Sweet. Only problem is nobody working that day had access to the system (or more likely knew how to work it). Good thing is it’s all digital and its kept for an undetermined amount of time. The police officer takes our information and tells us he’ll call when he gets a copy of the video.

A few days ago we got the phone call. Wouldn’t you know it, that fancy new $25k security system? Well the one video camera trained on the parking lot was broken that day. Fantastic. (Edit: more than likely, the perp? a cop or other municipal worker and the camera was fine)

I just wish people took some responsibility for their actions.

Hunter Mountain Dancing

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Last week we took a vacation with my parents to the Catskills. When Rachel and I went to Lake George a few years ago we climbed Crane Mountain. We enjoyed it so much we figured we’d climb another one this trip. This time we climbed Hunter Mountain (4,050 ft) & celebrated at the top. It was probably the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done (2,250 ft in 2.2 miles).

Spontaneous Disney

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Rachel and I do pretty much everything last minute. This includes planning a trip to Europe only three weeks before, to scheduling our wedding a year and a half away and only beginning the planning during the last five months. I’m not sure whether this is good or bad but it’s worked for us so far so why stop now?

Last weekend we had made plans to go somewhere for our 1 year anniversary, but until Friday at 5pm we had no clue where we were going. Using the last minute deals on travelocity (at the same time searching cheaptickets, expedia, orbitz and several others) we found a great deal for two nights and airfare to Orlando Florida. We still have tickets to Disney remaining from our last trip so it seemed like a great idea.

We had an awesome time! The last time we were at Disney World we bought a very neat wooden photo album. The only problem is the last time we went we didn’t take anywhere near enough photos to fill it. This trip definitely fixed that situation and we’ll have a new album to share soon.


one of the gardens and ponds at Epcot Center.

My First Flickr Meetup

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Saturday I participated in my first Flickr meet up. It was a lot of fun. Myself and a group of 12 or so other photography hobbyists met up at Dinosaur BBQ in Downtown Rochester for a hearty lunch. Then we were off to explore the Abandoned Subway. If you don’t know anything about the subway I suggest checking out the RocWiki Page and reading up a bit. It’s actually quite interesting and may become a part of downtown Rochester again soon.

The slideshow below showcases all the photos the participants have shared. These are not only my photographs, they are the photographs taken by all participants of the event.
http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649
NOTE: If you cannot see the above slideshow please view the original post or view the slideshow directly.

Fairport Sunrise

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I’m not up early often. Today I was, so after dropping Rachel off at the airport at 4:30am I decided to explore a nearby Fairport park to see if I could find a scenic spot to watch the sunrise.

I haven’t been able to figure out what the name of the park is, and it’s not really advertised as a park at all. There’s just a small stone parking lot and an old worn out sign that no longer has anything on it.

The scenery there is quite beautiful though, and it’s probably one of the best places to watch the sunrise in Fairport NY.

RIT Big Shot 24

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RIT has been doing what they call the Big Shot every year since 1987. They pick a point of interest and take a long exposure photograph using only flashlights and electronic flashes for illumination. This years Big Shot was located in Pittsford NY at Schoen Place to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal.

The Erie Canal was originally proposed in 1808…On July 4, 1817, Governor Dewitt Clinton broke ground for the construction of the canal…it was often sarcastically referred to as ‘Clinton’s Big Ditch’

Rachel and I heard about this a while ago and decided to go. It was fun. I was impressed to come home and see the photograph already online so for your viewing pleasure it is included below.

If you’re interested in seeing past Big Shots check them out here.

Biking in Downtown

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No matter what people tell you there is a lot to do in downtown Rochester. There are lots of museums, parks and weekend activities. Last Saturday Rachel actually had off so we went downtown on the bus and took our bikes along for the ride. The idea was to ride around and see some things we normally take for granted in Rochester. This was the first time with the bikes on the bus and every time we hit a bump I peaked my head up over the seat thinking I’d get to witness them shattering all over 490. Luckily they made it in one piece.

Our first stop was the Center at High falls where we got an awesome 10 minute taxi cab tour of the city including the now closed silver stadium! The Center also hosts a photography gallery on the 2nd floor which we took in and learned that Rochester’s main street completely flooded in 1865. From there we headed out across the footbridge to take in High Falls itself and then we were off for lunch.

While eating inside, the Hail started and WOW! I went outside to grab a few pictures and got nailed with one in the leg. It left a mark! Don’t worry, as always in Rochester Ny, If you don’t like the weather just wait 10 minutes, it’ll change. It did, but not much. We decided to play it safe and hop the next bus.

This trip was short, but not for lack of things to do. Next trip we’re heading to the Eastman House, Memorial Art Gallery, Susan B Anthony Park, among several others. We’ll also be making the trek up to the lake along the river if we have enough time. If not, we’ll catch it next time!

Utilizing the bus and our bikes to make these trips is very satisfying. I only wish they ran on Sundays too.

And Now I Feel Old

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Mr and Mrs Pike's first KissMy niece Jennifer was married to Jeremy Pike last Friday April 18th. It was a Beautiful Ceremony at the Christian Community Church of East Williamson. Rachel and I were able to see some people we haven’t seen since our wedding including my Brother! Always a good time.

The only problem is. Now I feel Old. Is that wierd? She’s only my niece and really only 6 years younger.