The Voice of an Angel...

I recently went to a concert the other night at the Wilma Theater located in fine downtown Missoula, Montana. Walking into the theater brought back a memory of last summer when I watched a sold out test screening of a movie called The Best Bar in America. It was the first time I’d ever set foot in the Wilma and my first experience there, Well, it’s one I’ll never forget. The movie was also one I’ll never forget, it reminded me of myself!!! Except the guy in the movie rides a motorcycle and I drive a jeep. It was filmed and produced by two brothers from Missoula, and was shot in bars located all over the surrounding area. Many of which I’ve visited and helped pay the light bill one beer at a time...

This time I was there with a friend to see Brandi Carlile perform, and at the time I had no idea who she was or what she sang... Hoping she was nothing like Taylor Swift, I was all smile when my ears heard the music and her voice. She’s far from a Taylor Swift. This girl’s a rocker, an amazing singer, guitar player, songwriter, and has a multi talented band backing her up. We ended up scoring these amazing seats in the far left corner in the front row of the balcony. It’s where the Mayor of the Town or the President would sit to see a show, it was top notch if I say so myself...
Anyways, midway though the show she did an solo acoustic set that ended with Somewhere Over the Rainbow, you know, the song from The Wizard of Oz.
People, never in my life have I ever heard such a more beautiful voice, from the very first of the song my eyes started to water up and all these memories of home came flooding though my mind. I thought of my parents working on the family farm, my brothers and sisters, my grandparents, friends, and the day we photographed my niece in her Dorothy dress. I found myself caught between memories and dreams of home, just like Dorothy. I’ve never had such a sudden blast of uncontrollable feelings and thoughts like that before. I think it’s funny how a song can open an door of thought that leads to memories of old times, places and people in our lives. A photograph is just as powerful and can cast the same spell over us too... Maybe that's why they work so well together, and have been known to cause smiles and tears all over the world. Let me add too for all my construction buddies out there that may read this, I never did cry!!! My eyes just watered up a bit!!!








You really should check out Brandi Carlile’s website and take a listen for yourself. Some of my favorites are Have You Ever, The Story, Closer To You, Dying Day, Turpentine. Hell, they’re all good!!!

That night lying in bed my gears went to turning at a little faster than normal. There’s not much more time before I have to head back to Texas, so theirs need to get to work on a few things. Rolling into Montana this summer I had a To Do List 3 pages long, most of the things on it have been checked off. Except for one of the top 3, my road trip into the heart of the Canadian Rockies! I’ve been dreaming of this for the past year now and was ready to set off. It can be tough to tear yourself away from Missoula during the summer, but it was time to get out of the city for a while to clear my head and explore the unknow. So over the next few days I packed up all my gear, pulled the pin, and got ready to head North along the Rockies into Canada to travel along what some call “The Most Beautiful Road in the World”, and no Boarder Crossing was going to stop me... So I thought!!!

Stay tuned, Part 2 is in the make now...

Into the Great Wide Open!!!

June, 1 2010
Somewhere in the Middle of Montana...


I woke up to a cool, crisp, spring morning today. I laid there with a huge grin on my face rubbing my eyes so they could focus on the view outside the tent. The tent door was left open all night to feel the cool breeze and to watch the moonlight reflect off the water. The camp was out in the middle of nowhere Montana, right on the bank of an alpine lake with a 10,000 ft snow covered peak in the background. Damn, it feels good to be back in the mountains. There's a feelin of inner peace when your out here... It's just to bad this place is 3000 miles from Texas... Well, better than 4000 miles I guess!!!
I've been on the road for 7 days now, workin my way North West though some of the most beautiful land in North America. I'm back here to pick up where I left off last year!!! Honing my photography one step at a time, and to maybe put a little change in my pockets in the process. Being from the South I've found the West to be a whole New World filled with opportunities and new things to see and explore everywhere. Once you cross over the Continental Divide not only does the landscape change, but so does the way of life.
Which, is why I'm back!!!





I guess maybe I should catch everyone up on what I've been up to since the last post. After leaving Montana last year I headed back to Texas and spent time with family and friends, and got back to my day job for a while. But as the month of June grew closer, I couldn't stop thinkin about last summer and the impact that it had on me. The days at work were gettin hotter too, and the thought of swimmin butt naked in a cold Montana mountain river was getting the best of me. So with that in mind and a cold beer in my hand after a hot, humid, sweaty ass day of work in Louisiana!!! I made the tough but easy choice to walk off my steady job and head back into the Wide Open of the West.








There was just one problem, really there was a few of them!!! My jeep didn't have a motor in it, and the tires and rims had a problem that wouldn't allow them to balance out. Oh yea, and the windshield gasket was leakin water like crazy every time it rained. There was also another hand full of smaller problems to fix too!!! I stared to buy a new truck but didn't think that would be the smartest thing to do, seein how I didn't have a job anymore.
So, my Uncle and I tore the engine down and had it sent off to be rebuilt. After a few days and a lot of long hours we had it back together and put back in. I would like to take the time now to thank my Uncle Rusty for his time, skills, friendship, and LOVE... Without you in my life there's no telling where I'd be!!! Rusty, you have been a great inspiration to me and a great man to look up to, Thank you for always being there... Thank You!!!



While I'm passin out all this Love and Thanks, I want to thank all of my family, with out y'all I wouldn't be who and where I am... I also need to thank Atlanta Tire for their help with my tire and rim problem. They have a very skilled crew that took the time to help me (without cost) to get my tires right. My hats off to y'all, Thanks...









It was good to be on the road again, back behind the wheel of my Jeep and headed West. It was a battle with the elements as always, the burning Texas sun, sudden Nebraska down pours of rain, the powerful Wyoming winds, snow covered mountain passes, the good, the bad, the ugly. You see people, this jeep and I have been though a lot of shit together, and we've seen a lot of miles. Although its not the ideal vehicle to cross the country in, the open view of the country side it offers is unbeatable. You can feel the wind and smell the air, which gives you a real taste of the landscape, plus it looks good, and I love driving it!!! I've been from Coast to Coast with her, to the Carolina's, all the way over and down California, up to Montana, and back into the Heart of Texas. In the next few weeks I hope to take a ride up though the Canadian Rockies. She's my General Lee, and I'm her Micheal Knight. You see, we have a good thing goin and were good to each other, the way it should be.
Anyways, enough lovey dovey stuff, back to the story!!!


















I'm back in Montana for more than just fishin, campin, floatin, hangin out, and bullshitin. I'm here with a brand new plan... To let my inner fire burn, to sharpen my photography skills, to live out a dream, and most importantly, to just enjoy life... I've been workin on reinventin my other website and plan to photograph more than ever. This Blog has helped kick start my photography in ways I never expected it could or would!!! It's been more pleasure than business though, so I want to bring the two together and see where it goes. This Blog came to be because I was pinned down in a blizzard for 3 days in Flagstaff and wanted to share my photography with family and friends. Unexpectedly, people seemed to really enjoy the photos and stories from my travel across the country. I'm trilled with the responses that I've received from it, and it's still hard for me to believe that people like readin my writin... Hell, I'm no writer, and never claimed to be one, ( till now )!!! To tell you the truth, I haven't done this much writin since I was in the 3rd grade!!! Hey, if it brings eyes to my photography, then let it be...

I have a new Theme Song too... Its Waylon Jennings, Are You Sure Hank Did It This Way...
To me it's one of the best Honky Tonk songs ever!!!
So turn it up and take a ride, if you don't have it, maybe you should!!!































We'll, I have to run... I'm here for a good time, not a long time.
And there's lots to see and do...

Tune back in next week... I hope to have more posted!!!
Thanks for lookin and readin...

David

The End... And A New Begining!!!

There's a photo that hangs in my grandparents living room of their home. Its a big black and white portrait of my grandfather taken at his cabinet shop when he was in his early days. He even built the frame that it hangs in. My grandmother told me that a unknown photographer just showed up one day and wanted to take his photo. Growing up I looked at it all the time and I still stare at it every time I go over there. When I was younger I remember looking at it and always wondering what the photographer looked like and what his camera looked like. That photo played a big part in my quest of becoming a photographer myself. So, who ever he is, Thanks...

That last night of my trip back home from Missoula camping at Beavers Bend I wondered if it was all worth it. Putting down my day job in the mist of economic low and moving to Montana to become a photographer. Easier said than done my friends. It wasn't all just sunshine and rainbows you know. One week before leaving my grandfather was in a bad accident that left him in a coma that no one knew if he would come out of or not. Second, I had all my photography gear stolen during the second half of school, and may I add a hard rain is goin to fall on the SOB that took my shit to. I will be back to Missoula!!! Lookin, listin, and smellin!!! The third and hardest blow of all was finding out that my mother had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
After hanging up from that tearful phone call, I deiced to give it all I had and catch this dream of photography that I was chasin. After all my mother gave me my first lesson in photography, little does she know. When I was about 7 I asked her if I could take a picture with our cheap family camera. She said yea, but that I could only take two photos, film is expensive she said. Walking around for an hour looking for just the right thing to photograph, which ended up being my stuffed animals!!! I took my first photos. So, I would say that was my first lesson in photography, taking my time and looking around before I just went to clicking away. I also remember thinking one day I'll have my own camera and I'll take all the photos I want. Well, that day has finally came and I have one bad ass camera along with the knowledge to use it, and I take all the photos I want to.
I love you Mom, and thanks for all your love!!


All turned out to be ok though, my grandfather is back on his feet and has the memory of an elephant, I upgraded my camera gear thanks to renters insurance and the donations of my fellow classmates and faculty of RMSP. And my mother is cancer free, stronger and more beautiful than ever.


Even after those three hard kicks to the balls, that took a lot wind out of my sails. I did manage to learn a few things.
I now have a new found skill. One that I knew I had all the time but needed help releasing, and a summer in Montana surrounded by talented photographers did it. I had a fire burning in me and RMSP poured the gas on it that turned it into a wildfire, and I don't ever plan on putting it out. My photo skills have grown by leaps and bounds in the pass 8 months. The seven weeks of my road trip back my camera was never more than arms length from me. I even took it with me when I stopped at stores to piss. Had to, the jeep is to easy to break into.

I plan to continue with my photography now that I'm back in Texas. Hell, I've just gotten started. Can't wait to see where all this takes me, and what comes out of it all . I need to get back to my day job for a bit though and go from there. In fact that's the plan, but I will still photograph on the side if anyone out there would like my services. I also need to say, I can no longer accept 12 packs as payment for my photography work. I will however accept the combination of 30 packs and cash money though... I'm a professional now people, that's just how it works...

Let me say one last thing!

Arriving in Montana I wanting to start a new chapter, so I did, and when I left there I had enough crazy ass stories, fun loving memories, and good friends to start a new book. Hell, a trilogy at that... That's why I have to get back there. The road trip back home with my new found skills was a blast too. The West is almost as wild as I am.
But back to the question. Was it all worth it? YOUR DAMN RIGHT IT WAS!!!
Anyways, lets look at some photos!!!
So turn the theme song Voodoo Child all the way up and lets take a ride, Wide Open!!!