deadguitarist

Photo dump of the Nevada Children's Cancer Foundation and The Caring Place 2016 Awards Gala - Cover Photo (left to right): my Mom Sandy, my brother Jimmy, my wife Stephanie, me. The man in the gray suit in some of the photos is my brother's best friend and culinary guinea pig, Robert. Also included are some of my Rotherham friends, Debbie, Don, Rosie and a few others. On our way out to meet our limo for the ride home, I also took some photos of the Bellagio Conservatory/Botanical Garden, the High Roller observation wheel, the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas, the Cosmopolitan, and the Bellagio Fountains. Before the Gala there was cocktail hour (drinks were expensive - $16 for a Jack and Coke) and silent auction. The guitar was one of the items on auction. It was an Epiphone Les Paul, with custom art on the back. While cool, it would have been better if the artwork was on the front.

The first photos I've taken with my refurbished Nikon D3300 and Nikon 18mm - 200mm telephoto lens. These are unprocessed (absolutely no edits) JPGs taken straight off the camera. I have the RAW NEF files, but these came out great without any processing needed.

I don't have many photos of Hot Springs National Park as I didn't stay there very long and only hit a couple of spots: Gulpha Gorge and West Mountain.

The Grand Canyon is spectacular. I was fortunate as it was exceptionally clear the day I was there (04 July 2016). It was crowded, but the crowds didn't seem too bad, except in some of the shops. Photos were enhanced slightly for clarity, vibrance and to bring out the different shades of reds, yellows, oranges and browns and to boost the blue of the sky.

On the third day of my trip home from Mississippi, I made a few planned stops in North Texas. First was the Britten Leaning Water Tower. It was intentionally build leaning to attract tourists. But there isn't anything else around so it seems it's just one of those odd things you can see on road trips in America. The second stop was the Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere (supposedly). There are also other things to see there, small statue displays of the 12 stations on the Via Dolorosa, which is the route Jesus took on his way to his crucifixion. There is also a fellowship center and a statuary display of Jesus' crucifixion. Last planned stop was Cadillac Ranch, where 10 vintage (1940s to 1960s) Cadillacs were half buried, nose down, as an art exhibit designed to showcase the tail fins of the Cadillacs. And to shock the Texas billionaire's neighbors. Today, it's taken on a cult like status. People come to spray paint their impermanent art. If you go and paint your art, take a photo quickly after you finish as it won't be there for long.

Mississippi State University is my alma mater. I studied there from 1982-1984, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. Campus has changed a lot since I attended. The football stadium was called Scott Field; now it's called Scott Field at Davis Wade Stadium. They added two huge video scoreboards and thousands more seats. The mens baseball stadium, Dudy Nobel Field is scheduled for a major upgrade in the next year or two. The women softball field, Nusz Park is recently renovated as is the tennis complex. The dorm I lived in, Hamlin Hall, no longer exists. Technology Park and Chadwick Lake are all new as are many new dorms and academic buildings. Many others were or are undergoing renovation. It's a beautiful campus and a lot more bicycle friendly too.