Halo 3 and Mountain Dew equals Game Fuel, what more can you ask for? Yes, of course Halo 3 should have it’s own soft drink. It’s not only the most successful video game franchise in history, but the biggest entertainment event of 2007. Halo 3 already has become the fastest selling pre-ordered video game in history.
Master Chief says: “Time to pwn some noobs again.”
I spent some time experimenting with different strobist style lighting, but using small items as the subject.
Shot using a 1ft diameter homemade softbox.? Neither products for sale.
A couple years ago I spotted this sailboat at Big Lots.? Being a huge fan of Napoleon Dynamite, I just had to buy it.? Of course it was defective and broken just like most everything else they sell.? Not that I would actually pay full retail price for one of these anyway.? Some overseas child surely put a lot of time into knotting all the strings and hanging all the sails.? Multiply the kid’s income by 4,000 and you’ll find a retail price of $200.
Add in some water colors.
The wood came dented in multiple places and a rescue boat was missing on the other side, as purchased.?
Contents not to be spoken of.
This post has little theme, so why not.? Next post we’ll be returning to the conformity you know and love.
Continued from PAGE 1.
These water misters were a necessity as it was blistering hot this weekend.
This tiger reminded me of our cats Conquistador and Shnookums who are probably in the same pose back at home.
The lion kept licking his chops. Either we looked appetizing or he was expecting a meal soon. You could almost see the saliva flicking off his tongue.
Not a shabby place to call home.
Everyone was amazed by a loose squirrel that was running around. A couple people tried catching it as it sped by. Probably not a brilliant plan, nope.
Here’s the photo opp we’ve been waiting for.
Who’s in the cage, us or them?
This guy kept licking the lady’s finger.
The girls patiently wait as daddy takes pictures.
This one didn’t like something about me. He ran full speed across the yard and pounded with all his weight into the window I was at. He became a blur due to my quick hip-shot reaction and his speed. Check his eyes as he starred right into mine.
Hey, you got poo on your butt. Uhhh, nevermind, just kidding.
Spectacular views
Finally we made it to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Omaha is a great place for a very short vacation on a whim. No complex itineraries or transportation woes here. If you’re very quick you can see a majority of the zoo in a whole day, opening to close. You’ll likely want to spend another half or whole day exploring the historic Old Market area.
The animals run for cover and hide when we come around.
Strange birds
The desert decoration went well with the temperature this weekend.? It was about as hot as it was steamy.
The underwater tunnel was really neat, unfortunately everyone else seconds that.
We stopped in Elk Horn, IA to check out their authentic windmill. Elk Horn is the largest rural Danish community outside of Denmark. In two years the small town raised $100,000 and recruited 300 volunteers to locate, purchase, move and rebuild a windmill. This is what they found, shipped from Denmark in 1975. Shipping across the ocean alone costed $8,000 USD.
I’ve done enough “rail fan” photos lately, but this one introduced itself to me while I was trying to drive to the MLK viaduct.
Going… going…
Gone
I’m always a sucker for these downtown Des Moines skyline shots.
Buildings, Des Moines, Downtown, Greatest Hits, Night, Outdoor
Playing pool at Club 2000 on Des Moines’ South side. It’s not really a club and it’s not really 2000. It’s more like the Park Avenue Pub after winning the lottery. They even have carpet here!
This is the third and last post of this urban exploration series at Titan Distribution just outside of downtown Des Moines, IA.
Abandoned Warehouses
? This building was extra deteriorated.? There were warning signs stating that some of the machinery uses acid in the manufacturing process.? I have a feeling this is no coincidence.
? You can see the stairs on the ground to the right that were cut from the 2nd floor to keep people from going up there.
This is the 2nd? in a series of? posts from urban exploration at this abandoned tire factory complex.? Now we start getting into the interesting stuff.
? Copy cat!
Scavengers have already stolen all the copper wiring to sell as scrap.
? Transformers, more than meets the eye.
? Opened water boiler
? The stairways to the top floor were cut with a welding torch.? The only way up is to climb the wall.
? Roof access through the doorway.
? Cops are here now!? Time to go assholes.
? Quality computer equipment
? Phone board, with paper towel holder mounted.
Poop room is this way
Welcome to Heartbreak Ridge.
Break room
Kitchen
Sexy collage to encourage usage of safety glasses.
Buildings, Des Moines, Graffiti, Greatest Hits, Urban Exploration
This is the first post in a series of a couple taken from the old abandoned Titan Tire location near the Des Moines River.? Titan primarily makes off-road, agricultural, and construction tires. ? Like other locations that have been abandoned by Titan, this one has been sitting for years.? Several sources have spoken of a chemical spill that occured here and has deterred prospective buyers.? One source claims that this site is finally changing hands and may find a use in the near future.?
The bottom two feet of all surrounding trees and brush have been cleared.? Apparently this is an attempt to destroy places to hide from the police.? Some of the buildings seemed to have similar features to help police enforce the complex when called upon.
? Very old? equipment for banding cartons and crates the old fashioned way.
The first few buildings we looked at were the most heavily covered in grafitti.
? Epic?? Must be a popular word these days.
? This made my day.? Graffiti of Master Shake and Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim.
OMG, it’s OMK!
Every skeleton needs a bow in it’s hair!
Graffiti on graffiti?? “I eat babys.”? What’s your thing?
Buildings, Des Moines, Graffiti, Greatest Hits, Urban Exploration
? Came back for more shots of the bridge at Gray’s Lake.
The? tallest of the downtown buildings can be? seen in the background.
On our way to the Southeast side of Des Moines
Titan Tire, patrolled by dogs.? Good thing I brought Scooby snacks and fried legs of lamb.
The abandoned Armstrong Tire facility of Des Moines, IA.? Apparently? this small plant was bought out by Titan then immediately shut down in 1994.? Titan Tire seems to have a history of shutting down competition.? In their eagerness to monopolize,? Quincy, Illinois based Titan? Wheel incurred a $130,000 fine? for breaking anti-trust laws.?
This facility apparently made tractor tires.? The large round brown item in the center of the photo is a mold for one of these, complete with branding to be indented in the melted rubber.
Very interesting machines.
Tire manufacturing
I had to risk bird feces to get this shot.? Directly overhead lives a group of birds inside the insulation between the rafters.? There was still a few more things I wanted to shoot, but we were kicked out by some generic security outfit that patrols Titan owned? properties.
As many children do, I grew up with an interest in these magnificent monsters.? Being up close to them for the first time since I was a child brought me to realize the cars are much? larger than they look from afar.? There’s a rush of excitement being near them and feeling the thunderous roar of the rail car links compressing and expanding as the locomotive pushes and pulls the cars to organize them by destination.
Disclaimer: The railroad system is another sector that’s observing post-9/11 “overcautionism.”? Don’t make a spectacle of yourself if you want to observe these beauties closer.? The area is under human video surveillance at all hours.? Also residents in this neighborhood are vigilant and? they will notice and observe you.? Resist the urge to go between the plethora of tracks for any reason, it’s not only trespassing but extremely dangerous.? Multiple locomotives work to reorganize trains and are coming and going at all times.
