21/365

Tree.
This is a pic of a beautiful oak tree. It was at the job we were doing today out in Crosby. The bark on this tree was gorgeous.

20/365 part 2

So this is the after. We stripped it, sanded it with a very fine sandpaper, deglossed it, applied as wiping stain to give it back it's color, then we applied a sanding sealer to lock in the color, and finally put a marine grade poly urethane finish to protect all the love and care we put into restoring this beautiful door.

20/365 part one

Ok so I'm posting this from my cell so you'll have to look at two blogs to see the rest.
Today a refinished a door. It's a common thing we do. People don't understand that this Texas sun and heat will eat up that beautiful finish in less than a year. The sad thing is most people will look at this door and think it's to late and either replace it or paint it. All it needs is a little love and care and it'll be good a new.

19/365

So after high school I didn't shoot for awhile, but I always took my camera with me to work. After a bit I started to notice how many homeowners planted flowers, and I started taking pics of them to show to my mother. She loves flowers and loved the pics. So for a long time I took pics of flowers, plants, leaves, and anything that caught my eye on the jobsite. Now I'm into fashion photography and about any kind of portraiture.  I still take pics of flowers for my mom and she still loves them.

18/365

This is me. As photographer you would think I would love to take pics of myself, but you would be mistaken. I am not a fan of pics of myself but do not shy away from the camera. I mean look at me. I'm sexy. I'm just not a fan of the self portrait.

17/365

GET OVER HERE!
For those few that read this and in your head heard that deep angry voice, this ones for you.
Mortal Kombat is the game that many will say was the beginning of violent video games. It was the first game that was obscenely bloody and I loved it. It's one of my favorite games of my youth. Perhaps of the best dates I'd ever been on ended with a night at the arcade where I taught a young pretty girl how to kill. Every time I play this game I remember that night, and that perfect date. I love video games for many reasons, and now you know why I like this particular game.
FINISH HIM!

16/365

This is a paint tint machine. Well maybe not a machine, but it is used to tint paint. As many of y'all know I'm a paint contractor by trade. I've grown up watching people make countless gallons of paint with this set up. About 60% of the paint that we buy is a custom match to the old existing paint or something they want matched (bedsheets, pillows, curtains, etc.) It's not an easy thing to use this rig to match a paint color, but I always have loved watching the masters at their work. These are getting harder and harder to find in actual use. Just about everyone uses the fully automated rigs now a days, so when you do see your paint being mixed up this way know that there is a lot of experience, care, and love going into your paint.

15/365

Today kids we are going to talk about tattoos. This is one of my tatts. It's a Samoan Warriors piece. These tattoos are a right of passage and have been a time honored tradition for centuries. Mine is a non traditional piece. The last thing I wanted was to piss off a big ass Samoan. So think of your tatt before you get one.

My father has a couple of tattoos, and a kid I always wanted one. In our house whatever one parent decided the other couldn't undo. So when I was about 15, and arguing with my mother, she said I couldn't get one until I was 18. I shut my mouth and smiled. A couple of days after my 18th birthday I called my mother from the tattoo shop to let her know I might be late for dinner because I was getting a tattoo. As mad as she was she couldn't argue because her word was her word.

I've gotten several more tatts since then, and she has hated them all equally, but this one is my newest. I plan to add more to it later this year.

If you don't have a tatt and plan on getting one, the best piece of advice I can give you is get it bigger than you want it and pay for it. Don't let the price scare you. I've seen more people get one smaller, less detailed, or just pick something totally different just because it cost more then they thought. Remember it's going to be with you for the rest of your life. Don't be cheep.

14/365

The magic elixir. This little can has been a blessing. It has helped me get thru more days than I remember. I'm beginning to believe the same as my father on this. He thinks it's the magic snake oil, the cure all substance in a can. I've been putting this theory to the test and I think I believe him. If you have a headache, you're feeling kinda blah, you're tired, achy, or like one of the seven dwarves drink this little can of magic elixir and see how you feel in 10 to 15 minutes.

13/365

I am catholic by default, aka I was born into it. I'm not an in your face Jesus freak but I do believe in my religion. I won't preach to you about religion nor argue with you about your religion or lack of.
When I was younger I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. If you don't know what that is google it, it sucks. There is no real cure for it and eventually it will cripple you in some way. Thru lots of prayer I've been cured. Doctors confirm I have no signs of it any more.
Once, a long time ago, I fell about 8 feet off a ladder onto a concrete floor and hit my head. I blacked out. While I was out I could see myself. I was on the floor and all around me it was pitch black. I could hear my mother begging me to wake up, but I just laid there. Then a beautiful woman, wearing a white hood, leaned down from out of the shadows and whispered into my ear "Wake up" I opened my eyes and saw my mother in tears of joy that I was awake.

I believe that there is a higher power out there. It may not be what's in books or something we may even truly understand, but I do believe in my religion enough to have faith that there is a higher power.

12/365

Today we went to the Mexican flea market out in Pearland aka the Pearland flea market. This place is like straight out of Mexico. It reminds me of the marcado. This place has everything. If you need rims, stereo installed, custom boots made, bridal dress, they got you covered. Today I saw something that impressed me. A both that takes you're picture and turns it into a painting that's almost as realistic as a photo. I didn't really examine the pic that well but it was pretty darn good and cheap too.

11/365

Ok it's a bad cell phone pic I know but the mom wouldn't leave her babies long enough for me to get a good one. I wanted to update everyone on the puppies. They are all healthy and doing just fine. The mother is doing good as well and is starting to want to go with my mom to work lol. I'm happy to see everyone is doing so well and can't wait till they start to venture outside the box.

10/365

This is my truck. She is a 2003 Chevy Silverado V6. She has custom 18"rims, a true dual exhaust, euro headlights, custom grill, and a cowl induction hood. She is my baby, and her name is Cindy.

Catches my eye

I've already mentioned I have an art background, so sometimes I see things differently then the average person. I'm not saying I'm special I'm just letting you know how I see the world. I ran across this pic and fell in love with it. Look at it for a moment. Well go on. What do you see? How do you feel about it? I love it. It's sensual and sexy without being provocative. It's a beautiful pic in my opinion. Beauty in simplicity would be the best way to describe it. I just wanted to share this pic with y'all. I hope someone appreciates it as much as I do.

9/365

Ok so I had my pic and my speech all picked out, but then something shocked me, and I had to change my mind. My good friend Carl made dinner. Now this was surprising. First of all I've only seen Carl cook bbq, which he does quite well by the way, but tonight he made us chicken caldo. Not to point out the obvious but Carl is white and caldo to me is mom's chicken soup. I had high expectations and Carl's soup totally delivered. Spicy, hearty, home cooked goodness. I was blown away. If you ever get to meet Carl and become his friend you need to have him make this for you. Thank you Carl for a delicious meal and giving me another surprise in your vast skills.

8/365

Me in a nutshell.
I was raised by two loving parents with traditional old school 50's values.  I have an older sister and a younger brother. My sis and I never had a good relationship but not because I didn't try. My brother and I as kids got along great but as teens we probably could have killed each other. Our parents kicked us out, long story, and ever since we moved in together he's been my best friend. I've had a job in about every field you can think of and have always succeeded in them. I studied art for 6 years and was in the high school band, I played clarinet. I helped raise my little niece, my sister wasn't ready to be a mom. I tried my best to be a father figure to my little niece, and sometimes I feel like I failed. I work hard for my father's approval, which I rarely get but when I do it means the world to me. I've been studying photography for a while now and I think it's fired up my artistic passion like nothing else in my life. Well the only thing that comes close is creating a new faux finish.
Well that's about it for now. I tried to keep it short but you know how that goes.

Work

I paint houses for a living. I've done this for as long add I can remember. I've had a slew of other jobs, but I've always come back to painting. I really do enjoy my job. What I've come to love the most is faux finishes. They're so much fun and everyone is completely different then the other. I look at them as an original art piece.

That's it. Lol I just wanted to say that.

7/365

Another late post but here it is.
This is a pic of my bar. It's petty nice and almost as complete as a real working bar. The funny thing is I'm not a big drinker. I have a fully stocked bar mainly for the sake of having one lol. I do make a killer kamikaze that people swear taste like lemonade but don't be fooled by it's subtle taste.

6/365

Ok I gotta tell you a little story on this one so you'll understand why as soon as I saw this I knew this was the pic for today.
As many of y'all know my father has a paint company that my brother and I work for. (we now own it) A long long long time ago Alex, my brother, was helping our dad power wash a house. As Alex helped load the machine back in the truck he forgot the rig was hot and put his hand on the muffler and got such a good burn you could see all the cooling holes for the muffler. He was in some pain but was ok and luckily suffered no permanent damage. So every time I see a muffler with a lot of cooling holes or design I think of how lucky he was that day. Maybe if this design had been on our rig he wouldn't have got burned that day lol. This one's for you bro, an Alex proof muffler.

5/365

Sorry I forgot to post earlier but here it is.

This is Petunia my American Staffordshire terrier. That's Pitt Bull to those of you that don't know. She is a spoiled baby that is scared of paper bags and thunder. She gets mad if I stay up to late because she's ready to go to bed. I never wanted a Pitt and now that I have her I couldn't do without her.

4/365

Today me and Desi went and had lunch  at a place we found via Groupon. It was called Shade Tree Cafe. It was all the way out in Pearland but well worth the trip. Everything was delicious. I definitely will return to this place.

3/365

For those of y'all that play the game are totally familiar with this screen shot. It's been the same screen shot for years and years and has caused more frustration and rage than it seams to be worth. God of War has been one of the only games that I play 100% all the way thru and can't wait till the next release. I just beat the last installment of this series in 14 hrs 26 min and 17 seconds. I'm happy and sad at the same time.

2/365

Chewy, my mom's dog gave birth today to 4 healthy puppies. My mother is not the biggest animal person but ever since she rescued Chewy little by little that dog is changing her.

Day one of 365 challenge

This is my friend Carl. He's a good personal friend and I'm blessed to have him in my life.

365 Challenge

Ok boys and girls, listen up. It's time for the 365 challenge. Take a pic of something once a day every day for a year. I'm starting today and you should too. Come back later to see my pic of the day.