On the way to NC

We're in the Cincinnati airport which is in Covington, Kentucky (Really!). Flight was smooth and short. We'll be in North Carolina in a few hours.

Mikey bites the dust!

I survived a Catholic wedding! My camping buddy Mike is hitched now. He was beaming all day. Good to see him so happy!

Let them eat pie!

Happy birthday to me!

Book 'em Dan-o!

If you are old enough to remember the TV show where the above line came from, then you know I'm talking about the big FIVE-OH. Today is the day. I'm 50 years old. WOW! How did I get this old so fast? Where did the time go?

Oh well... I've got two great kids, a wonderful girlfriend, and I'm healthy and in shape. Life is good. Bring on the next decade!

Jody threw a big birthday bash for me at my house and my brother, sister, and sister-in-law made the trip from Ohio for the occasion. A great time was had by all. We had about 50 people over and the weather was perfect.

Karen put together a collage of pictures that prove I've **ALWAYS** been a nerd. Some things never change!

Rhymes with....

Yes. This is an orange. I'm just trying to post to my blog from my phone. This is only a test.

Zep Still Rules!

Last night Jody & I went to Ravinia to see er, make that HEAR Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ravinia, it is an outdoor amphiteater that seats maybe 1,000 people with a beautiful grassy area behind it for about 2,000 more people. You show up with a blanket, a bottle of wine, some food and candles and enjoy the music under the canopies of trees and glimpses of stars. The lawn tickets are only $20 which is a bargain for a concert these days.

Highlights for me were "Battle of Evermore" and a very interesting re-arrangement of "Black Dog".

Back in Black

Well folks.... many years after the demise of carlgrube.com, I've finally ventured back onto the web.

What got me back? I got a new camera -- a Nikon D80 with the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens.

It's a pretty sweet rig, but it will take me a while to figure out how to use it. For starters, I set the camera up as instructed at kenrockwell.com.

I love the way the colors *POP* in his pictures. I think these settings are great for scenery, but perhaps over-the-top for portraits. I still have 4 zillion buttons and settings to play with before I understand this camera.

Here are some of the first shots. Click on a photo to see the full sized image.

Westin in the Barrington Pool

Delainy by the Fox River

Boy Scout Camp Napowan

Poison Oak