Analytical Research Labs

My fellow photog Lucas Marshall introduced me to a new tool in photo sharing called Autoviewer.

I figured I would take the chance to mess with it and show off some commercial work that I did a while back with a research company called Analytical Research Laboratories/DNA Solutions.

Click Away

snow snow

Looks like snow is in our future here in Oklahoma. Have a buddy in town from Climbing/Urban Climber Magazine and we had planned on heading down to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge this weekend. The weather is telling us no, but I think it's still gonna happen! We'll see how it all shakes out, but hopefully I'll have some climbing eye candy once the first of next week rolls around.

Cheers.

Andy

Bike safely

If you ride a bike on our Oklahoma roads you need to watch this.



It's very sad that our police do not know the laws of the road, especially when it comes to cyclist safety.

And back to London

This adventure is nearing to an end. Bo and I have just landed back in the good ole US of A and are at the airport waiting for a connection. The customs agent gave a warm welcome to us which lightened my heart and made me glad to be back home.

I'm going to keep this post fairly short because I have taken a lot of photos the past couple of days in London and I want to post them here. So I'll keep the words scarce.

Suffice it to say we had a great time across the pond, and the last couple of days in Londy were delightful. I'll have more thoughts at some point and I may or may not post them here. Life will soon be back to it's busy pace with more events and adventures that will most likely be shared here on this wonderful tool we call a blog.

It's good to be home.


See photos...

We spent a good deal of time one afternoon strolling in the area near Buckingham Palace, House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. We were tourons, no doubt, in a crowd of them but it was good stuff to see nonetheless.


Buckingham Palace and the throngs of tourons, including us


Buckingham guard


Horse police


Some sort of guard patrol near Buckingham


Hangin in the sun in front of Buckingham


Self port in front of Westminster Abbey


Big Ben


Oliver Cromwell Statue


We also spent a pretty fun evening running around the Tower of London castle and bridge. This is a must to visit if you are in London.


The old English Castle dating back to as early as 1078


Tower bridge pano. I didn't bring a tripod, so it had to be done handheld.


Tower Bridge


Tower bridge










More Photos....


Trafalgar Square where the National Gallery holds Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Monet, and Rembrandt pieces of art


Evening view of Tower Bridge


Serpentine Bridge


Lucas Arms Pub


St Pauls Cathedral


The double decker


View from our hostel in London. Notice two people trying to cross the street in traffic.


Double decker


Bo in a tunnel


London Underground subway


Hangin in the hostel


Bo is ready for the all you can eat Indian, Thai and Chinese buffet.

Brussels

I’m sitting on a crowded Eurostar high speed train looking out the window as Brussels slowly vanishes into the hazy landscape. It began to drizzle as we made the walk from the hostel to the train station. Now, approaching speeds of 170 miles per hour on the train, the sky begins to clear a bit with spotty rays of sun. In an hour we’ll be under the English Channel. I reflect on the past two days in the city of Brussels.



Stark in contrast to Amsterdam in many ways. Similar to Amsterdam in many ways. Heck, it’s all Greek to me right? Brussels is fast moving, moving fast. Less bicycles. More cars. Many languages. Much history. Less debauchery. Wealth. Less personality.

Did you know that ketchup costs an extra .50 euro? Bathroom use runs at least .30 euro. Plastic bags at the grocery cost. Free wi-fi costs 5 euro an hour. Free wi-fi?



Quite honestly, I find myself more and more out of place the longer we are on this journey. This place is a world away. It's cold and uninviting. We do not belong. The culture here is dark and mysterious. Humans from all across the globe walk the streets speaking in their select tongues, praying to their own gods, consuming their niche cuisine and gathering in their ordained districts. Bo and I stick out like sore thumbs. We are American through and through…



Nevertheless we are here and taking it in. Most of our days are again spent on our feet combing the cobble streets taking in the sights and history that is Belgium. We have grown weary of the food and have been posting up in establishments like MacDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King.

All the while our time is spent in good fun, laughing and playing in the Belgian streets with smiles on our faces. Saying hello to strangers. Giving change to the poor. Tipping servers as is customary in the States but not here.



The monuments of history are out of this world. Civilization is old. Humanity is ancient. We get to see the proof in these European cities. It’s a wonder that my eyes enjoy and relish.

Still taking a few photos here and there. Sometimes I'll well up with inspiration, and at other times I could care less. It's an odd opposition within me a times, but it seems to work. Enjoy - or as everyone says over here - Cheers!



Belgian waffles from a street vendor are ridiculously good, and addicting



Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula









Remember? Bathrooms cost



Our hostel had a crazy small elevator, and a ridiculous view of the street below





Some things ARE the same in Europe



Early morning coffee in O'Reilly's Irish Pub



The shining wet cobble streets of downtown Brussels



Random snaps..