10. August 2008 by admin.

 

These are some shots I took at the Daytons Aquatennial Display 95-96.We filled 2 x 20 ft fashion display windows with 4 aquariums - 2 freshwater w/Koi & 2 Saltwater.The old lady you see in the thumbnail was obviously very disgusted, and not amused whatsoever.This was a challenging display we had a crew of 6 and someone had to be there to monitorevery day, all day. The hardest part was getting enough biological bateria downtown aliveso the tanks wouldnt spike for the instant display. Sun also played a big factor, the backroom with the 2 x 1/2 chillers average about 90 F & suffice to say the ventilation was”less than adequate” or another way “non existant”. The upside was my wife with her marketingdegree managed to convice some local reporters it was interesting enough to print a small articlein the Strib. I was still sleeping when she ran into the bedroom with the front page saying “it made the front page” I still cant believe it, my balding head featured right there frontand center, brush w/fame and thats the story of how i became famous beyond my wildestimagination (HaHa).

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10. August 2008 by admin.

This is my second attempt at image manipulation via Paint Shop Pro (or as i like to call it Poor Mans Photoshop). Love this software, fun to play with. Gets my personal vote for “Best software under $40 hands down.

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8. August 2008 by admin.

On of these tree frogs rode on the windshield of my 1998 Chevy cargo van all the way from Dayton to Downtown which Nate & I thought was pretty damn amazing considering top speeds of  around 80 MPH on 94 for approx 15 miles. Those are some sticky feet ya got there! Somebody outta study it, patent it, and then sell it to 3M for a new line of Orange Tape they could charge triple what they do for the Blue. Lets see $6 per roll Blue x 3 - $18 per Orange roll.

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8. August 2008 by admin.

Here some shots of a kitchen i decided to build after watching too many home improvement shows. Best part was i already had the all the tools on board from building fish stands and cabinets. Really fun to do this, cause you can add the neat stuff you want, Im creating a special dog water zone (saw this on TV) that features an inset with water dish (at dog height) drain and spigot that you step on with your foot to autofill the water dish when its low. I thought this idea was too good to pass up and for you non dog owners out you would be surprised how much water a full grown dog can drink!

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8. August 2008 by admin.

Here a shot of Randall Lee Broughten playing his new Gibson Firebird guitar at the MN Zoo gig on 8/1/2008. The band was fantastically tight, the night was perfect (outside), beer was cold, & the Firebird was HOT. Sounded really good, although Im not sure why he brought his blue Telecaster (my personal favorite)  when he first bought it he let me play it and i was all smiles want definetly the nicest guitar i ever picked up he just smiled and said “almost plays itself doesnt it?” and i had to agree…  

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4. June 2008 by admin.

Uncle was also swept out, but made it back to shore

Associated Press

An Eagan man is missing after a giant wave swept him the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico, relatives said.

Brad Beer, 29, and his uncle were standing on a rock over the water on a point just behind their house Wednesday night when the wave carried them out to sea, said Beer’s aunt, Diane McAfee, also of Eagan.

Larry McAfee, 46, Beer’s uncle, made it back to shore with only minor injuries. The men had gone out to dinner after work and had just come back to their house, on the north coast of the island near Manati, Diane McAfee said Saturday. They went out on the point, as they did almost every night, to talk and watch the ocean.

“There was no storm” she said, “just a sudden wall of water. They were looking at something else, turned and it was there.”

“My husband’s an experienced scuba diver and deep sea diver,” McAfee said. “He’s been doing it for years all over the world. Brad is a snorkeler.” Kerrie Beer, 27, Brad’s wife, added “If Larry had the thought the water was unstable they would’nt have been out there. They weren’t sightseeing.”

Larry McAfee told his wife that he was carried out ¼ to ½ mile. He told her he thinks it took him 45 minutes or more to get back, Diane McAfee said. He called 911 and the Coast Guard, which had been

Patrolling the area earlier, she said, and a boat was there within minutes. Kerrie Beer said Saturday afternoon that the Coast Guard has suspended the search; searchers had done what they could with surface craft, she said, but weather didn’t permit the use of divers.

Agent Lourdes Lopez of the Puerto Rican local patrol was quoted in some reports as saying that waves of such height are not unusual this time of year on the islands northern coast, but Kerrie Beer said the Coast Guard commander in charge of the search disagreed with that.

Diane McAfee described Brad Beer as “the best, the most honest, sincere person – a wonderful, supportive person. When you think about him, you smile. Of course, Larry is just devastated. It’s his nephew and his friend.” Larry McAfee is a computer consultant and has working on a project for the pharmaceutical company Merck & co. in Peurto Rico for several years, Diane McAfee said. “It always surprises you how wonderful people can be. My phone and (Kerries) have been ringing off the hook, We know when people call it’s because they want the best for you, but of course nobody knows what to say.”

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3. June 2008 by admin.

Welcome! This site is a compilation of all things aquatic, articles, personal commentary, opinions, who knows what you find here take a look around. Feel free to leave comments if you feel inclined.

This is an image i created digitally in  Paint Shop Pro 8. I wanted to do a lot more with it, but it havent figured out the complex layering pattern quite yet - I might have break down and do a tutorial soon if the suffering continues much longer….its like asking for directions - Last Resort.

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