josh h

step five, you are free

2012-01-25T21:30:00.002-05:00

nothing left to lose

what use is a prickly heart?

2012-01-23T13:15:00.004-05:00

miss you princess, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

Счастья Вам!

objects in a mirror

2012-01-19T04:31:00.003-05:00

lyrics by kim banks dallesandro

SOPA vs. access to your town square

2012-01-18T08:57:00.003-05:00

from the flickr blog:

Help raise awareness about PIPA & SOPA

Two bills are currently being considered in the U.S. Congress: PIPA the “Protect IP Act” and SOPA the “Stop Online Piracy Act.” Both are designed to address a legitimate problem – foreign-based websites that are engaging in digital piracy and trafficking in counterfeit goods. Unfortunately, we and many others believe that these bills miss the mark. These bills have the potential to stifle innovation, require censorship of search results, impose monitoring obligations, and change the way information is distributed on the web. Government regulation of online activities is a slippery slope and these proposed bills fall down that slope without truly addressing the issues that ignited this debate.

With the pending votes on these bills, Flickr is joining other sites on the web on January 18th to help raise awareness about the potential impacts of this legislation.

If you would like to participate in this awareness campaign, Flickr is letting members darken their photos — or the photos of others — for a 24-hour period to deprive the web of the rich content that makes it thrive. Your symbolic act will help draw attention to this issue and let others know about the potential harmful impacts of these bills.

A few notes, members can darken 10 photos. After that you won’t see the option anymore. It will only be hidden on the photo page so you can still see it in the Lightbox or slideshow. If you don’t want others to darken your photos, you may choose to opt-out from any photo.

If you are a concerned about these bills we encourage you to learn more at netcoalition.com.

If you are a U.S. Citizen you can also get information on how to contact your representatives in congress at protectinnovation.com.

tanner almon or what

2012-01-16T05:22:00.001-05:00

this will clear it all up

HIPPO VS. RHINO from Tanner Almon on Vimeo.

or the interview

Sunset at Trail Camp

2012-01-14T07:25:00.003-05:00

Sunset at Trail Camp by Sophie Xia on flickr

Sunset at Trail Camp, a photo by Sophie Xia on Flickr.

Mt Whitney - Sunset at trail camp by geekeasy, on Flickr

Sunset at Trail Camp by lochlomond, on flickr

Looking East at Sunset by webrose, on Flickr

Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Bosco

2012-01-13T04:46:00.005-05:00

Bosco Delrey - Down We Go

selected, cropped, adjusted google street views

some people have to live here, frenchie

another cool cat

2012-01-10T16:37:00.005-05:00

what i have left

2012-01-07T13:42:00.001-05:00

everyone has to be somewhere, why can't you be now?

2012-01-03T18:28:00.003-05:00

from

i listen to everything

downtown, with the pigeons

2011-12-30T21:59:00.007-05:00

A Labor Day weekend outing on San Gorgonio

2011-12-27T20:37:00.005-05:00

before the turn of the century

The century-old Vivian Creek Trail, at about 15.6-miles round-trip, is the shortest of several routes to the barren, 11,500-foot summit of San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest point in California south of the Sierra Nevada. Some people take this trail as a day hike, but it's also the steepest route.

For Labor Day weekend in 1996 Ginger and I flew to LAX on Friday, picked up an auto, and drove to the Redlands, California, Best Western. Our jumbo jet had been delayed leaving DFW so we were already behind schedule. We stopped for dinner at a Bonanza steak joint somewhere in the vast suburgatory along I-10 before checking in to the hotel.

Saturday morning we made our way to a grocery store for some trail snacks, then on to Mentone and the Mill Valley ranger station for a back country permit. Finally - at the very end of Valley of Falls drive— we turned into our parking spot for the Vivian Creek trail head. The starting elevation is at about 6,000 feet, and it was a late start around 10:00 a.m. You have to follow a dirt path for about a half mile before finding the place to cross a very wide and rocky creek bed where the trail, if any, is rather obscure until you can spot an opening in the forest on the other side.

Our open-air bedroom at High Creek Camp was a little less than 5 miles and 3,200 feet up the mountain. Plenty of time, as it turned out. We made it to High Creek Camp, set up the tent, unrolled the sleeping bags, fetched water from the creek, and made supper with at least a bit of late daylight to spare. The twilight lingers a little longer when you're at 9,000 ft. facing sort of westerly with nothing but air between you and the Pacific.

Sunday morning we started uphill for the summit, gaining approximately 2300 ft. in a little less than 3 miles. The weather was calm and sunny. It's a sharp pull up numerous switchbacks to gain the ridge above High Creek. Luckily we were in the morning shade for this climb. Eventually we came over and around enough to see the rest of the trail above treeline pretty well to the summit.

There are other approaches to the summit and some people do it as a day hike. By the time we arrived, there were plenty of other hikers lounging on the summit rocks. Little birds and ground squirrels or pikas bounced around looking for a handout.

It was a really nice time with Ginger enjoying the scenery, the people and the little animals after having ascended her second eleven thousand foot peak. San Gorgonio is the highest point in Southern California and you can just see forever. We rested and enjoyed the views and our snacks before heading all the way back down.

We must have taken the return trip at too leisurely a pace. Somehow darkness caught us in the last mile of the trail. On came our headlamps. And since this was bear country, Ginger even had her small personal-size pepper spray handy.

No bears, luckily, just darkness, but it was a little confusing because, after descending all that way, there's still the wide, rocky washed out Mill Creek bed to cross. We hoped to pick up the trail at the particular place where it came down through the embankment on the other side. As we stumbled across the rocks in the dark, Ginger eventually figured out how to come up at the right spot on the other side, but that didn't solve everything.

We caught up with another couple who had been well ahead of us. They were in the same predicament. Now that the forest was dark, we were all having a hard time finding our way back to the parking area even with flashlights. It was only a half-mile, but scarcely marked, and the way was braided with other paths among some cabins. It all had seemed so simple in daylight yesterday morning! Eventually, after a few miscues, there were our cars. Backpacks were quickly removed and stowed.

On the way back through Mentone to Redlands, Ginger and I picked up Sunday dinner - burgers and shakes to go. Then we took I-10 straight down to the Santa Monica Best Western. Luckily traffic was moving, but not as fast as we would have liked.

Why all the Best Westerns? As a travel agent with an IATA number, Ginger could take advantage of outrageously nice rates at Best Western properties. We did, many times, from Del Rio to Taos, and from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific. Admittedly, some Best Westerns were better than others, but often the very best ones were those that (1) after a nice hike (2) had a shower and a bed. The one in Santa Monica was fine for that, since we would be flying back the next day. And the IHOP was really convenient for breakfast!

And so it came to pass on the morning of September 2, 1996, a Monday, that while preparing to leave the Santa Monica Best Western, Ginger in the room by herself celebrated Labor Day by accidentally discharging her pepper spray.

Our packing and loading chores suddenly became repellant. She was so funny when she came downstairs to tell me what had happened. Although it temporarily complicated our departure, at least no bears were harmed in the incident.

And there was still a little time to see the Santa Monica ocean front along the Pacific Coast Highway and Venice Beach and the marina before heading back to LAX.

p.s. here's a video description of the trail from VideoWaypointdotcom

one more look at Ginger in one of the windbreaks on the summit

doug rickard interview

2011-12-26T13:00:00.001-05:00

Doug Rickard from Pier 24 Photography on Vimeo.

dreams i create

2011-12-23T16:50:00.004-05:00

tres más "vistas a la calle" de Ciudad Juárez

2011-12-22T20:07:00.004-05:00

the dead end

the 3 photos are re-processed Google street views

Ciudad Juarez, get to know it

2011-12-20T05:48:00.004-05:00

these 3 photos are re-processed Google street views

何日君再来

2011-12-15T20:35:00.005-05:00

发音很别扭不过感觉很棒

返回到我的宠儿

delivered

2011-12-12T17:27:00.001-05:00

Photography Tips from Missy!

2011-12-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

Our Lady of Shady Lane

2011-12-11T01:12:00.002-05:00

christmas pros & cons

2011-12-09T15:23:00.001-05:00

Spending Limit - Many families and groups set a spending limit or decide that only certain kinds of gifts will be given, such as used items, homemade gifts or gifts from the dollar store.

Pros:

· Avoids bad feelings on both sides when gifts exchanged are not of equal value. Nobody feels cheated or embarrassed.

· Can help keep spending in check.

· Can encourage creativity and it can be fun to see what everyone came up with.

· Might help keep the focus on being together instead of material things.

Cons:

· Some will feel it’s too restrictive and would prefer to give what they feel they can afford, not what the group decides.

· The spending limits might still be too high for some members and although these are limits, they might feel obligated to spend at the upper end of the range lest their gift come up short.

· Not everyone will have the time or inclination to find gifts that meet the criteria.

· Enforces the idea that fair is always the same as equal, which isn’t always true in real life.

Only Buy for the Children -Some families choose to only buy for the children and not the adults, either within the nuclear family or the extended family/circle of friends.

Pros:

· Children are generally easier and less expensive to shop for than adults who might already “have it all”.

· Many adults genuinely believe that the holidays should be focused on the children.

· If times are tight, most people are reluctant to disappoint children or have them feel left out when everyone around them seems to be getting tons of gifts.

· It cuts down on the time spent shopping and wrapping gifts.

Cons:

· Those without children might not give and will get nothing in return.

· There can be disagreements on when a child ages out of getting gifts. Most of the time, the hurt feelings aren’t discussed which makes things worse.

· Families with more children will get more than those without and for better or worse grandparents might struggle with how to make this fair to their grown children.

Buying for Families - Instead of buying individual presents, each family group buys presents for all of the other family groups to enjoy together.

Pros:

· The holidays are about family and friendship, so what better way to honor that than to buy a gift that encourages family bonding?

· Cuts down on time spent shopping and wrapping.

· One family gift is usually less expensive than several individual gifts.

· There is an opportunity to be creative in thinking of something the whole family will enjoy.

Cons:

· Some people relish the opportunity to buy individual gifts, particularly for children.

· Single people might get the short end of the stick since they might very well get what they would have anyway.

· It can be a challenge to find an affordable gift that an entire family can enjoy.

· If the gift is a household item, like an appliance or towels, the adults might appreciate it but the kids might not.

Drawing Names/Secret Santa -- Everyone draws a name from a hat and buys for that person. This is often combined with a spending limit and in some groups, only the adults draw names and everyone buys for the children.

Pros:

· Get one, give one, what could be simpler?

· It’s often more affordable to buy one fantastic gift for one person than to try and stretch that to buy for many.

· Less chaos under the tree, more time spent enjoying each other’s company than unwrapping gift after gift after gift.

· Saves time on buying and wrapping gifts.

Cons:

· The pressure is really on to make that one gift super.

· Some might wish to buy for everyone and either feel cheated that they don’t get to or go ahead and do it anyway and people feel awkward that they can’t reciprocate.

· If the person buying for you drops the ball or is the family cheapskate, you’re out of luck.

· For many, the holidays equal abundance and a feeling that dreams should come true and one gift can put a damper on that.

No Gifts at All -- Generally, this is just the extended family/circle of friends and nuclear families and romantic partners do buy for each other and exchange gifts in their own homes instead of at the big gathering.

Pros:

· Saves a ton of time.

· Saves a ton of money.

· Takes the focus away from gifts and back to simpler pleasures.

· No expectations means no disappointment.

Cons:

· Somebody is bound to ignore the agreement and others might feel awkward about that.

If you don’t like your family and friends, you may actually the welcome distraction of gifts and cleaning up.

in the name of higher consciousness

2011-12-08T23:34:00.002-05:00

Daro Sulakauri, photographs at Batumi beach

2011-12-07T13:41:00.007-05:00

2011

see the series at

Daro Sulakauri / Photojournalist Blog: Batumi beach 2011

and more at
Daro Sulakauri Portfolio

no offense, but this is brilliant

2011-12-06T19:29:00.001-05:00

midnight at the oasis

2011-12-03T03:46:00.001-05:00

space trippin'

2011-11-30T15:51:00.003-05:00

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

walking the dog

2011-11-25T17:16:00.004-05:00

nobotty - a photo series about homeless robots

2011-11-23T14:08:00.001-05:00

see it all at Nobotty

Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday

2011-11-22T19:59:00.001-05:00

along an avenue

2011-11-19T05:51:00.001-05:00

land of make believe

2011-11-17T06:18:00.000-05:00

all you need

2011-11-16T19:49:00.003-05:00

tickets are sold out! a photo by joshhikes on Flickr

tickets are on sale! a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

in the city

2011-11-15T16:45:00.002-05:00

i'm making all of this up, entirely

2011-11-14T04:49:00.000-05:00

any resemblance to Western Civilization is purely coincidental

Times Square - Skin of the Night

2011-11-11T05:30:00.003-05:00

addiction ... or just infatuation

2011-11-10T13:42:00.004-05:00

you & me

a playlist on spotify

http://t.co/72f2AXmV

i left her in a taxi on 32nd st.

2011-11-09T13:42:00.002-05:00

and never made it to Rockwood Music Hall

The Sorbonne by Stuck in Customs

2011-11-01T09:52:00.000-04:00

well, if somehow you haven't heard of this travel photographer, here's a start

www.stuckincustoms.com

12 Girls Band - Distant From A River

2011-10-23T06:27:00.002-04:00

nightinblue

2011-10-20T01:03:00.001-04:00

time after time

2011-10-15T23:16:00.003-04:00

tiempo con colores

temporizon

justicia, tierra, y libertad

2011-10-08T20:15:00.001-04:00

way out

2011-10-08T14:06:00.001-04:00

video by marco testoni

musica by ellen allien & Apparat

finally, the weekend

2011-10-07T18:19:00.004-04:00

detail from France Thanking Heaven for the Recovery of Louis XV
by Charles-Antoine Coypel

"Earth laughs in flowers."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"

nothing much planned though

detail from, Moroccan Girl Playing a Stringed Instrument

by Alexandre-Louis Leloir

Time Passes By by The Blue Squares

Titty Bingo - Chimes of Freedom

2011-10-05T15:31:00.003-04:00

lucky bingo

order vs. chaos

"no good can come of this"

2011-10-04T22:26:00.001-04:00

p.k.

2011-10-03T18:17:00.002-04:00

cat door

2011-10-02T23:50:00.003-04:00

cat door, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

take me downtown

2011-10-01T16:02:00.004-04:00

pieces, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

condexpress, another photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

Glass-Coloured Roses (A Lullabye)

2011-09-27T14:31:00.004-04:00

Glass-Coloured Roses (A Lullabye) by Zephyr Ananda Jarmon

Roses on Ruby Red, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

optimistic

2011-09-26T10:18:00.002-04:00

the one some of us see

Girl with Pink Hat, Wayne Thiebaud, 1973

2011-09-24T06:41:00.006-04:00

photo by rocor on flickr

eventually she moved to the suburbs and, when she left the house, wore shirts

and enjoyed shopping, hatless, at whole foods with mary, a second cousin

Transparent / Oblique

2011-09-22T19:52:00.004-04:00

it will seem like a dream

2011-09-22T16:29:00.002-04:00

i wouldn't dream of keeping anybody awake

it will seem like a dream, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

the sleepless

2011-09-21T19:19:00.002-04:00

the sleepless, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

this diamond ring (doesn't mean so much any more)

2011-09-17T20:54:00.002-04:00

"... as certain dark things are to be loved"

i have been with the bat people

2011-09-16T17:58:00.003-04:00

top ten reasons to date a photographer

2011-09-14T18:27:00.000-04:00

1) They work well in the dark
2) They’re used to funny smells
3) They make things develop
4) They work well on many settings
5) They know how to focus
6) They can make big things look small and small things look big
7) They work well from many different angles
8 ) They zoom in and out. And in and out..
9) They shoot in many different locations
10) They can find the beauty in anything.

i understand the photowalk begins at the Hyatt

2011-09-13T09:19:00.004-04:00

i understand the photowalk begins at the Hyatt, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

do a fun photowalk on Saturday. There are already a hundred people signed up for Saturday morning’s walk. If you live in the Austin area or are in town for a hot, dusty ACL then why not come on out and join us for a snappy morning walk.

untreated, non-potable dirty water

2011-09-11T06:11:00.002-04:00

valet parking

2011-09-05T23:40:00.002-04:00

valet parking, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

from too dry to extra crispy

2011-09-05T23:10:00.002-04:00

Untitled, a photo by Stephen To on Flickr.

Bastrop Fire 2 - Bastrop, Texas, 9/5/2011 by Phil Ostroff

Bastrop TX, Wildfire by markinaustin, on Flickr

Hopes, Prayers as Fires Rage in Bastrop by KUTAustin, on Flickr

what's red and white and moos all over

2011-09-04T01:58:00.004-04:00

An Old Umbrella

2011-09-04T01:58:00.003-04:00

f+ck blogs by jakedobkin

2011-09-01T17:25:00.000-04:00

another little ray of sunshine

fuck blogs by jakedobkin

ominous or absurd or both

2011-08-31T22:13:00.002-04:00

random tweets or news quotes overlayed as 320x480 iphone wallpapers

as always, without apology or explanation, and no extra charge

for your own use on your own phone (non-commercial use only)

i dreamed i saw St. Augustine

2011-08-30T07:57:00.001-04:00

the tasting

2011-08-30T07:33:00.002-04:00

the tasting, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

at the Houndstooth

"TimeScapes," a modern portrait of the American Southwest.

2011-08-30T07:05:00.000-04:00

from Mário Caldeira

high winds aloft

2011-08-28T18:48:00.000-04:00

the room less used

2011-08-27T21:22:00.003-04:00

"it is the courage to continue that counts.”

2011-08-26T19:55:00.001-04:00

Archer boys cruise Johnson City

2011-08-25T19:20:00.004-04:00

Archer boys cruise Johnson City, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

teal (or kinda blue) stripe

2011-08-25T18:42:00.002-04:00

teal strip, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

Tom Verlaine - Postcard from Waterloo

2011-08-24T21:27:00.001-04:00

help with perspective

2011-08-24T16:46:00.001-04:00

refugees international

danger is photography

2011-08-21T06:03:00.007-04:00

Long Beach Police on Lookout for Photos with “No Apparent Esthetic Value”

Tennessee law bans 'distressing images,' opens your Facebook inbox

Man Preserves Video of Police Shooting by Hiding Memory Card in Mouth

no left turn unstoned

2011-08-20T21:45:00.002-04:00

no left turn unstoned, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

barefoot no more

2011-08-20T21:09:00.002-04:00

barefoot no more, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

nowhere particular

2011-08-20T00:24:00.004-04:00

in Boulder, Colorado

nowhere particular, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

'dry in Boulder

2011-08-19T23:58:00.002-04:00

dry in Boulder, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

Pearl St.

2011-08-19T22:47:00.002-04:00

Pearl St., a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

thoughts upon return from Colorado

2011-08-19T18:03:00.000-04:00

the reality hit me, it's going to be a weekend with no snowfields,

glaciers, cool breezes or swift mountain streams

oh sh+t, what a mistake

Cruel Summer 2011 Vol. 1 (.zip, 97.4MB)
Cruel Summer 2011 Vol. 2 (.zip, 100.5MB)

Angry Protestor Waits For a Turn to Speak

2011-08-18T19:22:00.002-04:00

awesome photo by the inimitable Thomas Hawk of thomashawk.com

Angry Protestor Waits For a Turn to Speak on a Microphone, Oakland Riots 2010, a photo by Thomas Hawk on Flickr.

panning Boulder Creek

2011-08-16T05:39:00.002-04:00

google+ is now open, no invitation needed

because you're not wasting enough time yet

Is Google's CEO nonplussed by Google+?

Audubon summit

2011-08-15T23:34:00.002-04:00

Audubon summit, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

13,223' rock pile in the Indian Peaks Wilderness

i wish my sneakers smelled fresher

2011-08-10T22:02:00.002-04:00

i wish my sneakers smelled fresher, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

yoko ono wrote "Whisper your desire to the wind. Ask the wind to take it to the end of the world."

i wish the end of the world smelled better too

down to seeds & stems

2011-08-10T21:32:00.002-04:00

down to seeds & stems, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

the fugitive

2011-08-10T18:06:00.001-04:00

"Their mother knows best," he said. "She asked for them to turn themselves in, and we hope that her appeal leads them to come in peacefully. Because they should realize their future isn't that bright right now, while they're on the run. And they'll have better options if they turn themselves in."

...oops, a little late for that

while you were waiting in the car

2011-08-10T10:25:00.004-04:00

while you were waiting in the car, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

on the Trinity River, after the service for Senorita

surface density

2011-08-09T20:12:00.004-04:00

surface density, a photo by joshhikes on Flickr.

Nortec- El Fracaso

2011-08-06T22:54:00.001-04:00

thrift

mad city stair

2011-08-06T22:51:00.000-04:00

assault

2011-08-04T19:20:00.000-04:00

Best Coast – “How They Want Me To Be”

Yosemite and the danger of scenery

2011-08-02T08:30:00.002-04:00

"Everyone was screaming, . . . What I will take away with me forever is the look on that grown man's face as he was floating down that river knowing he was going to die and nobody could help them."

Read more here

A man and a woman crossed a metal barricade above the 317-foot Vernal Fall, making their way over slick granite to a rock in the middle of the swift Merced River.

The woman slipped. The man reached for her and fell in. Another man in their group of about 10 tried to help but fell into the water as well. Other hikers, including several children in their group, could only watch as the rushing water swept all three over the edge.

The couple who were on the rock hugged each other tightly as they disappeared.

Death on Half Dome

wishing

2011-08-01T17:24:00.000-04:00

Beach People

2011-07-31T22:40:00.000-04:00

Beach People by Osvaldo Zoom

textural differences

2011-07-31T00:05:00.000-04:00

more summer fun ... from dadadreams

2011-07-30T11:33:00.000-04:00

gelatin igloo

on sale at dadadreams etsy

sato sugar - 気まぐれワガママ放題の無法地帯。

2011-07-30T09:49:00.001-04:00

sato sugar's photostream

sugar & spice