About that “protest” in front of the Mandan Library on Wednesday
Reply
I guess a bent bolt will still work. Oh, and an odd thing about the FargoDome
See the bent bolt sticking out of the concrete base? Apparently that’s not a problem. I guess a guy just has to break out his big honkin’ wrench, jam the nut on there as tight as she’ll go, and rely on the other three to take up the slack. So be it, I guess if the thing were to fall in that direction again it would only disturb the gophers.
As many of you know, I’ve spent the last – wow, almost 20 years – involved in broadcasting and/or video production. I keep my ear to the ground regarding that sort of thing, and thus I picked up this little tidbit about the FargoDome. The ‘Dome has just received an electronic facelift, including new a new sound system. I’ve never attended an event in the FargoDome, although I’ve worked plenty of them and scaled the catwalks high above it and run around on the roof watching the F-16’s. Friends who have attended events in the FargoDome have said the acoustics aren’t that great, and the buzz I heard reveals a possible reason why.
When the old loudspeakers were cut loose from the ceiling beams and lowered down, a shocking discovery was made: over half of them were stuffed with masking material! It seems that they were black when they were put up there, but later on they were painted Bison Green along with much of the gridwork up above. The drivers were stuffed with masking material so they didn’t get coated in paint, and – oops – apparently most of them were never unmasked.
If you thought the ‘Dome sounded a little muffled or muddy…well, perhaps that’s why. But hopefully it isn’t being held together with any of KQDY’s bent bolts.
Oh yeah, my favorite part of the FargoDome: the catwalks. They have long, steep ramps from the stair access along the outer wall to the inner ring of catwalks up above. Those ramps are about an arm’s width across and very long & steep. The catwalks get very dusty, and therefore very slippery. While carrying equipment up to the catwalks I’d often have to just use one hand to carry, with the other used to steady myself up using the handrail. When I was done mounting camera equipment etc. for whatever show I was working up there, I would enjoy taking a run and surfing down the dusty ramps. It was like being on rollerblades, but VERY high up above the ground. WOO HOO! Sometimes I miss my adrenaline junkie days…but then I remember the scars and the creaking noises. I guess memories will have to do for now.
Identify that statue #8
Ooops – dry cleanup, aisle 3
We’ve all had days like this, haven’t we? Everybody makes mistakes, it’s just that the guys with the CDLs (Commercial Drivers Licenses) that tend to make the really big ones. After all, they drive the biggest vehicles!
My new favorite place to eat in Bismarck
I wouldn’t consider Taco Bell to be Mexican food, at least not authentic. Taco John’s is at least honest and calls their food “Tex Mex” in some of their signage. Taco del Mar, however, is a lot more authentic. They’ve got an enchilada sauce that I’ll probably dream about after I get done typing this and go to bed!
Patrick, the owner of this franchise, and his wife moved here from Fergus Falls. I had the opportunity to meet them and let ’em know how much I love their restaurant, and they’re really friendly folks! Tell ’em I said hi if when you visit their restaurant.
You can check out the menu at www.tacodelmar.com. Of course I tend to mix ‘n’ match anyway, getting the two taco combo with enchilada sauce on it. But they’ve never had a problem getting it right! Even though I live by my stomach, don’t take my opinion for it – visit Taco del Mar at your earliest opportunity and you will not be disappointed.
On their way to being hostile and abusive in St. Louis!
The Frozen Four will take place in St. Louis on April 5th. I wish I could say I’d be there, but sadly I’ll be confined to my couch and satellite dish. In any case, I’ll be cheering wildly for the Fighting Sioux.
Actually, as I remember last year…Buffalo Wild Wings on south 3rd Street was the place to be for Fighting Sioux hockey. I couldn’t find a parking spot within a block, and the place absolutely erupted whenever the Fighting Sioux would score or pull off a good play. It was sweet to see all the UND apparel being proudly displayed and the sense of unity and spirit in the place. Perhaps I’ll be enjoying the games over a hot basket of chicken tenders instead! See you there!
If you’re one of those ridiculous “hostile and abusive” UND-hating types, well, this is your invitation to bring home some Starbuck’s, kick off your Birkenstocks, and watch Dr. Phil. That or just sit around trying to figure out how the rest of the world should live their lives. In the mean time, the rest of us will be enjoying ourselves. I know that must really rub the PC crowd the wrong way, but that’s pretty much liberalism in a nutshell: trying to spread the misery around instead of hogging it all to yourself. Pretty sad, really.
Spooky Saturday
To get this kind of effect, simply crank down the aperture on your lens (I used F/18 here) and then adjust your shutter speed to get it suitably dark (I used 1/1000th sec). It’s that easy!
Both of my Spooky photos were taken on very pleasant days, yet they have a dark, forboding look to them. Learning to do things like this by using my camera’s controls is really fun! Give it a try.
Thursday night sunset, and an ACC update
The work in this show spans pretty much every medium that you’d imagine. I watched Nebraska artist David Belitz talk with show patrons while bending a spool of wire into a rose for them. There are sculptures in metal and ceramic, paintings, photography, cloth…you name it, it’s there. Artists have come from the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Student artists from local schools have participated as well. One can walk the halls of the Benedictine Center from one end to the other and enjoy rooms of artwork along the way.
The show runs from 1:00 to 10:00 Friday afternoon and 9:00am to 9:00pm on Saturday. A variety of musical entertainment will perform from 1:00pm to 4:30pm on Saturday, with a bell choir concert at 5:00pm.
I’m told that the show was started by artists who had submitted work in other art shows but were overlooked, despite their quality, most likely because of their Christian theme. Here’s a show where the whole point is to give glory to God, and the work can be judged on its merits as well as enjoyed. Don’t miss this opportunity!
New Dakota Beacon is out
This is the third episode of the Beacon to use one of my photos on the cover. Sweet! I’m glad I can help out Mr. Cates, as I know the Beacon is his passion just like taking pictures and posting them here is a passion of mine. I also appreciate having my work appear with that of local authors I admire, many of whom are respected educators in the Bismarck-Mandan area.
Thursday came early this week
There haven’t been many good photo opportunities lately, as you may have noticed. The skies have been gray, the temperatures inhospitable, and I’ve been really darn busy. I’m really excited for things to green up and for the wildlife to start flourishing again. I have a feeling that this is going to be a great season for running around with a camera!