I’ve seen photos and video taken by adults with plenty of experience that are off-level, poorly framed, and the like…but PJ frames all his shots nearly perfectly level and has a good sense of perspective. I plan to nurture these talents in him and am beaming with pride to have a little photography buddy to go roaming in the truck with me!
They have other overlays and stuff too…check it out by clicking here.
The rest of the morning and the afternoon session consisted of step-by-step study of the United States Constitution. There’s some extremely interesting stuff in there, and our country has gone down the wayward path it’s on largely because of our ignorance (average citizen and politicians alike) of this document.
I bought a lot of books by various authors and also won a couple, as Rick occasionally rewarded people who could belt out answers to tough questions. One I got was means for addressing judicial misconduct (impeachment), and the other was John Quincy Adams’ signature issue, one which he pursued as a member of Congress after serving as President: abolition of slavery. He was one of only two Presidents to return to public service in Congress after his term, by the way.
You can learn some very interesting things about our nation, its founders, and the documents which created these United States by tuning into the Wallbuilders Live podcast, a free daily half-hour podcast featuring David Barton and Rick Green. They give a lot of interesting news and background on what they call “the intersection of faith and politics” and refer back to the words of those who wrote the framework of our great nation.
Click here to visit the Wallbuilders website.
After each presented their ideas about the extraction tax, microphones made their way around the room for people to chime in. There were plenty of stories about rigs moving to states with lower taxes, even now. Governor Ed made the point that North Dakota only sees revenue when oil is extracted from the ground, not when one pilot well is drilled.
The math would seem to be in their favor: where one well is being drilled now, three or four would be drilled with a lower extraction tax. Knock off a percentage point in order to compete with Montana, for instance, and triple the output, and the result is more revenue for North Dakota. That means more money for infrastructure, et cetera.
Want more details to make up your own mind? Visit FixTheTax.com to hear what they have to say.
Now that the sunset is getting later in the day, I’m able to enjoy this with my little boys. Over winter it occurs before I’m done with work for the day, and in midsummer it occurs way after the little guys need to go to bed. That means we’re now approaching the “sweet spot” of our sunset viewing availability window. I’m so blessed that my little guys like to chase sunsets with Daddy!
The last movie I remember seeing in this building was Sylvester Stallone’s “Demolition Man” with a bunch of friends from the karate dojo. My most vivid memory of the place was a lady who worked the ticket counter with iron-fisted notoriety. In the early days of the PG-13 rating, she was an unapologetic enforcer of what we kids thought was age discrimination. She was the gatekeeper between those things certain kids wanted to see and what the rules allowed them to see.
While I wasn’t inclined to sneak into movies rated for more mature audiences, I did look extremely young for my age (and still do). That was a problem even for a PG movie; without a parent present, I could have a hard time getting a ticket! Oh, the tribulations of youth.
I was more saddened when the Dakota Twin closed and the building remodeled than I am to see its shell finally coming down. The real tragedy for me was when it ceased serving its purpose as a movie theater, one for which it was solely designed. It wasn’t suited for much of anything else, which is why I believe it sat vacant for so long. Now it will be replaced with something else, but for me the demolition really began many years ago.
By the way…while I was outside my truck looking for a good angle with my camera, my four year old rolled down his window and shot the above photo from his booster seat in my truck. I didn’t have to level it, crop it, or anything aside from a slight color correction. I couldn’t be more proud of my little boy’s knack for photography! I have not taught him anything per se, choosing instead to simply hand him a camera and wait eagerly to see how life appears to him through the viewfinder. It appears he’s a natural!
I took a few shots but he wanted to try as well, and I’d much rather showcase his work as a proud Daddy. My camera is very heavy, so I helped him support the weight, but the framing and actual shot are all his. Naturally, Daddy did the Photoshop processing once we got home. I couldn’t be more proud…maybe little PJ will be a photographer someday!
These two critters slowed down and walked very tentatively across the shore ice. I didn’t stay more than a few seconds so I don’t know if they made it without breaking through. I suspect they may have bolted across because of a pair of coyotes we saw out on the ice earlier. Neither are something you’d expect to see while out along the river on a nice, sunny afternoon!