Shows to see this summer

"And I don't know how a man decides what right for his own life - it's all a mystery" -Flaming Lips
(playing at the Greek Theater on August 17th)




"Guess I'd better find us a way out, 'one time too many' i said."-Phoenix
(playing at the Greek Theater on September 16th)






"Cheer up, honey I hope you can." -Wilco
The new Wilco record is pretty sweet. Not one of my favorites, but still very pleasant to listen to. Good melodies. My favorite records of theirs are Summerteeth and Sky Blue Sky.

Wilco

We went to Wilco at the Wiltern last night, getting there early so we could be in the front "floor" section. We found ourselves 5 ft. from the stage, allowing for some pretty awesome photographs, thanks to my camera looking enough like a point-and-shoot with the little 50mm lens on it for them to allow me to take it in.


The show was incredible. One of my favorite bands to see live, they are just so real and pleasant. I still can't believe how close we were...

Jeff Tweedy cheering on the Los Angelinos.



This was my second time seeing them. They played for about 2.5 hours. It is such a surreal feeling going to shows, especially when the music is something that can speak to your soul.


Smashing a pillow on the keyboard can sound amazing.



Crazy hair!

More lensbaby pics from the weekend.

The temptations of youth!

Ricky Del Mar

Tony Del Mar

Picnic at Laguna Beach

My neice, Audrey, with new nephew, Lukas. :) So adorable.

Finished Quilt #4

After a year of work (moved really slow on this one...), I finally finished quilt #4, for my friend Erin's baby Carol. Here's the result:

Here's some pictures of the other quilts I've made...the only one I don't have a picture of was the first one I made for my niece Audrey. I'll have to get a picture of that. These quilts were made for Treydan Green and Toni Del Mar:

Lensbaby Photos and Phoenix (the band)

Phoenix just came out with their new album, "Wolfgang Amadeus." I am so into it. I've been listening to it for the past few days and the more I listen, the more I love it. I would say it's a must-buy for your music collection. Phoenix is a band from Paris, France. Their album "It's Never Been Like That" is one of my all-time favorites. They used to be the backup band for Air, another France duo that does some sweet electronic music. I'd suggest checking out Air's first album, Moon Safari.

Here are some lensbaby photos:



I just made these new curtains:

Sunset Blvd.

Sam and I are doing a project together where we're taking pictures of Los Angeles along Sunset Blvd. from Downtown LA to the beach. Check them out HERE. <--- click :)

Mt. Wilson

So I finally hiked the 14+ mile (yes, really 14+ miles) hike to the top of Mt. Wilson (5710 ft elevation) and back. It was quite an accomplishment. And such a beautiful hike. Shady and peaceful about 80% of the time. At the top, Mt. Wilson hosts an observatory (several telescopes) and solar towers. It also broadcasts radio and television frequencies for the greater Los Angeles area. Sam and I were both wondering how we were supposed to have enough energy to hike another 7 miles downhill. Luckily we were using different muscle groups, but it was still tough! It took about 7.5 hours (with an hour of that resting up top). I was so sore that night and the next day. It's a weird phenomena getting sore immediately. I haven't found a lot of people that that happens to besides me. Oh, well. Here are some pictures....

Easter in Flagstaff

I've been practicing with my lensbaby, and got some pretty good pics from the Easter weekend. We went to Flagstaff and did an Easter egg hunt for Audrey. We also explored a couple places on the road trip back. Here is the link to some pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/blueeyedgallagher/EasterInFlagstaff#

Echo Mountain Hike

Yes!! One of my favorite indie bands, Phoenix, gets some airtime on SNL!

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/phoenix-lisztomania/1081341/

Also, Sam and I did a 5.5 mile hike to Echo Mountain where there are ruins of this old hotel that was burned down. It had a spectacular view of downtown and I got to play with my camera a bit.

Gabrielino hike

This weekend I hiked 8 miles of the Arroyo Seco canyon, Gabrielino trail. It was beautiful.

Truth and Salvage Co.

http://truthandsalvageco.com/

This is a great band. Please check 'em out.

Sam played drums with them for a year when he first moved to Los Angeles, under the old band name of Scrappy Hamilton. Eventually, their old drummer moved out to CA. But we always had a great time at the shows and they are a marvelous load of fun. They are now signed and touring, and I'm so happy to see them succeed after years of hard work.