The suspense has been killing you, yes? You've been waiting long enough, and now, I am happy to announce the contest has come to an end, the votes have been tallied, and the winners are about to be revealed. On behalf of Chris, Jackie, and Rico, I'd like to thank you for your participation! We had over 100 judges out there participating (both on the blog and in-store), which was a much bigger showing than our first competition, and which totally exceeded our expectations. We hope you enjoyed being a part of this contest, and that you'll come back to more of these in the future.Alright, on to the results. For the second straight competition, I have been bested by my friends. But in an interesting twist, so was Rico. Yes, I'm pleased to announce that the two winners across the five categories in play are Jacquelynn Buck and Chris Uller! Congratulations, my friends.Here, again, are their winning images in each category:"Spiral" category:
Spiral C - Jacquelynn Buck
"Black & White" category:
Black & White B - Jacquelynn Buck
"Stairs with a Human Model" category:
Stairs with a Human Model C - Chris Uller
"Interpretive Stairs" category:
Interpretive Stairs D - Jacquelynn Buck
"Iron" category:
Iron C - Jacquelynn Buck
Do you remember which ones you voted for? For a limited time, you can also swing by the Last Drop Cafe in Claremont to get a look at the winning prints, up close and personal. And, conveniently, you can enjoy a sandwich and a cool beverage as long as you're there. Thanks again to Mike and everyone at the Last Drop for hosting our show.Feel free to drop any comments you wish here on the blog. We'd be interested in any feedback you have about our little contest. Also, please hit me up with any ideas for future contests you'd be interested in seeing.
Psych had already been green-lighted for season five by the time I inquired with my friend Steve about making a trip to spend time with him on the set of the popular USA Network show. The offer had been made years before, but now the timing seemed right. We'd be able to fly up to Seattle, spend a couple days, maybe get a rental car for the trip into British Columbia, Canada. Then again, we could always fly into Oregon and drive from there - Portland looks fun. Ah, why don't we just do a long road trip and see the Pacific Northwest? Sold! So we ended up taking a 10 day trip, including stops in northern California, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, B.C. We had a great time and brought back a ton of photos. I think the best way to share them will be in small installments. Here then, is Part 1 of our vacation. Please enjoy.
Here we are starting out in the stretch of northern California just beyond Chico. Erin, being much better traveled than me in this part of the country, promised logging trucks every ten feet. She wasn't far off.
South Weed was much closer, but, let me tell you, it was worth the wait for what Central Weed had to offer.
A very common scene while climbing into southern Oregon - lots of open road and misty, lush greenery.
This is a very small community outside of Portland known as Tobacco Town. Seriously though, this struck me as interesting - not something we see in practically-smoke-free Cali.
Portland, Oregon. I got the impression of a very colorful, unique, and friendly city.
Erin, grinning along the bank of the Willamette River, with the Burnside Bridge and the greenish spires of the Oregon Convention Center in the distance.
We had watched enough of the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food to know that no trip to Portland would be complete without a stop at the original Voodoo Doughnut.
Erin didn't seem so sure of my decision to go with the bacon maple bar.
I had the utmost confidence in my choice, and proceeded to "hang a fang" on the delicious sweet and savory treat.
Voodoo Doughnuts has plenty of eye-catching decorations, lighting fixtures, and stickers.
Delicious!
Erin, seated back in the car, urging us forward on our journey. Next stop, Seattle!
"While you may be able to at last take the metal band off the deserted island, apparently you can’t take 20 years of exposure to 80’s pop out of the metal band. Prepare to have the line between pop and metal blown to smithereens and pour yourself a shot of Rock Sugar." - quoted from the Rock Sugar StorySound familiar? It really shouldn't. This story is anything but common, and Rock Sugar is anything but your common rock band. These guys put on a show that must be seen to be believed...and even then, you may have to rub your eyes. Rock Sugar, who was headlining the House of Blues Sunset when I caught their show, is known for their unique mashup of 80s pop and heavy metal songs. They bring with them all the things you'd expect from an 80s glam metal band - from the wild hair, flowing scarves, and leather attire, to the jewel encrusted guitars, tatoos and chains. They even have their girlfriends up on stage with them, dancing along in the wings! But they also bring a few surprises, like their take on 80s pop songs that rarely have any business at a rock and roll show. And when was the last time you saw a band that ordered pizza delivery during the show - not only for themselves, but for the whole crowd in attendance!? You can throw all the rules out the window when these hard rockers take the stage. 
Jess Harnell effortlessly belts out the vocals
The talented Chuck Duran nailed every riff, and made each song come to life
Johnny Five - Still alive, and featured on bass and vocals
Alex Track, rockin' in the cool blue light
Band wives? Girlfriends? Groupies? Who cares!? They're hot chicks up on the stage!
It was pizza night, and everyone in the audience was invited up to the stage for a slice!
Johnny and Chuck, pouring some sugar on the Hollywood crowd
