This Post is a Drag........

Finally finished my best action ( and not so action) shots from the original 709 pics. Got is down to around 170ish. Here is a couple to get you started. You can find the rest at the link below.

http://occ.smugmug.com/Gary-Prill/Gary-Events/Drags-2011/17248875_bzPQfK

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Advertising For My Buddy.................

Well made it back from the drags in Topeka, Ks. Managed to miss two tornadoes and got some pretty good pictures. Still working on the pictures so you will have to check back in a couple of days. I did manage to get some advertising for my Buddy over at the Iowa * Farm* Boy blog like he asked me to. did not get Warren Johnson to agree (he is kind of grumpy) but John Force agreed. Here are some of the places I was able to advertise.

 Please stop back and also visit the Iowa Farm Boy. He has some pretty good pics too.

This Weekend Is A Drag.................

Yep that's right. I am heading to Topeka, KS for my annual trip to the NHRA pro drags. I have gone several years with my buddy Andy and we love the smell of nitro in the morning. Previously I was only able to get pictures with my Canon G9 which is a very good high-end point and shoot. Got a lot of pictures of burnouts, pit work, etc. And as you can see I was lucky to catch some unusual action too.

This year I have a Canon 40D and it has a burst mood. that means I can shoot at 5 or 6 frames a second. So my goal this year is to catch some action at the finish line where a car is going to have problems if they are going to. They tend to push these 8000 horsepower beasts to the limit and beyond. As you can see in the picture below (this was a darn lucky shot). this was a funny car that blew up at the finish. You can't see the body of the car because it is about 50 feet in the air.

This year we are bringing some lawn chairs and sitting on the general admission side. Ya see Andy and me are getting a little older.

I also have a friend in the Omaha Camera Club named Rich (he does the Iowa * Farm * Boy blog that I follow). He has asked me to hold up a sign advertising his blog for the ESPN cameras since they sometimes shoot videos from where I will be. I will certainly do my best. I might also try to get some of the old timer racers like John Force or Warren Johnson to put a sponsor sign on their cars too. You know us old guys got to stick together.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back in a few days for some great (I hope) action shots.

Surprise Parties - They be COOL

Last night it finally happened. I was hit with a surprise party. Anybody that knows me knows that I am one suspicious SOB. And that is why I have never had a surprise party until now. I turned 70 on March 31st and it took until May 1st for them to pull it off.

I first want to thank my wife Cindy, daughter Laura (who coordinated this whole thing), and my camera club buddy Brian Alspaugh for pulling this off. There were people there from my camera club, neighborhood, my old country dance club and my daughters Tammy, Kim,and son-in-law Kevin,and step-son Brian and wife Vicky. Hope I didn't forget anybody. I was a little shell shocked.

They pulled this off at a restaurant that I had been wanting to try and since it has been over a month since my birthday, I never suspected a thing.

People that know me also know that I am my own worst critic and don't often ask anyone for help. I will always help others if I can and I never think that anything I do is good enough. Well I got my eyes opened last night. So many people were there from so many parts of my life that told me "Hey, you like me, you really like me". (wonder where I heard that before). I am really impressed that such a diverse group of people did not slip up and give old suspicious me a clue.

The topper of the evening was when they brought out the cake with 70 candles on it. It looked like the restaurant was on fire. They challenged me and I did it. I blew them all out. I feel sorry for the waitress. First she nearly got scorched by the flames and then I blew I large billow of smoke in her face. (I bet she got a good tip).

Finally, thanks for everyone that came. You will never know how much this means to me. It got me a little teary and those that know, know that I don't cry easily.

A MILLION THANKS................