It's been exactly one year since we sold the "Bohemian Gypsy", our 22 foot sport cruiser. Now that we're in our new home a mile from Prior Lake, we got the "new boat itch"! Just like when we bought the Bohemian Gypsy, we knew what we wanted and sought out to find it. This time it was to be a much smaller runabout that would fit in the garage and was easy to tow. We found it, a 19 foot Sea Ray in exceptional condition. We've only had it for a few weeks but have already met loads of new friends and matched it with memories! Swim suits and flip flops are what summers in Minnesota are made for!!!
So, one of my customers said they were going to the Tractor Pull Nationals in Hutchinson, MN. I thought to myself, "who on earth goes to a tractor pull"? What the heck, its a Friday night and something neither Danny or I have done. We took the hour drive to Hutchinson and mingled with some VERY INTERESTING country folk! It turned out to be a pretty fun time. Not sure we'd do it again but I'm glad we can say we've done it... I just bought a DJI Osmo Pocket video camera and brought it along for the fun. Watch the video in 4k!
June 14th and 15th was the 2019 Joyful Noise music event in Blaine, Mn featuring a variety of Christian speakers and performers, We attended all day Saturday which features some of the best Christian Rock performers I've ever heard. Hearing and feeling Christian music live while surrounded by thousands of people who believe can be a pretty emotional experience! I'll be at Joyful Noise 2020...
2019 Grand Old Days
June 2nd 2019, back by popular demand the city of St. Paul, Minnesota brought back the 45 year old traditional. It was a perfect day for a walk down Grand Avenue in celebration of Grand Old Days. Not sure how many people were there but they expected over 200,000. It had been quite a few years since we took the Grand Avenue walk but it hasn't really changed that much over the years. It seemed more like a family event this year than what I remembered but like I said its been a while...
The Witches Hat Water Tower
Traveling down I94, I've passed the Witches Hat Water Tower for years. Friday was the one night of the year that you can see the view of the Twin Cities from inside a massive Witch’s Hat Tower in Minneapolis. Apparently its a pretty big event in the Prospect Park neighborhood. We got there around 7pm and the line to tour the tower was two blocks long. We asked how long the people close to the front of the line had been waiting. The wait would have been longer than the tower would be open. It was still worth the drive. We learned a little about the tower and the neighborhood that surrounds it.
My New Home
After 23 year at my home in Eden Prairie, it was time for a change. I woke up one morning and the words came out of my mouth "We're going to move". We were driving south of the river daily for school, work and friends. The Eden Prairie house was the place of literally thousands of memories with hundreds of peoples. It seemed like multiple life times with roommates, relationships, a marriage and a place my kids called home. Funny thing is, when it was time I knew it was time. The fun became work and anxiety was exhausting which left no time for fun.
Danny asked the question "how do you move?" It's one day at a time and we start today! The house sold fast with multiple offers and we had four weeks to move. Now the rush to find a new place to call home. I really didn't know what I was looking for but I knew what I didn't want, it had to have a feel and I'd know it when I saw it. The Eden Prairie home was one of a kind and we all knew it.
It didn't take long and the search was over. The house on Dan Patch Lake in Savage Minnesota was vacant and move in ready. Fresh paint and nothing to hold us back. It had been waiting for us to knock on its door! We were truly bless..
Three weeks later, we were into our new home, in the heart of a new city, close to work, a bus ride to school and nothing to do but enjoy our surroundings. New friends and places to go. It's like Eden Prairie was on the other side of the world, a place we no longer needed to go...
Vintage Ludwig Hybrids 1971 Ludwig Rock-Duo Hybrids
I custom ordered my Ludwig Rock-Duo drums direct from Ludwig Drums out of Chicago back in the spring of 1971. Sometime in the 1980's, I tucked away the second kick drum and converted my double kick over to a single bass set. I have loved and played these drums professionally for almost five decades! Over 1000 weddings, clubs, corporate events and they still look new! I just finished converting these to a hybrid kit using mesh heads, internal triggers and a Yamaha DTX module. Conversion took close to a month to complete. I ordered the triggers, cones and heads from 628Drums out of Amsterdam. I did not drill any holes or damage these drums in any way so I can easily bring them back to acoustics. I power them with a Simmons DA200S drum amp, satellite PA speakers and 1500 watt 18 inch sub. They're amazing to play and sound very well balanced.
If I would have had my choice a hundred years ago, I would have been a rock star traveling the world living the life that many dream of. Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn't have my choice and I'm not a rock star! I do still play drums though and sometimes even with a rock band but that doesn't make me a rock star. Drum covers seem to be the thing now with many drummers of all ages and gender. Since I've played drums from the 5th grade on, its only logical that I too would have fun playing along. There's thousands of song available that don't include the drum track which allows drummers of any skill level to pay what they want. Anyone can do it, all ya need is a set of drums!
Its pretty much a tradition that we get together on a fall Sunday and go pick apples and take a wagon ride around the orchard. This year was no exception and we had fun as usual doing it!
Danny had his 13th birthday and is now officially a teen! We did a birthday shoot again this year like we always do just to document the changes from year to year- Oh, and we did have a great time... See what ya think...
Thanksgiving Day 2016
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! 41 children and adults at Kathy and Johns this year!. We did a group shot which considering it was last minute planning, came out pretty good! We also had a "photo booth" with hand made props which was a lot of fun. Thanks Kathy and John for hosting such a great day!! You always do an amazing job!
Old Clem Felix Had A Farm E-I-E-I-O
Danny and I took a road trip to Jeff's farm in Winona and spent the weekend four wheeling, hunting and screwing around. Great weather for the middle of November. Jeff got his deer on Sunday and everyone left with good memories!
Danny and I carved our pumpkins Saturday night. Three hours later, Danny had his masterpiece complete. "Party at the Disco" was a one of a kind! We lit it up for all to see. Mine took about ten minutes but obviously it didn't compare. What was I thinking...
We did our fall apple picking again at Deardorff Orchards and Parley Lake Winery. It was a cloudy day with a little rain so it was kind of wet. Still had a good time and even did some wine tasting! Used the OSMO to do a short video and of course took a bunch of pictures too.
Another year older for Danny and our 12th annual birthday "Pool Party". We're getting pretty good at it!! No more theme parties just good backyard fun in the sun. We had a good group this year, good food and a bunch of root beer for everyone! Tara and Jeff picked up their new pup earlier in the day and brought her to the party too.
Just received a DJI Osmo X3 video camera and gave it a go. If you know what the OSMO is, you've probably already read hundreds of reviews. Nothing new that I can add to those. I shoot photos and videos in a corporate setting, products, training and customer reviews. The OSMO is a phenomenal tool for quick high quality shoots. No tripod, sliders, steady cams or boom, just stable hand held crystal clear video. I love it!! I find HD 1080 easier and faster than 4k with very similar results. Set-up was a piece of cake and in no time I'll have a pretty good idea of its capabilities. I have three batteries and find they last as long of longer than a GoPro. The only complaint I have is the sound quality. This has been addressed by many. I used the ad-on mic in the carnival video but still ended up useless and distorted sound. In quieter situations it should work out fine. What I love most is it combines all typical video tools and puts them into one small package.
Specs; OSMO X3, 1080 24fps, auto mode in d-log, edited in Vegas Pro and OSIRIS Luts.
The best 4th holiday I can remember! We spent the majority of the weekend tubing, swimming and trolling Prior Lake in the boat. It started Friday and ended with the fireworks Monday night! Boat parade, ice cream social, tubing, Dinner at Charlie's, lunch at Charlie's, bonfire, blowing off fireworks, suntan, swimming in the pool, laughing and even a few tears... The weekend went on and on but had to end at some point. I can't remember a 4th of July weekend that was so crammed with FUN! This is one for the record book and one that will be compared to for years to come... Check out the gallery!
Memorial Day Weekend 2016!
We had a blast the entire weekend! It started at the cabin in Waterville with the water park, hanging out and marshmallows at the bonfire. Sunday was a BBQ at Tara and Jeff's and Monday was a pool party at the Delie's. Kids were together all weekend and made the most of every minute they had. No one got hurt and no fighting that we know of! It was a great time!!
Mom's 85th Birthday!
Mom turned 85 this year so we celebrated at Jensen's Supper Club. Most of the family was there and she loved the attention!
The Original Rockers Band
This video goes back nearly 35 years! The original Rockers Band filmed at The Knights of Columbus in Bloomington, Minnesota. Founding members Steve and Dan Delie, Eric and Bill. Kristy joined us on key boards a few years later when Bill moved to Texas. She continued to play for the next couple of decades. With over 1000 gigs playing weekly becoming one of the premier wedding bands in the area along with schools, fairs, corporate and private parties...
Another winter weekend, to cold to play outside and nothing to do at home. "Lets go to the Minneapolis Art Institute"- I know that's what every household was thinking right?? No, Actually the Vikings were playing and we already had our share of TV for the weekend. We had a surprisingly fun time. Danny had been there before but it was a first for me. There's a lot to see. They serve beer too!! Beer and paintings of nudes everywhere! Go figure, what better way for a couple of guys to spend a Sunday afternoon...
Danny and I went to Maple Lake to shoot the dog sled event for the "True Friends" Winter Camp at Camp Courage. My company, Rollx Vans sponsored this event for their week of winter camp. The dog sled is the most looked forward to event of their entire year. We had an opportunity to experience the sled ride for ourselves and spent time learning about the life of a Musher. True Friends and Camp Courage work with mentally and physically challenged children and adults. This group couldn't thank us enough for what we did. That made the day extra special for Danny and I... Watch the video
The Holidays were a really busy time for us. We definitely kept busy... Here are a few pictures to share...
Sunday we went apple picking at Deardorff Apple Orchards with the family. Absolutely a perfect day to be outside. Got there early, went on a wagon ride, picked some apples then sat around the bonfire for the night. Great weekend!!
Tradition's been for Danny and I to spend a day together around Danny's birthday, take some pictures explore a little and talk smart. This year we planned a trip down the scenic highway in Henderson Minnesota. It was a little overcast so perfect for shooting pictures. We packed our gear, headed to the mall for some cloths and hit the highway. We were in search of something rustic, broken barns, old cars or even a junk pile would work. We got a tip that Henderson would be the place to find it. The scenic highway was the place everyone goes when they want what we were looking for, so we were told?? Well, we didn't find it! After driving 105 miles through average countryside we decided to turn around, go to a place familiar. We ended up at Parley Lake Winery also know as Deardorf Apple Orchard. I had shot there several times and was familiar with the area also knew the scenery would work for today's shoot. Roads were closed due to construction so a little challenging but thanks to Siri, we made it! Danny already knew what to do so shooting was a breeze. We were also pretty hungry by then so he had other motivation to speed things along. He was a champ. It was a fun day, great conversations and everything the tradition has become... The day was about spending time together, the conversations, adventure and creativity that results. We accomplished everything plus made memories that'll last a lifetime.
Want to see the rest of the gallery - http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p777859766
Saturday night was the Scott County Fair- If you've never been there you've got to try it! Reminds me of a county fair in Wisconsin, beer tent and animal barns are the big deal! We hung around the animals and beer tent most of the night. Fell in love with the Gangster Fries and watched the crazy Cowboys and Indians havin fun. We coaxed Tara to get up and dance with the band, actually didn't take much coaxing. Jeff bought her a new shirt from the band, she immediately put it on and we threw her up on stage. She didn't know I shot it on my cell. Her comment was, "can't wait to do it again"! It was a blast... Closed the place down but that's to be expected!
Danny and I took the boat down the Minnesota River then up towards St. Paul ending up on the Mississippi. Boating on the river is a trip! Never quite sure what you're going to run into or see. The lock and dam was closed by the Ford Plant because of the Asian Carp invasion but going through Minneapolis can wait for another day. Had a few challenges but overall a great time!
Breakfast-Lunch and Dinner
Our six week old ducks are getting bigger by the minute! We got the quackers at 2 days old and not much bigger than a Peeps. Since then all they do is eat, drink, sleep and poop! Originally we got these as pets to run the yard and entertain us through the summer. With-in a few days the plans had changed and so did their names! They're extremely friendly and love to follow us around. They waddle and are just beginning to quack instead of peep. Typically in previous years, we'd raise then give them to an apple orchard in the fall, they'd use them in their petting zoo and from there we never knew. Danny has other plans this year, that's why he changed their names!
Holy Smokes what a perfect weekend! Temps in the 70's and the sun was shinning the entire time! Went out Sunday with Bandit and Danny on his four wheeler. Danny found a track a block or so down the rail road tracks. Completely out of sight from any homes even though there's none close by. A couple blocks long with a bunch of trails and jumps. He rode until he got a headache from bumping around. I was there with a 200mm lens to capture some of his fun. The place has a lot to offer for a 10 year old kid!
Last summer was all about making friends and making memories with those friends. Our summer on the lake was one of the best I've ever had. Everyday was a combination of laughs, being with family, making friends and just doing what made us happy. I had hours of rough video taken with my iPhone, pocket cam and an occasional GoPro that I condensed into a few minute movie. Those that were part of it will watch and remember what the summer on the lake was all about... Enjoy
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! Man, what a huge group at Kathy and John's. Lots of new babies and all the kids were in on the celebration this year. It was fun! The food was unbelievable and never stopped. The coldest Thanksgiving in like 20 years or more, still a great day! Thank you Buske's for again opening your home and making this year such a good time!
Kevin and Kim's new bundle, Emma Jean is already two weeks old, born on October 29th. Kevin and big brother Michael stopped by Saturday morning and took some new born pics. She's so dang cute!! Check-em out..
Sunday our families got together and picked some apples at Deardorff Orchard. They said the trees had been picked out since the third week they opened this fall but we found plenty left to eat. We've made this a tradition and this year was no different. One of my favorite fall things to do. Perfect weather again. Little Michael is running around with the big kids this year, eating apples with the rest of them. I love this place! It reminds me of a story out of a book only we're in it :)
Here is a video and some pictures to share...
School started this week and it's already feeling like Fall. Saturday morning we woke up to 32 degrees, seemed more like winter! Anyway, its time for bonfires and Renaissance Fest, Apple picking and hay rides. Time to close the pool and tuck the boat in for the Winter. I love Fall and everything it offers. Trading in the swim suits and flip flops for boots and cowboy hats.
Friday night we did a bonfire and weenie roast and washed it down with a couple cold ones...
Saturday was sunny and cool, Renfest was the only thing we wanted to do. 2016 is the last year for the Renaissance Fest at least in this location. Hopefully they find another site
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This guy looked like a tree I think, I guess that's the way tough guys looked back in the day...
Oh, and we couldn't forget the Bohemian Gypsy Dancers!!!
I Shot A Rock Star - Well Kinda
We put together a short fast moving time lapse video of a shoot with my son Danny. It was rainy and just killing time waitin for the sun to shine. He has fun when we go in the studio. You gotta love the blow up guitar, my idea not his! check it out...
Tech Notes; Backdrop was a "Candy Stick" from Backdropoutlet.com. Video time lapse shot with a GoPro Black 1 second interval- Images from Canon 5D Classic and a 50mm 1.4 lens. Music from Soundcloud.com
Holy Smokes how time flies!!! Danny's birthday last week and we had a pool party on Saturday with the family. It was an all day affair and a pretty good time. No theme this year, just a party. No Harry Potter, Thomas The Train or Star Wars. Just a plain ole Birthday Party! I guess turning 10 means your to cool for that kid stuff:) Check out the fun...
This weekend was the annual Prior Lake- Lakefront Music Fest. Pretty good music throughout the weekend including Smash Mouth, Maggie Rose, Blues Traveler, Trace Adkins, Sugar Ray and a handful of other bands. Great weather both days. Friday night I heard there was about twenty thousand people, Saturday I don't think quite that many. Northern Tool was a sponsor with a hospitality tent for their employees. Tara and Jeff both work for Northern so guess who got a hospitality wrist band:) A bar and restroom was in the tent so no lines waiting for drinks or toilet! It was SWEET!! Trace was the big hit Saturday night but Maggie Rose was by far my fav. I got a bunch of pictures mostly of the acts but a few of friends too. Tara and Jeff had the before and after parties- BBQ, beers and bonfires at their place which was only a mile away. Was a Great Weekend!!! More pictures of Lakefront Music Fest, follow the link below
http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p117671154
Got a video of Trace at the end of the night. Like I said at the end of the night so it's a little wobbly...
I started this project a month ago, collecting a bucket full of video clips while trolling the lake. Already close to 100 and summer's only half over. For the ones that share them with us, thank you for being part of the silliness that starts every time we turn the key. The laughs, stories we tell and of course the strangers we've met along the way. We have photos and video that capture it all. I'll be working on the final version through the summer. This'll be a good winter reminder of what summer in Minnesota is all about! The "Bohemian Gypsy" is a cruiser slipped on Prior that was christened early this spring. It's become our second home and made this summer a blast :)
Lee Greenwood says, "America is a tune. It must be sung together"
Something about the 4th of July that brings people together. Doesn't matter where you go, everyone is excited to hang with the crowd. People are just proud to live in America, especially on the 4th. It's pretty cool! What a great day to party with family and friends and that's exactly what we did. Lots of smiling kids, back slappin and gut laughs. Barbeques, bonfires, relaxing on the water and ice cold beer. Weather was perfect. We jumped in the boat and headed to the fireworks on Prior Lake. It was right out of a movie! The lake was beautiful, boats everywhere and fireworks from every corner of the lake. You can't capture that with a camera but something that's hard to forget! We had a fantastic weekend and have lots of pictures as usual. Check-em out... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p534642027
4th of July is already next weekend and seems like the snow just melted. Actually most of the summer has been a washout as this weekend was supposed to be too. We got a little luck, the sun was out all day Sunday. The last couple weeks have been crazy busy. Danny just got back from a two week vacation to Yellowstone and the Black Hills. I skipped work most of Thursday and all day Friday so he and I could catch up and reconnect. That means boating, bon fires and pool. Today was the first day this summer where the weather was nice enough to make a day of swimming. The water was mid 80's as was the outside temps. We made it a great weekend just doin what we do...
Another night on the boat swimming until dark. The water is high so "no wake", no tubes or goin fast, just putt, listen to music, enjoy the lake and have fun...
Dahlton, Jeff's son had his graduation party, the ladies looked really pretty and I just happened to have a camera to capture the gorgeous smiles
Sunday Kevin, Kim, Michael and Rocky came over to share the day with Danny and I. The weather was to nice not to be in the water. I LOVE Sundays just kickin back at the pool.
We had a blast this weekend! I took off work Friday afternoon and headed to the lake. Went tubing, boating and then had dinner at Jacks. I love to start any weekend out this way, celebrating summer and making memories with family and friends... Danny's leaving for a couple weeks so we tried to cram some good summer fun in before he left. Saturday we went to Elko Speedway for the races. It was FREE which always makes things a little more fun! Saw Larry the Cable Guy who I'm not sure was really him but got our pictures with him anyway. Jeff said it wasn't but it didn't matter. Races were great! We saw a lot of action and crazy people watching too:) Sunday was supposed to be a chore day around the house but the weather was to dang beautiful to waste so we headed to the lake again. With all the rain there was "no wake" on the entire lake so we went fishing and enjoyed the sunny day. We had both our boat and Jeff's and caught a ton of fish which was very unusual for us. We usually get skunked and don't have a clue what we're doing when it comes to fishing. Jeff's a great teacher though and patient as a saint! He told us to fish with pink jigs so we fished with pink jigs, it worked! Cleaned them up and doing a fish fry Monday night before Danny heads out Tuesday morning. Danny fell in the lake while trying to push the boat from the dock. It was a classic one foot on the boat, one on the dock, spread eagle and splash! I'm just glad he didn't get hurt! Nice he experienced that while he's young, hopefully learned a lesson... It was a great weekend for making memories, The weather cooperated and we all had a ton of fun. I rate it pretty high as far as spending time with family and friends. The fishing was definitely a hit, in fact taking Monday off work to see if we can try our luck again, I think I heard a saying something like "a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work", I'll let you know:) You want to see all the summer fun, click it http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p756763559
Memorial Day Weekend, one of the best I can remember ever. We pushed the "start" button on Friday afternoon and pushed it HARD! No one wanted to hit STOP!!! I don't think we could have added one more thing to this crazy weekend. Bonfires and sleep overs, boating and tubing, kickin back at the pool, BBQ's with friends, Walleye fishing, hanging out on the lake way past dark and even exploring new areas along Purgatory Creek behind the house. It was a great weekend from start to finish and couldn't have been more fun! Enjoyed the time with family and friends- Every picture I took was full of smiles, silly kids and happy people. Spent a lot of time on the lake in swim suits and barefoot! That's the way summer's supposed to be:)
Summer had her birthday party on Tuesday- She felt so special to have the day all about her- She loved it! What a little sweet heart. I just want to squeeze her every time I see her innocent little face. I didn't get many pictures but I did capture a couple minutes of video while the kids were bashing the pinata. Fun time!!
The past month has been a busy one shopping for the perfect boat... It had to reflect our personality to a Tee. Danny and I found it and named her "Bohemian Gypsy". After calling dozens of Craig's List owners, visiting marinas, boat dealers and driving sometimes hundreds of miles searching for the boat of our dreams, Bohemian Gypsy was the right choice. A 22 foot sport cruiser that will spend the summer moored on Prior Lake! Large cabin with table, sink and toilet, built for 10 and an enormous sun deck for baking in the sun! At the same time I sold the "Silver Spoon", our Stingray that we've had for the past eight years. The Stingray was in perfect condition bathed in wax and clean as the day I bought it. It sold instantly. My yard looked like a boat yard! Bohemian Gypsy sinking into my grass, Silver Spoon parked in the garage and my Suburban parked in the driveway. I think my neighbors were getting worried :)
Friday was the day, Bohemian Gypsy would be put into the water to begin a summer of fun. A little nervous but holy smokes, well worth the time and effort putting this deal together! Everything fell into place perfectly. The slip on Prior, finding Bohemian Gypsy and selling the Stingray couldn't have gone smoother. We made it fun and kept things moving pretty fast! Anyway, as I said, Friday was the day. Off the trailer and into the lake, the rest of the night was spent breaking her in! We had a blast. Bohemian Gypsy is the perfect name- Eccentric, offbeat, artistic, unconventional and WILD!!!
Later in the day we went to Karen and Dicks for a few cool ones, good company and great food as usual.
Went to the Cabin for some fun and picked up the "Silver Spoon" while we were there. It's been stored in the barn and in the water only once in the last four years. I no longer had a vehicle that would tow it which made it a pain to use, now I do! I bought an OLD Suburban that will become our new boat puller. Actually we're picking up the boat to clean it up, tune it up and sell it. Its time to upgrade into one that better fits our lifestyle and make some new memories. We got lucky and rented a boat slip on Prior Lake for the summer. Have never done this before but I think the convenience of having the boat in the water all the time will eliminate boat launch stress and make it convenient to use whenever we want! Fifteen minutes from home and 5 from my office. I'm guessing much of the summer we'll be skiing, tubing and hanging out at Captain Jacks making a bunch of new friends! Really looking forward to spending the summer on the lake! Hope to see you out there!!!
Holy Smokes it was a long winter. The weather was finally nice enough to get out for a walk around the park. It had been a while. Even Bandit got into the act. Packed the GoPro and shot a little fun.
The name of this video has nothing to do with me personally! My heart is not broken. Oh it has been more than once but currently not, just the remains of the jagged scars that remind me of my past:)
I just finished up a three week corporate shoot that consumed a bunch of my time. I submitted the project last Friday and took a very deep breath. Today was a beautiful Sunday and I wanted to take a road trip. I packed my camera and flying machine then hit the road. No destination and in fact couldn't even tell you where I was. I did end up going much further than I thought, got lost and the only way I found my way home was with the help of Siri on my phone. She did a wonderful job. I saw some very cool spots to stop and shoot. I put a 2 minute video together showing some of my flying results. This was the third time I had it in the air and already seeing some fantastic results. The music is where the title came from. I liked the song which went pretty well with the scenery and video.
I recently did updates to my Phantom. I crashed it pretty good while filming an indoor production shot. I severly misjudged how close I was to a very large paint booth. Of course the paint booth won! I trashed the gimbal that I just installed which was a piece of crap anyway. Several hundred later, I ended up with a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition and a new Tarot Gimbal which does a fantastic job of keeping the camera smooth as a babies back side! The GoPro Black shoots 1080 at 60 fps which gives incredible results when paired with the Phantom. I feel like this combination is the best at least for now... Check out the results in the video. The abondon structure and the car especially look like their right out of a Bonnie and Clyde movie :)
Autumn had a Birthday Party at the Brunswick Bowling Center. Kids had a bunch of fun! They bowled, ate pizza, opened presents, did the limbo and even danced to the Electric Slide- Yup, even the boys!
Holy Momma, Did We Get Snow! It all started Thursday afternoon and didn't stop until Friday AM. I think we got around a foot of snow and the wind was blowing like tornado - I'd guess you'd call that a Blizzard! I'm not talking the Dairy Queen kind either. This was a Minnesota Winter Storm. Thank God for my new snow blower!!! I had to go out with a camera and shoot some of the winter white beauty. I don't think it's going to last long as March is right around the corner. Schools were closed again! Was a perfect day for the kids to make snow men and angels.
Tara and the girls got the sweetiest new puppy, Casey. Casey will be perfect for the girls. Check out these pictures- Pretty sweet!
So I was honored to shoot the Rollx Vans Polar Plunge on Prior Lake again this year. The weather was not ideal by any means infact it down right sucked. Kevin headed this event up for the second year with 28 plungers raising about $2800! Even Austin jumped! The wind was pretty strong and the snow flakes were the size of quarters accumulating a couple inches an hour. NOT good for video equipment and probably worse for jumping into a nearly frozen lake. We ended up rushing through the shoot missing a lot of what I had planned. I was prepared for anything but snow! Seriously, when we left the house it was rather nice, by the time we got to Prior the snow wouldn't let up. I showed up around noon to set up while the gang was at Buffalo Wild Wings talking shit and mustaring up some liquid courage! Some had a hard time talking after the plunge. I wasnt sure if it was the cold water or liquid courage? Glad it came out as good as it did!
The Polar Bear Plunge is sponsored by the Minnesota Law Enforment which raises over $3,000,000 annually! More than 15,000 plungers jumped in16 events. The proceeds got to the Minnesota Special Olympics. Don't know about you but, I can't think of a better place to or a better cause!
Back in October we shot Savannah's graduation pictures. It was a pretty cold day and infact I think we got some snow in the middle of the shoot. We had a blast and ended up with some great shots. Check out the rest at the following link ... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p111208855
We shot Dahlton's Graduation pictures last fall. Somebody's been really busy and just now got them finished. Sorry, the holidays kicked my butt! Anyway, they came out great. Watch the slide show, it came out really nice and the song he chose is fitting! You can see them all by clicking this link - http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p623720715
Danny and I along with Tara, Jeff and kids went to Fud's on Sunday then skating at Centennial Lakes. What a beautiful day to be out! The kids had a blast, no one complained and no one got hurt. I took a digger towards the end but nothing broken. Stung a little but I didn't show my pain! Why is it when someone gets hurt everyone laughs? Yeah, when I fell the kids all laughed? I'll never figure that one out. I justs laughed with them. I shot video of the day with a GoPro on the end of a 5 foot monopod. Got some crazy shots both high and low. The set-up is feather light and easy to get into hard to reach places. Every time I use this I am amazed at the stability of the video, even the way I skate it was pretty smooth. This is the first time we went skating that Danny didn't say "uncle" first! He would have stayed out there all day if the rest of us hadn't called it quits. We ended the day with hot coco by the fire in the warming house. Pretty fun!
Friday night we got together with Tara and Kevin's Families. Neither are going to be at Tourville's on Christmas Eve so we began our gift giving early. Went to Kevin's and had a great time! The kids were excited as expected and we all stuffed our faces with tons of great appetizers. Very fun time!! You can see the rest of the pictures here... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p981507419
Another great Thanksgiving day at Kathy and Johns. Food was great and the atmosphere was full of friendly laughter. Was a very memoriable day... Check-em all out at http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p244996558
Sunday I spent the day at Cowboys, (Dave) shooting graduation pictures of Jeff's son Dahlton. I haven't been to Cowboys house for oh, probably 10 years. That was back when Tara kept her horse Tristen there. Cowboy still has his horse Buck who is now 36 and Dixie who looks much younger! Tara and the girls came out for a family picture later in the afternoon. The girls went riding on Buck for a bit with the help of Dave on the reins. Cowboy loved every second of it and seeing Tara again and meeting the girls made his day. It was a pretty fun time. The last two shots of the day were a couple of really cute ones of Jeff and Tara. They are so dang cute together- makes me smile just looking at them!
Went to Deardorff Apple Orchard on Sunday. Not a lot of apples left but a dang nice day to be out in the sun, with the family, picking apples! The Winery side of the orchard is almost as big or bigger as the apple side! Its pretty fun to see families sipping wine while on the wagon rides and picking apples. The place was packed. Got a lot of pictures and even a slipped some video in.
You can see all the pictures when you click on this link... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p240583630
Michael turns one this week so Kevin and Kim had a party at the park. Fun time! Check em all out with this link...
http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p466390378
Danny and I went cloths shopping for several hours on Saturday. New shoes, jeans, shirts, jacket and a fricken cool hat! It's tradition that around this time of year we will get some new outfits and shoot some birthday pictures. This year we chose to do a water or boat theme. On our way to the marina, we drove by this little General Store. We did a U-turn and pulled in. Seriously this place looked like it was right out of Mayberry! When we went inside I thougt for sure we would run into Andy Griffith or maybe Aunt Bea. Looked like the place was never updated since the 50's. Original coolers, counters and flooring. We ended up taking most of the pictures here and only took a couple when we got to the marina. We had some fun. You can check out more of the pictures here... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p890787307
Went to Lakefront Days in Prior Lake. Live music and fireworks and biking with the Blue's to Moose Country. Austin was at Lakefront working for a dog rescue booth. He had a bunch of puppies that were being adopted. The favorite of most was the two tone one that looked like a beagle. Check-em out...
Today was Danny's 9th Birthday. We had a Birthday Pool Pizza Party. It was a Harry Potter theme and Danny had his Harry Potter costume on with his swim suit underneath. We had Harry Potter glasses which I thought would be more fun than they were but the plastic was kind of uncomfortable around the ears and the kids really didn't like wearing them. I hated them! I purchased 14 pairs at 10 cents apiece. I still have 14 pairs that will end up in the trash later tonight. Danny had a blast with the whole family there. I ordered a custom Harry Potter ice cream cake from DQ. I asked them to put Danny's name on it which they did but they spelled it Danni. I didn't say anything when I picked it up cause I was pretty happy with the way they decorated it with only a days notice. We had a pretty good laugh out of it. Overall a great time for D-
See all the pix at - http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p246349380
Pool water was somewhere around 88 degrees. Almost as warm as the hot tub! Tara, Jeff and the girls came over to steal some of my sun. The girls were exceptionally pretty so I snapped a couple of beauty shots. Just a fun lazy afternoon. I got a little red which wasn't the first time and certinally not the last. I've got to remember to put the sunscreen on BEFORE I get burnt. I never think I'll be out that long then before you know it, its to dang late!
See the Beautiful Ladies in their Swim Suits... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p848998478
This weekend is the annual Prior Lake - Lakefront Music Fest. Friday night was Warrant and Bret Michaels. A couple of 80's bands that never got out of the 80's! Actually I thought Bret Michaels died of a brain tumor several years ago? Hummm. He said "Party Minnesota" over 400 times in the hour he was on stage! He needs new material but then he would be an 80's band... Over 10k people were in the park. I think I was the only one NOT drinking. It was fun and the whole gang was there. Kevin's house is directly across the street from Lakefront Park so we have prime parking and easy access. I didn't get many pictures but was blessed to get a short video of Bret when he came on stage... yeah- Are you ready Minnesota. Tonight is Montgomery Gentry. I have an out of town gig but should be back in time to catch his last couple songs- Maybe. That's the plan anyway. Jeff's got a pig roasting which he started early this morning so we'll finish the night with cold beer and fresh pork! Lets Party Minnesota!!!!!
Got the Boys together for a cruise. First time this year for Steve since his surgery. We took it slow for the old timer. The 80 cent beers and 10 buck steaks made up for the extra time. As usual, we got to know the staff well and she kept our glasses full!! I think the temp was about 85 degrees! One of those nights created by God for us bikers! I didn't have a curfew so I kept riding well into the wee hours. No place to be but where I was. I fricken love it!
Karl and Teresa were great to invite a group of friends onto their new boat. What a absolutely perfect way to spend the 4th and see the fireworks! The boat is amazing both inside the cabin an out on the deck. I had a blast and can't wait for another opportunity to join the crew! You can see all the pictures here > http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p386712741
Another great Fathers Day with the family by the pool. This spring has been rainy weekend after weekend so to have a nice day was a treat. Water was 85 degrees and the beer was close to 32! Fun time... See em by clicking the link... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p127353424
We put together a quick video of the end of the school year. Last minute thing but wanted to start now so by the time he graduates we'll have a number of different videos highlighting his years through school. Already thinking about fourth grade ideas.
This is pretty cool... Danny had to write a poem at the end of his third grade school year. I thought it would be something rather blan. When I read it, I was thrown back by the thought he put in it. Not just a "roses are red" kind of thing. I was so proud of that little turd I put it into a video. He thought that was pretty sweet. The only thing I screwed up on is I put his name at the end. People are supposed to guess who it is...
Danny and I rented a paddle boat on Lake Ann in Chanhassen just to get away from the house. The weather has been so crappy for the past month, the sun was out and we were ready for something different. Grabbed a fishing pole, some worms and hit the lake. Danny caught a hand full of sunnies and a few quick memories. Another great father and son day! Here's a few more pictures > http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p386712741
Rained like an SOB in the morning but cleared up in the afternoon and became a perfect day for a bike ride. I ran to Waterville to see Karen and Dick's new boat. Went for a cruise on the lake and had dinner at Bullheads. Stopped to see the goofballs at Kamp Del's and catch up on the winter happenings. The ride there was a little windy but coming home after dark was absolutely perfect! Check out all the pix - http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p625795261
Danny baked like 38 chocolate cookies so he could give some to his mom for Mothers Day. He could have done a lot more but he was eating more than he was baking! I was testing out a video light and thought it was a great time to give them a try. He's getting pretty good at the cookies and actually as you can see did it all himself. Not one burned cookie or finger!
Danny and I took a 5 day trip to Playa. Weather was very hot. We stayed at the Iberostar which was all inclusive and a whole bunch of things to do. Danny couldn't get enough of the food! Oysters, shrimp, pizza and pancakes for breakfast. We rented a 4 wheeler our last day just so we could get out of the sun. Well worth the money. We went through beach and jungle trails. It was a blast! Monday afternoon we had a scorpion in our room. Scared the crap out of us. Didn't even consider seeing a scorpion in our room. About the same time we had 11 monkeys screeming outside our door. It reminded us of Jurasic Park. We expected to see a dead goat drop from a tree any minute:) Easter Sunday, we took a cab into town and went to Easter Mass at an old Mexican Church. We didn't understand a word they said but it was way cool to be part of their Easter tradition on Easter Sunday. A couple mornings we ran to the beach at 5:30 to catch the sun rise. Awesome! Tuesday evening we snuggled up in a lawn chair way after dark and listen to the waves and stared at the incredible sky. We could see the lights of Cozmel and the ferry that leaves out of Playa. D- spotted the North Star and one of the Dippers. We weren't sure which one. Actually I wasn't sure it was even a dipper but I went along with it anyway. We took over 500 pictures. Somehow we ended up with about a hundred of girls in string bikinis! Danny must have done that when I fell asleep in the lawn chair... Hummmm. Anyway, we had a great time and one of the best father and son bonding adventures possible!
For you camera buffs, every shot on this trip was shot with the new Sony RX100 point and shoot. Amazing camera! It went everywhere with us and we rode it hard the whole trip. It fit in my pocket and was there when we needed it. We did take it in for a cleaning towards the end of the trip just to be on the safe side with all the sand and humidity. I was SO GLAD I didn't lug anything more than this. Not once did I feel I was missing a shot because I didn't have anything more. Again, this is an amazing camera as every review on the web will agree.
Check out some of the pix here - http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p11742162
It was a Night of the Notables at Sage Academy and the boys were in fine character! Danny was Rube Goldberg an inventer and cartoonist. Austin was Lou Gehrig of course the famous ball player. There were over a hundred Sage students dressed up as a famous person. The audiance attending could interview each child and try to determine who they were. It was tough! Really Tough!! There was everyone from Danica Patrick to Abraham Lincoln. It was pretty fun! The kids couldn't tell us who they were until the end of the night. Each child got up on stage and introduced them selves and their character. Check em out... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p703318093
We went to Hudson Wisconsin Saturday morning VERY early to par-take in the annual balloon fest. Over 40 hot air balloons come to show off at this event. I guess people come from all over to be a part and take pictures of the activity. We met a woman that came all the way from Green Bay. She kind of filled us in on what a big deal this really was. We froze our butts off. In fact it was so cold one of my cameras stopped working completely. We followed many of them around town and watched and shop pix as they landed. Pretty cool site. Afterwards we took part in a huge pancake breakfast at the Masons Masonic Club. Heck of a deal for a full blown pancake breakfast! Check out all the pictures - http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p338730166
Monster Jam all day Saturday! It was really a lot of fun. Neither Danny or I have ever been to anything like this. We had pit passes and got all the big Monsters to sign our program book. Danny was totally thrilled. We waited an hour just to get Grave Diggers signiture. Grave Digger actually won the big event and he did it missing a front wheel. He kicked ass! Wheel flew off and he continued like nothing happend. The crowd went wild! He is one bad MOTHER of a MONSTER. Danny can't stop talking about it. The smile on his face was worth a million to me. The media did an interview with Grave Digger while he was signing Danny's book so the two of them were on the Megatron for everyone to see! Danny could see himself on the screen while he was standing there. Pretty Cool... Check out all the pictures-
http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p527761405
Danny, Austin and I went to Buck Hill tubing on New Years Eve. First time we did this and what a blast. Pretty cold but we stayed moving so didn's really feel it until the end. I would definately do it again but probably not on a holiday weekend. The "tweens" were OBNOXIOUS as hell!!! I can't imagine what type adults or parents these kids will make someday. What happened to manners?? Despite this we had a very fun time. Boys were exhausted but managed to make it to 11:55 before gravity finally took over their eye lids. Happy New Years!!
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Great New Year!!!
Always great to get together on Thanksgiving Day. Actually one of my favorite holidays. Good food and fun to see the kids grow every year. Check out all my takes from the day... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p99493016
Tara, Autumn and Summer came over to get some family pictures. Kids really are challenging to photograph. We worked it and ended up with a few good shots. Check them all out here http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p160405072
Last Saturday Kevin, Kim, Michael and I got together to take a few pictures. Michael is already a month old! Cute as ever but how could he not be when you check out his mom and dad! Here are a few of the photos we took but you can check them all out by clicking here... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p838135731
http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p838135731
We had a busy Saturday. Halloween stuff going on all day. Great to see the kids in their costumes and scaring each other. Got them all hyped up on candy and gettin freaky. Lot of fun! Seel all the pix at http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p362845077
I recently had an opportunity to try the New Sony DSC RX100. This is truly a point and shoot camera with DSLR quality! VERY small will actually fit in your shirt pocket but is fricken unbelievable with features and image and video quality. The lens is a 1.8 so you can just forget the flash. Noise at high iso is very managable in Lightroom or other edit software even at real high ISO. Having shot with a Canon DSLR for the past 10 years I was a non believer that a camera this small could achieve the image quality of a DSLR. I read the reviews and watched the youtube videos. I listened to what the pros said. This is true professional quality camera that fits in your pocket. It won't replace my Canon but could be my best friend on many of my outings. I went out today and shot some pictures. No flash was used on any of these shots inside or out. SUPER fast auto focus and NO delay on the shutter. There is nothing on the market that even comes close to the RX100. Seriously! The price could be a little steep if you compare it to most it's size but the video and image quality compares to camera and lens combos costing thousands more! I'm convinced...
Check all the images at this link- http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p838321938
Kevin and Kim delivered their Handsome Baby Boy on October 3rd. Weight was about 7 lbs. 11 ounces. What an absolutely Handsome boy!!! Congratulations to your entire family! Check out all the pictures by clicking the link... http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p382950935
It was to sunny not to take the bike out. A little chilly but I've been ridin in worse conditions. I wanted to try the GoPro camera suctioned to the bike. I am amazed at the stability of this camera while cruising at any speed. Damn I love that thing!
Went to the apple orchard this afternoon. On a perfect day and the apples were just right. I think we each ate a hand full while we were there. Went on a wagon ride, played with the animals and the kids ran wild. Danny, Austin and Autumn got a little butt chewin from the wagon driver for jumping off while in motion. I guess that's a NO NO. Pretty fun day for all. You can see the rest by going to Crazy Family Pix.
Click below to see all the fun!!
http://dannydeliephotography.zenfolio.com/p142597683
Well Danny's first day of 3rd grade. New school again. No they didn't kick him out of his last school. I can't believe you were thinking that!! Austin's class is in the room next to Danny's. They have lunch and recess the same time so they get to hang out together. Pretty COOL!!! You can see the rest by going to the Crazy Family Pix.
Once again Danny wanted to have a Birthday Party around the pool. Mason and Marcus were in town from Minot which added to his day. Instead of a Pinata we filled balloons with candy and let them take turns shooting with a BB gun. It was a blast and took about an hour. You can see all the pictures in the Crazy Family section. 
Rockers had a gig at kamp Del's on Saturday night. Pretty quick trip. Last gig there for 2012... Thank you Lord!! 
Went to Valley Fair last Sunday. It had rained in the morning but cleared up leaving a perfect day. Not to crowded either. The boys had to be evacuated from two of the rides because of malfunctions. We ended up getting four free tickets because of the hassel. One of the rides was the Cork Screw. 8 seconds into the ride the power went out. They are stranded at a 45 degree angle on the top of the first hill. sitting in the sun while management tried to figure out what to do. A while later they had to emergency evacuate the cars and bring them down the track. Didn't matter we had fun anyway! Made a day out of it and great memories... More pictures under My Crazy Family!
It was a perfect Friday night for a motorcycle ride. Started in New Prague at the Crofut Winery. For $3 we sampled 11 different wines. Either I wasn't in the mood for wine or they haven't figured out how to make good wine! I really didn't like any of them. Anyway, left the winery and went straight to the Scott County Fair in Jordan. Holy Shit talk about a crazy combo of Cowboys and Indians!!! The live music was great and worth the ride. Another fun night!
Danny and I went over to the local barn or junk yard I guess you would call it. Took some shots while the masquitos sucked the blood out of us. These are a few images that Danny and I really liked... 
