David Ryder's Photo Blog

The blog has moved

2008-11-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

After a redesign of my website, the blog is now hosted there. Here is a link to the new blog. Please check that out and have a look at my new website.

Accessibility

2008-11-24T12:50:00.000-08:00

This was from a story on accessibility issues in Park City. Dave Nichols is a bobsled driver, skier, and all around cool guy.

In Print

2008-11-17T13:05:00.001-08:00

Manipulated photos from world governments

2008-11-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

After a suspected 'photoshopped' photo of Kim Jong-il was covered by the Times of London and the NY Times this week, I was surprised to hear today that an altered image was supplied by the U.S. Department of Defense to the Associated Press.

A couple of these articles mention the recent Iranian missile test photos that were digitally manipulated. I'm wondering why the NY Times hasn't covered the U.S. photo manipulation yet.

This is frustrating as a media consumer but especially as a photojournalist. When photos like these surface in respectable news outlets, every photojournalist's credibility suffers. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

Immigrant family bears brunt of economic downturn

2008-11-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

Hard times made harder by employer who doesn't pay.

Please watch this 3 minute multimedia piece.

Also, I wrote a story this time - please read the story too.

'Of course' she will vote

2008-11-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Silver Springs resident Gretchen Tally, 103, will likely be the oldest person who votes in Summit County this year. Here she plays the harmonica at her home as her dog howls in the background.

Full story here.

Marcus Bleasdale's new work

2008-10-31T22:10:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how consistent this guy has been. Marcus Bleasdale's work is really moving and visually impressive. Here's a link to his recent story, Somalia Exodus.

Dogs in costumes

2008-10-21T17:53:00.001-07:00

Superdog and the skunk.

Yuri Kozyrev

2008-10-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

My favorite photographer of the week is Yuri Kozyrev of Noor Images. I saw him show his work at the Eddie Adams Workshop last week and this guy has been on top of his game for a while now. See his work from Iraq.

Multimedia: Teen Pregnancy

2008-10-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

I attended the Eddie Adams Workshop last weekend and had the opportunity to work with Mariah Neal, 17, who shared with me what it is like to become pregnant at such a young age. Thank you Mariah for your openness and generosity.

Teen Pregnancy from David Ryder on Vimeo.

Tipping Point

2008-10-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Here's how some recent stuff looked in print.

My shoes on the job

2008-10-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Not a complaint in the world right now. This is me on the back of an ATV while shooting a 'tough jobs' story at a small dairy farm a little bit ago. Look for those pics coming up soon.

James Nachtwey's XDR-TB Project

2008-10-03T20:30:00.001-07:00

Work that needs to be seen. Nachtwey's new story on extreme drug resistant tuberculosis.

Also see his recent 20 minute TED talk. Very interesting if you are a fan or have not seen him speak before.

Lumberjacks

2008-10-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Watch and listen - "The Sawyers of Deer Valley" audio slideshow

Goats

2008-10-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Taxidermy multimedia

2008-09-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this audio slideshow on taxidermy.

Recent work

2008-09-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

sly fox

2008-09-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

inspired by nas.

Tennis

2008-09-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Brandon's Web Gallery

2008-08-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

http://ryderpictures.com/kylabrandon

Kyla and Brandon

2008-08-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with. Kyla and Brandon are great people and their wedding was a tear-jerker and a really special thing to be a part of. I'll post some more later.

Dupay court appearance

2008-07-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was the pool photographer for a court story that the AP was interested in, which meant that a lot of news outlets picked up my photos, including msnbc, yahoo, washingtonpost.com and usatoday.com. Pretty exciting to see my work all over like that.

Teddy Dupay is a former Florida basketball player who is charged with a rape and kidnapping that allegedly took place at an upscale resort at Deer Valley.

Softball

2008-07-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

wow....Triple Crown World Series of Softball...rolls into town and takes over Park City ...you can imagine the chants, the decorated cars, the teen girl madness...

Rodeo - Oakley, Utah

2008-07-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Mountain Biking

2008-07-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well the first week of work was pretty damn fun. I met and photographed the attorney general of Afghanistan, shot a rodeo, a huge mountain biking tournament, and a million other things. Below are some biking pics. Thanks for looking.

Aztec in DF

2008-06-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to some of my work from time spent with a family of Aztec dancers who work in Mexico City. This was part of my project during the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

http://ryderpictures.com/aztec/

Eddie Adams workshop

2008-06-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I feel truly honored to have been accepted into the Eddie Adams workshop for this October. Barnstorm XXI is a class of talented photojournalists and it humbles me when I see who is on that list.

Here is a link to the roster.

Foundry workshop

2008-06-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Mexico City having an amazing experience photographing a family of Aztec dancers while participating in the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop. The week is an intense schedule of shooting, critiques, slide shows and lack of sleep. Highly recommended.

New work in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

2008-06-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to see a Seattle P-I gallery with my images from a story on the women's pro football team in Seattle, the Majestics. My images are mixed in with P-I photographer Grant Haller's, and mine begin at photo number 2.

Here is a link to the full story with text.

These ladies are great athletes, and cool people too.

Lightning

2008-06-12T00:39:00.000-07:00

I just moved to Park City, Utah and it was beautiful and sunny. That was a relief after suffering through a long, dreary, never-ending winter in Seattle. Then we got snow and lightning tonight. Living in the mountains is a blast though...uh, yes the pun was intended...

Suzanne and Anthony Wedding

2008-06-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Take a look at their wedding gallery. What a way to start the wedding season! Suzanne and Anthony were so laid back and fun to work with. Thanks guys.

papparazi

2008-06-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

did i spell that right?

here is a snap from a wedding i just shot. thanks for looking.

What's wrong with this picture?

2008-05-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

Make sure to click on the image to see it large.

Another from the house fire. See the gallery in the post below.

House Fire Gallery

2008-05-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a gallery of images from my house fire:

http://ryderpictures.com/housefire/index.html

Thanks for looking.

House Fire

2008-05-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tragedy strikes and it can be difficult to photograph...especially when the tragedy is in my own life... This is an image from a personal essay about a big fire at my house. More to come...

New job

2008-05-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just accepted a position in Park City, UT for chief photographer at the Park Record, a paper that prints twice per week. Life is good.

Another from the vault

2008-05-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

Possible news on a new staff job at a paper...more info to come...

As I work out some kinks in my brain, I have to post a couple of photos from the vault. New work to come soonest...

Old portrait. Summer 2007.

From the vault

2008-04-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

Washington's Joel Smith. He doesn't score a ton, but when he does, it's with style. This is a recent addition to the ryderpictures.com 'sport' gallery. Other new or updated galleries are Cuba, Cockfighting in Cuba, and Food and Wine.

NYC street photography

2008-04-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

From a short visit this week. Click to see em large, with true color.

Website idea

2008-04-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Trying out new looks for the front page of my site...here's one idea

Football

2008-04-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

'A Photo Editor' Promo

2008-04-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

I made the cut for the promo over at Rob Haggart's 'A Photo Editor' blog. It's a slide show of his top picks of talented photographers, meant to connect photo editors and art buyers with photographers. Click here to see it.

My image is #97 and looks like this:

Update: I realized I can embed the slide show, so here it is --

Whoa

2008-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, I dodged this pigpile as I fired off a few frames. This is from Seattle Majestics v. Portland last night.

Women's tackle football fills the void in the off season. And these ladies can hit! More to come soon.

Another Holga shot

2008-04-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

A Holga is a little $15 plastic camera that shoots film. Gives a nice unique look that works well in Cuba. This image is from Cienfuegos, Cuba and I just developed it.

The Viagra apron

2008-03-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

Playa Giron, Cuba.

Wine with a citrus twist

2008-03-27T02:00:00.001-07:00

it's bean a good time

2008-03-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

Orange you glad you saw this?

2008-03-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

Avocados

2008-03-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

New galleries on website

2008-03-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

The first 25 or so pictures on the Cuba gallery are new. Click on the image above or go here:
http://ryderpictures.com/cuba/cuba.htm

--

The cockfighting gallery is now online. Click on the above image or go here:
http://www.ryderpictures.com/cockfight/cockfight.htm

--

2008-03-14T16:13:00.001-07:00

More light

2008-03-14T12:31:00.001-07:00

Light

2008-03-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Santeria

2008-03-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Cuba

2008-03-13T15:12:00.001-07:00

When the team wins...

2008-03-13T12:48:00.001-07:00

Bike

2008-03-13T11:33:00.001-07:00

cuba again

2008-03-10T22:25:00.001-07:00

2008-03-09T18:33:00.001-07:00

paying up after his bird lost...cockfighting is legal in cuba, but gambling is not...

Street cockfight

2008-03-07T19:24:00.001-08:00

Cuba

2008-03-06T20:38:00.001-08:00

Many more pictures to come...I just returned from two amazing weeks of photographing in Cuba...

windows

2008-02-21T19:49:00.001-08:00

Football practice

2008-02-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

Vegan demonstration

2008-02-14T16:19:00.001-08:00

Volunteering my services for Seattle's Action for Animals... A great group with a great cause... These ladies braved a February afternoon to be in downtown Seattle in their underlings to spread the vegan love on Valentine's Day.

Click a pic to see it big.

Washington State Democratic Caucus

2008-02-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

Democracy at its finest. Caucusing is weird, unorganized and raw democracy. It's fun and frustrating at the same time.

(above) Waiting in line in a church basement.

(above) Picking names out of a beanie to decide who are the delegates, and who gets to be an alternate.

(above) Of the six volunteer delegates, these three happened to have their names picked to be alternates, hence the celebration.

(above) Homemade signs directing caucus-goers.

Waiting for Obama to arrive

2008-02-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

Trying to catch a glimpse of the rock star.

Cowboy lost in the city

2008-01-30T18:23:00.001-08:00

University of Washington

2008-01-26T16:48:00.001-08:00

BMX

2008-01-23T21:42:00.001-08:00

Darn whipper snappers with their baggy jeans and no helmets and the hippity hop music.

Tent City

2008-01-22T22:58:00.001-08:00

Kristen, who lives in Tent City 4, a homeless encampment in Kirkland, WA., looks through the day's new donations of clothing and other goods.

Skateboarder

2008-01-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

Karaoke

2008-01-19T23:04:00.001-08:00

Monkey Pub - U District, Seattle

Posterize

2008-01-15T23:49:00.001-08:00

What does this word mean, you ask? Look at the sequence and try to use it in a sentence.

(Click on it to see it large)

Say it with me now, "Ronny Turiaf got posterized by Nick Collison."

The third image would be a good one to hang on the wall.

Click this to see my gallery from the Sonics loss to the Lakers on Monday.
http://ryderpictures.com/sonicslakers/sonicslakers.htm

Kobe Bryant scored a season high 48 points and hit the winning jumper to beat the Sonics in overtime, 121-123.

Quite a night for my first NBA shoot.

New street shots, black n white

2008-01-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks for looking.

From the vault - Seahawks preseason vs Vikings

2008-01-10T23:04:00.000-08:00

Make sure to click to see em big, esp. this first one...

Let's go Hawks.

From the vault

2008-01-10T00:13:00.001-08:00

Kirkland Courier-Reporter today

2008-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

There are five photos of mine for a couple different stories in the Kirkland Courier-Reporter today...check em out...the above shots weren't published but are from one of the stories...click on them for a gallery of 20 photos from the assignment.

Street photography, shot today

2008-01-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

Bellevue, WA. Click on 'em to see a large version. Thanks for looking.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort

2008-01-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

( Click on these pictures to see them larger )

I spent a week skiing and shooting at Schweitzer Mtn, Idaho and had a blast. There was a ton of new snow and this guy had been getting powder shots all morning...

Then the fog set in...

the lunch crowd...

some sun...

more fog...

a crazed skier...

a little freestyle action...

zipping under the chair....
Thanks for looking.

Good pictures...out of context?

2007-12-13T23:35:00.000-08:00

Click on the pics to see em large....
I noticed some nice lighting at the Barack Obama event the other night, so I made these two pictures during the down time waiting for Obama to take the stage. I was looking for pictures that told the story of his visit, and didn't include these in my edit that I posted online, but now I think they might work...they make me think of Obama trying to cash in on contributions from an elusive younger generation of liberal Seattle-type folks....young, white, who have money, and are sort of a shadowy presence in the presidential race, or in politics in general for that matter (like most young people in my opinion)....so who are they and what do they look like? These pictures raise questions, which I like a lot. It's good for a photojournalist to tell stories, but it's good to raise some questions in there as well...and I think part of the story is the questions...in this case...

Abstract photo

2007-12-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

Here's an example of why I usually don't try to explain photos to people; I just show them. When you think 'photo of a jersey barrier on the freeway' it sounds pretty lame. But I think this turned out better than lame...possibly even good...? Dunno, but it's unique anyways...

Be sure to click on the photo to see it large.

Some crazy photoshop work

2007-12-10T22:55:00.001-08:00

I never mess with photos in photoshop in unethical ways...I only tone them slightly and crop...but here's a random flyer that I made when I was bored a while back...thought I'd play with those parts of photoshop that I never get to use...

Looking at it now it's a little too 'military' for my taste anymore...but at the time that's the style I was going for...cuz you know, now I'm into the whole 'not bombing people' style...

Some random photos

2007-12-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

These haven't seen the light of day...what do you think of 'em? The last two - I can't tell which one is better, bird or no bird.

Seattle Marathon

2007-12-07T19:45:00.001-08:00

This was a fun shoot, although the picture above is one of the only actually creative shots I was able to take. I mostly just sat in a camping chair, sipping some hot tea and shooting hundreds of close-up mug shots of the runners. Then they get to buy prints of them if they want. Before the the race began, I shot some of the runners warming up in the near freezing air at like 6:30am. I hate getting up this early but once I'm up, I'm always happy and there are always good pictures to be made. This seems to always be true...maybe that's only because I'm never up that early so early morning time just seems to hold more wonder for me...I'm just seeing early morning stuff that I don't usually see...It's like traveling somewhere that you usually don't go. It's always good to change up the routine and find something new. For me, that's what photography is all about.

Pendleton Round-Up

2007-09-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing says 'America' like going to the rodeo, and the finals of the Pendleton Round-Up is the place to be if you want to see some good rodeo action. I had a great time meeting some really nice folks last weekend in Pendleton, Oregon and I went home with some photos that I am very happy with. Take a look by clicking here.

Another Story in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

2007-09-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Check out today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer front page for a photo of mine:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/frontpage/SPI-20070901-A-001.pdf

Hempfest Seattle

2007-08-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Why do so many thousands of people go to Hempfest? Who are they and what do they do there? Watch this 3 minute multimedia piece, made by yours truly, and find out.

Rat City Rollergirls Multimedia Piece

2007-08-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to watch a slide show with audio and interviews from the most recent roller derby bout...

You'll see a lot more photos that you didn't see in the story that ran in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Friday (see previous post).

Rat City Rollergirls

2007-08-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

I shot a story that ran in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Friday, August 17 with some fun pictures. They gave it a huge space on the front and back of the sports page, with a teaser photo on page one of the paper as well.

Click here to see the story on the P-I website

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Photo(s) of the day

2007-08-15T13:52:00.001-07:00

This one is from my vault of archives (Feb 07). Photographer for La Nacion (Buenos Aires) Hernan Zenteno, peering out the back of a train from the conductor's area, looking for relevant things to shoot. The assignment was on slums and squatters' shacks becoming too close to the train tracks.

Bilal Hussein

2007-08-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

AP photographer Bilal Hussein has been imprisoned by the U.S. military, with no charges brought against him, since April of last year. The AP, along with Pullitzer-winning journalists have been very active in the fight to get him free...

http://freebilal.org/english.htm

_______________________

Picture of the day

2007-08-08T18:41:00.001-07:00

It's abstract...I usually don't get to shoot that way when shooting as a photojournalist...my style used to be very abstract, and I'd like to go back and develop that some more...

I wonder if many editors would run this photo...perhaps as a part of a larger picture story. This was the very last shot I took out of about a thousand during a 3 day backpacking trip I took with my girlfriend. This is her walking up the stairs as we arrive back at my apartment...

Picture of the day

2007-08-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo I just shot. Hungry? Mmm...healthy. It's romaine lettuce.

Rampart Ridge Hike

2007-07-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Visit this hidden gallery on my site to view some images from our hike to Rampart Ridge in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA this week. It was a little rainy, but still beautiful...allowing for some nice shots of the foliage covered in water droplets...

It's wedding season

2007-07-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

I shot Paul and Selina's wedding last weekend...check out some of the pics at http://ryderpictures.com/wedding/wedding.htm or click on the pic below...It was on the 17th floor of the WaMu Center in downtown Seattle...a truly amazing venue with like a huge grassy meadow landscaped out there on the patio.

The big chance

2007-07-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

This doesn't ever happen - I read on aphotoaday.org that the VII Photo Agency is soliciting new members. Read the story from Photo District News. The folks at VII are some of the best in the world. I wonder if I'm ready to submit a portfolio yet...

I do have another big chance however; this one is more realistic. I interview on Monday for the position of 'photo and illustration editor' at the quarterly, Communities Magazine. They're all about developing communities in responsible and healthy ways. This will be a nice return to my editing responsibilities at The Univ of WA Daily last year...just looking a pictures and shooting some when needed - can't complain about that kind of job.

Jumping Pictures

2007-06-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a funny shot, made with help from my sister behind the camera. We went to the park to take a family portrait for mother's day...and then have a few beers with my friends and do some good ol' fashioned jumping pictures. That's me on the right in case you don't know.

A New Website

2006-12-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

See photos from my U.S. road trip and more at my brand new site -

http://www.ryderpictures.com

I've finally returned home after 4 months and more than 14,000 miles driven. I ended up with two speeding tickets, but no wrecks and no break downs. I ought to do an ad for Saturn, huh?

Since I last wrote, we drove along the Gulf Coast, while stopping for extended stays in Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana. Let me tell you that the Big Easy ain't lookin too good.

It's overwhelming and depressing to see post-Katrina New Orleans, and to learn about the failures in relief efforts. I was there 15 months after the storm hit, and it really seemed like it had hit just the day before. The Ninth Ward was desolate and void of human life. I have a selection of photos from New Orleans that I felt were particularly moving, available here.

We drove through Texas, which is just way too big, and made our way to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Weird name, I know. But great hot springs there, and cheap - the town's name actually used to be Hot Springs.

After that was the world's second largest hot air balloon festival in Gallup, NM, followed by a couple days in Vegas. After that we pretty much high-tailed it home because it was so damn cold (6 degrees Farenheit in Gallup); plus, we kinda did miss home.

So here I am, home in Kirkland, WA.
Go look at my new site! Again, it's http://www.ryderpictures.com It's great!

Peace,
Dave

Sunny (Thunderstormy) Florida

2006-11-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

NEW PICS -- http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek8

Old pics -- http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek6
http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek4
http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek2
http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek1

"Flaahda" That's where I actually am. Though it doesn't feel like it right now. Sometimes I hear an accent like that, and I also feel the humid, hot weather. Then I know I'm here. Then (right now) it's gloomy, rainy, and just like home. Where people talk normal, recycle, and eat granola.

It's very off and on, that whole recycling thing. But I did finally see someone else in Winn Dixie with granola in their shopping cart.

We're camping right by the Everlglades, about 30 min from Miami, in a town I embarassingly don't know what to call. And I've been here for like 4 nights. It's funny too because I've been talking constantly of finding work, or a campground where I could work to pay for my site, and the opportunity just arose. I just didn't feel like doing any roofing yesterday. It was hot, I was tired, and so I swam and lay by the pool instead.

Then I did some more lounging, just to keep it consistent, you know. You can't just lounge for two-and-a-half days, then just start roofing all of a sudden. Better just keep it simple, 'stay the course' if you will - as Dubya would tell me. Then again appartently we've "never been 'stay the course,'" as he declared on national TV a couple of days ago. Well, then I have never been lounging this much ever before, either.

Whether or not our president is a liar, or we're fighting an illegal war that costs tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars...I can at least admit I have lied before, too. I really have been this lazy and comfortable, and will 'stay the course' by the pool this afternoon. If the sun will ever come back. I do admit, also, to being constantly irritated in this state that's governed by Jeb Bush.

You may know my background, and yes I'm liberal. That might be an understatement to some of you, to whom liberal just means radical and argumentative. So I'll continue to write with a smile, knowing that you disagree about my opinions on Cuba. But hey, I lived there, so whadda you got?

But seriously, The Miami Herald is like a White House propaganda organ spewing out garbage in its seemingly daily anti-Cuba articles. They might as well just change the international section to the 'Today's Reasons Why Castro Should Burn in Hell (As soon as that old bastard will finally just die!) section.' I'm serious, though, and Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales (leaders of Venezuela and Bolivia, respectively) have been in that same 'Burn in Hell' section every day so far.

I'll tell you right now that I did come to the South to get a taste of some culture that's foreign to me. You're right if you tell me I shouldn't expect anything else - 'cause yeah, I guess I came here for this. I guess I'm just lucky I'm a white man who's looking to see why folks can be so ignorant down here. It could be much more uncomfortable; I ain't denying my privilege.

The radio stations are just as bad, and it makes me wonder how amazingly powerful anti-Castro Cubans are around here. And you can exchange the word 'Cubans' with 'money' in that last sentence. That lobby is so very strong in Washington, D.C., too; you can bet on that. Jeb's yapping in George's ear, because Jeb's hearing it in his ear every day (and feeling it in his campaign contributions) . It's not like it's top secret or anything.

Last night on 98.3 FM (a popular Spanish language channel) an artist made the official announcement that, due to overwhelming pressure, he is willing to destroy one of his masterpieces on the behalf of the exile community. He's gonna incinerate his sculpture of Castro's head. Pretty ridiculous in my opinion.

It's not like he's erecting a Saddam Hussein statue on 1600 Pennsylvania, D.C. It's Castro, people, come on.

Let me try to clarify something. Rich folks own mass media outlets, which greatly inform public opinion. With the case of Cuba, the news media have always told us one certain thing. After a while, like my whole lifetime, I took that thing for granted to be fact. Truth is, I did't really know at all. Republican or Democrat, or whoever you are, you can't really disagree. But I do now understand both sides of this argument.

So, examine the case of a country which we are not allowed to enter. They welcome us, but the State Department says it's a big No-No. Why is it illegal? It must be for our own safety, right? After all, Mr. Bush tells me that Cuba is in the (cue scary music) *Axis of Evil*

That's not a joke, Bush honestly grouped Cuba in with Kim Jong-il's North Korea and Hussein's Iraq.

Well I went to Cuba and, oh Jesus, I came back alive! Truth is, there's just got to be some things that those folks in Washington just don't want us to understand. Come on, am I just crazy?

Savannah, GA

2006-10-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

New pics: http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek6

Old pics: http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek4
http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek2
http://www.sportsshooter.com/dryder/usaweek1

Here I sit, under the stars and gazing at the river in Savannah, Georgia. And I'm checking my email. I'll make this a quick blurb so I don't miss anything cool. You see, I usually update from a boring library or the passenger seat of my Saturn. This place is different.

Georgia is my favorite state so far. We kind of blew through Atlanta and found ourselves in Savannah last night (coming from Nashville). I love everything about Georgia, and especially Savannah, and I haven't even sampled any of their famous peaches.

It reaaaally feels like the South now. There's Spanish Moss hanging from so many trees, and leaving the state park today (our home for the next week or so) felt like a tour through an old horror movie. Imagine a dark road lined with scraggly gray trees dripping sea-green moss from every branch.

More to come later...just look at this week's pictures. Most are from Kentucky, where we checked out a lot of horse stuff. Very cool horse stuff - just look at the pictures and you'll see!