Things to do in Austin: McKinney Falls State Park

The other day I met a high school senior client at McKinney Falls State Park for her session, and I was totally blown away by the location. I vowed to head back ASAP to explore, and last weekend Matthew, my mom, and I spent a morning there hiking. Matt always makes fun of me for over-using the term "heavenly," but in this case, I feel it's quite a fitting adjective. This park is just gorgeous and so much fun to explore - featuring everything from the ruins of an old homestead, to Indian Rock shelters, to 500 year old trees, and that's not to mention all the general gorgeous wildlife and, this time of year, an explosion of spring flowers. If you're in Austin, I highly recommend making a trip out there. Bring $6 per person for the park entrance fee, plenty of water, bug spray, comfortable shoes, and maybe a picnic. Lots of people swim in various places, too, so you might want to bring your suit!

Here's a few more photos from our outing...

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Life, in Bullet Point Form

--Remember Blog Every Day in May? This year I am doing Blog No Days in May. It's awesome, you should try it.
--I feel the need to ease back into this. Hence, the bullet points.
--I think I may have forgotten how to write. All creative energies have been channelled elsewhere. (See what I've been up to here, if you're curious).
--[Insert grunting noises and poor grammar.]
--Matthew is officially an attorney. He received his bar results, and he passed! Was sworn in by the Texas Supreme Court Justice he interned for over the fall. Pretty sweet.

--Yay Matthew! :)
--On another note, I have been feeling so unhealthy lately. I haven't really gained any weight, but all I do is sit on my computer and work work work. I am brainstorming ways to whip myself back into shape. I don't like feeling this way.
--Easter was nice.
--Mother's Day was nice.
--Spring has been nice.
--Matthew got a summer clerkship/job that pays real money... we are excited and confused by this concept.
--That is all.

Congratulations on reading the most boring and ridiculous blog post of all time. I'll try to be better next time.... ;)

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The importance of buying branded products

Do you plan to buy a new projector for your school or office purposes? With plenty of products available inthe market and that too many of them being offered at very cheap prices, it is appealing to customers to buy them. It is however advised that you don't. There are plenty of reasons that will probably make it a poor choice. Products of good brands like Benq, NEC, Panasonic and Sony projectors have a lot more features and value that will assure you a peace of mind. Here's why you should be buying branded projectors.
Goodwill:

The goodwill of the brand is a prime factor that should drive customers to buy their products. A brand reputation is built over a great amount of time and that happens only with proper work behind it. These companies produce better quality projectors and also maintain those standards. Their products will have a great number of features that is less likely to be found in cheap products. Buying such products give you an assurance that you have made the right purchase.

A good store:

Branded products are sold at good stores in the market. These stores make it a point to offer their customers with great offers. Some stores may give you additional discount offers and vouchers while there are others that may not charge you for shipping prices. Great care is taken to deliver your products in time and also in the best state, in case of online shopping. Therefore, you can just order your stuff and take a back seat. Everything is well received at the right time. Also everything that comes with the product is delivered to you. The manufacturer's warranty remains applicable in all cases. 

Variety:

You can have the option to choose from a wide variety of products. Branded NEC, Benq, Epson and Panasonic projectors have a range of products that gives customers a good number of options to select from. Also products fit into many budgets and that makes it easier for all kinds of people to buy them.

These factors will perhaps give you a good insight on the importance of buying projectors from notable brands and good stores. With them you can select the best projector, within your budget and also with the correct features that you will require. Also you need not worry as plenty of these stores offer free online shopping options and with great delivery. So make your choice of the NEC or Epson projector and your purchase too.

Modular Buildings Can Be Used For All Sorts Of Purposes

There are an unlimited amount of possible uses for modular buildings (also known as prefabricated constructions). You could use them for office spaces, meeting rooms, seminars, churches, schools, hospitals and healthcare facilities, to name just a few. Although these structures can have a temporary status, due to advances in technology they are permanent buildings making them a great alternative totraditional methods. Instead of taking our word for it here are some interesting facts:

• The construction is completed up to fifty percent faster than a conventional structure. One of the reasons for this is because instead of having to wait for the site preparations to be finished, it can be done at the same time as the structure is being built which is more efficient
• The buildings can be made out of a wide range of materials that are also used for traditional construction including steel, wood and brick so you cannot tell that they are modular
• Ninety percent of the building is completed offsite in a climate-controlled factory. This means that it is highly unlikely that the construction will be affected by weather or vandalism which can slow down the process and deplete resources
• For the reason that it is built offsite, it causes little disruption on site (such as noise and chaos)
• They are constructed by highly trained specialised workers meaning that your project is in safe hands
• The floor plan of the new building is broken up into individual parts called modules. These will generally range from sizes, thirty six to seventy feet in length and ten to eighteen feet in width
• The modules are pre-built with walls and ceilings in the factory. Carpets and appliances are also fitted before leaving the site
• The exteriors of the structure can be customised with different windows, multiple doors and a range of roof treatments
• The buildings are normally shipped via roads in the individual module blocks

Modular buildings really speak for themselves, and have gained popularity over the years, due to the fact that it is a more efficient and quicker process making it a logical business choice. The main problem with traditional methods of construction are that they are slower to build and are often affected by weather conditions or vandalism. The extra time spent on this can be damaging as it often drains resources. With prefabricated constructions they can be up and running much quicker meaning that you can start making use of your building and reaping the benefits much faster.

Spring Things To Do In Austin - Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

I posted about the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center way back when in 2011 (incidentally, it's also very interesting to see how much my photography has changed since then! ha!), but it was worth another post this year. My dear friend Kristin was in town all week, and I knew she would love this gorgeous place. It's in full bloom right now, and I highly recommend making it over there sometime in the next month or so. The trails are really beautiful to walk too, so bring some comfy shoes, some water, and your camera, and maybe make a little morning or afternoon of it. We ate at the Wildflower Cafe there for the first time last week, too, and it was so sweet and adorable and delicious. Would love to go back during a slower day when people are at work and kids are at school, and just sit and read or write with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Happy Thursday, my friends!

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Incredibly Important Composition Skills

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great Easter weekend! Today I'm a bit busy with guests in town, but I wanted to drop in quickly and let you photography enthusiasts out there know about the new Photography Concentrate tutorial just released. It's on sale right now for a few more days, so if you're interested, get it while it's hot!

I'm sure many of you have heard my recommendations for Extremely Essential Camera Skills (best little investment I've ever made), and now a sequel has been released called Incredibly Important Composition Skills. You can know all there is to know about your camera, but if you can't compose a really stand-out photo, you'll always be a sub-par photographer, unfortunately. I felt like this tutorial was super helpful for bloggers, too, who may just want some pointers on taking beautiful photos for their blog. Definitely check out the page detailing what this awesome tutorial includes, and see if it might be the right thing for you! I was incredibly impressed with my copy, but would expect nothing less from Rob and Lauren over at Photography Concentrate. If you're looking to learn photography or amp up your current skills, please do yourself a favor and peek through all their tutorials HERE.

Have a great day! :)

Understanding Properties of Glass-Reinforced Plastic

Glass-reinforced plastic, also known as fibreglass, is a very modern material with a wide array of applications in a virtually unlimited number of industries. This is largely down to the inherent properties of glass-reinforced plastic. Those properties make it useful to all sorts of uses, but just what exactly are the qualities of glass-reinforced plastic?

Perhaps the most fundamental strength behind fibreglass as a material is the fact that it is possessed of a very high strength-to-weight ratio. That is, it is capable of enduring a great amount of physical force while still being relatively light. Such properties are highly valuable in such industries like the construction of aircraft, where weight is a luxury that cannot be wasted, or in the construction of car bodies. Less weight means less fuel consumption, which means more efficient engines and less long-term costs of running the vehicle.

Adding further to its uses in aviation and automobile industries is the properties of glass-reinforced plastic with regards to resisting extreme environmental conditions and chemical corrosion. Fibreglass does not rot or rust, and it is capable of resisting reaction with a wide number of chemicals.

With regards to constructing bodies for vehicles, this allows the vehicle to better withstand extreme hot or cold -- highly valuable for aircraft. However this also expands uses towards the storage of chemicals and liquids, whether it is industrial chemicals such as bleach or crude oil, or more domestic liquids such as hot drinks and soups. Further properties include resistance to ultra-violet light and its insulation from electrical currents. Adding with the aforementioned strength of the material as a whole, this makes fibreglass perfect for the transportation and storage of large quantities of liquid.

The final and perhaps more liberating properties of glass-reinforced plastic are its highly versatile application and its affordability. The applications of fibreglass are quite limitless, and it can be put towards a wide away of uses in all kinds of industries. It is also very cheap in comparison to other materials, such as stainless steel, making it a very economic choice. By using fibreglass an industry can provide an affordable alternative material for nearly any enterprise they care to enter into.

Fibreglass is also highly adaptable in terms of appearance. Fibreglass can be moulded into any shape, to possess any colour and to hold any texture. This makes it perfect for building materials, as it can be made to imitate brick, wood or steel.