Photography in Genoa

I've made an effort to spend more time taking photographs around Genoa the last few days. Walking around here is a real chore, considering that there's rarely a level stretch of road or sidewalk. We recently acquired a new camera, and it does an amazing job. The photos below were shot in color, and were adjusted to black and white in Photoshop, along with a few other small tweaks. Hope you like 'em.

Father's Day

Enjoying a Mississippi State Basketball game.

Well, it's Father's Day, and unfortunately I have to spend it without my family. Alisha was kind and forward-thinking enough to get me a present to bring to Italy before I left (isn't she thoughtful?). I haven't opened it yet, I'm waiting until we can all get on Skype. Being a father is absolutely wonderful and way more awesome than I ever imagined it would be. I love Joan and Charlotte so much, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for them. They give me so much joy. Some of the things we love to do together are sing, attend Mississippi State sporting events (maybe that's just me), watch movies, go to the pool, play outside, and draw. I wouldn't be a father if it weren't for Alisha, so let me tell you that I love you and I thank you so much for my beautiful daughters.

They're just too cute!

I have to wish a special happy Father's Day to my own pop, Ross. I love you so much, you're one of my best friends, and you are the example I look to when it comes to being a father. I wish we had more time to spend together fishing, cooking, and just joking around. I can't wait for you to come to Starkville for the LSU game in the fall!

There's only one man who's generosity matches my own father's, and that's my father-in-law, Poppa John Guilbeaux. One of the many benefits of marriage is that you get a whole new family, and it has been such a pleasure building a relationship with Alisha's father. Thank you Poppa John for treating me as a son and friend.

Happy Father's Day!

Here we are with my parents and my in-laws enjoying a baseball game.

Alisha loves this picture: Proof that I'm a redneck Dad!

Gelato Lettering

Just spent the last 2-3 days completing this Gelato lettering. It started as a sketch on a train ride, and when I got back to the Genoa, I knew I had to digitize it. I think it would look great on a t-shirt. Below the final lettering, you'll see a nice animation of the process in Illustrator. I simply took a few screen grabs along the way, then sequenced them together so you could see how I did it.

Torino

Yesterday we traveled northwest to Torino (Turin in English) for the day. Torino is perhaps best known for the Shroud of Turin, a relic claiming to be the burial cloth of Jesus. The shroud is rarely on display, so I didn't get to see it, but it was in a reliquary in a chapel near the back of the church. Unfortunately, A special domed chapel that was added to the Cathedral specifically for the shroud was closed due to construction. I really loved Torino's clean, wide streets and piazzas. The gelato there was excellent too. I didn't take too many photographs of the city, but I did get some good shots of Hans and the students. Torino hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006, but we didn't have time to see the Olympic park.

Quiet

Here's a shot of some lettering I've done as a demo for my class. I've never lettered much using a pencil, but it's easy to understand why so many designers recommend drawing by hand over the computer. For the word "Quiet," I wanted an upright script with some swashes and a ligature. After getting the drawing into a satisfactory place, I scanned it and redrew it in Illustrator. The pencil sketch probably took an hour and redrawing in Illustrator took no more than 30 minutes.

To The Lighthouse!

I had a very good day today. It included a productive morning and an enjoyable class in the afternoon. Around 6:00, though, a bunch of us set out to find the Genoa lighthouse. It's viewable from a distance, but we had no clue how long it would take to walk to it. Well, it took about an hour! Unfortunately the Lighthouse was closed, but we could walk around the base. In the first photo you can see the large shipping yard with thousands of containers ready to go in and out of the port. Photo #2 features Mark, Josh, Sam, Jennifer, and London. Finally in the third photo you get a good view of the Lighthouse itself. According to Wikipedia, a lighthouse has stood on this location since 1128, although the current structure was built in 1543. It is also the second tallest masonry lighthouse in the world. 

The Genoa Coast

Today I went for a long walk by myself down the Genoa coast to an area I haven't been before. It took about an hour from our villa just to reach the shore, and then from there I was able to walk another 30 minutes along the shore. The first photo you see is the sidewalk that runs parallel to the shore. On the other side of the walking area are private beach areas, complete with swimming pools, tennis courts, football (soccer) playing areas, and restaurants. I also found this beautiful arch, though I know nothing about it. I'm sure it celebrates a military victory, as most of them do. Also, you'll notice the beautiful anchors made from flowers. Look for the girl modeling for her mom in the picture. The total walk took about 4 hours, good thing the high temperature was only about 75 degrees today!