I am kind of a pack rat.. I have an idea that the stuff I collect will someday be used in one of my great projects or that one of a kind reel to reel player some day will sit perfectly in a swanky retro nightclub and impress the bar flies.

When I look back on my collecting, it was never a focused venture… everything I collected could go into the garage, be cleaned up , restored and made to work (a lot of the time it was the challenge to make it work that fueled my desire to collect) and then brought into the house to be displayed like a trophy, a prize, an artifact that was from the past. At some point, i think to myself, there was a person who bought this item and had some amount of pleasure using, working, listening, playing with “said” item.  And now I, the new owner, want to make sure that this item can be used again, in a way that the person who bought the item would use it… an old tube radio, clicking the power on, waiting for the tubes to warm up, the static of the speaker as the electronics inside warm to a buzz and allow the FM radio station to tune in… of course now, it is a modern rock station playing through the whizzer speaker… back then though, back in the 1950’s …then maybe it was some Glenn Miller, or the local news… simpler times.

Feeling a wave of nostalgia… IT IS the reason i ride a 1956 motorcycle, the simple cloths i wear, the idea that all the NEWER things in life, don’t really make us any happier…  the latest greatest cell phone can do pretty much everything, email, google search, video chat, play a game, tell us where to go and how to get there, and once we are there, we take a photo for evidence…also it will answer any question you have.

Ask your phone if you are a good mother or father, ask it to do your job, ask your phone to take a test for you… or spend time with your lover.

Is this really better than the simpler times… do we as a society need to take over a million selfies a day?

I promise… it will not have a good outcome, but yet this is what americans do… A father says, “I am friends with my son on facebook, I know what is going on with Johnny!” or “Siri … How do I manage anything in my life.. tell me what is on my calendar?….. OH REALLY it is my anniversary!?”  Like you are having a real conversation with a phone…

Once I thought we had a great world ahead for society… as an electrical engineer, designing and making really cool stuff seemed like the perfect world. Now I drive to work worried that the woman  texting in the car behind me is going to rear end me. I fear that the simpler world is day by day being shoved out the back door to make way for the “ALL” great new things…

…I digress… back to my first thought…  if you really think about it, if you see past the technology, couldn’t playing a board game like Scrabble, or a card game with your friends on the kitchen table, in the middle of summer, with the heat of the day cooling and the rain pitters outside the slider window… isn’t that what life is really about? A simpler time, meaningful time and interaction with friends…a fishing trip out to a stream, so far away from cell phone towers, a warm radio on your corner cabinet that plays a tune from yesteryear.

I don’t think anyone will really ever understand the dangers of technology… how it all is just a distraction from real life, meaningful life, a simpler life… something I long for… a simpler time.

Capt. Joshua Byers, US Army…  Josh… a very good friend of mine in high school. Remembering Josh brings back so many good memories of my youth. Fort Ord, Seattle, Drill meets, inspections, bad self made hair cuts, boot shining parties prior to a big military inspection. I can remember the many hours on the Drill field where his leadership shined even as an 18 year old. I was honored to be apart of the JROTC Navy drill team with arms, under his command. I learned to love the feel of the parade rifle smacking my shoulder, counting cadence in my head, the rocks in my palms as our platoon did push ups. The hot sun, clear air and the loud bark of commands bouncing off the high school wall returning a haunting reminder of the movements we already performed. The school year was ending… 1992, I had already signed the delayed entry program for the USMC. Myself a Junior, with all the excitement of following in his foot steps, following in his lead in the JROTC program as he left for West Point at the end of his senior year.

Newspaper clipping…

I wrote him while he was attending West Point… now remember… a letter means a lot to anyone going through a military academy or boot camp, it brings a sense of connection back to you of your friends, the good times, high school and your home town. I would read his letter in my yearbook for inspiration, to laugh about the fun memories of the JROTC program (As I still do to this day), the good friend who made everything fun and to remember his mentoring ways.  Still looking to carry on a tradition that was passed down to me…as I completed my senior year as Cadet CMDR, and Drill team CMDR, I would read these lines… “The challenge ahead is one that you will never forget.. it is one that will not always be easy OR fun but one that will prepare you for Greatness…” he ends the same way I tell my friends… “I won’t say goodbye because I will see you again”. This small section of the  letter was written in a yearbook, something we all wanted to do was leave a great page of memories… of course this was always knowing that it was all a very short time before I too would go on to my own big adventure, with the idea that we would all return home for leave, visit old friends and even if the world made it possible see each other during our time and service in the military. I was out of the Marines in July of 1997… In the time that passed, life happened, I loss touch with many of my friends. And now that I was out of the Marine corps, i had my own things to take care of, I struggled with my own world, I moved to places that were new to me and started a new life… letters were never written, phone calls were never made. With a heavy heart, I never saw him again. I found out that he was killed by an IED in Iraq … a 29 year old Commanding officer of Fox Troop, an outstanding leader, a caring man, a brother, a son,  a great friend… gone… At the time of his death, July 2003, I was attending UNR obtaining my BSEE and was heavily into robotics… after hearing what happen to my friend I focused even more on robotics and designing sensors to help the military mitigate IEDs. I would think about how I would try and make a difference, I would think about my blessed life, and how I got to come home. I was going to live everyday to the fullest. And I do… Because “ I will see you again” is true… and I better have some damn good things to talk about and great stories to share with my good friend Josh. Until then, I remember Josh, along with all of my fallen friends, and all the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for this great country. Please take a few moments this Memorial day and every day to really think about how great a world we live in because of those who gave all. To Josh… “God Speed My Friend… Hoo-ah!” and Semper Fi!

Recently I was looking through a photo book of photos from my past. Trip to D.C., Space camp, an air show in Reno, a road trip in Nevada with my family. Years ago when there was no such thing as a digital camera and to capture your memories was to have a real camera with real film and once you took that photo you would have to wait for the film to be processed to find out if the picture even was a good photo, or if you captured what you were intending to photograph. It was magical, frustrating sometimes, and once you had the photo it was the only one you had. Unless of course you wound have reprints… no way to share on the internet and send all your friends this special moment it time.

In the back of the book were negatives, A LOT of negatives…and to my surprise in good condition. Some I tried to peer through with my eye… but it was hard to make out…. so I built a shoe box negative back light. I took some digital photos of the negative with the back light and used photoshop to bring back a collection of photos (some never seen).

One of my father and I at an airshow.

One of my friends and I at Space Camp. It was a blast, rediscovering these photos and I wanted to share.

Here is the process…. Take the digital photo of the negative, load the JPEG into Photoshop, inverse the photo, and then auto correct the colors and balance.

Inverted and color balanced…

I am now looking for other negatives to transform them into digital, sharable and memorable photos from the past.

Even a photo going back to my childhood room, as one of my Favorite pastime (and still is) building with my LEGO bricks collection.

Precrop, digital photo of the negative.

One of the many houses I built.

It is like going back in time AND now I can share these great memories!

It is Live!

My new photography site… please check it out and share!
http://wdavisonjr.wix.com/photography

As I get more requests for me to take photos, I figured I better put together my specialties on a website and provide examples of my work for all to see.

Please feel free to give feedback.. it is good to hear and fix what might be wrong or not on point!

As a Former US Marine, I like to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday with my friends (Also Marines) at a small tavern, with a toast, the Commandant’s Message, a cake cutting ceremony (Following tradition) and remembering all of our past, present and future Marine Corps brothers and sisters.

This year I was set on making a cake that everyone would remember… An Eagle Globe and Anchor Cake in the form of the U.S. Marine Corps official emblem and insignia.

I started out with the basic shapes, cake mix and an idea.

After cooling the cake and cutting it into the major shape, it started to take good form.

Frosting… lots of frosting.

Details and chocolate coins.

Everyone had a good time, and made fun of my “betty Crocker” home maker cake… but they didn’t say a word while they were enjoying the great cake.

I will have to think hard for next year and make another memorable cake to share.

Happy 239 years Marines! Semper Fi!