At the conclusion of a wonderful dinner with our dear friends, we realized that it was almost sunset. So we went upstairs to the roof to take in the view and continue conversation. What a treat to not only take in a bit of the game; but better still see the beautiful sunset colors after the storm we missed during dinner. It was also great because the rain cooled everything off and gave a wonderful freshening to the city. We sat and thoroughly enjoyed the scene and each other’s company for another hour. I am still filled up from the evening. This photo isn’t even in the top ten moments of the night.

• Persian Rugs (various sizes and colors from (5’x7.5' all the way to 12’x23')
• Gothic Chandeliers (custom made for Easter’15)
• Gothic Lanterns (custom made for Easter’15) on the floor and atop our Iron Candle Stands (custom made many years ago for a Good Friday)
• ADJ Z7s (LED zoom mover - I love the value of these instruments) atop our custom moving light cages (ask me about these cages sometime)
• Black Tergalet and Silver Batiste (Rosebrand)
• Elation 300s (profile mover) and 60s (LED wash mover)
• And a very generous demo (thank you Advanced Lighting & Sound) of some ADJ beams

Here’s a phone pic of a nice moment near the end of the set. Hopefully I’ll add a few more from my real camera soon.

I have fielded texts and DMs asking my opinion. I copy/pasted the following from one such reply.

Short answer is SIZE and stewardship of resources. What's the purpose you want to accomplish with a "pocketable" device? It should be a tool for you to be a good friend. It should remind you to be where you want to be and it should keep you connected to your extended circles. It should take good photos. It should not be a barrier between you and your loved ones. It should also not cause you to spend more for a phone bill than is prudent. A larger screen will only lure you into looking at it more. At the expense of who you might be across the table from. At the expense of your data bill. I also question how well the camera lens will fare as it squeezes in and out of pockets and countertops when it sticks out so obnoxiously. I also use my phone instead of my DSLR whenI want to travel light - the big phone seems counterintuitive... One more issue, if you're going to spend $700 (and you do spend that entire cost with the initial fee and *monthly charges for the next two years; you better make sure it is worth abandoning what you currently have in your hand…

*We save $25/month on each of our phones that are out of contract. $300/year is a steep cost for something that’s not going to truly be beneficial.

What do you think? Am I missing something crucial to the decision of what to do with this choice?

Don't mistake: if I could move to Hawaii, I would. I would miss waking up to a beautiful snowfall.

Braving the winter weather has afforded me the opportunity to be outside to experience such beautiful skies as these images reveal. Each night, I paused the game for a moment and snapped these exposures with my phone in HDR mode. A few filter adjustments in Snapseed and Instagram for sharing.

Note the duck in the foreground of the shot (bottom) from the first night - he was a bonus. The second night, I took the reverse angle shot (top) from the bridge. I love how in both shots the texture of the snow that adds depth to the experience.