2010 NFL Draft

I spent Thursday evening with Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant during the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Bryant was surrounded by friends and family while waiting to see how the draft would unfold.





As the draft started, Bryant began to pace around the house waiting for his phone to ring. The anticipation was killing him!







Finally the call came in. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones phoned Bryant and told him that the Cowboys had selected him. Bryant was overcome with emotion!

Opening Day

Here is a selection of photos from Opening Day at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

Baseball Fans





In the middle of the 8th inning a rogue fan decided to run onto the field. He first bolted down the baseline and slid into second base. Security guards then swarmed the field and took him down.



The Rangers were down by one run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Saltalamacchia celebrates a game winning walkoff RBI.






Cruz ended up taking a cream pie in the face during the post game celebrations!



A complete edit of photos from the game can be found HERE

Cheers,

tp

Metal Art

I wanted to try something new...I usually make large scale metal art, but I decided to try making something a little smaller. A simple belt buckle design would be about the right size.

I start out with a simple mild steel plate and measure out the design. Then cut out the oval and cleaned up the rough edges.



Then I twist up several sizes of filler rod to use on the buckle.



The twisted filler rod is formed and fit around the plate. Once everything is fitted up, the welding begins.



After burning in the filler rod and horseshoe design, I grind out any imperfections. Then the buckle is polished with a buffing wheel. Once the buckle shines, I stamp my initials into the backside of the buckle.



Kenda now has a Lucky Horshoe belt buckle!