Category Archives: event

Merle Haggard at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center

IMG_8791IMG_8838Yeah, so I’ve heard all the quotes before, “You can take the boy out of Bako, but you can’t take the Bako out of the boy.”  Well, maybe they’re right.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that Merle Haggard as the very first live performance that I ever saw when I was just a little dude in cowboy boots.  It is kinda surreal to get to watch him again, some 25 years later; give or take a couple of years.  Funny thing about this concert is that I didn’t even show up to the concert with my camera in hand.  I briefly thought about it, but figured I didn’t want to risk dragging that expensive equipment around, with a big wedding coming up this weekend (that’s right, Katie. I didn’t want any of the unthinkables to happen days away from you big day).  But……after seeing the opening band, and the seats that Dwayne and I got, I blasted out of the PAC and drove back home for the camera.  The ushers kinda tripped out after I hauled in my manfrotto tripod, cable release, and a bag full of lenses.  Thankfully, I was sitting up on the balcony like something out the muppet show; nobody was really around to disturb, so the ushers ended up letting me do my thang…  Thought maybe I would just post on or two pics from the night on the blog for fun.

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by Jon

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Denise - Good job Jon. Did you wear your cowboy boots and hat?

Angela - Awesome!!!

Kidical Mass!

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After staring at my work computer for an undocumented amount of time yesterday, I checked the old email personnel email account to see if I had any thing good in there.  Hmmm… only one message was in there (hey, at least it was something). Thankfully, it wasn’t from anyone trying sell me anything or try to make me anatomically superior; rather, it was from my old co-worker and friend, Vanessa Amerson.  After opening up the email, I was flattered that she asked me to take some snapshots at an local event she has organized, called Kidical Mass (http://www.slokidicalmass.blogspot.com/).  Given the 2 degrees of seperation that San Luis Obispo invokes on it’s inhabitants, I had heard of this event somewhere before but I had no idea that it was Vanessa that masterminded the event for our town.  Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and proud of her.  Kidical Mass is a really fantastic event that gets families outside and enjoying bicycles as a group, and hopefully incorporating it into their daily transportation.  To me, the event is like a “Hello Kitty” motorcycle rally.  And as a photographer (and pedestrian) it was hard to keep up with this rough and tough group during the ride, just to get a couple of shots.  At times, I felt like a CIA Agent running along the presidential motorcade.  But from my perspective, it really enjoyed looking over and catching the glimpses of the kids expressions the faces as they past me by at 5 mph.  You can check out some shots from the day at:  www.jonclaxton.com/events/kidical_mass_june.  If your a parent/attendee, feel free to right click and download what ever photo you want.  If you need a high res photo for any reason, just let me know.

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by Jon

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Steve - Great shots, and very cool to see the kids out and about town on their bikes.

Vanessa - Thank you so much Jon. These shots are great. I am happy you were able to come out and play.

Kelsie - Fantastic photos, I think you really captured what Kidical Mass is all about.

Morgen - What great photos! I love the diversity of shots, espcially the one that shows pedestrians & cyclists. Thanks for taking the pics!

Mariah - Love the images Jon, from flowers to kids on bikes you rock!!! Wish my kid was there for your camera, maybe next month?

Megan - Great photos! The colors are awesome, and you can really tell how much fun everyone is having… lots of smiles at Kidical Mass! Thanks for capturing the shots of the art activity before hand as well!

lourinda - Beautiful photos. Thanks so much for posting them. You’ve got a good eye.

tommaso - brilliant shots….these are the kind of promotional photos that will really get K_mass off the ground this summer…thanks for sharing

Shane - Some of the best Kidical Mass photos yet! Come on up to Eugene anytime to take some shots of our ride.

Jon - LOL! I’d love to come up there….Oregon is awesome! Cheers, Shane.

Kevin - We need an event like this in Marin, looks like a good time Clax!

Jon - Fire it up Gil. Marin could use it…..hope your doing well, old friend.

Vicki, Vanessa’s mom - Jon

These are wonderful shots and they capture the fun. Thanks for the invitation to send them – I’m so proud of my girl, these are precious.

Vicki

Lucas Ohio Pattie and Jackie Greene

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I was walking down the street to this morning, having my a.m. epiphany (true story..ya know, things just pop into your head sometimes).  I was thinking…..hmmmm…..wouldn’t it be great to be really good at something.  I mean, like, really good at something.  We’ll I’ve always prided myself as being the jack of all trades, master of none; but, for some reason, I was thinking about the other side of the coin this morning.  To give you the long and short of it, I spent the whole day behind the desk at work and then wrapped up my day at SLO Brew….oops, I meant Downtown Brew….where I ended up hanging out with two guys who are “really good” at something: my buddy Lucas (www.myspace.com/lucasohio) and Jackie Greene (www.jackiegreene.com).  While I watched both of these guys play, I realized that they kinda fit my epiphany of the morning; I mean, they were really good at something, and it felt great to watch them do their thang.  I wonder if they would be as entertained my typing skills?  Anyway, this blog goes out to both of these guys for entertaining the crowd tonight at Downtown Brew.  I feel fortunate enough to have gone back stage to enjoy a couple of special moments between these two artists.  The PJ-style photo (above) was one of my favs.

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by Jon

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Lucas Ohio Pattie - It’s funny you should mention that Jon because as I was sifting through the Musselwhite photos (in addition to the others you’ve taken of the Shamblers over the years) I was reminded of what a keen eye you have with the camera. Not everybody has that special touch, I sure don’t, when it comes to the camera. I guess the moral of story is to, as we all take our morning walks, or evening walks, look at both sides of the coin and remind ourselves of the gifts we have, and the joy others take from them. There will always be room to grow, but this keeps us kicking and ultimately living. Thanks for the kind words though Jon; one step at a time. Great seeing you again. Until next time, keep doing your thang! It’s a good life.

Blue Marble Investments – Golf Tournament

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Man, what a busy weekend!

Sunday marked my first ever golf tournament.  The day couldn’t have been any better; especially after a monster tee shot on the first tee box to start the morning off (along with a great bloody mary).  The golf tournament was sponsored by the Blue Marble Investments (www.bluemarble.com) and the proceeds go towards the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum, located in downtown San Luis Obispo.  Our Team:  Jason “The Thunder” Williams, Tim “Don’t Outdrive Me Guys” Tringali, Greg “I Need a Smoke” Cherry, and Jon “Hack Under Pressure” Claxton.  The Other Teams:  old guys, semi pros, weekend warriors, yuppies, and a team of wives.  Thankfully, we beat the team of wives that was out on the course, but we didn’t really hold a flame to most of the other teams.   Having been my first time on Hunter Ranch, I gotta admit, it was pretty unreal.  Oak trees everywhere, narrow (yet often forgiving) fairways, and nice, well kept greens.  Hunter Ranch is definitely a course not to be overlooked if you have a C note burning a hole in your pocket.  But if you decide to play, get out there before the heat.

Anyway,  I dragged my Canon 5D mkII around with me for a little fun, in case my golf game went to poop.  The following is just a DRAFT version of a video that I slapped together for the boys to enjoy. It still needs some work (especially the lack of an ending).  But, in the meantime, enjoy!

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by Jon

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kendra - That is awesome…leave it to Jason to add some comedy in the background. Can’t wait to see how this mini caddy shack ends.

Katie - great sound track to the video!

Jon - Yeah, ya know, I was thinking that I should probably give credit where credit is due…..the tunes are from The Greyboy Allstars album called West Coast Boogaloo. Title track is Soul Dream. There, now I won’t get sued….whew. :-)

Dora, Dinosaurs, and a Dog Bed

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After having an incredible Christmas Eve dinner at the Gandola residence, Buckwheat and I woke up the following morning to join the family for a morning of paper shredding and merry making.  At around 8:00, Ethan and Elyse (the stars of the morning) commenced the festivities by shredding whatever package we put in front of them; increasing their bounty of toys by the minute.  But somehow it was the noisy toys that made it to the forefront though (thanks to my sister, Denise).  Our Santa Claus from Colorado sent Elyse a super amplified keyboard and Ethan an electronic game, neither of which seemed to have a volume control.  After all the presents had been opened,  the party almost got out of control when one of the patrons began yanking the ornaments from the tree and smashing them on the ground.  I’m happy to report that no one was injured.  :-)

Some family photos from my 24-hour stint can be found at:  www.jonclaxton.com/Christmas2008

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denise - Oh my gosh. Jon you did a fantastic job. Wish I was there it looked like everyone had a great time. Love you your big sis.

denise - When you get kids you know what I’ll be buying them. NOISY NOISY NOISY toys. Love you

mom - You know it is kinda neat to have a ‘photog’ in the family…smile. I kinda roped him into this, and he did a wonderful job. It is hard to get so many folks lookin’ good. I think Jon had the ‘pretty lens’ on the camera. Even us old folks don’t look to bad, for our age…smile. Thank you son. Here is to wishing everyone a wonderful New Year.

Deanne - Jon…incredible photos!!! Thanks for taking photos that will help me to remember the moment for years to come. I loved seeing all our family (missing a few important ones though). Photos do capture the moment. Merry Christmas!!!

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