Daniel Miller's Shameless Self-Promotion

Care and handling of a Bobcat

I'm helping my parents fill the old pool with dirt (a lot of dirt) and since I didn't want to spend eternity shoveling dirt, we rented a Bobcat front-end loader. The only problem: I don't know how to drive a Bobcat. Too bad I signed that liability sheet that said I did...

"What does this lever do?"

Luckily, I figured out how to stop before driving into the big hole.

LPGA Jamie Farr Classic

I spent 5 days shooting the LPGA Jamie Farr Kroger Class golf tournament for the Associated Press. Since I'd never shot any professional golf before, I had to jump in feet first and figure things out as I went along.

Things I learned during the week:
1) There are certain times when you are not allowed to take photographs. (during a swing)
2) There are certain places you are not allowed to stand. (anywhere the golfer might see you)
3) You shouldn't try to talk to or even make eye contact with the golfers.
4) Some golfers will still have their caddie yell at you even if you follow the above rules. (this actually happened to me)
5) If you stay in the media room late enough, they will supply beer and pizza (!)
6) Do NOT wear leather sandals to walk on dewy morning grass.
7) Be friendly and talk to everyone. (except golfers) You never know who can point you to the only bathroom that doesn't have a mile-long line.

13 year old golfer Michelle Wie gives a relaxed thumbs-up before teeing off from the first hole at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003, during the Owens Corning Celebrity Pro-Am in Sylvania, Ohio. The golfers will be competing in the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic starting Thursday.

Spectators react as thirteen year old amateur golfer Michelle Wie misses a putt on the 10th green at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003, during the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

Thirteen year old LPGA golfer Michelle Wie hits from the 12th tee at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Friday, Aug. 15, 2003, during the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

LPGA golfer Kelli Kuehne tries to steer her putt on the 12th green at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Friday, Aug. 15, 2003, during the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

Se Ri Pak of South Korea chips on to the third green at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, during the final round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. Pak parred the hole.

Se Ri Pak of South Korea sends a divot flying from the sixth tee at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, during the final round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. Pak birdied the hole.

Se Ri Pak of South Korea holds the trophy after winning the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, in Sylvania, Ohio. Pak finished at 13 strokes under par.

Monster Garage (before)

I spent the first week in August helping some new friends convert an ancient attached garage into a rec room in their Urbana, Ohio home. While the job seemed to be simple and straightforward at first, a week of 14-17 hour work days convinced me otherwise.

Here are the pictures showing what it looked like before we started and during demolition.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
This is a view of the outside-front of the attached garage before we began.

Inside of the garage is a rather unsupported loft that was used for storage space. It will be shored up, shortened and the window will be replaced.

The back wall of the garage will need to be strengthened and it holds two crappy windows which will be replaced. The stud wall on the left will also be removed.

The wall forming one half of the breezeway is being removed.

All three windows, including the sills, have been removed. The large window on the side wall was filling the space originally taken by a door. They will all need to be re-framed before new windows can be hung.

This is me making sure i've removed all the trim from the small loft window above the garage door.

Monster Garage (during)

This second set of pictures shows things during the actual construction.
Unfortunately, we had to leave before getting a chance to install the drywall. All of the structure was complete and it passed the rough inspection.

Our foreman, Venus, keeps a sharp eye out for slackers.

This is an odd assortment of junk that I ran across on a piece of flooring.

This is one of the window frames we constructed to hold the new window and to shore up the back wall. Most of the studs on the wall didn't actually reach from floor to ceiling.

The building codes required that a moisture barrier (Tyvek) be applied to the inside of the walls and wrapped around each individual stud. Christmas is going to be rough for people... I'm done wrapping.

LeAnna, one of the homeowners, is bundled up and ready (though not excited) to apply the fiberglass insulation.

This is a shot of the exterior after the windows and sliding glass door have been installed. If you ever install a sliding door, please make sure you install it RIGHT SIDE UP. It went in faster the second time... Ugh.