The Rents

Home is where they are.

Love it All

Wow.

So far, this trip to Nevada....Sheesh. What a ride. And I'm only to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Of course, this morning, I was running late. As usual. But not so late I thought I would miss my flight. As I walked in to the airport they were calling my flight number for last boarding call. Oh SH#T. Apparently they were leaving early.

After paying extra for my overweight bag (I should have put her on a diet before my trip), and running through the airport and begging to cut ahead in line for security, I am the last person to board my flight. Phew.

Only to sit.

For two hours.

Because the gear on a private jet collapsed on the only runway at the airport.

I knew I was going to miss my connecting flight in Chicago to Denver. Then my next connection from Denver to Reno. Unfortunately, Fort Myers to Chicago was through American, and the rest on United. What a freakin' fiasco. American says they can't help me (their only responsibility is to get me to Chicago.....whenever..) United says my reservation is through American so they can't help me. I end up on the phone with cheaptickets.com as we are finally taxiing on to the runway to see if they can piece it together to get me to Reno some time today.



Please keep in mind this is condensed. And not nearly as dramatic as the original events.

The flight to Chicago? Interesting. Annoying British people (not annoying because they are British, but annoying who HAPPENED to be British) sitting behind me, arguing the entire time, two screaming babies and a dog...yes....little dog...who liked to yip. Oh, and a man next to me to said the school teachers in the U.S. get paid TOO much, and that all schools have enough money to buy books. uh huh...ok, dude.

I laugh at something the Brits say behind me. And the other man next to me looks at me and says I am in good spirits considering how my day has been discombobulated. I laugh again and he says I have ... and I quote "good mental health." HA!

If he only knew....

I was starving so I bought a snack. I recommend these....



The reasonably priced trail mix. woo hoo... bargain price $3.

Finally at O'Hare I am booked on a flight going to San Francisco (not Denver) and will arrive in Reno sometime around 11:30 p.m.

That's fine.

I am reading a book "Eat, Pray Love" (those who know me know I've been reading this forever) but.... in it, there is a passage that talks about a Sufi poem which says:

"God long ago drew a circle in the sand around the spot where you are standing right now. I was never not coming here. This was never not going to happen."

So, here I sit. The Kooks on repeat. Wiping greasy McDonald's french fries from my fingers. Watching the feet of hundreds pass by me. The vibration of their ergonomically correct rolling bags thumping every so often.

And if the above is true, this is where I'm supposed to be. Right here. Right now.

Motherhood

My best friend is having a baby. This isn't new news. But, it is something I think about often. She only lives an hour and a half away, but because of conflicting schedules and busy lives, we haven't seen each other much during her pregnancy. I think because of it, I have found myself gravitating toward stories that have to do with the things currently happening in her life. It is a way for me to understand what she is going through, since I don't get to be there with her. She told me while back that she was taking prenatal yoga. I decided to see if they offer that in Naples. Turns out they do. It was beautiful to watch.



"Even though this is your first baby, you are already mothers." — Tanya Colvin, yoga instructor

Bridge

Today I photographed a Bridge tournament. I know only one of these pictures even looks like a card game. But, I was more fascinated with faces, I guess. Some of these people were very serious about their Bridge. The woman in picture number four told me..... now, I don't know if she said I was annoying or the fact I was taking pictures was annoying. Either way, she said I didn't belong in a bridge room. Eh...

Intimacy

I'm all about the chapstick...

But, who puts on lipstick to ride 62 miles?

Something to smile about...

I came across a picture today that made me so happy. It instantly filled my heart with joy. Not because it's the best picture in the world, but because these are my nephews, Benjamin and Bryce, sitting on the front porch of the home I grew up in in Bakersfield. I shot this on Memorial Day weekend four years ago. I can't believe it has been that long. So cliché, but it really really does feel like only yesterday. I don't usually post pictures of family or stuff that is too personal. But, I started thinking today... why not? Pictures of my family are the pictures I cherish the most. And when I'm with them (which is only about once a year) I photograph them as if they won't last another second. Especially these two boys. I love them so much. I mean... come on.. who wouldn't? look at 'em! In a couple weeks I'm going to see my parents for the first time in their new home in Nevada. I will be posting hopefully from there. So mom... be prepared to see your business all up on this blog. :)

Dedication

Relief

Sometimes, you just need to take a break.

Five years....

Today marked the five year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. In that time, 3,990 service men and women have died. Some photos from our local coverage.


Vietnam veteran and Marine Chuck Gunther holds one of the many crosses he has repaired Monday, March 17, 2008, in preparation to be used in Arlington South in Naples. Each cross has the name and age of a service man or woman who has died in Iraq.





Volunteer Marnica Andrews places flowers at the base of each cross at Arlington South next to the Naples Pier on Wedensday, March 19, 2008.

Love, At First Sight

I was covering a tennis match last week when someone pointed out to me that the children of the two players were sitting next to each other. It appeared they couldn't care less how well-known their fathers are or how well they were doing in the match.



Jade Krickstein, 4, right, gives her attention to Jack Martin, 5, instead of watching the tennis match between their fathers, Todd Martin and Aaron Krickstein during The Oliver Group Champions Cup on Friday, March 14, 2008 in Naples, Fla.

It is a beautiful thing.

Yesterday, I saw first-hand evidence of why we, photojournalists, do what we do. It was a beautiful and moving moment that echoed a beautiful and moving moment.

I want to share it here, even though it isn't really my moment to share.

My good friend and colleague, Greg Kahn, handed me his iPhone while we were sitting in the office. He received a message from a woman whose son was killed in action during the war. On January 28th, he posted a photo from the funeral to his blog and the soldier's mother found it and commented on the photo. Today, he received another message, from the soldier's wife.

Please go read them here:

http://gregkahn.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-heart-broke-today.html

I'm writing this, and pointing you in this direction, because it touched my heart, and it touched his.

Funerals are so hard to photograph, as I know it was for Greg. I think they are difficult for most journalists. We worry that the people we are photographing will feel like we are just there to take... to show their pain to the world, rather than share in it. Even though, every funeral I've ever covered, I have shared the pain. I have cried, either during or after.

I told Greg, I live to work for days like he had yesterday. He was given a gift from the soldier's mother and wife. One that said they understand and appreciate that he handled their most horrible day with respect, giving them the space they needed to grieve with dignity, yet still capturing a moment that makes them want to remember.

Good job, Greg. Keep up the great work.

International Festival

Sometimes you just feel like your missing a piece of yourself. I'm lacking a certain amount of intimacy in my pictures lately....

President's Day Feature

"Go out to the beach this afternoon and look for a feature. Maybe there will be people doing stuff since the kids are off for President's Day."

Ok. Here you go.

I guess it wasn't cute enough. It didn't run in today's paper. But that's ok. I'm publishing it here.

Nessy

Tonight, there was a Loch Ness Monster sighting at the YMCA pool. I noticed it while I was shooting, but it was really funny back at the office to see how similar this swimmer actually looks to the famed Nessy. If you'd like a quick comparison, follow this link: Loch Ness