150

Port Huron turned 150 today, I was there. The city held a big party most of the day and capped everything off with fireworks at dusk. These kids where waiting under the rain clouds for the fun to begin. It rained, then there were fireworks.

Capuchin

That's the kind of monkey Pedro is. I met him while at the Pickerel Tournament in Algonac tonight. He would run out to the chalk line and grab coins from the crowd but "no pennies please." This little guy doesnt work for chump change. A polorid photo with Pedro will cost you $5, a digital frame will run you $10, but he sure is cute.

Cuttin' a rug

Jack and Becky were the only ones with enough guts to get up and cut a rug, or in this case just the grass, during a big band concert along the St. Clair river in town. They were pretty good. It was a bit chilly.

Taco Tuesday

The corn shells are 50 cents the flour are 70. We each ate two. Flour for me, corn for mom but we both made sure to use the hot sauce instead of the mild. While we shared dinner on the step the moon made its way over mom's garage. I could get used to this.

Church tour

I filled my afternoon by visiting some local churches as part of an assignment for a local church tour. Although the buildings may have only been a couple of blocks apart, from the inside it seemed more like miles. surprisingly I felt more welcome in the African American places than in the others. Here are a few of the people I spent my afternoon with.

POT-O-GOLD

If that's what you want to call it.

Fish food

I'm nine hours into my shift when the phone rings, I have another couple of hours of editing left. The voice on the other end tells my news editor that his daughter caught a red-bellied piranha in the Black River. I can hear the music from Jaws playing in my head. The story is a nice one but I looked up the fish and it turns that the USGS has recorded the red-bellied pacu, a fish that looks like the real meat-eating deal, in Lake Huron. I won't have to watch my toes after all.

Flying Fish

Well, not quite but the fine people in New Baltimore enjoy the fishy-looking insect with wings so much that they celebrate the millions of them piled along the streets and perched on shop windows each June with Bay-Rama and the annual Fishfly Festival. Here are a few from the midway.

Mason-Dixon

Some local photo friends and I made a treck to the elevator in Emmett last night to make some photos. Chris is leaving Monday for a teaching gig in Alabama. He has been working on a project for quite a few years called Civil Twilight where he photographs grain elevators and their relationships with small towns across the midwest.Before he left he couldn't pass up the chance to make one more photo. In the foreground last night was the little league field. The night was beautiful bugs where tame for the most part. It's good to get out with some old friends. I'm wishing one hell of a yankee photog lots of luck as he heads for the Mason-Dixon line.

Vern my HERO

I spent the morning photographing fathers and their children or families who could think of nothing better to do than shoot bow and arrow most of the morning at a local scout camp. Vern saved my life today. I bet you are thinking this camp veteran of 29 years made some kind of heroic gesture, pushing me out of the way of a speeding arrow or brought me bug spray after I was eaten nearly to death by the vicious little creatures with wings. No, No, this man saved me from a UFO believing crazy man. REWIND: Last spring while minding my own business photographing the two dozen or so middle aged men playing softball in Pine Grove Park, this guy Ed comes up to me and starts talking about how god talks to him and how UFOs are coming to get us all. He said they had already gotten the squirrels in the park and an invasion was closer than I thought. It took me more than half an hour to shake the crazy. Today as Vern and I were cruising the camp looking for little lads and their fathers when we spotted a pair in the woods. The boy even had part of scout uniform on. Perfect I thought. As I stepped off the ATV and looked up, to my surprise the man next to was the crazy dude from the park. Even worse his eyes popped, he had recognized me and with in moments I heard my name muttered from his UFO believing self. I was caught. My memories of the day in the park quickly returned. My eye's began to glaze and I was obedient to his trance when the next thing I knew Vern stepped in to whisk me away with some made up story about how he needed to get back up to the gate. Good call Vern. I owe you my sanity...

Silly

I made a promise tonight to these little kiddies, if they would work with me for a portrait then I would snap a silly photo after. This is what they gave me. After I ventured to the spash pad where the cold water kept everyone on their toes.

Pretty things

I enjoyed myself this afternoon. I photographed this man that trains doves to come back to him. One dove wasn't to excited about taking to the sky. I had to photograph the sunset over Port Huron from Canada. It was nice to just hang out and not have to worry about the stresses of life as the sun slipped behind the Earth. The graffiti on an appartment complex read somthing useful for once.

Flag day

I spent the afternoon with a bunch of older folks at a retirement village. They were celebrating Flag Day. Although the decorations were patriotic the music was nothing but old show tunes. I guess it really doesn't matter they still had a ball. I'll admit watching them live it up felt good in my heart.

Taken' it easy

I was the only photog on my shift today. I'm a little beat tonight. Here are a couple from today. Everyone seemed to just be taken it easy and living it the best they can.

Best friend

I found Nala in the back of Mark's van this afternoon while driving around looking for a feature photo. You can't blame her though, It was raining.