Snakes and Baseball: 100 Posts

So this is what is has come to: a day of snakes and baseball in Dubois County. And now, officially, 100 blog posts. What a long way from Seattle to Columbia to Jasper!

Julie

There are times when I can hardly believe that I'm in any way worthy of hanging out with the people I photograph-- and this case exemplifies that. Born 3 months premature, Julie is now 14 months old, and can't see, has trouble breathing, and doesn't eat solid food. She needs constant-- and I mean constant-- care. The miraculous thing-- which is, of course, the most normal thing in the world-- is the patience and caring and love from her Mom. Is that a huge cliche? Well, so be it. There are wonderful, heartbreaking things in the world, and I don't care if that's another cliche.

loops and lines | goats and sheep

Thursday, side of the road

On the way home from an assignment the other day I saw some people on the side of the road, decorating a wooden cross. That particular day I was trying to stop whenever I saw something that interested me-- not that we need more features, but because it's always better to spend a little more time shooting, even when you're like me and a little introverted. Especially me. You have to get out of the car over and over again and make pictures of strangers-- it's so important for me to be in that habit.

It turned out to be the two year anniversary of a car crash that killed three teenage girls-- two would have graduated from high school in May. I shot it, and I stayed with both families for a while, and then returned to have a talk with Justin, my editor. We ran a picture (not this one) in the paper, and I was so grateful, because sometimes when you photograph someone you make a tacit agreement with them-- that they're letting you in so their experience can somehow be bigger than just them. I think the Herald really values that kind of relationship with its readers, and it makes me care a lot about all of my assignments.

Above, a mother who lost both of her daughters, ages 16 and 17, grieves at the memorial on the side of State Road 162 in Ferdinand.

Fest: Part 2 of 1,000

Tonight's festival was in Ferdinand. Indiana. Wow.

Motorcycle Thursday

Riding in the rain past the farm she grew up on, Caroline Toby, 83, waved to her children. Curt Trainer of AJ Cycle piloted the Harley Davidson from Ferdinand to Birdseye, stopping at the Dairy Barn for ice-cream cones, as part of a wish-granting program at the Scenic Hills Care Center.

Seriously. Life is good.

Dunk Tank

Trying as hard as he can to avoid hitting the cold water below, Ethan Schwoeppe, 12, grabs the top bar of the St. Henry Saints 4H Club Dunking booth at Heinrichsdorfest in St. Henry on Saturday night.