the unexpected

Sometimes a story just shows up on your doorstep. We were enjoying some family time at my grandmother's house on Christmas Day when a group of carolers came to the door. Many of them appeared to be Amish and I thought it odd that they'd be going around singing Christmas carols. One of the men told me that members of the group had left the Amish church, and that some of them had been excommunicated for participating in Bible study. After taking a group picture, I saw this little one nodding off and I moved in closer.

home

Dad carves the Christmas Eve ham, and Phil drives seven of us back to mom and dad's after an evening of snacks, coffee, Turkey Hill tea and Beyond Balderdash at my sister's house. I humbly admit that a limited amount of superfluous bloviating was effective on my family, and Phil beat me in my favorite game.

Moosebumps

I was looking through some images from the past year and rediscovered this one, taken at a craft store that was soon to open. I don't think I've posted it yet, and I apologize if I did.

Roxanne

little sister senior portrait part II.

tradition

Along with gorging on turkey, watching football, playing walnut ball, and taking long snoozes on the couch, Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's farm is always made complete with some sort of brow-sweating activity. In past years it has been butchering hogs or cutting wood to burn in the house. This year we mixed things up a bit by cutting down a bunch of scraggly-looking trees and making a gigantic bonfire.

siblings

Spirit

A local high school football team is headed to the state championship and the fervor is swelling.

Portal

Kimberly

"She just instilled some values in me to always look my best."

One

"It never really crossed my mind that I was the only Midland player in the circle."
- Andrew Maxwell

October sky

I've been here before, and I'll probably visit again since it's just around the corner.

Marshall's Mobile Auto

Sure is convenient when you can call up your mechanic and he'll ritch on your car until it's fixed, and then maybe - if you're lucky - he'll accept a tasty meal at Big Boy in return. He says that he just enjoys doing it but sometimes I feel like he's our little photo crew auto mule. If my car were more reliable these days I suppose I would be absolved of the guilt. Anyway, thanks Brett for all your help. I'm sorry I make you sick when I pay exorbitant rates to get my car fixed elsewhere.

the locker room

I've discovered that I definitely gravitate toward the locker room. It seems like it's always one of the best places to tell a story, and I've made some meaningful images in there. I guess it's also one of those places where I feel like I'm really doing photojournalism. There's always emotion in there, and emotion tells a story. Maybe it's because I spent a good portion of my four years of college in a locker room. When we lost, all you could hear was locker doors slamming and shower water hitting the floor. When we won, we sang in deafening (and sometimes discordant) three part harmony, whipped each other with towels, and engaged in other activities I won't discuss here. The kid in this picture was getting ready for his homecoming game. When I walked into the locker room I told them who I was, that I was doing a feature on them, and to just ignore me. Moments later one of their players made my transition into relative obscurity in their sacrosanct enclave quick and complete by returning the focus to the game at hand with the assistance of some strategically-placed four letter words.

Tales in the Townships - DAYSTAR Youth Ranch

"...The kids in this town have a lot of opportunities. They have the ball field, they have the skate parks, they have areas that are positive and they're very needed in this town, and any town. But they need, they need the chance to be around animals that give back.
These horses up here, many of 'em have been hurt. Many of the kids in this town have been hurt, and these horses can reach out to a kid that's been hurt and say 'I understand.' The kids can say, ya know, 'I understand what you've been through and that you need to trust again.'
These kids learn ... such life lessons up here. They learn about birth and death. They learn ... that a handicapped animal, and likewise a handicapped person, is still valuable. They learn that, they learn that instinct is not a good way to survive by. You know, your first instinct is to go out and hurt somebody that's hurt you. And they learn that, you know, if you live like that, nobody's gonna wanna be around ya anymore.
–––––
I hope that people would someday learn to value what this society tends to want to throw away. They tend to see something that doesn't look real pretty and they tend to want to dismiss it. We have several people that, ya know, have wondered why we don't put down an animal that's having challenges, and I relate it to how people want to throw away other people who are considered less than perfect.
–––––
But the kids who come up here and learn about these animals – the blind horse that we have that's still rideable. All she needs is somebody to be her eyes, even if (it's) on her back. She's a long way from useless, even though she has a handicap. And even people who are handicapped are a long way from useless. They've still got their mind even if their body's not working right. And they're every bit of an individual. And everybody's important as anybody else. These kids get a chance to see that just because something's different, something doesn't work quite right, something isn't quite perfect, there's still a value to it, still a use, and they can still love it. And yes, I am a very emotional person, but, ya know, these kids need someone to care about them, these animals need somebody to care about 'em, and we do what we can for 'em. ..."
– Marsha Williams

Minnesota matrimony

Jeff and Lyn: thank you for the wonderful excuse to drive 1400+ miles through torrential downpours, lightning and various bugs - killing an alternator on the way - to behold some of the most gorgeous country I've seen in a long time, topped off with a spectacular wedding overlooking auburn hills from a mountaintop chalet. But above all, it was great to see YOU and to be a part of your special day. May your marriage be a lasting inspiration to others. Love, Opie.

P.S. - we missed you, B.

climb on

From a day trip to Grand Ledge with participants in a climbing camp.

milk challenge

It does a body good ... until Brett and Kevin tell you it's impossible to drink a whole gallon in an hour. But Cindy, ever the go-getter, took us up on our offer. She actually got about 3/4 of it down before throwing in the towel. She was actually disappointed she didn't throw it all up for me. Thanks, Cindy, for being a good sport. I hope your tummy hasn't calcified.

Pete Bergman

“... Either I'm gettin’ lazy or somethin’ but it takes me longer to do a job than it used to, and it seems like the days is a heck of a lot longer now than they used to be, but now that the weather’s nice since it’s settled down, and I’ve gotten my garden, I’ve been comin’ out after supper. We have supper at 5 o’clock, and I eat and I set there a little while then I come down here and I either pull weeds or go back to the lake and clean up and fool around. As far as goin’ anywheres, I don’t go anywheres unless it’s to the doctor and I have to go there once in a while but — I still take them cancer shots every three months.
...
I don’t think I could live this long if I hadn’t worked. I think if I went settin’ around doing nothing I’d puht. But, I don’t know. Here a year ago, yeah it’d been at least a year ago, it was way up. It started goin’ up ’n up ’n up ’n up. And it got up real high. They wanted me to take chemo. Itn’t it chemo? And they didn’t try to force it on me but they said that would ... they’d been givin’ me pills, but the pills wasn’t doin’ no good so they wanted me to take chemo. And doc said that’s about the only thing that we got left that might help ya. But I’d heard so doggone many tales about this chemo thing that I told him I’d have to think about it.
...
But I’ve got it, but they can't tell me where it is. That’s what I can’t figure out. I keep tellin’ them, ‘Well, where is the cancer?’ They don’t know. They say, ‘It could be in your brain.’ It’s somewheres, but it ain’t ... blew up yet, I guess. ‘Could be in your stomach, it could be in your joints.’ And they check me, oh, I don’t know how often it is. They — probably two years ago I had my last one —gimme that bone scan. They’re scared it gets in your bone and I guess it just spreads all over you, but I don’t know. It’s a mystery to me. I don’t worry about it. I just go day to day. If I’m gonna die tomorrow, cancer or no cancer, I can’t stop it.
...
Like the most? Bein’ outside. I hate settin’ around the house. I don’t know. It just — I’ve worked outside all my life except three years I worked for General Motors during the war. They sent a letter up to me — oh, my wife’s stepdad worked there and he’s kind of a head up, and he’d been after me to come down there and work. Then this’n here was somethin’ with the government that they needed me real bad. They needed people ... So I had a sale. I was farmin’ at the time. I had a sale. Sold all my cattle and stuff. And I went down there and worked three years in General Motors in Flint. Made the most money I ever made in my life, but I wouldn’t move my family to Flint.
...
Where was I born? Over on 30 in Tobacco Township. I moved over here on Bergman Road, ahh, I was 5 years old when I moved over here and I’ve lived here ever since in Edenville Township. Seen a lotta changes.”
- Pete Bergman

roxanne

My little sister is not so little anymore. She celebrated her 18th birthday on Labor Day and once again my presence was relegated to being a distant voice on the other end of the line, this time as I walked to catch the last Loons game of the year. My not-so-little-anymore sister can now chew Copenhagen, smoke Reds, and vote. I hope she only partakes in the latter. This picture was taken during my family's annual vacation in Ocean City, N.J. Thanks to mom for contributing her flash-holding skills. Sorry I snapped at you. Happy birthday, Roxanne. I love you. Kev.

fair well

Keykeeper

I wish I had the key this colt does. In six harness races, the two-year-old Keykeeper has garnered six wins. Things went downhill for me shortly after making this image as the owner and/or trainer of another horse suggested I go photograph a winner instead of his loser. After dealing with the gruff trainer of yet another horse, I decided it was time to hit up other aspects of the county fair. I knew things would improve, and they did. I've found fair week to be one of the most hectic, yet also most rewarding, weeks of the year. It's a chance to encounter things/people you won't see any other time: thousands of arms waving to the music of some regular old human being who just happens to be famous, teens playing football in an empty show arena at midnight, and folks dressed in their finest fair attire, eating the basest yet tastiest of foods.

movin'

After several hours of moving clothes and sofas and lamps and toys to a nearby temporary home, Ryan gave his parents and me a tour of his new home, which is starting to actually look like one ... albeit without a roof.


The trophy and the telltale jacket sit on the floor where his entertainment center used to be.

Elmer, Sylvester and Chuck

Elmer, i.e. Bru No. 1, a.ka. Trenton, is a handful, but he'll get away with it because, well -- look at him! Kid's cute as a button. Look out ladies.


Sylvester, i.e. Bru No. 2, a.k.a. Coleman, is gonna catch ladies like flies on flypaper too, but I think this kid's gonna make his mark on the world through wit. Cole's sharp as a tack. Here he's channeling my thoughts about the truck pull at the county fair via telepathy.


Chuck, i.e. Bru No. 3, a.k.a. Landon -- jury's still out on this kid. But mark my words folks, and remember you first heard it right here in the land of curiosity, when he starts churning out sentences like it's his job, he's gonna be one *heck* of a photographer. But I'm not biased. That's a camera he's holding, right? Sure it is.

lloyd

Lloyd Dalager, 93, played for the 1936 House of David traveling baseball team. The House of David was founded in 1903 by Benjamin Purnell and members were required to be celibate and abstain from meat and haircuts (including beards). The presenter at a community event I attended last night quipped that the HODs picked up baseball because of their excess energy. Of baseball, Dalager said: "It's just fun, that's all."

grandma's pool

An oldie that I had been wanting to post for some time. A reminder to listen to my gut when it tells me to stop and make pictures, and not delay for a little bit, as I did in this case. It won't always work out in the end.

shame

Check out ESPN's stories on Le Tour and the Commissioners. A sad state of affairs for the world of sport. For those of you watching the Tour, I must say I was pleased to learn that the arm-waving thorn had been plucked.

fishin'

...with a net, that is. And for future reference, Aunt Millie's wheat bread works splendidly as bait - when fishing in this pond, anyway.

Bryan

I'm no David LaChapelle (nor would he want me to be), but I suppose every fashion photographer has to start somewhere. Tell you what, it makes a *ton* of difference when the subject lets you do whatever you want him to, even if it means running and jumping in dress shoes (which didn't work as well photographically as I had hoped).

Toronto

I drove up to Toronto with Alex this weekend to catch a U-20 World Cup match between Chile and Austria in the two-month-old National Soccer Stadium. The Chilean fans, to whom this tri-colored fan was kin, overwhelmed their Austrian counterparts in numbers and fervor. The match itself was less lopsided: a goalkeeping clinic that ended 0-0. As luck would have it, the Grand Prix of Toronto was held the very same day. Alas, I had a ticket to only one of the events.