Baseball

I rotated to a night shift for the next few weeks just in time for baseball playoffs. i love baseball playoffs - plenty of emotion and sunflower seeds. This was the sectional semi-finals between Washington Township and Kouts.


Kouts junior Morgan Drazer (9) jumps as he trots towards home plate after hitting a home run against Washington Township during their sectional semi-final game Tuesday afternoon at Washington Township High School in Valparaiso. Washington Township defeated Kouts 7-4 with some late-inning heroics and will face Whiting in the Sectional championship.


Kouts players try to calm down junior pitcher Brad Parks (17) after he overthrew first base and allowed Washington Township runners to advance in the seventh inning during their sectional semi-final game Tuesday afternoon at Washington Township High School in Valparaiso. Washington Township defeated Kouts 7-4 with some late-inning heroics and will face Whiting in the Sectional championship.


Kouts junior Richard Taylor (19) watches as a Washington Township fly-ball just misses his glove during their sectional semi-final game Tuesday afternoon at Washington Township High School in Valparaiso. Washington Township defeated Kouts 7-4 with some late-inning heroics and will face Whiting in the Sectional championship.

Valparaiso Memorial observance

Valparaiso celebrated their Memorial Day the Friday before. Don't ask why - it's just how its done. Firefighters, policemen, Vietnam vets - the normal ingredients of a Memorial Day service.


Warren Lindborg is seen bringing the American Flag to half-staff through the salute of Bob Spaulding, both of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 905, during the Memorial Day observance at the Service Memorial Friday morning at Foundation Meadows Park.

Valparaiso police officer Ron Chapman lays a carnation at the Duty & Sacrifice Wall that lists the Valparaiso residents that have died in conflict during the Memorial Day observance at the Service Memorial Friday morning at Foundation Meadows Park.

A carnation lies on the ground in front of the Duty & Sacrifice Wall after the Memorial Day observance at the Service Memorial Friday morning at Foundation Meadows Park. members of the audience placed carnations on the wall as part of the observance.

Sorry for the delay

36 hours after these pictures i left on vacation, came back for a day and was then out of town for three days. So damn busy.

But i digress....

Students from the Thea Bowman Academy marched to protest violence on May 16. They only marched around their school in harsh sunlight so i had to make my pictures quickly and use the light.

Walking and penpals

Students from the fourth and second grade walk to raise money for the American Diabetes Association at Bailly Elementary School Friday in Chesterton.


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22 Rowena Kyle Elementary second-graders finally met the 20 Crisman students who have been their pen pals since October. They met to talk and walk to Woodland Park on a field trip to help clean the park.

Crisman Elementary second grader James Myers holds his lunch bag and has his arm around pen-pal Kyle Elementary Phoenix Coppinger as they walk towards Woodland Park Thursday in Portage. The pen-pals from Kyle and Crisman Elementary met for the first time today and then did community service work at Woodland Park.


Portage parks employee Wayne Groves leads a nature tour with kids from Crisman Elementary and Kyle Elementary of the natural savannah in Woodland Park Thursday in Portage.

Second-graders from Crisman Elementary and Kyle Elementary clears sticks and other debris from Woodland Park Thursday in Portage. The pen-pals from Kyle and Crisman Elementary met for the first time today and then did community service work at Woodland Park.

Random picture update

So I shoot a lot of pictures that are "for advance" and run days/weeks/sometimes months later.
Here's a few that had to wait their turn.


Robert Confer of Chicago hold a large sign for Wickes Furniture on the off-ramp of southbound I-65 at Route 30 Sunday afternoon in Merrillville. Confer works five-hour shifts holding the sign and counts the Ford Mustangs that drive-by to help keep his mind occupied.

Bailey, a West Highland Terrier therapy dog owned by Barb Orosz of Valparaiso, pokes his head out the door of a patient to check out whats going on in the hallway at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso Wednesday morning. Bailey and his "brother" Bentley, a Bichon Frise, are trained therapy dogs that visit patients in the hospital.

Michael Essany raced comedian Tom Green and then-Mayor of Valparaiso David Butterfield at Zao Island in Valparaiso for his show. Five years later, Essany now races his business parters at the Valparaiso-based Indiana Grain Co., LLC.

ELECTION WRAP-UP

This was used on our front page on election day. I found this car at the Bill Clinton rally in Schererville a few days prior.

The day after the election - lake county was in the spot light and the election leaders were put under the media spotlight.

And had to answer some tough questions.

Voting at Fire Station 2 in Valpo.

Voting at the National Guard Armory in Valpo.

Counting the unused ballots at Fire Station 2 in Valpo.

Day before the election - these were some of the 11,000 early voters that "caused" the delay in reporting the results.

Obama-rama in Munster, Indiana

Sorry for being so behind in these posts - I've been burned out on the politics lately and I'm glad its all over now. This weekend couldn't come quick enough. I've been reviewing my images to bring together some sort of cohesive essay and to see what I've learned from this experience.

Obama visited a steel mill in Munster on May 5 and dodged a leaky roof to spread his word of hope and change.


Less chat - more pictures.

Bill Clinton in Schererville, Indiana

Bill Clinton did a whirlwind tour of NW Indiana hitting spots in Whiting, Schererville, Crown Point and then Michigan City. I was assigned to cover the Schererville stop. Props to jeff for bringing some long glass to my side at the last second - I wish the candidates would bring like four lights instead of two so i'm not forced to use my higher isos - just not that pretty


lucked out with this one - he just happened to stand dead-center on the big flag

on one hand...

make up your own witty joke here

access for bill was limited to our "corral" - boo

you think he would have learned by now to not make the funny faces - oh well.

technologic


Took long enough - but finally the anti-abortion types showed up - then some pro-abortion types showed up later - no rumble of biblical proportions was to be had though

James Hoffa Jr. in Gary, Indiana

My old man has been in the Teamsters for 30-plus years and a Union Steward for several years now - i grew up with the mystique of Jimmy Hoffa and the union traditions - so getting to document this event was quite a treat. Hoffa visited Local 142 in Gary and rallied the proverbial troops for Obama on Thursday morning.

For me - and i think my dad will agree - is a very classic image of Hoffa - really could be him or his father in this picture

Teamsters like to have their picture taken and signs autographed

and Rudy showed up.........

Walking into the rally

Props to Lakeshore TV for the assist

Hillary Clinton in Portage, Indiana.

Yes this is the event with the line "testicular fortitude" - didn't know Hillary was endowed in that way - but hey - who am i to judge. Bad lighting and decent access made for a mixed bag of images. Hillary's press handler was superb as usual letting us work close to Hillary to get images of her up close and personal. Note to Portage - Next time use a location that doesn't have six foot wide pillars 20 feet from the stage. Judging from the crowd reaction - they didn't appreciate the obstructed views - one compared it to old comiskey park - but worse.


Shot from on stage - see what good access brings you

Ran as dominant art on our A1 - with the fold at the light blue line - looked good i thought

Signage - more to come

Portage FD Honor Guard before the show


Last Caress

Signage2 - this time with more Candidate!

eyes right

Moment of prayer for steel worker who died that morning

cleaning up