Hitting The Hardwood

Basketball season is back and as an Alumni and fan of the Iowa State Cyclones, I couldn't be happier. Happy not because the 'Clones offer promise in the coming Men's hoops season but rather because as basketball season starts, football season is thankfully now over. What a disappointing showing this year. 2-10 overall, 0-8 in the Big XII.

As a Cyclone sports fan you come well accustomed to the phrase "there's always next year" and unfortunately this year the football team left me with my head in my hands muttering just that.

Over the past few days I've had my fair share of collegiate basketball while covering the Boise State Broncos as well as The College of Idaho 'Yotes.




Although I enjoy every opportunity I get to cover these schools, they seem to fail by comparison to my 'Clones. Hard to beat a tall Clone Cone within the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum.

Only In Idaho

There are many things I don't fully understand about this state, country or some of it's people.

On Thursday, Nov. 20 these feelings were validated when I was sent to Sand Hollow, Idaho, to photograph a gentleman who recently purchase three AR-15 assault rifles and one AK-47 simply because he maintained an imminent fear that the government will soon be taking away his right to bare automatic firearms.


Whether or not this fear is actually ever realized seems irrelevant to me. My point of contention is that the "need" to own, posses, or carry a weapon designed for the sole purpose of killing quickly and maliciously seems completely unnecessary. That's all.

I will now step down from my soap box.

Another Busy Weekend

This weekend I went up to Moscow, Idaho to cover the Boise State vs. Idaho game with sports reporter Dave Southorn and sports editor Phil Dailey.


Since the drive from Boise to Moscow takes around six hours I decided to make a video about the game on the way up and another on the way back.




We returned to Boise around 2:30 PM on Sunday and immediately there after I set off for Emmett, Idaho to cover a Muzzleloader shooting event for our community section.


It turned out to be quite an adventure because it took me almost an hour to find this hidden little shooting range and when I got there the people were pretty interesting. Check out the slideshow I made here.

Veterans Day

On Monday I had the opportunity to meet Bert Chandler and his wife Esther. Bert and Esther have been married for 66 years, and after visiting with them for about 45 minutes I was able to hear many amazing stories from the couple's past.


First of all, 66 years is a LONG time to be married. Second, anyone who has lived on this Earth for 86 has no doubt seen and experienced a great deal (especially someone who was around this country in the 20th century).


Unfortunately, I was not there to hear about the highlights from all 86 years, but rather just three of them. Bert served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1944, contributing to the Allied war effort in World War II. He was one of only 3 men from a battalion of nearly 200 who survived the The Battle at Omaha Beach and after being wounded in 1944 Bert was awarded The Purple Heart along with numerous other United States military decorations in recognition of his exemplary service to his country.


To have the opportunity to sit with a man and listen to him tell stories of his first hand experiences in monumental moments in history truly makes me thankful to be both a Photojournalist and an American. It's people like Bert who have given the ultimate sacrifice, allowing me to take for granted the freedoms and opportunities available to each of us in this country, and for that I am thankful. Celebrate Veterans Day and thank a Veteran.

What a Week

The past week has been wildly busy for me so to give you the true detailed rundown I'm going to pick up right where I left off last week.

As almost everyone knows, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 was a truly historic day for America and as I recall my previous post left off the day before the election. Covering an election of any kind is something that I enjoy very much for many reasons. There is always a certain degree of uncertainty hanging in the air throughout the day and this day was no different.

I started my morning at about 7 AM in Idaho City documenting the election day activity for the Associate Press. The idea was to capture the essence of rural Idaho in only a couple pictures, which proved to be pretty darn difficult.

After returning to Boise, casting my own vote and taking a nap, I geared up for what would turn out to be a long night of newspapering.

I did a lot of running around on election night and got the opportunity to see both Republicans and Democrats celebrating victories and mourning defeat.


After taking Wednesday and Thursday off to recover from what was a frantic few days I returned to work to cover an interment service for abandoned veterans...


... and some high school football playoff action Friday night.


On Saturday the Boise State Broncos faced off against the Utah State Aggies in a highly unusual Saturday afternoon WAC match up. The light was great, however, the game was less than exciting. The Broncos crushed the Aggies, 49-14 to improve to 9-0 on the season.



I'll leave you with a little inspiration here...


This little flower was growing through a fence, which I'm sure would fit well in a one-liner inspirational poster... Perseverance (or something).

Thanks for stopping by!

Get The Vote Out

The next 36 hours are going to be insane for me, so no major update. Go vote!

Happy Halloween (a little late)

Of all the silly or slightly stupid holidays Americans celebrate, I have to say that Halloween is one of my favorites. It is the only day of the year that parents allow their children to break the rules they force their kids to follow every other day...

"Don't dress like a weirdo!
Don't take candy from strangers!
... and don't go running through the streets at night!"

As for adults, it is really the only night of the year that you can go out on the town and not feel the need to be discrete about people watching. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is encouraged.

This weekend I photographed some folks out trick-or-treating in downtown Nampa as well as a two-mile costumed fun run. I also dressed like an idiot and went out to join the costumed crazies Friday night, but those stories I will keep to myself.



Check out the slideshow from the trick or treating.

Tonight I will be continuing the theme of Halloween by photographing an Alanis Morrissette acoustic concert in Boise. Talk about scary!