Grandparents Support Group

Tonight I traveled out to Caldwell to sit in on a support group session for grandparents who are raising their kids' children. I had a hunch that this may be a nice assignment and I turned out to be right...

Deep in the basement of the Grace Lutheran Church around a horseshoe shaped arrangement of card tables and folding chairs sat a group of grandparents who came together to share their unique stories of circumstance to like minded peers.

Laughter often mixed with moments of uncomfortable honesty as a pair of boisterous grey-haired women bantered back and forth telling jokes at the expense of each other. You can't help but smile while they go on about their struggles bridging the age gap with their grandchildren or defending their sons and daughters with the argument that they were once young and made mistakes too. You smile because they laugh, but also because you know that they do what they do because of their love for the children they've adopted.

At one point a heavy canvas curtain cracked open and a pair of young girls made their way through a maze of steel chairs. They approached their grandparents, Donna and Jim Johnson, and interrupted a grown up conversation about finances and fundraisers and shared with them a pair of pictures that they had drawn. On the two matching pieces of thick yellow construction paper the Johnson family had been drawn as a bowl full of fish. Grandma was the big clown fish and, of course, grandpa was the big blowfish. The family shared a laugh and even the reverend who was attempting to lead the discussion stopped to join in.

It was a great moment that made my night. These kids had been given a second chance by their grandparents after circumstances forced them from their parents. You just sort of got a sense that everything was going to be alright. And that's why I was smiling.

The Case of Robert Manwill

On July 24th a young boy, 8-year-old Robert Manwill, went missing from his mother's home in Boise. After only a day or two the city of Boise rallied around the Police Department and the family and helped in a search effort which went on for ten days. After numerous vaguely detailed press briefings speculation began to run wild and citizens (and media members) began expect the worse. On Monday, August 3rd they found his body on the banks of a canal one town over.

Finally the family has some closure as they have now found their son, unfortunately, the case has officially been declared a homicide and police have yet to make any arrests (although there are credible leads).

On Friday evening the family made one of their first public appearances since Robert was found last Monday. Community members teamed up with local businesses to put on a vigil in honor of Robert, which turned out to be very moving. The mother and father were both visibly emotional as dozens of green balloons were released into the evening sky.

I caught a moment of the mother reacting to the display as a neighbor attempted to console her. It was a very moving scene and as the family prepares to lay to rest their son you can't help but look at the photo and feel the pain they are experiencing.

Meet Levi...

A few weeks back I came up with the idea to do a story about a football player with the local af2 (minor leagues to "big time" arena football) the Boise Burn. My fascination with these athletes is that the majority of them don't get payed enough to be full time athletes and so many have part time jobs. Before doing any research I had hoped to find a player who in his spare time worked as a plumber or a roofer or some other blue collar job. Unfortunately, I didn't find such a player. However, I did meet Levi Madarieta, a 5-year arena football veteran who happened to have a pretty interesting story to tell.


Initially I wanted to follow him on his journey through the rigors of a typical "work week" but after starting the project I began to struggle to find the time to tag along with him because of the time constraints of the daily schedule.

I was able to hang out with him about three or four times. Up until the Saturday before the package was supposed to run the story continued to evolve. Originally I wanted to do a mix of video, audio and stills but then I had an epiphany...

On Saturday, July 18th I attended an SPJ narrative writing workshop here in Boise. I'll admit that I've never been much of a writer but I have always had interest in it and so with a little bit of trepidation I decided to sign up... And I am so glad that I did. The guest speaker was Pulitzer Prize winning feature writer Tom Hallman Jr.. Tom turned out to be a very inspiring speaker who made the world of narrative story telling, which was once such an unknown to me, seem so clear. I left feeling as though learning to write well would be my next greatest challenge and after a few weeks I still feel the same way.

So anyway, I was inspired by the event and decided to try to write some copy about Levi. It turned out to be a pretty challenging exercise but I really enjoyed it.

This is how it read...

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BOISE - It's three hours before kickoff and inside Qwest Arena the lights are off and the seats are empty. In a narrow hallway beneath the bleachers workers shuffle from one end of the arena to the other, preparing for the hordes of fans that will soon help bring the place to life. The hustle and bustle is interrupted momentarily as workers stop to say "hey" to a man who makes his way through the hall.

He feels butterflies in his stomach as the sounds of laughter and loud music grow closer; knowing full well that once he walks through that door, it's time to go to work.

At 29, he's not exactly young for a football player but after five years in the af2 - three spent as a starter for the Boise Burn - Levi Madarieta is in better shape than ever before, and most importantly, he still loves what he does.

"I'm still able to do it at a high level and perform well and so why not," said Madarieta, I love to do it."

Even though he speaks with a breath of ambition about his future in professional football, he understands the reality of his situation.

"In this league you're either trying to go somewhere and move up to bigger and better things or if you're like me, you play because you love it."

With a laundry list of injuries from broken fingers and ribs to a complete reconstructed ankle, Madarieta has experienced plenty of painful setbacks, but throughout it all has remained positive.

“My body has taken a beating over the years but it’s worth it to me" he said, "on Sundays when I wake up and I can't really move I don't exactly love it, but when the weekend rolls around I remember why I do it."

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Not necessarily a masterpiece but for a first try I feel pretty good about it.

I also produced a short slideshow about the guy that you can check out HERE.

Remember this one?

This afternoon I was backing up some photos on my fancy little blue lego-looking hardrive when I started searching through the archives to look at some of my really early stuff. I came across one of my very first portrait shoots ever and felt like sharing it.

I took this photo of former Oregon State outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury while working at the Oregon State Daily Barometer in 2005. For those of you who don't know, he went on to be the 23rd overall pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 2005 draft and has since made a name for himself by making great diving catches in the outfield and stealing home.


I remember being so incredibly nervous because I had never had the opportunity to take a photo of an athlete and I didn't know what to expect. Looking back I can't think of a single athlete I've shot since who was nicer than Jacoby. He could tell I was nervous and was patient enough to let me try a few different things and although it didn't result in the most compelling photograph, I have to say that it is one of my favorites.

This was a fun time in my life and I'm thankful I was smart enough to hold onto an image that helps me remember it.

Some Summer Stuff...

June, July and August are without a doubt the busiest months of the year here in my small corner of the world. Don't believe me?