Catch the fever!

But you probably won't catch it from this crowd. These swine are living the good life, with acres of land to roam free. They also haven't met a pig from the outside since they arrived at this organic farm three years ago. The whole lot was smelly, friendly and incredibly curious. I came over to take pictures of them rolling in the mud, and they came right out of the mud to meet me. They followed me across the field, fresh mud dripping from their mugs.

More cute kids, week 43

An elementary school music class makes a sign for whisper while singing a song. This poor child at the Chattanooga Market missed out on the ice cream. And breaking with my black and white trend, these kids live on the edge of a housing project that was rebuilt a couple years ago, right. The house on the opposite corner is boarded up. I left it in color because of the division between the girls and boys - the former all in pink and red, the latter in blue and black tones.

Up, up and away

This plane has been commissioned to fly fire retardant chemicals over the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from a base in Chattanooga this week. My favorite detail? The pilot's flight suit and flip-flop combination.

Here's looking at you, kid

The manager at the Dillards women's store.
Matt saved me. I had figured out how to control my off-camera strobe from the back of my camera but not how to tell the strobe that it was being controlled. I made the emergency call standing in the department store with my subject in front of me. Panic! But in three sentences he had me back on track. Red team!

Take me out

I think I probably watch for all the wrong things during baseball games. It's hard to stay focused with all the sun and the cool breeze off the river. I was impressed with the stride of the runner in the second image. The player in the third probably wishes I had missed the ball as well. The First Tennessee drag before the top of the 5th inning was as much fun from the stands as it was on the field apparently. The team debuted a new mascot - a miniture of "Looie the Lookout," which was actually a little person (is that still PC?) in a blue outfit - for the 3rd-and-a-half inning stretch, when we all sang half of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." And the last image is the strangest thing I have seen yet on the mound.

Precarious

But definitely creative.

Spring

Somehow it's hard to believe the sprout coming from that little tuber has the potential to grow as big as the dahlia on the left. Of course, that dahlia is fake. They're not in season yet.

School patrol

The woman in the first image has been helping children in Chattanooga safely across the street for 37 years. She was hugging her grandson on his way into school. They are sweet and encouraging to every child that comes their way, but don't even think about speeding through that school zone.

Ending with a bang

Tuesday's exciting twist. I shot an assignment on my way down the street to the hospital, where I sat from 7:45 p.m. until 1 a.m. I think there should be a new reality TV show about what the ER is really like.

Game day

Two situations rife with missed swings.

Walk in the park

Found a lone walker today between rain showers. All the tents from a festival the day before still lined the bank of Chickamauga Lake. It turned out alright, but I kept wishing to be a foot-and-a-half taller.

Bug-A-Paluza

Odd that Chattanooga had been hosting this for ten years before VW announced a plant opening here. It was another day of playing in the rain and running in circles. It's an adventure being the shooting half of the Sunday photo staff. You never know what will be thrown in your path.

Rant of a tired intern

Overtime on my 'Friday' night.

Taxes and tea

The postal workers stayed late and took taxes in a drive-thru manner outside the mail sorting facility. They were pleasant beyond reason. One even dressed as Uncle Sam, so you could hand him your taxes in person. Those protesting taxes were gathered at the opposite end of town, angry signs and American flags in their hands. This is the first year I've filed my own taxes. Perhaps I would be more upset if I made enough money to owe the government something. The big question is why are there so many people here rioting? Tennessee doesn't even have an income tax. They're all paying less than most people in the nation anyway.

A wild day

The photo department here refers to feature photos as "wild art." That amounts to most of what I did today. There were 40mph winds followed by sun, then rain later in the shift.

Timeless

I was sent out with that discription. "Find something timeless," said the night desk. So they can run it next week and not tomorrow. I drove in circles for a while. Found a horse in a yard on the south side of town, but it went in before I could even park. I decided to go in search of composition first and wait for the people to materialize. This is unusual for me. But I like the anonymity of it. The night desk just issued a smirk. Better find out what that means...

Family portrait

All of the sisters in this family of 50 were bemoaning the absence of another. And I spoke up in her defense, seeing as I was also the child not home for Easter. They decided, once I was finished taking pictures of their family that they would photograph me with surrogate family members. So, Happy Easter from our family to yours.

Early service

Gathered in a hay field in Georgia, more than a thousand people sit in lawn chairs or sprawl across blankets, listening to the Easter message. There are pearls and blue jeans, old tennis shoes and new white patent leather. A mother corrals four blond boys all in matching green polo shirts across the crowd. The praise band blares from the base of the tower. Children dance. Hands raise in prayer. The sun beats down. The breeze begs a jacket. Old men fall asleep in the crowd. Everywhere, there are smiles and warm words. The woman greeting the crowd wears a baseball cap and a t-shirt that reads, "These are my church clothes." Relaxation.
This is Easter Sunday so far.

New coat

Some business stories seem without merit. I had a hard time caring that a new hotel was opening at an interstate exit with eight others. Big deal. But the windows were nice.

Mid-week humor

It flurried almost all day Tuesday in Chattanooga. We got a tip that there was a snow-covered tree on Lookout Mountain that still boasted its Christmas lights. It's April 7.

Marsh

This is the problem with building a concrete walking path through the marsh along the Tennessee River. Marshes are wet.

Palm Sunday pomp

The Chattanooga Salvation Army is teaching young boys one of their great traditions - playing brass. This boy was invited up onto the platform during the Palm Sunday service with five months experience under his belt and not a clue how to play this song. He kept trying, much to his credit.

Powwow

Dancing both inside and outside the sacred circle. These three little girls reminded me so much of my sister and me. They were all in brightly colored Native American costumes made by their grandmother. My sister and I had satin princess dresses, one pink, one purple, also made by our grandmother, that provided endless entertainment through elementary school. It's fun to watch imagination take flight. It seems like toys are so prescriptive these days - one can only play with them in a particular way. How refreshing to photograph make-believe rather than reality.