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.

Fresh faces

The photographer working the night desk came into the back room and asked if anyone wanted a fun assignment. I seized the moment, since the other option was chasing the green sky to possible tornadoes (which never materialized). So, off it was to a local center for Hispanic families, where the children were painting, most for the first time. It made for a happy ending to the week.