A Good Thing

This quarter, I worked on a story with one of my uncle's oldest friends: Shawn Avery. He and his girlfriend Michelle welcomed their first daughter, Rozalynn Lyric Avery, on October 11, 2010. Shawn is an amateur fighter, but I wasn't able to get many pictures relevant to that aspect of his life, since he had been busy preparing for the baby. Either way, it was a great day, their families were pretty receptive, and I'm sure Rozalynn will be a very happy baby.

You can watch the audio slideshow here: http://vimeo.com/15846868

William Foster

One of the people I met in The Plains was named William Foster. He told me he hadn't heard sounds that compared to the tornado since Pearl Harbor.

Foster is a U.S. Navy Veteran from WWII, and he brought me inside to show me where he was when the storm hit. He lives alone with his cat, Sissy, but his son lives next door. I hope to get to know him better.

In the Morning

A tornado touched down in Athens and The Plains last night, among other places. This morning, I went to see the devastation firsthand.

Another Traveling Song

Oh my. So far this summer has been about going places. From Athens to Canton, to Connecticut to Boston to Pennsylvania, to Akron, to New Jersey to New York and now home. But how silly! I don't have a job yet. Here are some things, not many.

















































































































































































P.S. Currently suffering one of my worst sunburns yet.

Memorial Day and Dundas, Ohio

Dad, Amie, and Sonny came down to McArthur for the long weekend, and we went to Dundas twice, for the railroad tracks and some poor skinny dogs. I also got to stop by and say hi to Robert Peoples again. He still remembers the "holes in my britches." Sigh.

The Navy and First Flush

When I found out the Impossible Project had made a new brand of instant film (called PX 600 Silver Shade / First Flush) I ordered it without thinking. I'm glad I did, but they emailed me saying that there were light leaks and if they were damaged we could send them back for $3 apiece.

Um, no.

Anthony graduated from Navy boot camp on Friday and I went to Illinois with his family for the weekend. He's going to Connecticut this week and a lot is changing. But it's good. I'm so proud of him.









My sister, Halle.


And the ones that didn't develop:




Sigh.
I'm ready to leave.
Four more weeks.
And yet.

Visiting

I went to my old high school yesterday to talk to the current photo students and show them the work I've been doing. It was pretty great. And since I'm just making this, I'll put up some of what I showed them.

Spring Break

Spring Break is almost over. I was in Akron last weekend, so I got to see Sonny, and my grandparents came up on Sunday. I have been sick for almost as long as I can remember, at least three weeks. And last night it started snowing. Sigh.

Taken too long.

Sorry, I don't know why it took so long for me to make this blog!
Anyway here is my most recent story.

Dana Peck, 21, grew up in Athens, Ohio. After losing his father to a truck accident at the age of six, it was only 10 years later that his mother died from cardiac arrest. He spent the next few years in foster care, and struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for a decade. Things began to turn around, however, upon his finding support in Sojourners Care Network, a youth development program based in McArthur, Ohio.

Sojourners has given Peck a house to live in, with five other boys, various jobs, and the opportunity to enroll at Hocking College, where he plans to study chemical dependency counseling and juvenile substance abuse. Dana attends Athens Community Church twice a week and has found a second family in some of the members. His only living relatives are his elderly grandfather and aunt in Albany, Ohio, whom he visits on most weekends.