For work recently I photographed a weird event called Crashed Ice in St. Paul. Not really a sport, mostly and advertising thing for Red Bull. But that said, it was pretty spectacular and fun. Basically it was a steep, winding ice sheet for skaters. Many were injured and someone backed out after realizing how scary the thing was.

I took a number of videos and photos, including these aerial photographs that received a great deal of attention (local media writer David Brauer interviewed me about it). As soon as I landed I tweeted my favorite photo and it blew up from there. I admit the photos were pretty cool, but in some ways it’s too bad I got so much attention for images that we more a product of planning and execution than true journalism. But that’s just the way these things happen and I’ll certainly soak up the limelight while it’s on me!

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I just watched, my mouth agape with disbelief, as Netta walkedinto the kitchen with a Kleenex in her hand, opened the trash cabinet and dropped the tissue in.

—
Jessica

Apparently there was some discussion about Martin Luther King, Jr in Art’s kindergarten class.  He explained to me that MLK changed a lot of things.  “Right?”  His explaination of one of the things King changed went something like this:

“Well, you know how people who are black have to sit in the front of the bus and people who are white sit in the back of the bus?  Well, it didn’t always used to be like that.  It used to be that people who were black had to sit in the back of the bus and people who were white had to sit in the front of the bus.  Now people can sit wherever they want…  But I always sit in the front of the bus.”

Apparently all these people were riding school buses.

They're hot and sniffly and unhappy. I'm downstairs and just got this email from Jessica on her iPad upstairs as she lays with Bailey:

"I have a baby wrapped around my neck. I feel like i'm wearing a breathing neckbrace."

Tonight as I was getting the kids into their pajamas Bailey came over holding a pair of underwear, “Eh? eh? eh?” she’d say, which has become both babies general sound for need and/or want. It was clear to me, she wanted to wear Lewis’ underwear. And then the socks. And then a shirt. “eh eh?” She was playing dress up! In this photo she came holding ANOTHER pair of underwear, which I was happy to put on.

And then Lewis started jumping for the hell of it, something he does often. “Take a picture of me jumping, Papa!”

Bubbe died about six months ago. It’s been along time ago, about 20% of Lewis’ life actually. I often wonder how much he’ll remember her, or if he will. But tonight, as we were playing in the basement he saw Emmit walk by, Bubbe’s cat. He remembered how much she loved him and then said thoughtfully, “Papa, what if Bubbe could transform back into real life?” That would be really great, Lewis.