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5 entries in July 2011

2011 Ride Across INdiana


2011.07.20

In what has become a yearly tradition, I drove the support vehicle for my dad in the Ride Across INdiana on Saturday. The ride follows U.S. 40 for more than 160 miles from the Illinois border to the Ohio border. My dad, at 51 years old, is rockin' the bicycle like he did over 20 years ago, and I couldn't be more proud of him. The best part of his ride was shared in an email exchange between him and the other two riders, Lige and Ron (Ron writing):

Tom finally arrived [in Dunreith, 30 miles from the finish, and] looked pretty bad. We all thought he should stop, concerned about his safety. Lige and I continued on, thinking Tom would drive with the sag [support and gear vehicle]. ... We talked with Dave and Alex and they informed us that Tom a.k.a. Lazarus, was riding. ... He finally got in with about 10 minutes to spare.  He said he felt great after the rest and was riding the best he had all day. There must be magic dust at Dunreith.


Cyclers ride past a farmhouse near the end of the Ride Across INdiana on July 16 west of Richmond, Ind. The ride, in its 25th year and organized by the Bloomington Bicycle Club, stretched more than 160 miles west to east across U.S. 40 in Indiana.

Continued...
TAGS Personal

Ants!


2011.07.14

Note: This has nothing to do with news. At all.

As I was walking back home today, I looked down and saw some ants crawling on the sidewalk. One ant was carrying another, which was limp and seemed dead. It was a simple, everyday occurrence. The thought of ants lifting things much heavier than themselves, though, got me more interested, so I put down my bag, pulled out my camera, laid down on the sidwalk and snapped a little sequence.


An ant carries a larger ant up a sidewalk July 14 near Willkie Quad at Indiana University.

Continued...
TAGS Personal | IU

Five weeks without Lauren Spierer


2011.07.10

I've taken other photos this summer, but most of the month of June was consumed by the story of missing IU student Lauren Spierer. Sadly, the search continues, despite all the people trying to get more information. In continuation of the last entry, here are a few more photos of a case that regrettably seems to have slowed down.

(I was at a high school friend's wedding in Indianapolis yesterday, so I wasn't able to cover Laps for Lauren in Bloomington. Sam Park took my place.)


Lauren Spierer's father, Robert, pauses while his wife, Charlene, rests her head on his shoulders during a statement to the media July 1 at Bloomington Police Department headquarters. "It's our worst nightmare," Robert said. "It's an experience that you don't want anyone to ever have to go through."

Continued...

Monks & monks


2011.07.07

I've been taking more than just photos of the Lauren Spierer story in the past month. J. Edward Calabro (known to coworkers as Jimmy) worked on two stories about different monastic traditions: the Benedictine at St. Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana, and the Buddhist at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington. I was lucky enough to be the photographer on the story. Although the St. Meinrad trip meant that I missed a BPD briefing on Lauren Spierer, the mini-series resulted in the kinds of photos I rarely get: those of timeless religious traditions.

(Plus, I got to flex some headline-writing muscle. I reached back into my Catholic upbringing (and into Wikipedia) to think of the print headline for the St. Meinrad story: Regula Benedicti.)


Geshe-la Lobsang Dhandup and Father Simeon Daly

Continued...

Fourth of July +2


2011.07.06

Before going to a friend's place to celebrate the birth of our nation (not The Birth of a Nation, because that's nothing to celebrate), I stopped by the Monroe County Fairgrounds. Amvets Post 2000 was host to a Fourth of July event, complete with live music, fireworks and the parents of Lauren Spierer. I didn't stay long enough for the fireworks; instead, my main focus was taking photos of Charlene and Robert, who were handing out fliers with their daughter's information to people entering the fairgrounds. In the meantime, I snapped some shots of Larry Morley and Friends and stayed for the 21-gun salute.

An updated Lauren Spierer post is far past due. That will come soon, hopefully within the week.


Larry Morley of Larry Morley and Friends sings a Marshall Tucker song during Fourth of July festivities at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. Amvets Post 2000 organized the event, which included free music and fireworks.

Continued...
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