Angie and Mike's Blog

Harley loves to play games with her blankie. The other day, she got herself all wrapped up in it, which is something we've never seen her do before.

Labels: Harley

Angie and I went to my ten year high school reunion this weekend. It started with a mixer in Old Town on Friday, where I made these two snaps, follwed by a picnic and dance on Saturday. As it turns out, Angie knows Robyn's husband, Andy, from high school at Bishop Carroll. Robyn and I went to middle school together and I remember studying with her in the library and being in orchestra together.


And Sean. What can you say about Sean? Well, he's got an awfully big ... forehead! What did you think I was gonna say?! We were really good friends in high school and would often get into political debates. We took our senior trip to Washington, D.C., together (with about eight students). Sean and I actually reunited this past March when Angie and I took a road trip to Arizona, where he now lives.

I'm glad I went to the reunion. To be honest, I didn't want to at first. It was a bit expensive, I thought, and I didn't really enjoy high school the first time around. But, a lot of people have chanced since high school, including myself, so I'm glad I gave everyone a chance.

Labels: Friends

Harley was sick earlier in the week, but is back to normal, that's for sure! Grandma Karen brought her a stuffed ice cream cone, which she ate in one day, and she got a haircut and a bath that afternoon. So, she's feeling better and, most importantly, smelling better! We're off to my ten year high school reunion dance in about an hour. Has it really been ten years?!!! We've already been to a couple of events but I've only made a couple of snaps. It just feels good to enjoy an event rather than feel like I'm working it.

Labels: Harley

Angie and I felt like proud parents today after hanging out with Aaron and Callie in Topeka. Angie was matched with Callie during college and I was matched to Aaron during our stay in Topeka. Though we're not officially matched anymore, we stay in touch and get together whenever we can. It just so happened that both Aaron and Callie were in Topeka this week to see relatives so we made the drive up.


"damn hippies! get off my lawn!"



We ate a great lunch at HuHot, which is a must for anyone ever in Topeka. We followed that with a round of mini-golf and a few rounds of skee ball. It started to rain about the time we finished, but we headed out to Lake Shawnee to take some pictures on the new pedestrian bridge. With a few more minutes to spare, we headed to our old favorite coffee shop before taking Aaron and Callie back home. Aaron will be a freshman in high school this year and has really gotten into the band. He plays the sax and has started guitar lessons. Callie is maturing into an intelligent young woman, bravely facing her parents' divorce.

Labels: Aaron and Callie, BBBS, Friends

Angie and I took Antonio to a baseball game a couple of weeks ago. Antonio and I also went to a game last night, which reminded me that I had these snaps from our first game. Either because I was too busy or too lazy the past few days, I didn't do a thing with those pictures. So, here they are.


The fire department had a truck on display in the parking lot and was spraying water for the kids to play in. I told Antonio that I would if he would but he didn't want to. Just as well.


The Wranglers will give BBBS Littles a free box seat if their Big buys one. So Angie and I figured $20 for two chairbacks or $15 for three GA was well worth the extra five bucks. And it didn't hurt that the seats were right behind the home team dugout. The seats were great, but the lousy dugouts are part of the reason Wichita may not have a home team next year.


Angie tried to snap Antonio's picture but he tried to hide behind a bag of peanuts.


OK. I'll play along. I'll photograph the peanuts. "They're just peanuts," Antonio said, somewhat confused that I'd make such an image.


I like LD. Mostly, I like the view of the skyline. What I don't like is the half turf/half grass field. I know it's a maintanence issue, but if the city ever improves the players' clubhouse and dugouts, replacing the field with field turf would be a nice move, too.


Antonio likes the games. I have a feeling that we'll go to a couple more this summer.


Free fireworks after Saturday home games!


I shot these with my camera balanced between my knees with my feet propped up on the seats in front of us.


Each shot is about a one second exposure.


Next week, I want to shoot the fireworks from somewhere outside the stadium. Perhaps from the Lincoln Street bridge. Or maybe somewhere near the Keeper of the Plains.

Labels: Antonio, BBBS, Friends

Heather, Dennis, Angie and I were among the 8,351 disappointed fans who watched helplessly as the Shockers baseball team shut down against the UC Irvine Anteaters (yes, the Anteaters) this past weekend at Eck Stadium. The Shockers' season is over, but there's a lot more baseball to be had this summer. So far, we've seen five games: three Shockers, one Wranglers and one Royals spring training game in Arizona. I'll be at LD again this Friday, when I take Antonio thanks to a pair of free tickets from BBBS. Above, our view from beyond the right field fence at Eck Stadium.


Fans attempt to catch a home run hit during batting practice.


Dennis and I had to show up three hours before the gates opened on Sunday to get our front row general admission spots. Although the outcome was a disappointment, our view was fantastic and made it worth the wait. Well, the pancakes the tailgaters next to us shared helped, too!


Dennis takes a punch from a friend after taking her binoculars.


The binoculars were a great hit, especially for the girls who took turns playing "I Spy" before the start of the game.


Heather was quite surprised when I popped up with my camera in her viewfinder.

Labels: Friends

This has been my desktop image on my MacBook for the past couple of weeks. It was taken from the press box at Lawrence Dumont Stadium as players for Manhattan High and Shawnee Mission West High line up for the National Anthem prior to the start of the Class 6A baseball championship. I've been to one other game at LD this year and will have been to at least three Shockers baseball games by the end of this weekend. LD has a great view of Wichita's skyline but it's the seventh oldest stadium still used in professional baseball. Because of that, the Wranglers are leaving after this season for Northwest Arkansas, where voters approved building a brand new stadium to lure the team away. I sure hope the city finds a new tenant for LD. It would be even better if the city would take this opportunity to build a new stadium, too, but I doubt that would ever happen.

Angie and I drove up to Salina yesterday to hang out with some other photo friends at Coop's house. It was an informal welcome home party for Jeanel, a college friend and photographer, who's spent more than the past two years living and working in Niger as a Peace Corps Volunteer. That's her, center, marveling at a glass of beer with Karen and Lindsey.


Before the sun went down, Coop hung two long pieces of "end roll" on the back of his house to serve as a projection screen for our presentations as his dog, Frankie, looks on. They say that dogs look like their owners. Long and lanky, Frankie is definitely Coop's dog. (End rolls, for my non-newspaper friends, is like the last paper towel on the roll before you toss it. There's usually several, several feet of clean newsprint left over on each roll. If you ever need to pack a bunch of dishes, go down to the newspaper and see if you can buy an end roll. most papers with printing presses sell theirs.)


Agnes, Lindsey, Karen and Angie wait for the show to start. Coop built the back deck and has remodeled most of the old house he purchased a few years ago on Minneapolis street in Salina. It was a cozy venue for a discussion on photography. It's just too bad not everyone could make it.


Lindsey, a staffer at the Hutchinson News, discusses her coverage of the Greensburg tornado as Coop, Jeanel and Agnes listen.


A beam from a borrowed projector illuminates against a night sky as Coop, a Salina Journal photog, shows photos from a cattle drive re-enactment last fall and the recent flooding in north central Kansas. Coop's garage kinda reminds me of the Eddie Adams barn ... kinda.


Coop is always very insightful.


BYOS. Bring your own slideshow. Next time Angie wants to show pictures of harley and her daddy.

Labels: Friends, On Location, Salina