The Rosary Makers

(Editor's note: Bumping this multimedia project to the top of the blog... last time I posted it, I didn't embed the slideshow... and I just really like the story.)

Originally posted 4/17/09: Somebody has to make all of those inexpensive plastic rosaries used by missions in the Third World and elementary schools here in the U.S. Those craftspeople happen to be here in Wisconsin. They're called the Rosary Makers of the Queen of the Rosary Club (can you say that in one breath?).

Earlier this month I spent a day with the group during one of their meetings. Watch the slideshow below. Here is one of my favorite photos of the day.

Children play in the rural yard of the Ullmer residence during a meeting of the Rosary Makers of the Queen of the Rosary Club in Pulaski, Wis., Saturday, April 4, 2009.

Pulaski Polka Days

A few frames from this year's Pulaski Polka Days festival, which has been going more than 30 years... what a blast...

Dick and Irene Higgins of Medford, Wis., dance together at the Pulaski Polka Days festival at the Pulaski Polka Days Grounds in Pulaski, Wis., Saturday, July 25, 2009. The couple says they have been to the festival every year except 2008.

The hands of Stephanie Pietrzak work her accordion during her set at the Pulaski Polka Days festival at the Pulaski Polka Days Grounds in Pulaski, Wis., Saturday, July 25, 2009. Pietrzak is the most recent International Polka Association's Female Vocalist of the Year

Don Heeren of Schofield gives a kick while dancing with Kathy Cisewski of Antigo at Pulaski Polka Days.

It wouldn't be a Polka band without matching shirts.

2009 Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame inductions

Had the opportunity to cover the 2009 inductions for the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. On the way in I saw something you don't see everyday: three Vince Lombardi trophies guarded by Marines... shot it from the escalator.

I'm not a lifelong Packers fan, nor am I a huge NFL guy (I prefer college and preps). I'm an Ohio transplant who is, by default of living in Wisconsin, happily a Packers fan. So I'm not up to snuff with the trivia. Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong: I'm assuming that the three trophies represent the Packers' three Super Bowl victories: 1966, 1967, and 1996. But, to be nit-picky... from what I've read, prior to 1970 it was technically the World Championship Game Trophy.

Dorsey Levens, left, and Antonio Freeman, right, share a laugh while appearing for a press conference at Lambeau Field before the two became the newest members of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay, Wis., Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Marines stand guard around Vince Lombardi trophies in the Lambeau Field Atrium before a dinner inducting Antonio Freeman and Dorsey Levens into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in Green Bay, Wis., Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Etter-Markins Ride

The Etter-Markins Ride honors the memory of Hobart/Lawrence police officers Robert Etter and Stephanie Markins who were killed in the line of duty on July 22, 2002 near Wisconsin 54 and Bay Ridge Court. Motorcycles pass by the crash/memorial site where the two officers' families and colleagues gather.

The top photo below ran, along with a separate photo of the motorcycles on the highway. The second photo was an attempt at telling the story in just one photo... trying to get the bikes and the memorial site in the same photo. I'm not quite sure it does the job... I think it's on the borderline of being a difficult read. What do you think?

Officers representing the Hobart/Lawrence Police and Brillion Police, and families of Robert Etter and Stephanie Markins watch the annual Etter-Markins Memorial Ride pass by near Wisconsin 54 and Bay Ridge Court in Hobart, Wis., Saturday, July 18, 2009. The ride honors the memory of Etter and Markins, Hobart/Lawrence police officers who were killed in the line of duty on July 22, 2002, at this site.

Blizzard tops Milwaukee in af2 home closer

Green Bay Blizzard's Larry Williams (3) breaks up a pass intended for Milwaukee Iron's Antoine Burns (4) in the first quarter of an af2 league arena football game at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wis., Friday evening, July 17, 2009.

Bay Beach Amusement Park

Lucas Popp, 2, of Ashwaubenon takes a ride on Bay Beach Amusement Park's new ride, a 1936 Smith & Smith Chairplane, in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, July 9, 2009.

Andrea Benslimane of Brookfield, Wis., takes photos of her kids as they ride the Chairplane, Thursday.

Rollover crash

Personal effects litter the sidewalk around the scene of a rollover crash at East Walnut Street and Webster Avenue in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday afternoon, July 9, 2009. Police say a 13-year-old girl was ejected from the pictured vehicle and transported to a local hospital with injuries that are not being considered life-threatening.

Sidewalk chalk

Vinny VandenAvond, 8, and other children from KinderCare create sidewalk chalk art in a garden area at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay, Wis., Wednesday, July 8, 2009.

Remembering Pvt. Steven Drees

Pvt. Steven Drees, 19, of Peshtigo, Wis., died from injuries sustained from an ambush on his unit in Afghanistan the other week.

A few days after he died at a military hospital in Germany, Drees' family and friends gathered at his home in Peshtigo to remember him. They patriotically decorated the home and invited the community to line the street in vigil to welcome back his mother, father and brother from Germany.

Donald Trump graces Green Bay with his presence

Donald Trump – The Donald – came to Green Bay on Monday to make a big announcement as the new owner of WWE wrestling's "Monday Night RAW."

Landing at Austin Straubel International Airport, Trump was greeted by the WWE Divas who apparently had dressed for the unseasonably warm temperatures.


The hair really is that bad...


We Press-Gazette folks got an exclusive with Trump and WWE Chairman "Vince" McMahon... it did me little good other than afford me the opportunity to get a nice photo of Kendra interviewing a celebrity.


Trump announced that in addition to that evening's live show of "Monday Night RAW" being commercial-free, he would refund every ticket-holder's money. He made a grand appearance during the show much to people's delight.


The people were behind him... he could have run for office...


He and McMahon got into an "altercation" (certainly scripted) ending with Trump slapping McMahon in the face. Kendra wrote in her column a hillarious observation:

"My favorite “Green Bay moment’’ during the broadcast came when Trump and McMahon were in the middle of their verbal smackdown. Behind them you could see a fan come back to his seat after making a beer run: two bottles for himself, two bottles for his buddy."

The rest of the evening I made some pictures of the action for no reason other than simple practice and experience of photographing something new.

Obama pages...

Just posting to share our most recent A1's showcasing our Obama coverage... been pretty impressed with the design the past couple days that's broken out of the mold... kudos to our Designer/Graphics dude Eric on that.

Anticipating POTUS' arrival...
The strong vertical is a design challenge because all of the action is on the bottom part of the frame... run it too big and that all falls below the fold (and all you'll have visible to the newsstand buyer is sky... how exciting!)... run it too small and it loses its impact. This page, and the page below, they tossed the rail on the left and pushed some of that info to the bottom to open up more space above.

And the day after POTUS was here...

Hello and goodbye, Mr. President

President Barack Obama visited Green Bay today for a town hall meeting focused on the issue of health care. It was an early day... up at 4 a.m. to get presentable, drive to Green Bay at 5 a.m., pre-set (claim your shooting spots and setup) in the gym from 6-7, breakfast at McDonald's while Secret Service sweeps the school for roughly two hours, and then hurry up and wait for the President and dignitaries to arrive at 11:45.

President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Green Bay Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, June 11, 2009.

My shooting position was "in the buffer"... the divide between the President and the crowd occupied by the Secret Service and select media photographers (usually only a few local press.. majority are AP, AFP, Getty, etc.). TV lights are hot and the floor is hard (no standing baby...)

My head hurts.

Camera flashes light up the gymnasium as President Obama takes the stage.

A few more of him speaking...


President Obama is charismatic... I'm not sucking up or promoting the guy... it's just a fact. I knew that something unique would happen today. It was just a matter of recognizing it and being ready for it.

Obama wrote an excuse note for Kennedy Corpus, the daughter of John Corpus who asked the President a question during the town hall. The 10-year-old girl had missed school to attend the town hall with her father. He walked down off the stage and hand-delivered it to her.

And I missed it...

Well... you know... you win some, you lose some. I had the wrong lens on my second camera at the time, and by the time I had switched lenses, the other pool photographers had created a huddle that I just couldn't break into.

I should have anticipated the moment better, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it, because later I was able to get a detail photo of it in Corpus' hands after the event... and I'm satisfied with it. I think it tells the story a little better than what the media stampede captured... they didn't have the luxury of sticking around.

Obama's penmanship is exceptional considering he was listening to a question and talking at the same time he wrote it. Click the photo to view it larger so you can read it... cute...

And then the President left. Goodbye, sir. It was nice while it lasted.

Obama is here, today!

Bobby Georgia, a college helper for Green Bay Public Schools facilities, helps clean up the marquee at Green Bay Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis., Wednesday morning, June 10, 2009 in preparation for tomorrow's town hall meeting at the school with President Barack Obama. Later today, a school official says, the white background will be replaced, and the letter changed to red, white and blue.

Kelly Heppner, left, department chair of special education, and teacher Erica Smith, right, hang student artwork in a hallway near the gymnasium at Green Bay Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis., Wednesday morning, June 10, 2009 in preparation for tomorrow's town hall meeting at the school with President Barack Obama.

Wet weather...

I think the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary should be renamed Green Bay Wildart Sanctuary... walk around for a couple hours and you're bound to make a picture to fill some space. Well... getting "wildart" for the paper isn't so much of an issue in these days of shrinking newsholes.

Today's assignment was to go out and get some pictures that illustrate the fact that the first eight days of June have already provided the Green Bay area with more than half of the allotment of rain it typically receives in the whole month.

I was pretty happy with this first image, and then got the obligatory hydroplaning photo...

A young Canada goose takes a drink from a puddle-filled parking lot at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wis., Monday morning, June 8, 2009.

An automobile blasts through standing water on East Walnut Street at Clay Street during a heavy rain shower in Green Bay, Wis., Monday afternoon, June 8, 2009.

Guess where I was...

This is a frame (unedited out of camera) from a recent assignment...

Here are your clues... 1/2-second shutter, panned horizontally during exposure.


...the winner doesn't win anything but I'm just curious if anybody can guess...

I think it's a neat accident... looks kind of Saturny or spacey....

Packers tent sale

Every year, the Packers Pro Shop at Lambeau Field does some spring cleaning, selling off a lot of old merchandise for substantial discounts. Fans bring boxes and 55-gallon trash bags to pillage the goods.

Green Bay Packers fans sort through team apparel at the Packers Pro Shop Tent Sale at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Ashwaubenon, Wis., Friday, June 5, 2009.

The wildlife sanctuary

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary is Green Bay's largest city park and one of the largest animal rehabilitation sites in Wisconsin. Last year they treated 4,131 animals.

A kestrel with a broken wing is one of many animals in rehabilitation from injuries and illness at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wis., shown Monday, June 1, 2009.

A litter of rambunctious young raccoons bounce around their cage at the sanctuary.

Graduation Day...

In a way, graduations are like shooting fish in a barrel. Parents are happy... kids are happy... everyone's happy.

Brenda Munn waves to her son, James Munn, during the processional into the Kress Events Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus for Green Bay East High School's Class of 2009 graduation in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday evening, June 4, 2009.

But a problem came up this time. I kneeled down in the center aisle as the graduates walked off the stage with their diplomas. I got this nice frame below... great smile... diplomas... hopeful eyes...

I snuck into the row behind the girl as she returned to her seat and got her name: Carlie A. Bradley.

Or so I thought.

When I returned to the office to input the photos on deadline I referred to my graduation program for a correct spelling on Ms. Bradley.

Scanning down the list...

Danielle C. Boex
Sarah L. Bossell
Carlie A. Bradley
Lyndsey Bradley
Tyler P. Brennan

Oh... oh, s#!%. So there's two Bradleys in the program. Now a river of doubt is inundating my brain... are they twins? Cousins? Did I approach the wrong girl?

I look through my entire take, going through one-by-one all of the overall photos I took from the balcony hoping the two Bradleys are in one of them and further hoping that one of them looks like an alien from outer space in comparison to the other, as to make my initial assertion immediately and undeniably obvious that this girl above is indeed Carlie A. Bradley.

No dice.

There's only one overall photo with only one of the two Bradleys in it on the very right edge of the frame.

I can't be sure and I have to scrap the photo. I simply cannot as a journalist risk an attributable error (and subsequent correction) to my name. As my friend Joel said... when your gut is telling you something's up, something usually is...

In a pinch, I had to use my backup frame (no offense to Dustin, below)...

Dustin Paluch of Green Bay East High School's Class of 2009 hugs associate principal Lori Frerk after receiving his diploma.

So in closing to this post... I'm sending out an APB (all-points bulletin) to all the Green Bay Bradleys. Write in... comment... call... let me know somehow... who is this girl? Is it Carlie (as I had thought) or did I save myself a reaming from my editors because it's Lyndsey?

Gorge

Before my flight back to Wisconsin, we took a drive along the Columbia River for some sightseeing...

Portland food tour

I know, I know. I'm a freak. I can't get enough of the walking food tours.

We started off at the landmark Heathman Hotel. Here we're looking down on the Tea Court just outside of the restaurant where executive chef Phillipe Boulot works his magic.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it was Boulot slaving away on making our deviled eggs. Yep.. those are shrimp.. local shrimp.

Slipped next door to Cacao for a drinking chocolate. I'm pretty sure it's in an espresso cup... this isn't Swiss Miss... high single-origin chocolate content, whole milk, and cream, people...

Falafel with tahini from the food-stand district... really exceptional... made from scratch (most falafel is bought by restaurants as a mix) and the tahini is creamy with the consistency of tartar sauce instead of the kind of paste form that's so common.

Time for raw food! (Raw foodism – or rawism – promotes the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed, and often organic foods... it's supposed to retain more nutrients) Here we have a flax cracker with cashew hummus from Blossoming Lotus. The cracker is basically seeds that stick together... there's some pepper in there, too, for a little kick. The cashew hummus... I had my doubts, but I was quickly won over.

The rest of the tour focused on cheese, more chocolate (not complaining), wine and spirits. Rogue makes some great stuff. We learned how gin and rum is made! And of course we got to try it. The choices? Hazelnut Spiced Rum (which is infused, not flavored), Spruce Gin, Dark Rum, Pink Spruce Gin, and Dead Guy Whiskey (so-named for its ease of consumption).