Right to Work Protest

I haven’t really been anywhere I don’t go all the time lately so I haven’t had a blog entry in a while. I worked in Green Bay and Milwaukee in the last couple weeks, so of course I stopped in Chicago and captured a few shots.

Tuesday I decided to head downtown Lansing to the Capitol to capture some of the Right To Work Bill protest. I arrived around 8am and stayed until 10am. When I arrived people were just getting to the Capitol. There were probably a couple hundred people at the time.

I started walking around to see what I could find. This was one of the first people I saw. She was standing silent, alone on the Capital steps, and it really stuck out to me.

About 20 minutes later the crowd started to get bigger by the minute. I would say by 8:30 there were a couple thousand people outside and from what I heard there were a few thousand inside as well.

Most of the people I saw seemed to be UAW members, but I know there were a lot of teachers there as well.  As the crowd got bigger they started yelling, “Who’s house – our house” over and over amongst other chants. There was a guy in the middle of the Capitol steps with a red megaphone with a lot of UAW members surrounding him.

I then noticed a few people that were for the bill (I will call them Pro-Bill) at the bottom of the steps. I saw them walk up to the UAW members and start yelling, then the Union members started yelling back calling them scabs and a lot worse. This exchange went on for about ten minutes until the Pro-Bill people finally walked away. I saw this same scene play out several times in the time I was there. You could tell it was going to get a lot more heated as the day continued, and from all reports it sure did.

I then decided to walk around and capture some faces in the crowd.

After about two hours I had enough. I decided I would head home and edit some photos. I then uploaded them to CNN.com and did a couple IReports (One currently has over 17,000 views and the other has 4,000+) which started some heated discussions online.  As soon as I uploaded them, one of the producers called me to vet the story; then, about a half hour later, another producer called me from CNN’s sister company, HLN. She asked if I would like to be on the show “Making It in America”. I said sure. She said it would be a phone interview with the host, Susan. They called me about 3:55 and I was on the air at 4. The whole story lasted about two minutes and I was probably on the air for 30-45 seconds. I prefer to be behind the camera or in this case behind the scene, but it was an experience, and I was glad I did it.

It ended up being a lot busier day than what I expected when I woke up!

NYC Day 1 - Diane's Birthday

For the past couple months I have been wondering what I was going to do for Diane’s 50^th birthday. I had mentioned going to New York to her a few months back and she liked the idea but then we backed off after our trip through the south at the end of July. Then about 3 weeks before her birthday she texted me and said," How about going to NYC for my birthday?" I said, “That’s a great idea, let me look into flights”. I had already been looking at them about once a week just in case. I found some reasonable flights and booked them. I also had priority points built up from working in Green Bay, so I used those for 2 free nights at the Holiday Inn Wall St.

We flew out from Detroit, Saturday at 6 a.m. and arrived at LaGuardia about 7:30 a.m.. When we got to the airport exit we bought MTA (Subway and Bus) tickets. We bought the 7 day unlimited pass for $29. Even though we would only be there for 2.5 days, it would still work out if we used them a lot (and we did). We hopped on the M60 bus and transferred to the downtown N train. I had my camera bag, Diane had a big bag, plus we had one carry-on. We probably could have gotten away without the carry-on, but we decided to just go ahead and take it this time. We got off one stop too early (Canal St.) but should have gotten off at Wall St. When I looked at the map it seemed like our hotel was closer to the Canal stop, but I was wrong (it happens ever once in a while haha). So we had a little bit of a walk. It wouldn't have been that bad if we didn't have the carry-on, but we made it.

We couldn't check in until 3 p.m., so we dropped off the bags and decided to head to the Staten Island Ferry. I had been on it a couple years ago, so I knew it gives you a great view of the city and Statue of Liberty for free. Neither one of us cared about going to the Statue, plus I don’t think you can go inside right now, I've heard it’s closed for repair.

It’s a half hour ride each way. We got lucky and caught the ferry back to Manhattan as soon as we arrived in Staten Island (the last time I was there we had to wait a half hour for the next one).

Once back in Manhattan we decided we were both hungry so we took the 1 train to Times Square and get a couple slices of pizza at Ray’s and relaxed for a bit.

After lunch we walked around Times Square, took some photos, and did some people watching. By this time we were able to check into our hotel, so we headed back downtown and got checked in.

We originally planned on going to Maze (Gordon Ramsey) restaurant. I had made 5:15 reservations, but once we both took our shoes off and hit the bed it was very apparent neither one of us wanted to jump in the shower, get ready to just head straight back uptown. We decided to rest for a little while and then go to Central Park for sunset.

We took the train to 86th Street. As we walked the couple blocks to the park, we crossed Park Ave when two cars almost hit each other at the corner. One guy got out of the car and started yelling at the other car (Cab) and then started to kick the door. It was pretty entertaining.

We entered the park at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, and strolled the south end of the water. That took us across the park, and then we continued through most of the park heading towards 59^th street, stopping at various points to take in the sights.

Then we walked the 10 blocks to Times Square, got a quick bite and got Diane a piece of Strawberry Cheesecake for her birthday, before spending some more time in Times Square people watching. There really is nothing like seeing it at night, especially on a Saturday night.

After that long day that started at 2:30 a.m. driving to Detroit to catch the flight, we decided to call it a night. We got a Town Car to drive us downtown back to our hotel and got those shoes off again! 

Autumn in Michigan 10.1.12

Here we go again, I’m back in Green Bay (GB) this week. As it looks (as of now) this is the only week I will be here this month, so I can handle that.

I have been fighting off a cold the last couple weeks and wasn’t feeling that great Monday, but I knew if I wanted to capture some of the Autumn colors I better head through the UP on my way to GB. I’m glad I did. The trees are just about at full peak. I would say in about a week they will be at full peak.

I started the day early. I woke up about 6:45 jumped in the shower and was out the door about 7:15. As I headed up 127 the sun started to rise. I drive by these trees all the time around St Johns that lean towards the north. As I approached them the sun just started to peak up over the horizon. I pulled over and decided to capture a panoramic shot. The clouds were nice and the sun rising behind the trees created a nice silhouette for the trees.

I then continued north, wondering if the clouds would cooperate with me in the UP. As I got closer to the Bridge I saw a line of clouds forming. When I came around the curve that opens up to the Bridge I saw they were running right along the Bridge skyline. I stopped on the Mackinaw City side and captured this Panoramic.

After that I started my trek west on Highway 2. The sun was high in the sky, so I couldn’t really get any shots to the south (Lake Michigan) because the sky would have just been washed out. So I decided to hit a few back roads and see what I could capture.

After that I decided I wanted to start making some better time. I wasn’t feeling great, so I powered through the next 4 hours and made it to GB about 5:30, got checked into my room and relaxed.  

MSU vs. ND & Tigers vs. Sox

It’s been nice to be back in Michigan for the past few weeks. That’s coming to an end again. I will be in Green Bay this upcoming week and Milwaukee the following two weeks. It won’t be too bad though. The first week in Milwaukee is only going to be a couple days; the following week will be a full week.

I had a great weekend. Diane and I had our friends Andy and Nicole down from Midland. They had not been to our new place yet and I got sideline press passes to take photos of the MSU vs. Notre Dame game.

They arrived in town a little after 5 and we went to Jersey Giant for dinner before the game. We stopped by my parents' house and my Mom drove us on campus and dropped us off. We went to our friends' Woody and Mandi’s tailgate. Andy and Nicole stayed there for the first half and Diane and I went into the game.

We had a great time on the sidelines and I got some nice panoramic shots of the stadium. State wasn’t playing very well, and the game was kind of uneventful. Nicole joined me for the 3rd quarter and Andy for the fourth.

Even though the Spartans didn’t win and really looked pretty bad all around, it is always a good time on the sidelines, and being able to capture the game is always great.

After the game we came back to our place, ordered some pizza and just took it easy.

Today I was just sitting around after dinner and a friend of mine texted me (who I was going to meet for lunch tomorrow in Chicago) and invited me to the Tiger vs. Sox game in Chicago. It’s a makeup game for a rain out a few days ago. I’m always up for a game and haven’t seen the Sox in Cellular Field in a long time. I have been to Wrigley a few times the last couple years, but I don’t spend much time on the Southside.

It’s a good start to the week, it works out perfectly that I will be driving though Chicago right when the game will start and it’s only a 3.5 hour drive from there to Green Bay, so I will still get into town at a decent hour, to start work the following day.

Birthday and Ballgame last week

On last Friday I turned 38. In general I don’t really care too much about celebrating my birthday but I like to celebrate other people's. This isn’t because I’m worried about getting older, at least not much more than most. I’m fine with turning 38 and if I say that enough times maybe you will believe me and maybe most importantly I will talk myself into believing that! Now talk to me in two years when I turn 40 and maybe it will be a different story.

One memory I have when I was younger was of my Mom and Dad turning 40. I was 13 at the time and I remember going to Spenser gifts in the Lansing Mall with my Mom and buying my Dad a bunch of over the hill gifts. A coffee mug, balloons, and cards. At that time I thought 40 was really old. Of course in the last several years I have had many friends turn 40 (Bought some of them the same gifts) and now I’m on that doorstep myself.

I had a great day on Friday. I started by waking up in my own bed. I had just gotten back from another week in Green Bay about 1am. I ran over to my parents (a nice 5 minute drive now that I live back in East Lansing.) I saw them and my Grandma for an hour or so. I then spent a lot of the day running around getting caught up on some errands.   

When Diane got out of work she stopped and got us a pizza, cake and ice cream. Diane, Jasmine and I ate, watched movies and took it easy. It was the perfect way to spend my birthday. I heard from people on Facebook I haven’t talked to in along time and called it a night.

Saturday the only thing I had on my schedule was a family photo shoot in Okemos that took about an hour to shoot and a couple hours to edit.

Sunday we were off to the Tiger game. Diane and I picked up our friends Beth and Inna then we were off to meet other friends, Andy, Nicole, Shana, Larry and Ashley at Lafayette Coney a few blocks away from Comerica Park.

We all got some Coneys, then it was time for the game. We got bleacher tickets but for the most part just stood in right field or walked around the Park.

The weather was perfect and the Tigers won, but really the best part about the game was just being with great friends and enjoying a day at the Park.

Back to Green Bay

So a few weeks ago I thought (or had hopes) I was done with Green Bay, but nope here I am again. I have decided I need to have a better attitude about this town. The reason I haven’t enjoyed myself here is simply because I have spent way too much time here. A couple years ago when I switched to this new position with my company I trained here in G.B. and then worked the location for 5 weeks, having about a year break before finding myself covering the location again for several weeks, and that brings me to now. I have been here 5 weeks in the last couple months.

I can usually find something to shoot no matter where I end up, but I have struggled here in G.B. I have talked about this before on my FaceBook Post’s, but I just can’t find anything appealing that I want to capture around here. There is Lambeau Field but when you have been to places like Wrigley (Chicago), ATT Park (San Fran), Madison Square Garden (NYC), or the Boston Garden, it just doesn't compare. It's just a stadium in the middle of a parking lot. At least from the outside, I’m sure when you are there on a game day and see thousands of cheese heads going crazy, it’s a different story.

The drive through Chicago at least breaks up the 7 hour trip. I love the feel of Chicago (My favorite big city), I always have. Right after High School several of my friends moved there, so I spent a lot of my free time doing things like seeing Junior Wells play at a small blues bar on W Armitage called Rosa’s Lounge, listening to Koko Taylor on N Halsted at Kingston Mines and then heading across the street to La Bamba for a burrito as big as your head. Or back in my drinking days head over to O’Malley’s for a little taste of home with some Green and White décor, or head to The Billy Goat for a double-double no fries, no Pepsi, or on this trip stop at Mr. Beef at 666 N Orleans for an Italian Beef combo and some fries. I have been trying to eat healthy as of late but when you know all you have to do is get off at Ohio St and you can have the below photo in your belly, the car just kind of drove itself there!

It was an overcast day so I decided I wasn't going to shot anything in Chicago. I would continue north and stop in Milwaukee. A couple hours later when I arrived it was still overcast, I thought I would drive around to scout out some locations, possibly for another day. I came across a bridge with 2 lighthouses, (image below) you will notice how the sky is gray and there is no depth to the photo, this is a throw away shot, and I knew it when I took it. I was just getting an idea of the area, so next time I'm in Milwaukee and the weather is more appealing, I can get a better image.

On days like this I try to frame out the sky as much as possible. In the first image below I used a longer lens to fill the frame with the bridge and sign, trying to only capture a little bit of the sky in the top right corner. The second and third shots I couldn't help but get a little more of the sky in the frame, but it's not part of the main focal point.

I then ventured over to Marquette University on the other side of town. By then it started to rain, but once again I thought I would scout the area for another day. I capture these few shots.

After Marquette I finished up the couple hour drive to G.B., checked into my room and watched TV for a few hours before calling it a night.

A different kind of road

When naming this Blog series, I thought about how it feels like I'm always on the road. Diane and I were talking about the original name, Travel with John McGraw, but as we were driving through the beautiful state of North Carolina on part of our 8-day adventure, we came up with “The Road to Somewhere”.

This week we moved to East Lansing. I had been living on the south side of Lansing and Diane and her daughter Jasmine were in Eaton Rapids. I grew up in East Lansing and it’s good to be back. That being said it’s not like I was really gone, I have been living in Lansing, so one place was 2 minutes from EL and the other was 20 minutes. The last place like I said was on the south side of town, and most of the things I do are in EL or the east part of Lansing, so I will save a lot of money on gas now that I’m right in this area. Plus my parents still live in EL and my brother and his family moved here about a year ago.

I decided to pay movers this time. Between Diane and my place I didn’t think it would take them that long, but figured it would be worth saving our backs, to spend our energy on getting the place the way we want it. It took them 4 hours, it would have taken us all day if not two, plus plenty of trips back and forth, with the price of renting a truck and gas, it just didn't seem worth it.

As I type this we have about ¾ of the place the way we want it. There are still boxes in the dinning room, with plenty of little things to put away. We have been shopping a couple times to get things you always need when you move but it’s starting to feel like home. It was one of the easiest moves I have ever been a part of, and well worth a few hundred bucks, to be able to enjoy the experience.

I have not been on the road the last couple weeks, and it was a well-needed break. That’s about to end. I have to go back to Green Bay. I was just there for 4 out of 5 weeks before vacation, and was hoping I saw it in my rearview mirror for the last time.  That’s not the case; it looks like I will be there the next two weeks, coming back on weekends. As some of you know I have grown to hate Green Bay. I normally can find things to do in almost every town I go to, but this city really doesn’t have anything for me.

I haven’t checked yet, but I’m going to look at the schedules for the Cubs and Brewers to see if maybe one of them are in town as I drive back and forth, possibly catch a game and take some photos. This will help break up the boredom of the same old road. So let’s see where this road takes me…