Woodstock Harley-Davidson Veterans Memorial Documentary Promo, Ahoj Productions

Flags, mounted on the back of a motorcycle, in front of the Woodstock Harley-Davidson Veterans Memorial.

I recently attended a reunion of sorts – a very small gathering of some high school friends. We were all catching up on what we had been doing over the last *ahem* several years.

I was in awe of some of the things my classmates had been doing – and how their lives had changed (and somehow remained the same) since high school.

When I shared what I’d been working on, it would seem that perhaps my classmates wouldn’t have  put my name under the "most likely to write about and photograph veterans and motorcycles" category in our yearbook.

It’s true. This career path I’ve chosen isn’t where I thought I would have been 20 years ago, but it feels like home. It feels like I am just where I am supposed to be.

Veterans hold a dear spot in my heart. Perhaps I didn’t know that 20 years ago, but they do. I’m so thankful for all they do and all that they have done. I’ve been blessed to get to know quite a few of them.

Many of these veterans ride motorcycles. It seems that there is an unspoken bond between the veteran and the freedom of the wide-open road. It does not go unnoticed that there is grave danger in both – and a veteran friend whom I respected a great deal recently was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident – but I respect the desire of veterans to find a place where they belong after years of military service. That place seems to often be found with Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Harley-Davidson is a strong supporter of the military. Whether modifying and providing motorcycles for military use or storing motorcycles of the deployed, Harley-Davidson walks the walk with those who serve.

Veterans often seek out a sense of belonging – a desire to bond with people who truly understand them. Motorcycle clubs often provide that camaraderie veterans crave. In a military motorcycle club, veterans know their MC brothers and sisters have their six. They swap stories of boot camp and relate memories that only those who've had similar experiences can share. The bond amongst veterans and particularly amongst veterans who ride is intense.

I am not a rider myself, but so many of these veteran riders have welcomed me into their fold and granted me interviews and shared their stories. Many of them feel like family to me.

I am proud to be working alongside Steve Firak of Ahoj Productions on a documentary about the first veteran memorial to stand on Harley-Davidson dealership grounds. Vietnam veteran and U.S. Marine Cpl. Timothy J. Crabb is not only the designer of the monument, but also the impetus for the project. He, along with Woodstock Harley-Davidson part-owner Doug Jackson, set the idea in motion and today an immense garrison flag flies high over a sea of bricks with the names of those who have served surrounding a monument that acknowledges the great sacrifices of all of our military.

Timothy’s passion is to honor veterans. Some of Steve’s many passions (and God-given talents) is film, voiceover and composing – all of which he did in this promo video. I am honored that he asked me to help work the script and feel even more blessed to be able to be a part of commemorating the stories of those whose names are engraved on the bricks at Woodstock Harley-Davidson. The slogan Timothy chose is: It’s not just a brick. It’s a story.

Every brick tells a story – but so do the people behind the bricks: the friends and family members who honor servicemen and women, the people who purchase bricks for strangers – each of these people have a story, too. As a writer, I embrace the stories told to me and soak in the importance of these memories. 

I love to capture other people's stories. And Steve is the person you want in your corner filming these stories.

To view the promo video, please click here.

A veteran and biker let me photograph his flags in front of the monument.

That's My Brick marks each brick with a fused glass layer, permanently bonded to the brick. 

Tools left during an installation break.

Steve where you can always find him ... behind the camera.

An image taken during the unveiling of the monument and the dedication of the memorial.

Raising the garrison flag over the memorial during the dedication.

Little House on *Our* Prairie

Fall is crazy for me – I’m generally busy with photo shoots, birthday celebrations, work, homeschooling, well visits, dental appointments, eye doctor appointments, etc.

I have a lot to catch up on -- and there is a promise of more blogposts soon, but I thought I’d take a moment to blog our Little House homeschool day birthday party.

My girls love Little House on the Prairie. They love to dress up. They love to visit re-enactment days and pioneer-themed establishments. They love to do school on slates and carry lunch in pails.

After a recent trip to Old World Wisconsin sealed the deal, we decided on a Little House themed day, and then we gathered our supplies and our crew:

Making sugar cookie dough.

First, my friend (I wish she had a website) make me these printed cookie toppers to put on our sugar cookies – and the girls got to work: baking, making icing, frosting and decorating. Thank you, Katie, for making me look like a baking professional!

Rolling these out was super easy!

My incredibly talented friend printed off these toppers for our cookies! Sooooooo adorable. She made me look like a professional!

Second, my girls really were the driving force behind the day here…. They did some Pinterest research and then we set to work. Planning a rustic-themed party for kids sounds easy ... but, in our modern-day world, it is harder than one might expect to be authentic. We did, however, pull together some fun activities and I think the girls had a wonderful time time playing with friends. 

We welcomed our guests with a make-your-own-doll craft -- a piece of cloth and yarn were the only things we needed.

The students took their pennies to Oleson's Mercantile to purchase slates and slate pencils.

Using their purchased slates, the schoolchildren did some copywork out of replica McGuffey's readers!

We are Little House Fans ~ we read a picture book in class.

  

The embroidery station -- everyone could use some needles and embroidery thread to work on embroidery hoops filled with taut linen.  

Of course, there was food! The girls wanted tin plates ... but we were able to find silver paper plates, red-and-white checked paper napkins AND red and white paper straws!

Little House cookies in a little personalized tin pail.

The washing station ~ wash tub, washboard and drying line!

And, some of the kiddos dressed up, which makes pictures just that much more fun.

Luckily there was a break in the drizzle and we could wash and hang the laundry.

I think it was a hit.

And just look at this!!!!! 

Our crew, minus the cute little one in the overalls ... not sure how we missed that one here!

Happy Little House moments ... memories to last forever.

What I Learned From the Total Eclipse

Our grassmates from the U.S. Virgin Islands took a nice picture of us as we awaited complete totality.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE TOTAL ECLIPSE

My astronomer husband has planned this trip for a loooooong time. A looooong time. Several years in fact. He’s taken seminars on how to capture the eclipse. He’s gone through practice runs. We packed up the kids for a long trip to Carbondale, a short stay, and a lot of photography – after all, the total eclipse is nothing short of miraculous, and we were going to get to the path of totality, no matter what.

After consulting with a meteorologist and claiming a place of grass for our telescope base and cameras (with approved filters, of course), we relaxed a bit and waited.  It was oppressively hot, so I took the kids inside to swim with some girls that they had met. At the right time, we went outside. We watched the progression of the eclipse in various ways – a couple of times we looked through a Coronado solar telescope courtesy of our grassmates from the Virgin Islands. We stood in awe of the eclipse through our own solar glasses. We watched it appear through a pinhole projector. We tried a Ritz cracker – and a couple from Door County brought a Pringles can projector. It was exciting.

And then we waited for totality….

And then a giant cloud came up rapidly to cover our view – for the entirety of totality. There were collective gasps, some tears and a lot of disbelief that those who had traveled so far, prepared so much and waited patiently for the corona would not see it. So, no photos of totality here, but, our kids did get to experience totality – the eerie darkness, the birds chirping, a dark shadow cast over the earth during midday, the glorious 360-degree sunrise and sunset bathing the entire city as far as the eye could see. It was amazing ~ I get chills just thinking about what we were able to experience with all of our senses.

With all of nature’s beauty on display, I was sorely disappointed that we did not come away with any totality photos, but I did come away with a lesson.

As a photographer, I am always experiencing life through the lens – always. I bring my camera everywhere. I’ve been known to leave places just to get my camera  ~ and, more often than not, I don’t leave home without it.

But in the path of totality, God gave me no photography opportunity. He forced me to experience the ephemeral moment with all of my senses – and not just behind the camera lens. I have only my experience to prove that I was there. He firmly demonstrated that He is in control – and I am not.

But He also gave me the opportunity to witness the beauty of humanity.

Despite the heavy sorrow amongst the crowd that was under that one cloud in Carbondale, everyone we met – whether the hotel staff, locals or visitors from Denmark, Japan, the U.S. Virgin Islands, New York, Chicago or Michigan – everyone was so nice. It was not the chaos I had anticipated. Even those who had gone to other locations and returned with amazing photographs were genuinely sorry that others had missed it. From the fun and friendly owners of Top Notch Tees who sold eclipse shirts (and then drove back to deliver our girls' shirts the next day) to the waitstaff at Manny's who brewed me fresh iced tea just because, we were touched by the kindness of those around us. 

There was sadness, of course, but the gift we gave our children was to be able to experience an incredibly brief moment in time and allow science to mesmerize them. And we were given a gift in return. As a family, we made what I hope will be lifelong friends in the meantime.  Yes, eclipse chasing at its finest came when our girls’ path crossed with the girls of another family who had traveled with parents and grandparents for this long-awaited total eclipse. Together we endured the heat, got our children excited about the once-in-a-lifetime event, prepared our gear to capture the moment and together we experienced totality in a way we didn’t expect. I couldn’t have imagined that we’d find people who were so genuinely kind and who made us feel as though we’d known them forever.

If we had to miss complete totality, I’m so thankful we missed it with so many truly gracious and kind people.

Here’s to 2024, fellow eclipse-chasers!

Shadows in the shape of crescents during the eclipse

My astrophotographer husband was excited to be surrounded by other astronomers and photographers from around the world, capturing this incredible moment.

The moon is quickly overtaking the sun ... but the cloud was quicker ~ this is the last image we have before the only cloud in Carbondale (and it was a big one) closed in on our view. 

The streets of Carbondale at 1:20 p.m., just as the darkness surrounded us and the streetlights went on!

Well, we knew the Diamond Ring and Bailey's Beads were hidden from our cameras by the giant cloud, so we captured ourselves in the midday darkness.

Family-owned Top Notch Tees came around to sell eclipse shirts, which was great because once we had the perfect parking space, we didn’t move our car for 24 hours! They were friendly and so sweet. They went above-and-beyond by coming back to deliver shirts in my girls’ sizes – on the day of the eclipse. Check them out if you need custom-made gear!

Best Western Saluki Inn was amazing! All of my expectations were exceeded – the room was clean and comfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful. The breakfast was lovely, too.

Wakeboarder Isaac Herrera and The Quarry Cable Park and Grille

Have you ever been to a wakeboard park? I never had … in fact, I wasn’t really even aware of this gem in my own backyard.

The Quarry Cable Park and Grille, 5517 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake, is one of the few cable wake parks in our state and has stirred up quite a bit of interest in the sport.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I interviewed 18-year-old Isaac Herrera for our local paper. He had earned a spot to compete for The Quarry in the World Wake Association Wake Park National Championship in Waco, Texas.

The Quarry opened only a year ago, so the German-engineered, full-size cable system has seen novices grow into competitive riders in a relatively short amount of time.

Herrera is one of them. He said that the skills he already possessed as an experienced snowboarder were easily transferable to wakeboarding, which made riding the waves an excellent offseason alternative.

Little did he know that after trying cable wakeboarding last year at a friend’s suggestion he eventually would go on to work for The Quarry, practice fiercely and compete even more intensely.

His dedication paid off and this weekend, after placing in the top three positions over three local competitions, Herrera will have an opportunity to showcase his tricks at the national level.

While he said he is excited just to be able to go to Texas, he also said that he was thrilled to see his friends and teammates compete as well as watch The Quarry professional Timmy Burnier complete his runs as well.

Quarry co-owner Pat McGinnis said he has seen a marked improvement in Herrera’s riding skills over the last year, and insisted Herrera and the rest of the team going to the National Championships were dedicated workers and riders of whom he was extremely proud.

I was able to capture Herrera showing off some serious skills on the water last week. He made the tricks look effortless, but the clean execution belied the grit and athleticism required to land the maneuvers.

Besides his wakeboarding acumen, Herrera was a genuinely humble young man who deflected attention from himself and praised everyone who supported him and encouraged him.

Here is a link to The Woodstock Independent article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2g9VzzTGAY8amhXTVVfcnk4cmc/view?usp=sharing

Good luck, Isaac!