ICE STORM '09: It kills assignments

Today the ice storm (which has now mostly melted away) canceled two of my three assignments.

Therefore priority number one became chasing down some wild art. I went to the Scull Creek Trail and found a jogger having to duck under fallen tree limbs to continue along the trail.

After that, I spent some time with the UA women's tennis team during their indoor match against Oregon. This is some TOUGH light in this facility.

ICE STORM '09: It strikes again

I know what you're thinking: Jason, you don't work on Thursdays.

Not only did our storm take away my power, but it also took away one of my days off.

I'm not really complaining. It's not like I have a tough job anywhoo. And I only worked a half day.

I went to Har-Ber High School in Springdale where the American Red Cross had converted their auxiliary gym to an emergency shelter. And I hung out with this family pictured for a while.

Oh, and on a positive note, my power has returned. Here's hoping it stays.

ICE STORM '09: The Saga Continues

Well our ice storm continued today with the addition of snow over the night last night. So all our ice got snow packed on top. Here's a little sampling of my take from the day.

ICE STORM '09

Well, we got hit with an ice storm starting last night and killing the area throughout the day. It knocked out the power at my apartment so I'm posting this blog update from the Fayetteville Courtyard Marriott. Had to have a heated night's sleep and a shower.

Packing in three days worth of photos

So here's a quick rundown of the last three days of work.

Saturday: This was a BUSY day of shooting. I started off outside the UA football stadium where Razorback athletes were loading boxes of Tyson Foods products into vehicles for various hunger relief agencies based in NWA.

After that I went over to the Fayetteville Public Library for their annual Chinese New Year event. During the event, however, they decided to unveil their new -- currently unnamed -- dragon mascot.

Then it was back to campus where a group called Dance Coalition was hosting a dance clinic inside the HPER Building.

Finished off the day with the Razorback Invitational indoor track meet.

Sunday: I spent most of the day looking everywhere for some enterprise art. Finally had to bail to shoot my only assignment -- indoor women's tennis. The Razorbacks' top doubles team is ranked 8th nationally and I needed to shoot them playing Tulsa. Unfortunately, my hopes for having happy tennis players winning was buried in the net when they lost in a tie-breaker.

I was able to pull some enterprise by finding this mother/daughter scooting and walking along a sidewalk at Walker Park in Fayetteville.

Monday: We had some icy weather move in to the region, so I began at the Springdale Public Works to get the dirt trucks being loaded for action.

I went from there to the Springdale Public Library to gather some enterprise art.

Finally, I got word of Fayetteville Public Schools dismissing their students early due to the inclement weather, so I hurried over to Owl Creek School to get the ever-so-popular generic shots of students loading onto the buses for early dismissal.

Full day to end the week

My week ended with a full day of shooting.

I started off the morning at the Fayetteville solid waste and recycling center to shoot a story about their recycling program.

From there, I went over to the Washington County household hazardous waste recycling facility where they're offering free electronics drop-offs for the month of January. Normally it's $5 per item.

After that, I went over to the Fayetteville Senior Center to enterprise when I found some kids from Fayetteville HS playing on the Wii with the old folks. I'm still amazed at how that gaming console transcends the generations.

I went home for lunch after that only to be called out to a rollover MVA on I-540 right next to my apartment. Got there to find a 1966 Austin Mini. For the auto enthusiasts, you know this is a vehicle you really don't see very often, especially in the U.S.

And I finished my day with a portrait of a lady who is hosting a wine-tasting event next month at her Fayetteville home.

MLK Day

Started off the morning at Shiloh Christian School (or First Baptist Church of Springdale). The football players were handing out boxes of food and personal hygiene items to 400 chosen needy families as part of the National Day of Service.

Following that, I joined up with the group in the Walton Arts Center parking lot for their annual march to the UA campus for Martin Luther King Jr Day. After completing the walk which finished at the Arkansas Union on the Fayetteville campus, they held a program.

Women's Basketball: It's FAN-tastic!

I joined the 6 fans today at the women's basketball game as UA hosted Auburn.

Bouncing around Washington County

I spent all of the day in Washington County in Fayetteville and Springdale.

Started off the day at the Fayetteville Head Start Center where local service organizations helped sort the children's books in the library.

Following that, I headed over to the Shiloh Museum where they were hosting their grand re-opening after being closed for several months to replace the roof.

And finally, I went over to the Jones Center where they held their fifth annual "It's Great to Skate" event.

Bald Eagles

I spent most of yesterday afternoon on a boat with a member of the US Army Corps of Engineers out on Beaver Lake chasing bald eagles. This was one of the best assignments I've ever had. I've never actually seen a bald eagle in the wild before this.

Now THOSE are some pants

Started off the day at Owl Creek School where Subway's Jared Fogle came to talk to the students about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

After that, I found a little enterprise by spotting City of Fayetteville employees taking down the signs marking Honorary MLK Blvd. The city will hold a dedication ceremony on Thursday to officially change Sixth Street to Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

And finally, I had a portrait with a lady inside Baum Stadium where the Razorbacks play baseball.