Third week of September

My favorite time of the year? NOW! It is Walnut Valley Festival time, two weeks of heaven in Winfield, Kansas, USA.....If you have not been, go. If you have been, you probably are going. Goodbye.

I do!

After testing the wedding photography waters last summer, my good pal Steve Rasmussen and I have started shooting some weddings together. The last wedding we did a few weeks ago was our first of the year. Why weddings? Why not? Happy day, happy people, happy photos! We decided to set a goal of six weddings for the year, we just booked our ninth and one is in Michigan and the phone is still ringing! Steve and I work well together and our photojournalistic style seems to work well for the clients, just tell the story of the day.....fun. 

Mark McCormick, Wichita Eagle columnist

You my friend will be missed. It has been an honor to work with you all of these years. Good luck in your new job, the museum is getting a keeper.

I'm 18 and I like it!

           I think this was our 1999 Christmas card.

Miss Erin Elizabeth Tuttle turns 18 on Saturday! Congrats Erin, but can someone please tell me where the heck all of those years went? I remember the day she was born, it was as happy as I have ever been. She still makes me smile, I know when she leaves for college in a few months I will cry, but my kid is o.k. and she is ready to make her own way in this world.  She is a good girl and her mom and pops are proud as shit to have her for a daughter....Happy birthday kiddo.

AND

Mr. Zachary Paul Tuttle turns 14 on Sunday. You now know why my wife and I do not take vacations together in July anymore....you do the math. Zach's feet are the same size as mine and his voice, at times, is a bit lower than mine. He is growing so fast. Zach took a little bit of effort to get him here, we almost lost him early in the process. Laura spent many months in a chair and he arrived on time and healthy. He was worth the effort, he is also a good kid and knows how to play his mom for brownies like a veteran! Happy birthday Zach.

Wichita Eagle

My newspaper just had another round of lay offs yesterday and the rest of us took a pay cut, bummer. I just wish we could start over. I hate it that some of my dear friends and co-workers are having to deal with this, but I feel horrible for my bosses that have to deliver the bad news to us. I do not imagine they got into this business to fire folks. Pray for us, I still think a society without a newspaper is a society that is missing out. 

Rocky Mountain News

Not good. A good newspaper is gone and some fine folks are out of work.

WSU baseball

Kind of a cool week so far....I did a video piece on the 20th anniversary of WSU winning the national championship. I loved talking to the coaches and it brings back tons of great memories covering that team. I have my baseball beat back after a three lay off and I am excited about it. I learned sports photography shooting WSU in the very beginning of their great program....The coolest part of the story this week was getting to hold the NC trophy. I had not seen it since the day they won it. I was 28 years-old!!!! Go Shox!!!!

The darkroom is a storage closet

Shit. I was sitting with one of the Kansas State Collegian photographers at the game today and I ask her what they used the old basement darkroom for these days. She said she thought it was used as storage. What!??!! Are you freaking kidding me. I spent 90 percent of my college career in that darkroom. She did tell me that my name was still on the ceiling of the newsroom...nice consolation prize, but that darkroom was and is sacred ground to many of us. I guess I am upset....dreams were printed in that room.

Music, music, music

What a great weekend. The Artichoke on Saturday night for Back Porch Buddah (Mr. Masters, you are a fine song writer) and Peter Gaskamp and Eric Nelson played a duo set. Dennis Hardin played mandolin for the two on several songs, what a treat. My brother and sister-in-law joined us and we ended the evening at Michaels' new donut shop, The Donut Whole.

Sunday night sent me north to Kirby's to see my friend Nikki play, she rocks. My buddy Raz came with me to shoot some pics of Nikki in action...it was a good time. Tried a bottle of the Boulevard Irish Ale, yummy.

Tough times for some of us right now, my friends are my saviors, the advice is sacred and I appreciate it very much. Failure is not an option.