Recent Work (08/21/13)

Alright, prepare yourself for a HUGE post.

The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy.

I moved again.

So, after a month of working in Emporia, Kan., I was offered a job at the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D. It's half the distance away from home and in a much larger city. Win-win in my book.

The last few weeks have been full of moving, looking for apartments, starting a new job, and spending a little time with family.

This post is super full of photos, though.

I've got photos from my first week at the Argus, my last couple days in Emporia, and some photos from Bemidji.

Enjoy, it's a full one.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | SDSU's #6 Austin Sumner talks with his team during a practice outside Caughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings, S.D., Friday, Aug. 16, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | From left, William Raether, 6, Joshua Raether, 6, and Ben Raether, 12, look on as Telkamp House Moving moves a house down Minnesota Avenue just south of 69th Street in Sioux Falls Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | USD coach Joe Glenn talks with his team after a practice at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | USD's #6 Terrance Terry runs across the field while participating in a drill during a practice at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | Sioux Falls Canaries' #14 Marcos Rodriguez is forced out at second base by Fargo-Moorhead's Zach Penprase during a game at Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | O'Gorman football players run through a drill during a practice at McEneaney Field outside O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls Monday, Aug. 19, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | Caden Muller, 7, of Sioux Falls, fills his desk with his school supplies in Kelsey Remund's first grade classroom during an open house at Oscar Howe Elementary School in Sioux Falls Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. The open house gives students an opportunity to put their school supplies away so they are more prepared for the first day of classes, explained Larry Larson, the school's principal.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | From left, Konnie Hosie, Jewel Pantoja, 4, and Mark Jageuar Jr., 5, all of Sioux Falls, float down the Lazy River at the Drake Springs Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls Monday, Aug. 19, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | Matthew Regnier, Bistro manager at Pomegranate Bistro, sprinkles gray salt and pepper on a piece of grass fed beef in the Pomegranate Bistro kitchen at the Pomegranate Market in Sioux Falls Monday, Aug. 12, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | USD's #7 Josh Vander Maten looks on during a practice at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013.

Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader | Washington's #17 Jared Gully, left, and #19 Ty Smith run through a drill during a practice at Washington High School in Sioux Falls Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013.

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

©Joe Ahlquist

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Joyce Thierer, a history professor at Emporia State University, listens during a public forum regarding the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an initiative to establish standards in reading and math on a national scale, on Saturday, July 27, 2013, at the Community Center in Admire, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Anglers fish in a swollen Cottonwood River Tuesday, July 30, 2013, from Soden's Grove Bridge in Emporia, Kan., after a night of heavy rains in the area.

Summer Camp

When I was younger I never went to Summer Camp.

I'm not bummed about it or anything like that. I lived outside of town, and we had horses, kittens, we played in the woods all day, I had a BB gun to shoot cans with, and a number of other things to do. So my brother, my friends and I were always busy.

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Camp Wood YMCA for a Saturday package at the Gazette. It was my first experience at Summer Camp.

It was pretty much exactly how I imagined.

There was a lake, complete with a water slide and a beach. Kids fished, participated in team-building exercises, fished, swam, climbed The Tower, and played games.

It looked like a pretty good time.

That being said, growing up in the woods in northern Minnesota, playing with friends, going to the beach, fishing, and whatever else we got ourselves into couldn't have been a better way to grow up.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Josh Creel, 10, of Fort Leavenworth, Kan., makes a cast while fishing Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tyler Blochlinger, 13, of Kipp, Kan., climbs The Tower Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Micah Smith, 12, of Springfield, Mass., makes a sand angel on the beach Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Ben Dill, 13, of Emporia, Kan., jumps off of a raft while swimming Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Isabel Tiller, 12, Baldwin City, Kan., climbs The Tower Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Campers check in with their buddies at the beach as a part of a safety check Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | People play Ga-Ga ball, where your objective is to hit your opponent below the knees with a ball in order to take them out of the game, Thursday afternoon, July 18, 2013, at Camp Wood YMCA in Chase County, Kan.

Recent Work (7/17/13)

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post.

The last couple of weeks have found me doing all kinds of assignments.

I flew around with a teenager trying to get his pilots license. I spent part of an afternoon covering the PDGA Amateur & Junior Disc Golf World Championships. Hung out with some kids and robots. Covered Emporia's first-ever Twinkies Festival. And that's just to name a few.

Oh, and I also happened upon a family on a cross-country road trip while feature hunting.

I'll keep my comments to a minimum up here and let you just enjoy some photos.

Here are some of my favorites from the last couple of weeks. Thanks for looking.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Ruth Miller, a personal trainer, works with a client Tuesday, July 2, 2013, at Emporia Fitness.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tucker Lee, 16, of Emporia, goes through his pre-flight routine, before taking off in a Cherokee 180 with instructor, Dan Dewald Wednesday, July 3, 2013, from Coffey County Airport.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tucker Lee, 16, of Emporia, flies a Cherokee 180 with instructor, Dan Dewald Wednesday, July 3, 2013, after taking off from Coffey County Airport.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tucker Lee, 16, of Emporia, goes through his pre-flight routine, before taking off in a Cherokee 180 with instrucor, Dan Dewald Wednesday, July 3, 2013, from Coffey County Airport.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tucker Lee, 16, of Emporia, flies a Cherokee 180 with instrucor, Dan Dewald over Melvern Lake Wednesday, July 3, 2013, after taking off from Coffey County Airport.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tucker Lee, 16, of Emporia, goes through his pre-flight routine, before taking off in a Cherokee 180 with instructor, Dan Dewald Wednesday, July 3, 2013, from Coffey County Airport.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Drew Cook, from left, Becky Cook, Leah Cook, 12, and Madlyn Cook, 9, all of Willow Spring, N.C., eat lunch Monday, July 8, 2013, at Do-B's in Emporia, Kan. The Cooks are part-way through a cross-country road trip starting in Willow Spring, N.C., and ending at the Grand Canyon, Drew said. They chose to eat lunch at Do-B's after doing a Google search for places to eat, Drew explained, and they thought they would take a chance and try Do-B's. 

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Larry Grossman, of Tarpon Springs, Fla., winds up for a throw at Jones Park Thursday, July 4, 2013, while playing a practice round for the upcoming 2013 PDGA Amateur & Junior Disc Golf World Championships.

 Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Brad Ramsay, of Lincoln, Neb., putts on the first hole of the Emporia Municipal Golf Course's disc golf course Wednesday, July 10, 2013, during the PDGA Amateur & Junior Disc Golf World Championships.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | From left, Dave Wehrenberg, of Roxboro, N.C., Billy Swanson, of Tulsa, Okla., Brad Ramsay, of Lincoln, Neb., and Kevin Ellis, of Oklahoma City, Okla., discuss strategy before playing the third hole of the Emporia Municipal Golf Course's disc golf course Wednesday, July 10, 2013, during the PDGA Amateur & Junior Disc Golf World Championships.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Rick Carson, of Emporia, plays the piano Thursday night, July 11, 2013, Emporia Main Street's Midnight Madness.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Noah Ray, 12, of Emporia, (left) reacts after placing second in his heat of a Twinkie eating contest Monday, July 15, 2013, during the first ever Twinkies Festival outside the Flinthills Mall.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Zander Keosybounheuang, 7, of Emporia, participates in a Twinkie eating contest Monday, July 15, 2013, during the first ever Twinkies Festival outside the Flinthills Mall.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Olivia Tuttle, 7, of Emporia, raises her hands after completing her heat of a Twinkie eating contest in first place Monday, July 15, 2013, during the first ever Twinkies Festival outside the Flinthills Mall.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Chris Magnuson, of Wichita, receives a deep-fried Twinkie at the Little Red Caboose Funnel Cake stand Monday, July 15, 2013, during the first ever Twinkies Festival outside the Flinthills Mall.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Thayne Schmidt, 7, of Olpe, uses a remote-controlled robot to pick up aluminum foil "Mercury rocks" Tuesday, July 16, 2013, during the Mining Robots event put on by the Emporia State University Elementary Science Education students at the Emporia Public Library.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Cooper Legako, 4, of Emporia, peaks through a window to see the DEPCO LLC's autonomic robot named NAO Tuesday, July 16, 2013, during the Mining Robots event put on by the Emporia State University Elementary Science Education students at the Emporia Public Library.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | DEPCO LLC's autonomic robot named NAO Tuesday, July 16, 2013, during the Mining Robots event put on by the Emporia State University Elementary Science Education students at the Emporia Public Library.

Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk

I was going to post some of these photos in the new post below, but I decided that they deserved their own post. So, here you go.  On Saturday morning, June 29, I had the opportunity to cover the Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraiser event in Reading, Kan. The event started as a fundraiser to rebuild the town's city park after a tornado devastated the town in 2011, and it's turned into a fundraiser benefiting the whole town. The event has a "Wizard of Oz" theme to the whole thing, so a number of people were dressed in "Wizard of Oz" costumes. It was a fun and refreshing morning being outside in the beautiful weather. Here are some of my favorites from the day.  Thanks for looking.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Dressed as the "wicked witch of the west" Kimberly Smith, of Americus, Kan., waits for the start of the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event to begin Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan. The Tornado Trot started as a fundraising event to restore Reading City Park, but has grown to include fundraising for restoration projects around the town, explained Nancy Standiferd, co director of the event. All proceeds from the "There's No Place Like Home" themed event go toward Reading community development.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Racers participate in the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Asher Delmott, of Emporia, Kan., approaches the finish line during the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan. Delmott went on to finish the race in first place with a time of 16 minutes and 32 seconds.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Corrie Hawthorne, 18, of North Lyon County, Kan., walks off stage after accepting her "bravest lion" award after the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Racers mingle near the starting line prior to the running of the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Racers participate in the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Erin Lewis, 16, center left, and Corrie Hawthorne, 18, center right, cheer on race participants during the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Race participants are handed water by the Reading Girl Scout Troop No. 30255 during the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Tyler Tilton, of Emporia, Kan., approaches the finish line during the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan. Tilton placed second during the race with a time of 17 minutes and 50 seconds.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Boglarka Davies, of Reading, Kan., approaches the finish line during the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan. Davies was the first female finisher in the race with a time of 19 minutes and 21 seconds.

Joe Ahlquist/Gazette | Kimperly Smith, of Americus, Kan., poses for a portrait with her dog Heidi while dressed up in their costumes as the "wicked witch of the west" and a "flying monkey" after Smith ran in the third annual Tornado Trot 5K Run/Walk fundraising event Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Reading, Kan.