Happy 4th!

Katy and Curtis

He came home on leave in April. She said to a friend she couldn't bare it if he left and she wouldn't know if he was hers forever, so when Curtis proposed two days later, it was a surprise to noone when she said "YES!". I shot their engagement pictures the same week, just hours before he returned to North Carolina. Katy planned a summer wedding and waited for her hero to return home to say "I Do." They exchanged vows, rings, and hearts on July 6th under the evening sun and then danced beneath stars.

more of katy and curtis

more favourites

Jerrod and Cheney

So, this is Jerrod. He is one of my favorite kiddos from AHS. I was his Engish teacher for five years in arow. (Small school!) Jerrod, who is a computer genius recently came over and spent some quality time with my new computer, so as payment for his skills, I offered up my photography skills to he and his new fiance. We went to Lendenwood Gardens in Grove (quickly becoming one of my favorite places to shoot) and I shot several pics of the smitten couple. They have scheduled their wedding for next June.

more of Jerrod and Cheney

a few more

worthwhile event

I am a regular reader of jessica claire's blog. www.jessicaclaire.net She posted about a trip she will be taking with a few other photographers next year to Africa. Please read about it here and consider donating!
www.throughtheireyesafrica.typepad.com

South main flooding

Mom, Dale, and I went to south main street on Wednesday evening. Mom saw the fire chief, Ronnie Cline, so we talked to him for a bit. This is Nott's grocery: home of the best deli sandwitch around. I used to run over here on my lunch break about once a week and get a fantastic ham and cheese sandwitch. If you're thinking, "Big deal, what's so great about a sandwitch?" Well, you have not had a Nott's...
They built a 4 foot wall with plyboard and several hundred sandbags, but sadly
the 29.24 ft rise in the water proved to be too much.
In this view I included the south main fire station. According to a city councilman, the station escaped the water in 1986. Unfortunatly, this time there was about a foot of water standing in it. Luckily, several days ago, the firemen moved all the trucks to the station on the north end of town.
Standing in the same location as the previous two pics, I turned to the right and saw water flowing over the railroad bridge. It had been twenty hours since the water crested; I could hardly fathom water where there is usually a 25-30 foot space between the bridge and river.
Somewhere several feet below that water is the road that runs from south main and curves around to the Neosho E street bridge. I couldn't get close enough to the bridge to get a shot of it, but Ronnie Cline said that earlier in the day, he along with a young reporter and a fishing guide navigated a boat upto the bridge. The guide, (I didn't get his name) told the reporter, "This is a once in a lifetime occurance. Reach up and touch the bridge." The water was only four feet below the bridge at that point! Unbelievable amounts of water. So many families affected.

more flood pictures

July 4th my mom, my friend Dale, and I went to take some more pictures of this overwhelming event in my hometown. Mom wanted to see if her office building survived and I was curious to see if my friends' home was somewhat visible again. We stayed out of the way of any government officals we saw, and I quickly snapped some photos. This first one is of the Dawg mart and laundry mat on central by the college.
Here is an astonishing view of the Townsman motel and restaruant. By this time, the water had already dropped a foot.
Okie burger on Steve Owens Bvld.
A long look east down Steve Owens Bvld. On the left, Immanuel Baptist. On the right, the Townsman.

flooding at NEO

Various buildings at the campus in Miami where my mom works. The Health Science
building is full of water. It is in the old gym and is slowly making its way down the street
that divides the campus.


This is the new SAC. People were filling sand bags to try to save this beautiful new building, but after this evening, I don't know if the water was held at bay.

NEO stadium

flooding in miami oklahoma

My home town of Miami, Oklahoma had flooded this week. The water has not been this high in Miami since 1951. I have lived in this town my entire 32 years and am having a hard time processing all that has transpired the last 36 hours. The water has been high three times before: 1984, 1986, and 1993. 1986, by far, was the worst one. My childhood home (which my parents no longer own), at the intersection of K and 1st N.W., went underwater all three times. This year, my parents' home, in what we thought was a safe location, is threatened. These first three shots were taken standing in my mom's front yard looking west towards the river. Normally, there is no water visible from my mom and dad's house. They live about 3/4 mile due east of the river, but there has never been a serious threat to their home before today. They are second from the corner. Their neighbors who do live on the corner were told by the mayor, city planner, and a city councilman this morning to prepare to evacuate. The water would reach their home.
In the past 36 hours, I have spent 5 hours helping a dear friend move out of her home. Today
we waded water to get to the back side of her home that is now several feet under water. (See the next set of photos). This morning, mom called with the news their garage and home may flood. I called my friend who I helped yesterday, and she came to pick me up and we headed to my parents' house. As I was waiting, I found out that my other friend, Gregg, and his new wife were having to evac from their house across the street from the college. Again, noone has seen water like this in over 55 years. When Jenn and I approached my mom's house, I was stunned and speechless at the amount of water on her road. When we pulled into the drive, Mom said she
wanted us to go next door and help the family on the
corner. Jenn and I helped tape plastic
tarps and stack bricks along the west side of their
home. Traffic was very heavy for our street. Lots
of curious sightseers, and people even got out to fish. Seriously! People were fishing in front of my parents house.... After an hour of moving things out of Mom's garage, Mom decided she was done. Jenn and I went to help Gregg and Linsey. Water was coming in their living room while we (and fifteen other people) were moving things out the back door into the alley. Once Jenn and I finished there, we met mom at her office at Copen Hall @ NEO. Buildings at NEO were under and Jenn and I just needed a physical and mental break. We walked around campus and took several shots. So much freakin water! Such an overwhlming day. I am so proud of Jennifer. She knows her home is full of water. She
knows she and her husband will have to spend thousands of dollars and countless hours of their own time repairing their own home, but she was still out there today helping whoever needed it.

Jenn and her house

Jenn and I made it back to her house about 3:30 this afternoon. We had already been in the water helping Gregg ang Linsey move, so we figured we weren't really risking anything by wading to get within eyeshot of the back of Jenn's house. The building closest is James' shop. The house is behind that and the water was almost upto the windows, and at this point, only the poles of their son's trampoline was showing.