friend and fellow

Friday was Marc's last day at the Post-Dispatch. He's from Malaysia and spent five months as an Alfred Friendly Fellow in St. Louis. Though we were raised on opposite sides of the world, it didn't take us long to realize how much we had in common. Thanks for the vindaloo, dirty jokes, smelly shrimp paste turned nasi lemak, Tamil version of Three Blind Mice, mojito deluxe and Bland Drive, just to name a few of the many great memories. See you in KL.

Check out his photo book.

day 3

I don't think I've ever met a child so young. She was so light in my arms that I had to look down to make sure she was still there. I could feel her tiny heartbeat and body heat in my lap more than her weight. Looking at her I couldn't help but think life – or at very least how we come into it - is a wondrous thing.

Welcome to the world, Gabi.

mjw

MJW underway. Good eats this weekend, thanks to guest chefs Gary and Huy.

streets of sand

Puerto Villamil, Isabela, Galápagos Islands

I ♥ streets así. It's as if your feet never leave the beach.

la mitad del mundo

The tourist's equator | The "real" equator

Ever felt like you were standing in two worlds a la vez? I sure have.

isabela wildlife

Sea lion


Galápagos penguins


Sally Lightfoot crab

We went for a little wildlife cruise one day off the island of Isabela in the Galápagos. It's so fascinating to see penguins on the equator - and a little surreal. One of my favorite wildlife stories was that of the Sally Lightfoot crab. The crab walks beautifully, on its toes. The crab's name is said to have been inspired by a nightclub dancer in Guayaquil that attracted sailors with her equally eloquent moves.

hot dogs and baked beans

Or not...! Instead we had yummy olives, artichokes and steaks. And they call this camping? Did I mention the roasted carrots, garlic and onions? Or the grilled apple stuffed with graham crackers, butter and cinnamon? I'll never eat a hot dog again, unless, of course, I'm on Maxwell Street.

two sides

There are two sides to every leaf, two sides to most political debates and at least two sides to most stories.

For the leaf, one side was a shape, a shadow that faintly bleed into nothing. Its core, a dark vein running from top to bottom. It looked lonely, almost like it repelled the droplets of rain all around it.

The other side of that same leaf was vibrant. Green. The same core wasn't dark from this side, but a brighter shade. It seemed to attract the droplets of rain, not repel them.

The leaf reminds me to look twice and see more than one side – of issues, people, the whole lot. The discovery may be refreshing, surprising. You may even like the view from both sides or, at very least, learn from looking.

morning

fly away

Lake of the Ozarks

feliz día de la independencia

Photo by John L. White

Que pase un buen día, Costa Rica : ) ¡Pura vida, mae!

a.m. light

Beardstown, Illinois

bald eagle

Beardstown, Illinois

invasive species

Puerto Ayora


Baltra


Guayaquil

No, I'm not talking about our group...though we were probably more invasive than we needed to be at times. I'm talking about the the fragile (and one-of-a-kind) ecosystem of the Galápagos. (Read more here.) Interesting measures are being taken to prevent the presence of more invasive species on the islands.

First, the airplane was fumigated while on the ground in Guayaquil. You can see this happening in the photograph. (The flight attendant in front has a small aerosol can he is spraying into the overhead compartments.) I couldn't take the fumigation very seriously 1) because we were on board the airplane when it happened 2) rumor has it a fly survived the fumigation. Maybe it's a good idea, but I question its effectiveness.

Second, after deboarding the plane in Baltra everyone must step on a spongy, blue mat. This helps rid your shoes of dirt, debris and, most importantly, seeds. You also step on these mats every time you leave and/or enter a new island. Remember, the islands don't all share the same ecosystem.

Third, every time you go from one island to the next, your bags are inspected. Most of the inspections were about as serious as the fumigation on the airplane. However, a new system (law?) was put into effect in Puerto Ayora between our stays there, and the last time we left the island, the inspection was incredibly thorough. We joked that it was the most thorough inspection ever carried out on the islands. Though it's somewhat of an inconvenience to wait for the inspection (especially in a group of 28!), I don't think you can put a price on the native and endangered species of the islands. Inspect away.

the giant tortoise

Santa Cruz Highlands


Santa Cruz Highlands

One of only two places in the world where you can see the giant tortoise in the wild.

lava tubes

Can you believe molten lava once flowed through these cavernous tubes? Pretty amazing...You can find these all over the highlands of Santa Cruz in the Galápagos.

take a dip

burnt

Central West End, St. Louis

león dormido

These rocks rise about 500 feet into the air off the coast of San Cristóbal. We snorkeled through the space between them and saw Galápagos sharks resting on the ocean floor. I started to feel small stings on my face and arms from some type of micro jellyfish. One got me right above the lip pretty good. It was just enough to keep me alert and looking for more Galápagos sealife!

I still have a handful of Ecuador photographs to post. Hang with me!

breakfast in the backyard

It's ready for some fall barbecues. Come one, come all.

i want to be...

San Cristóbal, Galápagos Islands

...on a boat!

the la moine

Some call it Crooked Creek because it runs like a snake.

havana a.m.

I woke up in the middle of the night (literally 3 a.m.) to drive to Havana, Illinois. I had a 6:45 a.m. appointment to jump on a boat. Thanks to my new friends in Mt. Sterling, I knew which back country roads to take. The skies were so clear, I picked up St. Louis radio stations almost the entire drive. I arrived early. The pre-dawn light was just finding its way into the sky so I parked my car by the river and played. As a photographer, I sometimes find the lack of light to be as stunning as the presence of it. Why don't I wake up this early more often?

make a splash

Spoon River, Illinois

illini dragonfly

leslie

For an actress, Leslie sure is good at hiding from my camera.


The hor devours


Lillian and Charles

I met Leslie March 5 when she came to my door wearing her Chuck Taylor's with her pudgy dog Rosco at her side. She was there in response to my random roommate Craigslist ad.

Looking for a female roommate to share my two bedroom, one bath house with a fenced yard and semifinished basement. I've sublet my second room to interns in the past and would like to continue to do so. The room is available immediately...

I'd been living alone for some time and enjoyed the freedom, peace and quiet of my solo existence. I was nervous - and excited - when I posted the ad. The nerves were merited; I did get a few crazies. There was the woman who was in her 50s that thought I might "enjoy" her son. Then there was the British chick whose dates didn't work with mine. I told her no. She replied that her "agent would send money." She went on to say something along the lines of "this was meant to be." She may have even used the word soulmate? Anyway, luckily I found Leslie.

She moved in April 1. The pudgy dog came too. Tonight's their last night with me. Tomorrow morning they head for Chicago, its skyscrapers, traffic and, hopefully, acting opportunities.

Last week I had the chance to meet Leslie's parents, who live in St. Charles. They cooked up a fine meal: a Mandarin orange salad with sugary almonds and crunchy celery, delicious steaks (even though Leslie is a vegetarian!), fontina and parmesean stuffed baked potatoes, cannoli and limoncello. As Leslie would say, "Oh, come on!"

Here's to wishing you, Leslie, the best in Chicago. Thank you for your help with Baley, the encouragement to attempt a voiceover, crepes, lending an ear many times, humor, picking out my clothes (go plaid flannel circa 1996!), your calmness when a cop pulled me over on Delmar at 2 a.m. and introducing me to a handful of neat people, including your parents.

We'll miss you.

happy labor day

I had the opportunity to disappear to small town America last week. (Hope this explains the lack of posts as of late!) Brown County has the lowest unemployment rate in Missouri and Illinois. The reporter and I went there knowing that Dot Foods, the prison and Timewell Tile were the three largest employers in town. That's about all we knew. Separately, we walked the town and got to know the small, rural community. We swapped tips, names and phone numbers at Renee's Place, one of a few restaurants in town. From my bedroom window, I could see the lights of the prison across a corn field.

I started at the Post back in July 2006. In January the paper sent me to the inauguration in D.C., but until now, that was my only overnight stay for the paper. In college I dreamt of parachuting into small communities to document their stories. I feel fortunate that I finally got this opportunity.

When I arrive in towns I've never visited, I like to find a local expert to give me the lowdown. And who knows more than the school secretary? Many thanks to Debbie Bordenkircher who pointed me in several great directions to make this story possible. Being in a neighborly community reminded me of my days in Carrington, North Dakota - a town about the same size as Mt. Sterling. It's where I grew up. The Tastee Treat reminded me of the Hiway Drive In. The golf course expansion was reminiscent of similar growth that Carrington experienced. And some of the characters from my youth were there in Mt. Sterling, operating with different names.

After a summer full of traveling, late nights and long to-do lists, it felt good to be somewhere that forced me to slow down the pace of life. For however much I love the city, places like Mt. Sterling will always feel more like home.

See the project here.