‘Twas a good week to be a boy

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Clint

Last week I got to treat my little guys to lots of fun boy-stuff, thanks to the generosity of some friends. I thought I’d share a few highlights:

We got to see the Thunderbirds perform at Airventure 2014, in Oshkosh. Once those F-16s rolled on the throttle at the beginning of the runway, it was like slowly pushing the Smile Lever on those little faces!

As if that wasn’t enough, there were also simulated bomb runs and dogfights, along with the notorious and aptly named Wall of Fire. My youngest boy’s favorite, naturally.

I got a really cheap deal on renting a nice telephoto lens from borrowlenses.com, and it performed admirably. I have so many cool shots like the one above that I’ve hardly had time to sort through them all. To top it all off, later in the week we went to see Planes: Fire & Rescue at the Grand Theater back here in good ol’ Bismarck. It’s still the nicest movie theater I’ve ever seen, and I appreciate the effort they put into providing a good experience.

Next, we attended National Night Out on August 5th. This is where various agencies like Police, Fire, Sheriff, State Patrol, Red Cross, et al put on displays for the kids (and parents) to showcase how they protect and serve our community.

Kids love trucks as much as firefighters do, and they got to sit in this one until it was called away. There was also a hose set up and the wooden “fire house” where kids could grab the hose and knock down the ‘fire” in the windows. Always a big hit.

Robots are a staple in the life of any kid these days, and Bismarck PD’s got one. Target was kind enough to not only host the event, but provide free hot dogs, hamburgers, pop, and chips too!

The finale for the weekend, bookending a long stretch of fun times, was the Medora Musical last night. I hadn’t attended since my friend and show host “Gentleman Wade” Westin passed away. They did a nice tribute to past hosts of the show this year, as it’s an anniversary for the Musical, and that was nice to see.

The kids got to take the stage for the singing of the national anthem, and each got a little flag to bring home with them. Something I didn’t get a shot of was the colors of Old Glory splashed on the wall of the hill behind the stage at the end of the show.

A tribute to the hosts of the Musical. My boys had never seen this show before, and they really liked it. Especially the acrobats who performed during intermission and the battle scene reenactment from the Spanish American War.

As you can see, we’ve been a little busy lately. That’s a nice break from the things we’ve been dealt over the last year and through which we are still struggling. If I can provide my little guys with some joy and excitement along the way, then I feel like I’m at least doing my job as Daddy. This past week was full of little victories in that regard.

Ramblings from a relaxing Independence Day

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Clint

For such a low-key Independence Day, I must say that I really enjoyed myself. Nothing really over-the-top exciting happened, but it was simply a good day. Here are a few highlights:

Due to continued recovery from surgery, my wife was stuck in the house with no plans to attend the parade. I’m still regaining my mobility, so the idea of taking my little ones to the Mandan Parade and lugging along supplies wasn’t really an attractive prospect. Nevertheless, for the kids’ sake I loaded up the truck. As we left for Mandan, the skies looked fishy to me. A check of the radar led me to want to call it off. Once we got to our secret spot, which provides a great view with very little pre-planning, the rain and wind stepped up and even the kiddos decided to do something else. Then my wife called with news of the cancellation. The nice thing is that my boys weren’t disappointed or let down. Whew.
I looked up a few remote geocaches that were right beside the road, took my boys out to find a couple, and had a nice afternoon without pushing my body too far. Then we stopped at a friend’s fireworks stand and got ’em some of those little snappers you throw on the ground. They’ve wanted them for a while, so now we’ve got a bunch.
I got a NAP. A serious one. Oh, rest does the body good. Apparently that and medications do as well, because my sweetie was able to come with us to view the capitol fireworks! Thankfully our usual spot doesn’t involve much walking.
We went to the best place to watch the capitol fireworks, the lawn across from Job Service and the Gold Seal Building on the north side. The fireworks look like they’re almost right overhead, and they’re very close. The weird thing about last night was the wind from the south; we got a little bit of debris, to my kids’ enjoyment. How often do you get a strong southerly breeze on a July evening in North Dakota?
As we waited for the show to begin, there was a nice sunset (pictured above). One big cloud looked like it was trying to achieve enough lift to storm, but it ran out of energy and the top sheared off. Made for a nice photo. I did not bring a camera with me, but thankfully phones do pretty well these days. This is actually part of a panorama.
Just before the show began, a car drove by with the worst timing ever. A passenger was holding a Roman Candle out the window, shooting multicolored balls into the air. People were cheering, but the cheers turned to jeers at the end of the next block. A Bismarck Police car was waiting to turn onto Divide, and the officer hit the lights and pulled over the offender. Fireworks bring a Class C Misdemeanor in this town, which can be up to $500 and some jail time. The funny thing was, as they pulled over, the colored balls were still shooting into the air. It’s not like they could just switch it off!
The din of Mandan was breathtaking last night. I don’t think I have ever heard such a ruckus, even on a nice Mandan night on July 4th. It was non-stop, loud, steady, and big. The sustained intensity of obviously large explosions was impressive. A friend said it took him 25 minutes to traverse The Strip, and that visibility in places could be measured in mere feet. Party on.
I didn’t miss my 20-pound camera bag…I’ve photographed the heck out of July 4th in Bismarck-Mandan, have been on a lifting restriction from my docs, and wanted to watch it with my family instead of through my viewfinder. It was great.

As far as the cancellation of the parade goes, this wasn’t a couple of people in a booth making the call based on some pusillanimous fear of passing thunderstorms. There were multiple people from various backgrounds making informed, professional decisions based on the information at hand. As I’ve posted in a few Facebook comments: This storm, while short-lived, had a LOT of lightning. ONE lightning strike in that crowd turns into a mass casualty situation immediately. And with the congestion and resulting chaos, responding to it would be nearly impossible. The various people and organizations that came together in agreement to cancel made the right call. If they’d simply postponed it, people would have hunkered down in place…exactly what safety crews didn’t want them to do.

Our party happens tonight. Some friends run a fireworks business, and they host an hour-long show at their home, far from Bismarck. It should be a real treat.

Five years ago and twelve degrees colder – and I was out with my cameras

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Clint

January 26th, 2010 was a great day. The fact that it was even colder than today’s bitter winter Monday didn’t dampen my spirits, as I was on site for the move of the Falkirk Mine’s dragline “Chief Ironsides” from the west side of Highway 83 to the east side. I was being paid to document the occasion, as it happens very infrequently. I’m glad I dressed in layers; while Sunday’s low in the area was -7 with a mean temp of 12, the low that day was -4 with a mean temp of -2. I’m using the mean temperature for the title of this post.

In order for Tuesday’s dragline walk, enormous preparations had to be made. For instance, a gap in the power lines running parallel to Highway 83 had to be made. The machines are simply too tall to go under. The railroad tracks had to be covered as well.

Next, a compacted dirt road several feet thick had to be constructed. This served the purpose of protecting the paved road as well as creating a level deck for the scoop and draglines to traverse.

Crews worked from each side of Highway 83, meeting in the middle. Enormous excavators filled dump trucks, which deposited their dirt at the end of the constructed road on their side. Big dozers pushed it into place, and the biggest grader I’ve ever seen did the grooming.

A bed of shredded straw was placed on the highway prior to the dirt work, presumably to aid in the cleanup. This way the dirt wasn’t plastered onto the roadway below. I got to stand really close to where these guys were doing their dirt work, but at a safe distance. Of course I brought my hard hat, vest, and safety glasses with, and I had an escort the whole time to make sure I wasn’t in danger.

With the road complete, it was time to get the “small” stuff across. The two machines in this shot are on tracks, simply driving across instead of the meticulous “walking” of the big dragline.

This equipment is electric, running with giant extension cords that lead back to the power plant. When they need to take a trek like this, the smaller ones are powered by a generator on a trailer. The truck follows dutifully behind or beside this scoop shovel as it tracks across.

For bigger equipment such as this tracked dragline or the big Chief Ironsides, they operate tethered to their usual power source. There’s a new power cable waiting for them on the other side.

This “little” tractor isn’t so little. Its sole purpose in life is to guide the electrical cable supplying power to the big dragline. It’s got a hoop-shaped guide on the back that is used to push the cable around to where it needs to be.

Weather delayed things a bit, but we finally got going just before sunset. That made for some challenges with shooting video. Stills are one thing in low light, but HD video is another. The main shot I was set up for was a time lapse of the roadway crossing, and the light was changing on me very quickly.

It was quite dark by the time the thirteen million pound behemoth, controlled by a woman named Melody, crossed the road. There was a thick dirt road constructed across Highway 83 just for this purpose, since the dragline needs a level deck for moving. It also protected the highway from the immense weight of the machine.

There was a dedicated crew for this task; the rest of the mine’s operations didn’t skip a beat. Talk about a daunting task: close the highway, build a new road capable of handing a thirteen million pound load, get the equipment across, then remove that road…all within 24 hours. Great job, gang! That’s an impressive day’s work.

I froze myself silly, but I got the shots. I had one HD camera, tucked in the Suburban parked sideways in the median due to wind, doing the 1080p time lapse while I ran around getting other angles and video footage with a second HD camera. Of course I kept my trusty still camera bag with me at all times. Thankfully I dressed really warm, and had a real blast!

This one’s Photoshopped. I have a valid reason

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Clint

Would you accept a note from my doctor? I actually posted this from my hospital bed in Rochester after undergoing robotic surgery on New Year’s Eve. I was really looking forward to perhaps being home to pursue a shot of the capitol with its windows proclaiming the new year, but that wasn’t in the cards. Thankfully I have Photoshop so I can at least imagine what it looks like – that, and a maddening array of everyone else’s photos of the event.

I’m back home in the Bizzo now, so hopefully I can make a speedy recovery and lift a camera again soon. I love sharing photos of Bismarck-Mandan with everyone, and the past several months have not allowed me to do that very much, so I’m hoping that 2014 will provide more opportunity.

Introducing the 2013 capitol Christmas tree – it’s real, and it’s spectacular

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Clint

Straight from Wisconsin, this beautiful specimen was lit tonight at a ceremony featuring local musicians, some Bible readings, and even some audience participation as we sung a couple of songs as well. It’ll be up through December 31st and is adorned with ornaments made by ordinary folks and submitted through the North Dakota Council on the Arts.

It was a relief to see that there’s still a real tree in the Memorial Hall of the capitol this year; due to the potential fire hazard of an actual tree there’s mounting concern that may put an end to this tradition in favor of an artificial, non-flammable tree. That’ll be a sad day when it happens, but I understand that North Dakota doesn’t want to be known for burning down two capitol buildings.

Mandan Fire Dept plans Fire Prevention Parade & Open House

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Clint

When I was in broadcasting I’d find myself frustrated when we reported cool events like this after they’d already happened. Of course, if news stations broadcast upcoming events they’d never have time for the news. Even so, I’d love to see more attention paid to upcoming events on the local morning, noon, or 5pm shows. I bet many of you would, too.

Anyway, as a service I’d like to point out that a really fun and educational event is planned for this Tuesday at the Mandan Fire Department. Here’s what the Mandan City website has to say:

The Mandan Fire Department will hold its annual Fire Prevention Week parade and open house on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The parade of fire trucks and other emergency apparatus will depart at 6:30 p.m. from the Mandan Rural Fire Department Station at 3014 34th Street NW, proceeding to Old Red Trail and Collins Avenue, finishing at the Mandan Fire Department Station No. 1 at 110 Collins Avenue.

The Fire Department open house at Station No. 1 begins at 7 p.m. Activities will include demonstrations of vehicle extrication and fire extinguisher training, fire truck rides, hands-on experience spraying a fire hose, a smoke house, and Patches The Fire Dog. Free hotdogs and pop will be served.

Local fire departments, emergency medical services and rescue serve workers and volunteers will participate including the Mandan Rural Fire Department, Bismarck Fire Department, Bismarck Rural Fire Department, Metro Area Ambulance, Morton County Emergency Management, Mandan Police, North Dakota Highway Patrol, SWAT Team, Morton County Dive Rescue, Sanford Health, State Farm Insurance, and Mandan Marlins Swim Club.

Mandan firefighters have visited nearly 1,400 children in more than 50 kindergarten through third grade classrooms at Mandan’s five public and two private elementary schools in recent weeks to provide instruction on fire safety. Presentations are planned this week at St. Joseph’s Elementary and Christ the King Elementary. Points covered include the “stop, drop and roll” technique of escaping a fire, the importance of crawling low in smoke and having a household plan for a predetermined meeting place in the event of a fire. Third graders “hunt for hazards” in their homes.

So, there you have it. Take the little ones and have a blast (and a hot dog)! Line up early along the parade route to see the fire trucks go by with lights & sirens, then join them at the fire station on Collins to see the demonstrations.

Five years ago Sunday: Memorial Bridge demolition

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Clint

Five years ago on October 6th the first span of the old Liberty Memorial Bridge came down. Taking down this landmark was particularly tricky on the Mandan side, because the old and new bridges were so close together. Drop the old one incorrectly, and we’d be picking pieces of TWO bridges out of the Big Muddy! Nobody wanted that.

The west span came down in a blaze of glory, being cut into pieces by shaped charges and dropped into the drink in 26 large chunks (plus assorted debris).

I staked out a place on the fake riverboat at Steamboat Park early that morning. At 7:30 people were already parked and waiting. I got a great spot, met lots of really neat people, and got some great photos and video. Click below to watch the big bang, both in real-time and slow motion. You’ll hear my camera shutter going mad in the background.

Notice how the camera shook from the shock wave. I don’t think anybody, myself included, expected such an enormous BOOM from those charges!

This was the debris pile that was removed piece by piece. The concrete piers were detonated and removed separately later on while workers prepared to detonate the remaining spans later in October.

Getting photos of the remaining spans’ detonation was more difficult. I hiked a long ways from the Mandan side, humping some very heavy gear all down the Lewis & Clark walking trail and parking on a sandbar beneath the NP railroad brdige.

Initially here was a lot of confusion among spectators as to why the middle span came down in one giant piece. I’ll tell you what the explosives expert of the demolition crew told me. Before they install their shape charges, they cut the bolts anchoring the bridge spans to the pilings. They can’t be cutting them with a grinder and sending sparks all over their explosives once they’ve been placed, after all. They had the east span rigged as well as the bottom of the middle span, but then the winds came up. They didn’t want to risk their guys being on the top of the middle span if the wind blew it over, so they opted to drop it and finish cutting it on the ground with torches. Notice that in the days before the demolition, they pushed rocks and dirt out below the bridge. That allows the crews to have land on which to salvage the steel, much easier than hunting around the water.

Notice the piece on the right hand side, the top of the pier that underwent repairs in an attempt to help the old bridge limp along. The repaired areas served their purposes, keeping the old bridge in operation until the crews were ready to take ‘er down.

How about those jaws? This machine reminds me of that James Bond villain. This guy’s got a pretty fun job, I bet. Chewin’ up steel. I can see how a feller could derive a great deal of satisfaction from it.

Nobody was more devastated than the local pigeon population; they were violently deprived of their perching, nesting, and pooping grounds! They hung around the concrete for a while until that, too was demolished.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that the last vehicle to cross the Liberty Memorial Bridge before its official closing was a motorcycle: yours truly.

Coolest souvenirs of the day: these are pieces of shrapnel from the shaped charges that brought down the mighty Memorial Bridge. I got them from the demolition crew that was doing the aforementioned cleanup. They appear to be copper, and I guess they flew away from the detonation at an extremely high rate of speed. Thankfully these two managed to land in my hands. I’ll keep them forever as a souvenir of the old humming bridge.

ND Peace Officer Memorial Service

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Clint

It’s been long overdue, so I’m posting few photos I took at the North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial Service back on May 15th. The memorial is located east of the Judicial Wing of the capitol, and the area is marked off and reserved for this service once a year.

The honor guard stands by. Representatives from various law enforcement agencies around the state make up this team.

As Attorney General, Wayne Stenehjem is the state’s senior law enforcement official. Here he gives his remarks. Also speaking were Governor Dalrymple, Chief Justice Vandewalle, Chaplain Dan Sweeney, and Sheriff Pat Heinert.

The flags returned to full-staff.

Salute by the honor guard. Very loud, very striking…and very challenging for a photographer, as the smoke of the first shot or two limits available chances for a photo.

A hard hymn to listen to; the bagpipes have a certain connotation all their own that remind us why we’re present on this day.

The wreath placed at the memorial at the conclusion of the service. Thankfully this year there were no additional names to add to the wall; however, as a shameless cheerleader for local law enforcement, I know it’s still important to pause and reflect upon the risks our state’s officers take in the service of protecting their fellow North Dakotans.

National Night Out

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Clint

natl_night_out_26945
Last year, after missing the event entirely, I set a reminder in my phone to check on National Night Out sometime toward the end of July this year. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, after a little poking around I found that it’s typically in the beginning of August. Good to know. As you can see, there were some bouncy, climby attractions for the kiddos. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

natl_night_out_26942
Perhaps the largest presence there was by the Bismarck Police Department. They had a lot of cool equipment and Chief Donlin joined a large contingent of staff to answer questions. More on the various things they brought to display in a bit.

natl_night_out_26924
This event was sponsored in large part by Target. They were serving burgers and hot dogs, but I was so busy talking to different officers and taking photos that I never did find time to grab one. It was great of Target to show such hospitality; they had an army of people working the event to make sure that everyone had a good time.

natl_night_out_26968
Of course, you’ve got to have big fire trucks as well. These guys actually got sent out on a call or two during the course of the evening. Such is the nature of the job.

natl_night_out_26940
State Patrol. I couldn’t help but start humming a Junior Brown song at the sight of this car. My littlest guy was quite enamored of this exhibit and the trooper’s presentation.

natl_night_out_26897
The kids were each given a fire helmet if they wanted one, including pink ones for the girls, and then allowed to take a crack at putting out a “fire”. My little guys came back to this multiple times. The firemen manning this station were great, and it looked like they were having a blast along with the children.

natl_night_out_26977 Tools of the trade. From the M4-configuration rifle to the “RV”, these guys have the tools to go along with the tactics. One of the team was gracious enough to lift the children up through the top hatch to look around.

natl_night_out_26963
Burleigh County had spike strips on display. I’m glad I have never had to be on the receiving end of a chunk of these! I bet they get used more often than you’d think.

natl_night_out_26914
Early in the evening, a bunch of the Target girls came over to see if any of the SWAT guys wanted cute tattoos. I even heard the word “cupcake” bounced around. Although I doubt there were any pastries drawn, I think some of the team were good sports and went along with it.

natl_night_out_26911 Here’s the bomb squad robot. Visitors could go up in the trailer and see how it’s operated remotely, and other tools of the trade were on display as well.

natl_night_out_26984
This battering ram really needs a smiley or a “KNOCK KNOCK” on it, a la Expendables. I’ve seen and/or heard what this thing can do, and wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of it!

natl_night_out_27006
My little guys had a lot of fun on the other attractions, too. While my youngest loved the bouncer more, my 6 year old scaled this climbing wall like a pro! He climbed it four times, ringing the bell three of those. I’m so proud.

natl_night_out_26986
Officer Fuller was there, doing his part for community outreach and giving out sticker badges to hopeful Junior Officers. He gets all the fun duties like being on the news and stuff. 🙂

If you missed this but wish you’d been there, don’t worry: you should be able to set yourself a reminder for the beginning of August next year, and come out to meet the people who work rough hours dealing with challenging situations to keep our communities safe and orderly. Also, get a burger before 8 o’clock rolls around and you realize you’ve been socializing and photographing the whole time and missed your chance!

Independence Day 2013

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Clint

I decided to try a different angle for tonight’s capitol fireworks photo. I questioned whether to even try a photo at all, since I’ve been more devoted to Daddy time than anything else. I’ve taken an unprecedented week off from work, and am enjoying how much it has allowed me to do with my little guys and my sweetie.

Rather than photograph the Independence Day Parade this year in Mandan, I joined my little family to participate in our church’s float instead. It was extremely rewarding, and worth missing photos of some of the cool things I’ve heard about in the parade. I was planning on not taking any photos of the capitol fireworks display, too…but at my wife’s urging I combined family time with a little bit of “me” time:

I set up my camera with wireless transceiver with around 1,000 foot range, then went to enjoy the fireworks with my little guys on a blankie in the grass at the capitol. I was able to use the remote and time things pretty well, getting some neat photos. This one is my favorite. And, as my credo goes, any photo trip one returns from with at least one good photo is a successful trip. This one falls into that category, even though I spent most of it playing catch with my boy on the capitol lawn.

Multitasking on my vacation, you say? Absolutely.

Bismarck-Mandan Blog

Photography , musings, and a love of North Dakota

Category Archives: Events