Gut wrenching, heart pounding, fists flying…..and guns

Over the 30 years I have been a photographer, journalist, photojournalist, and now, visual journalist……I love most every day I  work.  One day last week was not one of them.  A young boy was accidentally run over by his father and killed.  I was sent to interview his family.  What can you say, what questions are there to ask?  To point a camera at them all the while is my job.   The family knows they need to let people see Nathan one last time.  To remember his personality and spirit, but I don’t feel right.  They really don’t want to talk, to have us invade their time of mourning.  It’s almost a necessary evil for us and them to do what is best in this tragic, horrible, gut wrenching situation.  I did not know Nathan Capponi, but I cried for him and his family.  Very unprofessional perhaps, but I am only human.

I had big plans to blog, tweet, facebook and be a multi-media man a few years ago.  I had all this emerging technology, and I vowed to use it all.  Today, I use facebook a little, tweeted a couple two three times,  and blogged out a few dozen.   I do update  the Sun Journal website nearly every day I work with photos, video’s and breaking news as well as sports, feature photos and the beauty of Maine.  But I have not totally embraced the world wide web and all its assets.  My excuse is that I concentrate on what I do well, do it a lot, and add new stuff in bits and bytes and learn as I go.

Sunday was the heart pounding day.  I was one of the first through the doors of the sap house at Black Acres Farm in Wilton.  It was Maple Syrup Sunday and it was a quick in and out.  I really wanted to take the time and do a cool video, but I needed to be at the start of a race at Sugarloaf at 10:00.  I wanted to find somebody to wear my GoPro on their helmet.  The photo below that ran on the front page turned out pretty good I thought.  On Monday I got a call from his mom wanting to get a print and to tell me how cool it was that it was his birthday.  She was so excited!  I made her day, and most likely her son’s.

Click here to watch boarders negotiate the 2013 Sugarloaf Banked Slalom

Belator MMA will certainly be back to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee for another televised fight for sure.  The fans came in droves and they were rowdy and loud.  It had to be mentioned in the story the next day that the building is most noted for the most famous short fight between Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston.

Photo by Donald L. Robinson, Bettmann/CORBIS

Several fights were over in less than 18 seconds.  It is a brutal sport and there is no shortage of blood.  It is not for the faint of heart.   None of our local fighters fared well.  The story was that Brent Dillingham had to shed nearly 15 pounds just before the fight to make-weight.  That and a tough opponent tapped him out.

If the blood and violence of the fight did not turn you away, how about an argument on gun laws and shows.  Is it right to be able to sell these guns?  Big guns, little guns, guns that shoot a lot.  Short ones, fat ones, ones that kill a lot.  Truth be told, guns are made to kill.  End of story.  With the amount of guns already on this planet, my belief, and I hope I don’t get in trouble for editorializing, but  a criminal will be able to get any type of gun he wants if he has the money and is determination.  The other 95% of law-abiding citizens of this great USofA will not be able to defend themselves.

Hundreds of gun enthusiasts and vendors pack the floor of the Lewiston Armory Saturday morning during the Auburn Exchange Club’s 47th annual Twin City Gun Show.

Cars were parked two blocks away and I struck up a conversation with a middle…to upper….aged guy also headed there and got to talking about the new laws.

He chuckled and said that in some states, the new laws restrict law enforcement to a limited number of  bullets they can carry.

Steve Lambert, left of Lewiston and Lauren Freitas of Auburn, work together to stop a shot by the opposing team during a friendly game of Goalball at the Hasty Memorial Armory in Auburn Saturday morning. The event was put on by the National Federation of the Blind of Maine, with instruction from Mark Sinclair from the New England Blind Athletes Association. The sport was designed for blind athletes, but anyone is incouraged to try it as everyone playing must wear eyeshades. For more information on upcoming events, including another day of goalball coming up May 25th, contact Patricia Estes at 783-0325.

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