Sweating in the Sky

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would spend part of my day flying across the city in a helicopter. It’s simply not part of my routine. Dressed in a business suit on a 102 degree day, the thought of intentionally moving closer to the sun seemed insane. A photo assignment was thrust upon me and the best way to achieve my objective was from the air, so I had to roll with the rotors.
Fortunately, despite being consistently needled by my wife about it, I almost always have a variety of clothes in the back of my car. While, sadly, I had no shorts; I did have a white polo-style shirt and a couple of ball caps. So, I changed clothes as best I could and at least I was somewhat comfortable from the waist up.

I received a thorough and thoughtful pre-flight briefing from the pilot, who had no idea if I had any helicopter-riding experience. Fortunately, my salad days as a local TV sportscaster served me well. Many a fall Friday was spent hopping from small town to small town, football stadium to football stadium, in a copter much smaller than today’s ride. So, there wasn’t a moment of trepidation during the flight. In fact, it was kind of a thrill. I wish I hadn’t had to concentrate so much on shooting photos so I could soak in the experience. Then again, if not for the job at hand, I wouldn’t have been flying at all.

We were airborne for an hour or so and the photos turned out kind of nice, so the morning was a success. I need to reserve the images for their intended purpose, but I did squeeze off a few for fun along the way. So, here you go: Beautiful Downtown Shreveport on a blistering August morning.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

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Finding a New Groove

For a couple of decades, my wife and I haven't been getting out much, but that seems to be changing. Tonight, we may have earned cool points by attending a live music event at a recording studio near downtown. The artist was David Egan, a highly respected soul/ blues songwriter. He played to an enthusiastic crowd that packed the little studio. Between songs, he regaled his rapt and thoroughly entertained audience with stories of his travels and encounters with legendary performing/ recording artists.
Egan is a Shreveport native who was part of arguably the most successful local band during my single/ partying years, A-Train. Egan and his bandmates were responsible for many nights of revelry for thousands of people for almost a decade. Several members of A-Train were in attendance and one of his collaborators, Buddy Flett, joined him on stage for the second half of his set.
The performance was recorded in High Definition teevee for broadcast on a statewide program which celebrates Louisiana music.
For me, it was a thrill to hear his familiar voice live. I actually have many of his songs on my iPod. His style and flair brought back a lot of memories. Even without them, it would have been a thoroughly entertaining and relaxing night. I got to enjoy it with my best girl, and you can't ask for anything better than that. Maybe this "empty nest" thing isn't so bad after all.

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