Did I really see that??

“I must have! I took its picture!!”

As a journalist, I am constantly taking pictures. And when I’m not working, I’m still taking lots of pictures. Some of the pictures that I take are a bit startling. Which is a good thing. It keeps me asking questions. I believe that the most important thing that a journalist can do is to take questions. Which isn’t as easy as it sounds. The questions have to be appropriate to the topic at hand. And it helps if the journalist doesn’t sound like a fool while asking questions. But sometimes, we are clueless about the topic of conversation. We try not to appear clueless, but it can be obvious. Like when I interviewed a chemical engineer about a coke plant that was causing a lot of dangerous pollution and I knew that something was missing from the upcoming article. So I asked, what is the purpose of coke anyway? By the way, I found out that coke is a necessary ingredient in the manufacture of steel. It’s when we are as clueless as I was when I did that interview or tired, like I am now that we most need either to see the humor in our photography or to move as far away as possible (Micronesia would fit this bill). Or maybe both???

I took those fun pictures at the Independence Day parade on Monday. It was a delightful parade, the biggest since pre-COVID times in 2019. Everyone had a good time, despite the fact that very few of us got to defy the law of gravity, wear bright orange sneakers, and wave around a large four-fingered hand!!! A lot of candy was thrown at the kids and those of us who are a bit older were given free samples of good stuff, like shampoo and conditioner. I also got a bag of goodies, which includes a beach ball and a frisbee so… well… I’m ready for summer now!