Home again for Saturday breakfast club at the Daily Grind. Alyona takes a picture of me taking a picture of her.
Dianne, left, working on a drawing with her instructor Paul Steinberg. Paul, an accomplished artist, offers classes on an occasional basis at the Daily Grind. 
Children in Halloween costumes at Short Pump Mall.
Spider web in the rain along Copperas Creek.
Will Hall, left, executive editor of Baptist Press, opens the conference with Michael Chute, right, journalism professor at the university.
Gary Fong of Genesis Photo Agency monitors Twitter traffic during the conference. Questions for presenters from other locations come through Twitter.
Jennifer Rash, foreground, of the Alabama Baptist and Joni Hannigan, rear, of The Florida Baptist Witness await their turns to present.
One section of the studio audience. Most are students in Union's communication program.
During his presentation on visual communications Gary Fong shows an image of his father. It is on the monitor behind him.
Wahokia, left, and Joni Hannigan, right, announce this year's student competition winners during the conference.
The fountain outside Jennings Hall at Union University where the conference was held.
Shannon doesn't want me to post a photo of her with her hair not done, so she hides behind Brian on my last morning in Memphis. This image is approved because she is hidden ... like an ostrich!
Journalism and photojournalism students from Union University gather at the home of Dr. Michael Chute, far right, for dinner. Tomorrow begins a collegiate journalism webinar hosted at the West Tennessee school which will be streamed to colleges and universities across the country.
Michael and worked together for several years. He was director of editorial and I director of photography at an agency. A favorite memory is sitting on this porch with him eating a leisurely breakfast soon after he moved into this house.
Jim Veneman goes over the schedule for the webinar tomorrow.
Students from Union University in Jackson lead a photography class for underprivileged youth in an apartment complex across town from the university. They meet every Tuesday afternoon during school terms. This is the third year they have been doing it. I posted some earlier images of them on May 6 and 7, 2008.
I was asked to show some work and talk about it. During the session the group views a multimedia presentation on Kenya's Lake Nakuru. The lake is known for flamingos. Much of the movie Out of Africa was filmed at Nakuru National Park.
A child runs into the meeting room at the end of the session is scooped up by one of the participants.
It is publication night for Cardinal & Creme, the student newspaper at Union. Jim Veneman, photojournalism professor at the school and long-time friend, helps with one of the images that will run this issue.
Max is learning keyboard. He's just beginning some two-hand exercises. For now his favorite piece is a right-hand rendition of the theme from Harry Potter that he's worked out for himself.**
Left to right: Brian, Shannon and Max settle in for a reading of one of the Harry Potter books before bed. It's a nightly tradition. Chi-Chi, Max's dog, joins them.**
Max on a trail in the Old Forest. It is a 172 acre portion of Overton Park in the heart of downtown Memphis, a piece of primeval, oak-hickory climax forest such as greeted early settlers to the area. It is somewhat of a miracle that it's here. Some city fathers did well conserving it. Tall trees with dense undergrowth dominate. When they die, their fallen trunks are allowed to lie undisturbed.
Each year Max's school holds an event called Historic Halloween. All the students dress as the historic character of their choosing and recite a short biography of him or her. In this picture you can see two Clara Bartons, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Sequoyah (originator of the Cherokee alphabet), David Mccauly (author of how things work), Louis Pasteur and Sacajawea (Indian guide for the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery).
Max portrayed Alfred Wegener, the arctic explorer who fully developed the theory of Continental Drift. Note the background. What a view the school has.
Julie, left, with her daughter Milla. Julie is a long-time friend of Max's mom and a teacher at his school.
My grandson Max awaits the beginning of our trip down the Mississippi River.
John, right, our guide explains the route from our putin three bends in the river above Memphis, Tenn. Max, left foreground, and his father Brian listen.
Christa, left, and the rest of the crew settle in as we shove off on this adventure.
Behind Chris is a Mississippi River tow — I'm not sure how they got that name since the barges are shoved from behind — river traffic was heavy today. Each barge carries a load equivalent of 50 truck trailers or five rail cars. It is an extremely efficient way to move material.
Our canoe carries 13 people. It is a French Voyager design based on the long-voyage canoes early French explorers of the Mississippi River — La Salle, Marquette and Jolliet — used in the 17th Century. John our guide built this one and four others, including two which were used in the bicentennial celebration of Lewis and Clark's voyage of discovery up the Missouri River and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.
Max, foreground, runs across the sand bar we pulled out on for lunch. As one of our fellow travelers says, "It's a normal Saturday, going from bar to bar. But this time it's on the second longest river in the world."
Bird feather caught in the sand.
Can it get any better than this: fresh shrimp prepared and eaten on a sandbar in the middle of one of the great rivers of the world.
On another bar called Pebble Beach near Hole-in-the-Wall on the Arkansas side of the river, Clay searches for 140 million-year-old stem crinoid fossils and finds some. Naturalists visiting this site also identified stone transported as far as from the Canadian Shield.
Elizabeth adds to her sketchbook. She is a superb artist. To see some of her work, follow this link: http://elizabethalley.moonfruit.com/
Max and his friends assist John with the steering — and pepper him with questions — in the stern of the canoe for much of the day.
Max. left, and his mother Shannon, right, on our last pullout for the day.
James balances on a log cast up on the bar before making a leap into the sand.
Our second canoe toward the end of the journey.
Fall colors began to explode today in this copse of trees along Pouncey Track Road.
Sam at the Daily Grind caught making one of his great lattes.
Shawn with his first pair of glasses. He says it's great to see. I think they make him look functional and decorative, to quote an old friend.
We take advantage of a wonderful Fall day. Steve talks during a meeting under the trees rather than in a conference room.
Ricky, foreground, and Don, rear, during the session under the trees.
An image from a group I sent as part of an application for a grant today. I am applying to mount an exhibit on children exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The image was taken in Belarus in 1997.
The end of the day over Short Pump.
