Eggstravaganza!!

This morning I covered the annual Spring Eggstravaganza at Fort Benning. Hundreds of youngsters, and their families, gather on the lawn at Riverside, which is the home of the post commanding general, for Easter egg hunts, games and prizes.

The egg hunts were divided into age groups, which is a good thing. Otherwise, the big kids would overpower the little kids, and the little kids would come up empty-handed and very disappointed. I photographed the young ones, and as one might expect, it was a mad rush for eggs and was all over in a matter of minutes. A clean sweep. Even with parents having been instructed to NOT pick up eggs for their children, but to let the kids gather for themselves. Lots of really cute kids.

I didn't get this little girl's name, but she is so small that she over ran her target as she tried to snag the egg before she came to a complete stop. Like a puppy or a kitten whose back legs begin to outrun its front legs. Pretty sweet.

Happy almost Easter,
Robin

A Few Faves from March

So here are a few favorite photos from March.

Isn't March the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" month? This year it came in like a snow lion on the heels of a roaring lion ... and went out about the same way. All the damage to homes aside (thankfully, no injuries), tornadoes are just so amazing. The fact that there were no injuries were every bit as amazing.

But to be followed by SNOW!! ... wow ... just, wow. It was so beautiful. And it felt so much like home. (I'm from out West). Most of the snowfall was in Harris County ... and did it ever come down. Simply beautiful. Big, fat, wet flakes blanketed the countryside. Yes.

You can always count on a clan of goof ball teenagers to show up at Lakebottom Park to have dangerous fun in the big rain. They did not disappoint. Boogie-boarding in Weracoba Creek. Who would've thought.

In Alabama along U.S. Highway 280, an 18-wheeler hit the median and rolled as the tornado blew through and scared the you-know-what out of its driver. The trailer was caring a load of toilet paper. I did not write down that bit of information, but I'm sure that I remember it correctly. Those orange things are airbags that help to stabilize the big rig as tow trucks (plural) pull it upright. I have no idea why these two guys are standing on the trailer. Maybe because they can.

Last in the storm story photos - is Katie McCain, 8, of Salem, whose foremost concern were her two puppies Patch and Jake, and all of the McCain family animals, which include the puppies' parents, a Siberian husky, a cat and two ponies.

I covered the Dr. Suess-themed Read Across America at Brewer Elementary. Chase Tucker, 6, read "Wacky Wednesday" with his mother Velisha Hearlson. His expressive concentration was so cute and so sweet.

Another understatement of expressive thought was Collin Cates, 3, who gave a thumbs-up as his picture was being taken at the Thunder in the Valley Air Show. Check out the ear-protecting head gear.

A couple of old soldiers reuniting to honor soldiers not present. Old soldiers who fought together and survived together, and continue to honorably represent those who dedicate their lives to military service. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley, center, and Retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, were a part of the Sacred Soil ceremony at the National Infantry Museum on March 19. Dirt gathered from battlefields from the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were spread onto the parade grounds at the museum site. The first OSUT (One Station Unit Training) graduation also took place that day. Plumley and Moore spread dirt from the LZ X-Ray battlefield in Vietnam were they fought in November 1965. Moore wrote the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young," which documented the battle and the story of the men who fought that battle. It became a movie that was filmed, in part, in Columbus.

Last, but oh not least, is Donald Ford in the ZUMBA aerobics class at the downtown YMCA. The time slot used to be a cycling spin class, but when it changed, he stuck with it. Him and 40 women. Why not?

Cheers, and thanks for tuning in,
Robin