Outlaws Getting Some Peak Action

As a sports photographer I am always looking for the peak action moments. I always have to be ready to snap at a moments notice. In baseball, the action is few and far between. There are a couple of pitches, and then smack! Something happens and the players are racing. The players are all over the field and you must know where the play is going to happen. Timing is everything. You have to be right on time, or the action will pass you by faster than you can blink.

Chico Outlaws' Robby Alcombrack (right) reaches out for the tag out at home plate against the Victoria Seals' Brian Rios (left) in the top of the fourth inning during their baseball game at Nettleton Stadium Thursday, July 15, 2009 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record) 

Dust scatters off the bat of Chico Outlaws' Mitch Einertson as he fouls the ball at bat against the Victoria Seals in the bottom of the first inning during their baseball game at Nettleton Stadium Thursday, July 15, 2009 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

CSUC Building a New Home

Chico State's new dorm facility, Sutter Hall, is coming along. I walked over to the north end of campus after shooting another assignment. I wanted to get a peak at how the project has progressed. Being that I graduated from Chico State, I wanted to see what changes were going on in the campus. I was very impressed with the facility. While I could have probably asked for a tour inside the construction area, I didn't have much time. I walked around the perimeter and just took a couple shots that we need on file. It will be great to see the building when it is complete. It almost makes me want to go back to college.

A construction worker walks pat the southwest entrance on Chico State's new Sutter Hall dorm facility on CSUC campus on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

A runner runs along the Chico High track as the north side of Chico State's new Sutter Hall dorm facility (left) is undergoing construction next to Whitney Hall (right) on CSUC campus on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Paradise Pow Wow

The Paradise Pow Wow was this last weekend. The weather was hot, but the event was pretty cool. There was dancing underneath a huge tent that created a nice backdrop. There was so much culture at the event. It is a great spectacle to see the Native American culture and how all the tribes come together as one. There is always great colors and music. It always leads to great images.

Alfred Clark, of the Konkow tribe (left) and Rea Cichocai, of the Maidu, Winton, Hupa, and Yurok tribe (right) lead Native Americans in the Grand Entry during the Paradise Pow Wow at the Gold Nugget Museum Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Paradise, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Percy Edwards, of the Colville tribe, and other Native Americans dance in the Grand Entry during the Paradise Pow Wow at the Gold Nugget Museum Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Paradise, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Scary Surgery Makes Lucky Life

     I was able to meet a very special young man. His name is Jessen Cole. I have taken his picture as a football player for Chico High. This time I was taking his picture for a much different reason. I spent a short time with him as he talked about surviving a rare reaction to anesthesia called malignant hyperthermia. 

     This is very rare condition which Enloe has never experienced in the last 30 years. Cole was set to go under a routine wrist surgery. He was given anesthesia for the surgery. When stitching his wrist, Cole reacted and was in immediate danger. The reaction could have killed him within minutes, but doctors were able to quickly diagnose the symptom and treat it very quickly. A couple weeks later, Cole had made a full recovery. He was back to good health and now you would never even suspect he would have been so near to his death. The malignant hyperthermia is a genetic trait that overwhelms the body and causes it to shut down. Cole remembers going under and waking up in pain.

     He is very lucky. I took pictures of him as he discussed the incident that happened three months ago. He had some images from when he was in the hospital on a laptop. I took pictures of the laptop and had Cole reflected in the screen to the two images looked superimposed on each other. This gave the sense of the imagery to be a visual memory of his experiences.

Jessen Cole is reflected in a computer monitor showing of a picture of Cole when he was in the hospital as he talks about how he survived a rare reaction to anesthesia called malignant hyperthermia after recovering in his home Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Jessen Cole talks about what it was like to have survived a rare reaction to anesthesia called malignant hyperthermia after recovering in his home Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Chico, Calif.

(Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

High Flying Copters

Recently I stumbled onto a group of men flying RC airplanes. Saturday, it was the RC helicopters turn to take to the sky. Participants of all ages headed out to the Oroville Afterbay to take part in a fun fly day for RC enthusiasts. It was great to see these tiny machines zipping and zooming around. The helicopters maneuver in a very way that will never be replicated in a real life size helicopter. I don't really know if you would like to even if you could. Corkscrews, barrel rolls, flying upside down, spins and stalls are just standard tricks the the extreme flying of RC helicopters.

Brian Tran, 18, of San Bruno, watches Ben Storick, 15, of Las Vegas, fly his electric helicopter upside down inches from the ground as John Storick, and Don Barrow (left to right) look on with RC enthusiasts that came out for a Fun Fly Day for RC helicopters at the Air Corps Air Show flying field Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Oroville, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Ben Storick, 15, of Las Vegas, disassembles his electric helicopter as RC enthusiasts came out for a Fun Fly Day for RC helicopters at the Air Corps Air Show flying field Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Oroville, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Enloe Century Project Underway

Enloe Hospital is continuing to work on their Century Project with the building of a new tower facility for surgeries and more rooms. Their expansion is pretty expansive and I had a chance to see the progress on the new tower. I was taken on a guided tour of the construction site. There is a lot to still be done, but I was impressed with the layout of the facility. It will definitely be a big improvement. I look forward to its completion.

Superintendent of Harrison Drywall Lewis Blackwell (right) shows crew members were to place drywall on a tour of the continued construction inside the Enloe Century Project as they work on the new hospital facility Friday, July 2, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

A worker walks through a hallway on the fourth floor on a tour of the continued construction inside the Enloe Century Project as they work on the new hospital facility Friday, July 2, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Jerry Kaye works on the soffit for the nurses station on the fifth floor on a tour of the continued construction inside the Enloe Century Project as they work on the new hospital facility Friday, July 2, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Crews work on the new tower of the continued construction inside the Enloe Century Project as they work on the new hospital facility Friday, July 2, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

Summer in Full Swing!

The hot weather has definitely hit Chico. People of all ages are playing outside and keeping cool by hitting the creeks, rivers, and lakes. We are pretty lucky in Chico to have such a vast array of places to jump in a cool water hole. It's always easy to go out and see what people are up to on such hot days.

Chrucita Jamito, 10 (left) pushes Grover Mosier, 6, (right) on a rope swing into Big Chico Creek a little ways east up the creek of Sycamore Pool near One Mile Recreation Area on Thursday, July 8, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)