A SUMMER VIEW TO LOOK FORWARD TO

We now live in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. Right on Lake Superior. The first time I saw this place was the fall of 2011 on a home finding trip. This is just 1 sight that stuck in my mind was how the beaches of the lake were similar to those you would see in a travel magazine visiting a tropical island. White sand, endless water, light houses, and a community with families that have lived in the town for generations. I could picture my family in a community like this, and was excited for the summer that we could all spend here... in this place....called Marquette Michigan.

The new chapter will soon begin.

Under construction and new location

I'm working on the blog here. Yes, very soon it will be up and running, full of funny, crazy, and yummy stories from our life...the Vaughn's in the u.p. of Michigan.

GUESS WHO'S 1....

Yes. It has been 1 year! I can't believe my little Colton is 1. He went from this...

To this....

In 1 year he has learned to run.

He says Mom and Dad.

He climbs.

He eats...everything.

He laughs and loves to be swung around.

He loves to swim. Literally, is not afraid of water and going under. He loves the new waterpark in Juneau.

Happy Birthday Colton!! I love you. My youngest boy.

ROOSTER OUT TAKES

To finish the whole project, I needed something good...something funny. I needed to throw in a live creature... known as a rooster. I heard so many different cock jokes during the filming process. We changed the location of the rooster and put him in many different places. You couldn't imagine the looks I recieved. But in the end, the question was, what is the story with the rooster?
(Make sure you turn the volume up...)

THE MAIN EVENT: CMR FIELD PART 5

The rescue mission. Isn't this what it's all about?? "First one's in, last one's out"...the team is composed of 7 members...with alternates available if needed. They work together, checking gasses, checking the ground, checking each other, and ultimately push each other to achieve 1 goal...a rescue mission. The Mine Rescue teams are, "The light at the end of the tunnel" for families, community members, and anyone affected by a mining disaster.
Check it out...

Thank you.

MINE RESCUE PART 4: BENCHMEN

Benchmen make sure the equipment used in a rescue is going to work properly (because we don't want the rescue equipment to fail).

mine rescue part 3-ropes

(photography by Bethany Vaughn)

MINE RESCUE PART2

PART2-
EMT.

(photography by PK Imagery)

MINE RESCUE

His day of work starts at 4am when the alarm goes off. He get up, get dressed in the dark, grabs his lunch backpack (that is covered in black).  From there, he catches a boat. The 40 minute boat brings him to admaralty Island. Once the miners reach Admarilty, they ride a rickety old bus 13 miles to the mine site. He goes underground at 7am.

Into the long, dark hole in the ground where a crew of miners would eventually disperse into different drifts of the mine.

Being a modern day miner, you work with big pieces of equipment and drive them miles into the mine. There is equipment of all types. Bolters, Drillers, Muckers. Then you work with ventelation, that moves the air through the mine. You also work with explosives. In this age of mining, You don't find pebbles of ore, it's 28 ton truck loads of microscopic fragments, that eventually will be processed to be bricks of gold, silver, copper, ect.

During the shift, there is always a chance, that something could go wrong. There could be a ground fall. There could be a fire. There could be a large amount of gas that could cause an explosions (mainly in coal mines). Something could go wrong...and it's the people you work with. The people you have rode that boat with, and worked with for 12 hours a day, 14 days in a row that could be hurt. Which is why, mine rescue is an act of heroism.

Mine Rescue is a crew of employees that train for this. They train to rescue missing miners. They are trained to respond to every situation, and put their own lives on the line for others. Their moto is "First ones in, Last ones out."  Why do they do it?

I had the opportunity to be the photographer for the Mine Rescue Competition in Juneau Alaska. There were 9 teams in attendance. Even 1 from Russia. At the end of the competition, I was honored to be part of such an amazing family of heros. Heroes that alot of people would pass by on a daily basis and not know that they were heroes. Well, here is my spin on Mine Rescue. Enjoy part 1.

The rest will be coming soon....

FRUSTRATION

Colton had his first popcicle. In the video, he had the first taste, and then it fell back into the package. Take a look and watch his reaction.