Over the holidays, I went on a road trip with Mom, her husband, Rick, and Grandmommy from Atlanta down to — get this — Treasure Island, Florida! Yup. Such a place exists. And no. it’s not an amusement park. ha! Can you imagine Grandmommy at an amusement park? hahaha! …we did get her on a Segway, though. But that’s for a later post.

The photos on this post are a bit quieter. Aside from Treasure Island, we went to DeSoto, Anna Maria Island, Bradenton, St. Petersburg, and a few other places.

AARP Bulletin DOP Michael Wichita called me up a few months ago — actually, while I was in Denver for Geekfest – needing an in-house mock up made so he could pitch an illustration idea to his bosses for a big story they’re doing on the kind of people who use Social Security. He needed it ASAP! So, I grabbed whoever was closest: Denver Post staff video shooter Mahala Gaylord and Denver-based freelancer Ben Rasmussen. Oh. and that’s me on the left.

Michael sent me a fast drawing of his idea: …which I LOVE!

The idea is to make a white seamless portrait of several Social Security recipients and explain their situations with written vignettes.

This is Michael’s idea put to work. It’s the promo piece for the story.

The story section looks a little different. You can see it here.

I photographed one recipient from Baltimore, Dr. Timothy Modlin. Here’s his vignette.

I was told to make a mugshot, too.  – which I kinda like.And of course what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t show the outtakes from the mock-up shoot in Denver?Cheers!

Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School Kindergarteners in Amy Raymond’s class Piper Stephan, left, and Delaney Lane, right, read to each other. Amy Raymond, kindergartener teacher at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School in Glenelg, Maryland — part of the Howard County Public School System — utilizes Common Core Curriculum to teach her students Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Her class is the first generation of students taught under the new national standards, emphasizing subject mastery.

Thanks to Education Week, I had one of the most adorable assignments I’ve had since leaving my staff newspaper job at The Patuxent Publishing Co. But as it turns out, Common Core is anything but …cute. It’s a big deal in the business of public education. Here’s a link to the article, but unless you’re a subscriber you can only read the first few paragraphs. Don’t worry. Here’s the Common Core Standards State initiative page, the Wikipedia page, and — get this! — there’s an iPhone ap, too! At the end of the post are some newspaper .pdfs “clips.”Students in Amy Raymond’s kindergarten class at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School in Glenelg, Maryland play “Try To Go Home,” a number game utilizing common core curriculum K.CC.4a & K.CC.4b. (how’s that for wonky?) The way it works is, a pair of students roll dice to move a figurine. They used dinosaurs this week because the letter of the week is “D.” The purpose is to emphasize “one to one” number correspondence and improve operational and algebraic thinking. The students are (L-R) Marisa Lamb, Sierra Collis, Caroline Zdrale, and Dylan Ma. Maggie Metz raises her colorful finger-tipped hand.You know me… I really like to put myself in my work. In front of his classmates, Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School kindergartener Austin Wagner pauses before turning over the date “30″ on the calendar. Daily rituals like this help Amy Raymond’s class develop number proficiency. As I left the office, this Labrador mascot statue made me jump a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared of dogs, I just wasn’t expecting a dog in a school. … And out the corner of my eye, this thing looked super-real.Maggie Metz, left and Austin Wagner, right, work on assignments.

The nice thing about kindergarteners is that there are moments all over the place. Amy Raymond plays “Try To Go Home,”  with Sierra Collis.Ethan Sutch writes his class’s attendance on the board. This daily exercise utilizes math skills learned in Amy Raymond’s kindergarten class.…as in, “and why not make this picture?”Amy Raymond and her students (L-R) Dylan Ma, Gregor Lesho, Ethan Sutch (standing), and Gouri Gupta.I MADE THE COVER!!!

Just so you know… I’m absolutely horrible at this game. I scored the least amount of points, whereas Nick was 2nd best and the best on his team. Our team would’ve been obliterated had we not had Michael Bracco and all of his good looking luck.

Man! …I hate that guy. I mean, have you seen his wife? The good looking nerd scores the hot girl AND he’s great at almost everything he does. …well, at least I launched an orange farther than he did on Brandon’s gigantic slingshot! …only to be bested by Daine. I hope y’all can hear the sarcasm. Michael Bracco is a super-great guy. In fact, this was one of the most fun weekends I’ve had in a long long time because everyone on the trip are great people.

We played mini Golf in Ocean City, too.

Click the “I” button in the top left corner to see who is who and what they do.

Three words: NERF GUN BATTLE!

Members of the Iverson Mall Walkers walk the upstairs at Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland Wednesday, September 14, 2011.     This was an early shoot (yaaaaawn/streeetch), but fun. You can check out the AARP Bulletin story here.Iverson Mall Walker Carrie L. Free, 86, takes on the role of “monitor,” Wednesday, September 14, 2011. She walks against the flow to make sure her fellow walkers are not showing any signs of distress.Gloria Dock, coordinator for the Iverson Mall Walkers, takes a few laps upstairs at Iverson Mall.Norma S. Smith, 86, photographed at the end of her walk Wednesday, September 14, 2011, is one of the founding members who started the Iverson Mall Walkers back in 1989. To this day she is the only consistently active member who walks Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.Lifelong friends Joyce M. Shaw, 75, left, and Peggy V. Edwards, 66, keep each other company while walking the upstairs of Iverson Mall.Helen Lee, a member of the Iverson Mall Line Dancers, gets vocal and boisterous during their morning dance routine Wednesday, September 14, 2011. The line dancers are a faction of the Iverson Mall Walkers.Benjamin Stevenson, foreground, packs up his music collection after playing DJ to the Iverson Mall Walkers’ line dancing group.

After Geekfest was over, Todd Spoth, Monica Lopossay & I went to see the Colorado Rocky Mountains Monday, September 19, 2011. It was GORGEOUS!!!

Brinita Ricks, 20, middle, a Wilson College senior is getting attention from five-year-old son Troy Ricks, right, and Bella Smith during dinner at the Jensen Dining Hall Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Dana Hill, 26, walks past on the right, while Hill’s daughter DaNya Ford, 7, eats, left. Ricks, Hill, and Bella’s mother Whitney Gress take advantage of the Chambersburg Penn., all-women’s college’s “Women with Children” program while pursuing their degrees.

Earlier this month Erica Lusk called me to shoot a wonderful story for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Brinita Ricks and her son Troy are just two participants in Wilson College’s Women With Children Program.

I was raised by a single mom. And like most kids in this program, I’m an only child, too.

My mom and I were a duo. Sometimes a team, sometimes each others’ spoils, but regardless of how aggravated we got, we were always good to each other. After all, we were all we had.

To some, this life might seem tough, and overwhelming — which it is — but I have such fond memories of my childhood. And I know these kids will too.

There’s a lot of happiness in those dorm halls. And as stressful as raising a kid, studying, and working is, these women are surrounded by a sympathetic community of fellow single moms.

So, throughout this assignment, I kept looking for moments that felt familiar to me. I felt a connection to Troy and the other kids. I had a pretty good understanding of their motivations, their boundary curiosities, their need to burn off excess energy, despite their mom’s pleas for order.

But, y’know… I’m an adult too. — an adult with hindsight. I know what I put my mom through. …but I also know how much I loved my mom as a kid. I mean. I still love her as an adult. It’s different. My love has evolved and become more complex, and in many ways is stronger. As an adult I respect and admire my mom. After all, we have a past. …I mean, I was a teenager, for Christ’s sake! And those ties are made through slow, heavy, and sometimes painful processes. A five-year-old’s love is visceral. I’d be willing to bet Troy doesn’t know why he loves his mom. …I know I didn’t. But I did love her. — unconditionally.

And lets be honest… A five-year-old’s hug is probably one of the most authentic forms of emotional expression. They hug because they want to. And they hug who they like. — unless directed to do otherwise.

Brinita Ricks, 20, usually studies in lobby of her dorm Prentis Hall, while she waits for her five-year-old son Troy Ricks’s to get home from Kindergarten.  

Brinita Ricks, 20, right, greets her five-year-old son Troy Ricks, as he walks off the school bus at the edge of Wilson’s campus Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Troy’s classmate Jashad Coles, 5, holds the hand of his mother Christin Warner, a twenty-two-year-old junior at Wilson College who is studying Economics.

 Brinita asked Troy to take their dirty dishes to the dishwasher, Sterling Keyes. On the way, Troy spilled some spaghetti on the floor. So, he came back to their table, grabbed some napkins, and cleaned up his mess.Children from Wilson College’s “Women with Children Program” (L-R) DaNya Ford, 7, Bella Smith, 4, Jashad Coles, 5, and Troy Ricks, 5, play on the furniture in the Prentis Hall lounge after dinner Tuesday, September 6, 2011. The all women’s college located in Chambersburg, Penn., is one of the few remaining women’s colleges left.Wilson College’s new president Dr. Barbara Mistick, standing, threw an informal meet-and-greet for the “Women with Children” participants and their children titled “Popsicles with the President,” Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at Prentis Hall, in Chambersburg, PA. The new President brought her dog to meet the kids. I think he got a little overwhelmed with all the affection.I know. I know. There are a lot of photos in this edit. …BUT if you want to see EVEN MORE PHOTOS from this shoot, check out my archive gallery:

http://mattrothphoto.photoshelter.com/gallery/Wilson-Colleges-Women-With-Children-Program/G0000a0t.7eUNcJg

and/or the archive gallery slideshow:

http://mattrothphoto.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000a0t.7eUNcJg/?start=

From there you can buy prints, license images, and help support my business by buying even weirder things like coffee mugs, t-shirts, keepsake boxes, and even more.

Thanks!