Well, OK, Three candidates and one candidates husband. I photographed Chris Dodd as he stopped by the Tyson Events Center prior to the Musketeers hockey game Saturday evening. Bill Clinton was in Sargent Bluff Sunday morning. Joe Biden was at the Boys and Girls Club Sunday afternoon and John Edwards was at the Convention Center Sunday evening.

I would like to say congratulations to John Edwards. He was only eight minutes late for his campaign stop Sunday evening. Of all the times I’ve had to photograph him, I believe that’s the earliest he’s been late. Clinton was an hour late because his plane could not land due to heavy fog. Biden was right on time and Dodd was actually a few minutes early. My schedule is usually pretty tight, so I tend to respect people who respect other peoples time.

Chris Dodd speaks to local firefighters in his campaign vehicle during a stop at the Tyson Events Center prior to the Sioux City Musketeers hockey Game against the Tri-City Storm Saturday.

Former President Bill Clinton speaks while campaigning for his wife, Hillary, at the Sgt. Bluff-Luton Elementary School in Sgt. Bluff Sunday.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop at the Boys and Girls Club in Sioux City Sunday.

Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards speaks at the Sioux City Convention Center Sunday.

Ice fishermen walk across the frozen waters as frost blankets the trees at Bacon Creek Park Saturday, December 29, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

What a great sight to wake up to this morning. Well, actually it was still rather foggy when I woke up. But it made for some great photos.

I think my best photos of the day were one’s I shot for my cemetery project before the start of my work shift. I went out while it was still foggy and the combination of the fog and frost made for a chilling effect in the photos. I was also able to get a few more when the sun came out before I had to start work. I was tempted to post a couple of the cemetery photos on my blog, but I don’t want to show you everything before the display is up at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. But don’t worry, I’ll let you know when we have a firm date for the display.

It’s Christmas Eve day and it’s a slow day at work. Had a couple of photos to do pre-press work on for an advance page, otherwise it looks like the rest of my day will be spent monitoring the police scanner and hoping nothing major happens.

And it looks like all the presidential candidates are giving us a Christmas present by taking the day off from campaigning. Only 11 more days until January 4th!

Shoppers walk though Southern Hills Mall on the last Saturday before Christmas. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

Only 3 days until Christmas.

And, more importantly, only 13 more days until January 4 (the day after the caucuses.)

West’s Ben Lenhart and East’s Dane Larson and Andy Dougherty battle for a rebound during basketball action at East High Tuesday, December . (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ball games are much more fun to shoot than political candidates. Click here more more photos from the East/West basketball game.

Only 17 more days until January 4!

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks at the Orpheum Theatre Monday, December 17, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

So tonight I photographed Barack Obama for the fifth time of this political season at the Orpheum Theatre. I’ve also photographed him:

March 31 in Onawa
April 1 at Mount Zion Baptist Church
April 1 at Morningside College
November 9 at West Middle School

Only 18 more days until January 4th!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillary Clinton speaks at the Plymouth County Historical Museum in LeMars Sunday, December 16, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

I was assigned to photograph Hillary Clinton speaking in LeMars tonight, and it feels like I had already photographed her.

Oh wait, I did. At the Boys Club in Sioux City on November 24. And at the Labor Day picnic on September 3. And at North Middle School on May 26. Looks like I’ll get to experience another case of deja vu tomorrow with Barack Obama scheduled to be in Sioux City.

The Iowa caucuses are on January 3. I am so looking forward to January 4.

Tianna McCullough, 7, Sioux City, talks to Santa during the Goodwill Shoe and Mitten Party at Goodwill Industries Saturday, December 15, 2007. Invitations were sent to 2000 area children to receive new shoes, socks, mittens and treats. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

I was so proud of myself today. I had to cover the annual Goodwill Shoe and Mitten Party. When I arrived the parking lot was full so I had to park out on the street. Parallel park. Between cars.

Now I admit that I’m not the best parallel parker in the world. I have a way of making parallel parking a 14-point maneuver. So I try to avoid parallel parking whenever possible, even if it means walking a couple extra blocks. But today I had a choice, parallel park or have a looooong uphill walk.

So I pulled even with the car in front of the empty space, put it in reverse, and in one quick swoop I backed in for a textbook parking maneuver. I was so proud of myself. I wish I had it on video. I’d be showing you highlights of it every day for the next year.

Usually I feel a four-wheel drive vehicle is overkill for most people, but today I had a photo assignment on Elk Creek Road, a windy gravel road between Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff. It didn’t look like it had been plowed, but there had been a fair amount of traffic driving over it, so I ventured ahead in my little ol’ Hyundai Elantra.

I kept an eye open for the address as I drive by several hilltop houses with extremely long, snow covered driveways, hoping the address I’m looking for is one of the few homes on flat land. Nope. I find the address and it’s a long, curvy, snow and ice covered, uphill drive. I decide to give it a try and I make it about 20 yards before my car decides it wants to go back downhill.

Luckily the people I was photographing had a 4-wheel drive pick-up and they gave me a lift up the driveway.

I’m a city guy. I’m glad I live someplace where the streets are generally plowed within a few hours of a snowfall. A 4-wheel drive would be nice to have, but for the few times I would need it during a year I just couldn’t justify the extra cost for the vehicle and the lower gas mileage.

The All-America Concert Band performs during the Little Yellow Dog Auction at the Terra Center Saturday, December 8, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

Each year the All-America Concert Band provides the entertainment during the Little Yellow Dog Auction. Ten years ago I was a fledgling photographer at the Journal and I had to cover auction. I needed to turn in several shots and I noticed one band member wearing a Santa’s hat while he played. It made for a nice close-up and ran in the following day’s paper.

The next day long-time Journal photographer Ed Porter informed me that the same band member gets in the paper every year because he’s the only one who wore a hat.

The following year I had to cover the auction again, but this time there were two band members wearing a hat, so I photographed someone different that time. Then the next year there were a few band members wearing the hats. Each year the number of Santa hats has increased and this year the majority of the band members were wearing hats. It kinda made me chuckle as I wondered if they wore them to get in the paper of if they’re just in the Christmas spirit.

Oh, and the auction….. Brubeck, this year’s Little Yellow Dog, fetched $20,000.

Brubeck listens as bids come in during the Little Yellow Dog Auction at the Terra Center Saturday, December 8, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)