Aug. 16 marks my official one year working for the Houston Today newspaper. And I must say, this year has been jam-packed with stories and events that have been a pleasure to cover.
Working for Houston Today has challenged me in a variety of ways to do better in my writing, to develop professional public relation skills, as well as integrate myself in Houston in a way that was not possible before I became a part of this industry.
The stronger tie and investment I have felt to Houston this past year, has accumulated each week as I organize my story line up and follow local groups and organizations on events and programs they are offering.
Getting to witness the myriad of interactions community members partake in through out Houston is its own kind of network that seems to create something rich, similar to the hard congregated work of honey bees.
As you read this, I will be on my two week kayak-camping trip around Gwaii Haanas, and I just realized that I made an oversight on the dates I chose to go on vacation.
During the two weeks I will be gone, all the events that made me fall in love with the paper when I first started working here are being held.
Specifically, the Houston Drag Races. Running up and down the grassy plane along the Houston airport track last year, was worth the photos I got that day. And even better were the kind volunteers that allowed me to stand in the middle of the barricade where the drag racers lined up and gave an epic smoke show as they waited for the green light to flash.
It feels comforting to have an idea of what this next year at the paper will kind of look like. I’m already excited thinking about the seasonal sports including figure skating, hockey, and ringette that I know I’ll enjoy taking photos of again. As well as covering stories on projects coming into their final stages like the rebuild of Cottonwood Manor, and the grand opening of a new grocery store in Houston.
In its own way, this experience has felt like creating a detailed scrapbook of the community. I’m ready for the sequel.
