Whoa, Don't See That Very Often...

Sometimes I see stuff that completely catches me off guard.  Yesterday, while on the road shooting stories in Southern Minnesota, I walked into the bait shop to see this;  Our television camera in three pieces.  "Oh no", I thought...

       

Monday morning, Photojournalist Lorri Burchett and I set out on our Southern Minnesota tour.  Three days, three stories shot.  We started Monday in Mankato at one of my all-time favorite companies, "Minn Kota".   Talk about a cool history.  I'll spare you the details until the television story hits the airs, but needless to say, touring Minn Kota's three buildings is certainly something to see.  Fact is, we're the first TV crew to get in there.  Here are a few teaser shots....

Building Bow-Mount Units...

 A Cool Picture.... Lorri Shooting Building Number Three

 Okay,  we jump to Tuesday.  Stacy Leesch and I decided to do a little bass fishin'. 5:30 am, we head out to two local lakes.  Lura and Jefferson.   Whoa, bad idea?  We found 88 degree water temps in spots.   We threw everything everywhere.   No bass to be found.   Long story short.  We got our perennial bass tails handed to us.  I'll blame it on extra hot weather and extra hot water.  Found one small fish late in the day and a few pike.  See?  It happens to everyone! Okay, now we jump to day # 3.   Lorri and I head to Waterville, MN to shoot Sakatah State Park and the local lakes.  On the way into town, we swing by the first bait shop we find.  A little family place called Axel's.

Axel's Bait Shop

 I run inside to grab a couple spinner baits and meet this guy, Axel. 
Axel!
We strike up a conversation and soon enough Lorri and I are inside shooting a story on this gem of a spot. Turns out Axel build his own spinner baits.  They've got a secret twist (which you'll have to discover for yourselves). Needless to say I couldn't leave without purchasing several!  On the way out, we look over in the corner of the shop we discover a bunch of very cool paintings.  Turns out Axel recently got married and his wife's hobby is art.  I'm thinking it should be her career.  Just look at her work. 
Irina at Work...
That drawing Irina's working on there is of a guy worked at the restaurant next door doing odd jobs.  He was kinda a favorite in the area. He recently passed away and Irina agreed to create a piece to remember the guy.  Wow... 

    That's the way our adventures sometimes go.  We always seem to stumble onto the best stories when we're not looking for them.   All the sudden?  Blurry pictures...  The camera lens goes on the fritz and we're outta business.  So, that's what it's like to shoot outdoor television.  You just never know who you're going to meet or what you're going to see....

Until next week,

"The Man About The Woods"