For ten or so years I had the often odd experience of being a part of much of what happened in Grand Island, and sometimes outside of it.  Aside from covering football games, school class assignments and the occassional spot news, one thing I covered often was the Harvest of Harmony parade through downtown.  I didn’t cover it every year, but took enough pictures of it to fill several edition of The Independent.  This year was different though.  Jess and I went back to see family and friends.  In addition I went to the HOH as a spectator for the first time.

I still had my camera to catch family pictures, but I couldn’t help feeling the need to wander around and take some pictures of the bands.  It was a different experience though because I could no longer wander through the crowds and walk along the parade route with abandon because I was a member of the press.  I was just another guy with a camera looking to take pictures of the bands.  No special access.  It was odd.  It’ll get easier as I go along, but it was the first time the I was really smacked in the face with the fact that I don’t work at a paper anymore.  I guess that part of me really is in the past now.  At least for now.  Who knows in the future.