Trash The Dress

There is a new web site for brides who want to do a special photo session after their wedding and trash their wedding gown. The web site is trashthedress.com.

We recently did a senior session with Tifany from Berryville. Part of her session reminded me of the trash the dress site. She jumped into the creek wearing her formal! She had a great time, and we got some very interesting photos!

Back Alley Drummer

We recently did a senior session with Nik from Berryville. He wanted to do something fun with his drum set (we love it when a senior says, "I want something different!").

We are really blessed at both our home and studio, as we have terrific neighbors! For the field photo, we went across the road from the studio to the Hutchison's field. Then Nik packed up his drums, and we found a back alley in Berryville. I especially like the black and white image!

Larry and Lajunta Celebrate 30th Wedding Anniversary

Larry and Lajunta with their 5 daughters. Larry and Lajunta with their son-in-laws.

On Sunday, September 23, Larry and Lajunta celebrated their 30th wedding anniversay. It was just a small celebration with all the daughters and son-in-laws present. Everyone came for lunch. The cake was made by Robin Capps.

They were married on September 24, 1977 at the Freewill Baptist Church in Oak Grove.

Bridal Fair Coming To Branson October 6th

We will be participating in a bridal fair in Branson, on October 6th. The event will be held at the Tri Lakes Center. Hours will be from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Over 40 wedding vendors will be present.
We will be displaying our latest styles and designs.

Green Forest vs Berryville Volleyball

Monday night, September 17 was the date of the big volleyball game in Carroll County, Green Forest vs. Berryville. Green Forest came out on top.
To view all the photos from the game, go to:
http://www.plumleephoto.com/
At the bottom of the page, click on "Sessions"
Password is: volleyball_sports

Green Forest vs. Berryville. Football 2007

Friday night, September 15 was the annual Green Forest vs. Berryville "Carroll County Super Bowl". Green Forest came out the winner.

To view photos from the game, go to:
http://www.plumleephoto.com/

At the bottom of the page, click on "Sessions"

Password is : gfbv_sports

MS 150 Report

Here's a group photo of our team from College of the Ozarks.Bikers assembling out in front of the Willard High School.
Lajunta and I before I headed out. Lajunta was a volunteer, helping with luggage and other miscellaneous duties.Lajunta took this photo as the bikes left Willard. They go out in groups of a couple hundred, or so.There were some "cheerleaders" along the route, many that I assume were afflicted with MS.There were some nice level stretches to ride. The bike in front of me is a "recumbent". I've been thinking about one of those. They are supposed to be more comfortable to ride. I once read where most recumbent riders are over 50 (check), have beards (check), and are over weight (check). Sounds like the perfect bike for me!I have ridden the Arkansas MS ride 3 times, so this year I thought I'd do the Missouri ride, which I thought would not have as many hills. WRONG! There were MORE hills!Riders at the first rest stop.About every 10 miles or so, there were rest stops. There was plenty of snacks, Little Debbie cakes, cheese crackers, fruit, peanut butter, water, and poweraid.You didn't have to worry (too much) about getting lost. The route was well marked. At every intersection, there were directions painted on the road, signs posted, and sometimes volunteers stationed to give directions.

This was a father and daughter who were riding. The daughter was only 11 years old. They were very pleasant to visit with. Reminded me of when we had a bunch of little girls around our house. I think they out rode me!I stopped to visit a minute or so with these folks. This vehicle was parked in their driveway. The fellow told me it was a 1923 Ford "Music Wagon". It was playing circus music. He told me that many years ago, when a circus was coming to town, this type vehicle would arrive a few weeks early, drive around town playing music, and advertise the coming circus.
At each rest stop, there were mechanics available to fix problems on the bikes.

FedEx trucks hauled our luggage.
Several young volunteers were on hand to unload and sort the baggage.


Lajunta took this photo at the finish line in Joplin on Saturday. It was 51 degrees, 13 mph wind, and rain. Many riders came in shivering, saying they had never been so cold. These two ladies, Michelle and Kathy, rode along at about my pace (ok, they were a bit faster), so we visited for awhile. It always helps you forget the aches and pains of riding if you have someone to visit with while riding.
Lajunta said she over-heard that the rider of this bike crashed.
Lajunta caught this photo of me "relaxing" on the sidewalk after the ride was over. That concrete sure felt good!




Well, I survived the ride!
However, the weather did not cooperate. On Friday night, the weather man predicted a high of 68 degrees, and chance of rain near the Missouri/Kansas border. We set the alarm for 3:00am, and drove to meet the PLUMS team at CofO. PLUMS stands for "Point Lookout Underminining Multiple Sclerosis". We left there before 5:00am. We arrived in Willard, registered, and were ready for the ride to begin at a little after 7:00. There were a little over 1,000 riders!
As the morning passed, more and more clouds rolled in. Then at about 40 miles into the ride for me, it started to sprinkle (I'm a slow rider, so I was near the end). Then about 45 miles it really started to rain. Boy, was I glad I'd wore my wind breaker and pants over my biking jersey and shorts! I got soaked, as I rode about 5 miles in a heavy rain. Actually, it sort of felt good, as the cold numbed my muscles! I rode slow, as I wasn't sure how slick the road might be, especially with puddles starting to grow on the road (I was riding with those tiny road bike tires, with 120psi). At about 50 miles, a "SAG" vehicle came along, and I called it quits for the day. Lots of riders were in their jerseys and shorts (without jackets), and some were shaking they were so cold. Found out the temperature was 51, with a 13 mph wind! Many of the faster riders rode 100 miles that day, but I heard some say they had never been so cold in their life! Hands were so cold, they could hardly get their shoes off!
On Sunday morning, David Summerlin, a photographer friend from Joplin, picked us up at the hotel at 6:00 and we had breakfast. He then dropped us off, and took some photos. Thanks a bunch, Dave!
It was a hilly ride, as we rode along the secondary/county roads between Willard and Joplin (I thought the Missouri ride would be on more level roads than the Arkansas rides.. ..WRONG!!!) It was some nice scenery. The next day, I got in 45 miles, and decided it was time to stop. So I rode a total of 95 miles. I did a little metric conversion, and found out I actually rode a little over 152 kilometers, so I get in 150. . . .just not miles. I was sure glad I caught a ride back in, because, once again, rain drops fell, but this time, lightening was popping around! But the bikers kept on going.
Thanks to everyone who contributed. I hit my goal of $500.

"Tour of Missouri" Bicycle Race, Stage 3

Discovery Channel rider Yarslav Popovych.

Discovery Channel rider Benjamin Noval

On Thursday, September 13, the Tour of Missouri bike race moved to Branson for an 18 mile individual time trial. My nephew, Matt Plumlee, came along and we split up to photograph the beginning of the race at the Branson Landing. The race took the riders north of town, and ended at The Shepard of the Hills. I stationed myself a couple hundred yards from the start house, to get action photos of the racers. Matt stayed at the start house, just inches from the racers. He told me that he heard some of them talking and joking like, "If you'll wait up for me, I'll help you up the hill". He even noticed one rider had a photo of his wife attached to his bike. Here's just a few of the photos from the event. I'll post more when I have time.
We arrived early and walked around and noticed many volunteers hard at work. We recognized many familar faces, as we have several good photography clients in the Branson area. These are the Myer brothers, Gail and Chris. We have photographed their families many times. They operate the Myer Hotels in Branson.The lobby of each of their hotels displays a recent family portrait that we have taken of their family. During our daughter Karla's wedding last month, we all stayed at their Comfort Inn and Suites Branson Meadows. We enjoyed our stay. That's the hotel we recommend to our friends when they visit Branson.
This rider is Alberto Contador. He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France. He is not a favorite to win the Tour of Missouri, as his speciality is in the huge mountain races, such as in the Alps.


This is Levi Leipheimer of Discovery Team. He has always been one of my favorite tour riders. He finished 3rd in this year's Tour de France. He was the winner of today's race, finishing the ride in 39 minunte, 37 seconds. That is about the same amount of time it takes me to ride my bike to work at the studio, but it's only 6 3/4 miles, not the 18 they covered today.Here are a few photos that were taken by my nephew Matt. The photo above is George Hincapie arriving at the start house. Hincapie, the current race leader, is an incredible rider. He was Lance Armstrong's main lieutenant, during his run of tour victories. Hincapie has finished an incredible 11 Tour de France races. It's just hard to comprehend what great shape these athletes are in, to endure the pain and suffering associated with bike racing!
Another photo by Matt. Hincapie preparing for the ride.

Hincapie, race leader, was the last to leave the start house. He finished today's race in 6th place, 2 minutes 7 seconds behind Leipheimer. However, he is still in first place overall.

Hey, who's that guy riding on the side walk at Branson Landing? It's Alberto Contador! I guess when you are the current Tour de France winner, you can ride your bike any where you want. Actually, all the riders could be seen at time riding around the Landing. We noticed several of the riders on 76 (the "Strip" in Branson), coming back into town after the race. I guess after a hard 18 mile time trial, they wanted to take a leisurely tour back into town.

Check out our studio website: http://www.plumleephoto.com/

"Tour of Missouri" Bicycle Race, Stage 2

This week Missouri is hosting one of the three largest pro bicycle races in the US. The Tour of Missouri (http://www.tourofmissouri.com/) is a six day race. Today was stage 2 from Clinton, MO to Springfield, a total of 125 miles. I found a spot near the finish line.The most well know team in the race is the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. The team includes 4 big names in pro cycling: George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Yarslav Popovych, and 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. In day's race, a break away of 12 riders finished about 16 minutes ahead of the pelaton (the main group of riders). It was a sprint finish, with George Hincapie (in dark blue and black) pulling head (top 3 photos) with less than 100 yards to go for the win! Tomorrow will be an individual time trial in Branson, and I hope to be there too!

Fifth photo down I believe is Levi Leipheimer, in blue. Bottom photo is George Hincapie, who was presented with the "yellow jersey", which signifies him as the race leader.

Odd news of the day. . .. One rider crashed today and is out for the race (I heard a rumor, that he may have broken his collar bone). The reason for the crash? He hit an armadillo!

Bicycling Week Times Two!

Two big bicycling events are coming to SW Missouri this week.
On Saturday and Sunday, I'll be riding in the annual MS 150 Bike Ride, from Willard to Joplin, and back. Two days of riding, 150 miles.
Missouri is also the setting this week for the first ever "Tour of Missouri" professional bike race. The six day event it patterned after the famous "Tour de France". I plan to watch them in Springfield on Wednesday and in Branson on Thursday. Should be some great photo ops! It will be one of the three largest professional bike races in the US this year! The highlight of the race will be the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. Alberto Contador, winner of this year's Tour de France, will be riding, as will 3rd place finisher Levi Leipheimer. Other Team Discovery members that I hope to grab a photo of are George Hincapie and Yaroslav Popovych (8th place Tour finisher).
Versus Channel, which covers the Tour de France, will be covering this race also. It's scheduled for broadcast at a later date (9/22 and 2/26 from 4:00-6:00).
Sadly, this will be the last race for the Discovery Channel team, as they are disbanding after this season.
What an exciting week ahead! Be watching next week for lots of photos!


If you've not yet contributed to my MS ride, you still have a few days. I've reached the required minimum in order to participate, but am a little short on the goal I'd hoped to reach. Here is a link to more info on the ride and how you can donate:
http://5kdad.blogspot.com/2007/07/support-fight-against-ms-and-get-free_11.html

Meet My Favorite Camera Salesman

Earlier this month, I purchased a new camera from Jerry at Lawrence Photo in Springfield. I was thinking back about the first time I met Jerry.

When I was a senior in high school at Green Forest, I was the photographer for the yearbook. That was my first experience with a camera. On my birthday, my mom and dad took me to Lawrence Photo in Springfield, and bought me a small darkroom kit. That was December 1974. Just two months before that, a new saleman had started working there. His name, Jerry Stokes. Nearly 33 years later, Jerry is still working at Lawrence Photo. He sold me my first professional camera. He has been a great advisor over the years. I remember several times in my early years, going into the store and telling Jerry I wanted to buy a certain piece of equipment. Several times he'd say, "No, that's not want you need, here is what you should buy". And you know what? He was always right! Once in major emergency (I dropped a camera into Yocum Creek the evening before a big event at CofO), I called Jerry at home, to see if he had another identical camera in stock. He did. So I told him, I'd be there when he opened in the morning. He told me, "Come on up now, and we'll go down to the store and get it for you". Wow, what service!

Their prices are competitive, their service unmatched.

Thanks, Jerry, for all your help!

Miss Carroll County Photos Online

We now have the photos online from the 2007 Miss Carroll County Pageant and the Fair Parade. The photos are in two different galleries.

To view the galleries, go to our website:
http://www.plumleephoto.com/

At the bottom of the page, click on "Sessions"

Enter password.

For parade, the password is : parade_mscc

For the pageant, the password is: pageant_mscc

You may order photos online, or call our studio with your order.

Photos will remain online thru September 30, 2007.

Miss Carroll County 2007

The week of Labor Day is the annual Carroll County Fair, in Berryville. One of the highlights of the fair, is the "Miss Carroll County Queen's Contest". This year's contest was held Wednesday evening, September 5.

The first event of the evening was the crowning of the junior division queen. This year's winner was Casie Myers (top photo). Pictured in the next photo, are Kelsey Conner (Miss Congeniality), Olivia Foster (1st Runner Up), Casie Myers (2007 Jr. Miss Carroll County), and Mercedes Splichal (2nd Runner Up).

The second event of the evening was the crowing of Miss Carroll County. Erin Robertson was this year's winner. Other winners in the senior division pictured above were Jenny Fleischer (Miss Congeniality), Hali Williams (1st Runner Up), Erin Robertson (2007 Miss Carroll County), and Meghan Holman ( 2nd Runner Up).

Support Larry's MS 150 Bike Ride, get a free family portrait. Time is running out!

http://5kdad.blogspot.com/2007/07/support-fight-against-ms-and-get-free_11.html

Plumlee Photography web site:

http://www.plumleephoto.com/