Robots!

Somedays when I'm working down here I'm reminded that I'm in the smack dab of Silicon Valley, completely surrounded by incredibly smart people. While teaming up with a reporter on his story about local robotic-engineering (ok, so it's probably officially referred to as "artificial intelligence") we got a sneak peak at the robots of the soon-to-be future. This includes the all robotic operating room, which is controlled by a surgeon who could be as far away as space, using voice-recognizable 3-D virtual reality technology that controls the bots. They even thought so far ahead that there are several robots in the operating room who duplicate the tasks of their human counterparts, such as a scrub nurse, and a supply nurse. The all robotic operating room is currently being used for simple surgeries -although you won't be able to sign me up for one anytime soon. Do you think you could picture yourself lying on this gurney? Of course they tell us there will be actual humans to supervise the whole process....lest something terrible happens, like the robots taking control.

The O.R. of the future?

Robotic fingers that can even sew stitches

A week in the life of a small town photojournalist

Ok, so really these were not all taken in the same week, more like the last two weeks. But they give you a general idea as to the types of assignments I get every week. Just thought I'd share.

Some kids goofing off in auto shop class

Taking a break for a second while working on a car in auto shop class

At the newly built rehabilitation and physical therapy center for horses, using a water filled treadmill to get a racehorse's legs strengthened after a previous injury.

A portrait of a mortgage broker for the Real Estate section

Sixth graders all dressed in togas during "Greek Fest" day

A fisherman at Half Moon Bay who is now solely relying on catching crabs for income now that all ocean salmon fishing has been cancelled for the whole season.

On the Farm

Back in late February I was trying to come up with a photo story idea for a two-three page spread I would have in April. I'm not sure how it came about but I suddenly got the inspiration to focus on some of the local farmers here who sell at the Menlo Park Farmer's Market every Sunday. It really was like one of those moments in which a little light bulb inside my head flicked on. (Farms, produce, and sunshine...cool!) I was on a weekend assignment anyway so I decided to check out the market and talk to the vendors, see who was selling what and where they hailed from. Most of these farmers come all the way out here from places like Hollister, Stockton, King City, and Modesto. That's a lot of traveling and labor involved every weekend. I wanted to stay focused to a 40-mile radius from our area, so luckily enough the market manager gave me some names of farmers in the zone. I got in touch with two farms, Happy Quail and Mellow's, who were nice enough to go along with my vision and actually take time to talk to me during their 12-14 hour-long days. By the end of the two weeks I spent on this project, I had developed a new sense of awe and respect for farmers and all the work that they put into their crops. Tony, who runs Mellow's farms, has 40 acres spread out all over the Morgan Hill area. A few days a week, his shift usually starts at around 2am to load all the produce into the truck and haul it up to the city where he unloads it at the Farmer's Market, sells until about 5pm, and usually gets home around 8pm or so. That is a looooooong day. And he works seven days a week! And on the Happy Quail Farm, they are truly making the most of the one acre that they have that is located inside two greenhouses in East Palo Alto of all places. I couldn't believe that they have to plant all those peppers one by one bending their backs....it even made my back hurt just watching them. This story has been one of my favorites by far and made me open my eyes as to the amount of work we take for granted that goes into providing us our food. And I got to see how broccoli grows (how sad is that, that I had no clue before?) Farming must be one of the most labor intensive professions out there...yet the farmers seem to love it. I guess it must be that excitement and pride you get from seeing something start as a tiny little seed grow to six feet tall producing pounds and pounds of tasty food.

Thousands of tomato seedlings being planted

Watering the tomato seedlings

Cauliflower

Backbreaking work planting pepper plants

Pepper plant seedlings waiting to get transplanted

The Menlo Park Farmer's Market

A rainbow of bell peppers