Marysia Rzeszutek shares a laugh with a family member as she adds a raspberry filling to a paczki, a type of cream-filled Polish pastry, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, at Baker's Dozen Bake Shop in South Bend. Rzeszutek and her husband, Chris, own the shop and expect to make between 2,500 and 3,000 paczkis for Fat Tuesday. The pastries are a traditional treat for Polish Catholics before lent. (James Brosher/South Bend Tribune)
Jack Stumpf, a freshman from St. Louis, shares a laugh as he asks for donations during the annual Day of Man event on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, outside of the north dining hall on the Notre Dame campus. Stumpf was one of several Siegfried Hall dorm residents to brave cold temperatures Wednesday wearing only t-shirts, shorts and shirts all day while collecting donations for the South Bend Homeless Shelter. (James Brosher/South Bend Tribune)
So I’m back in the saddle, or actually out of it. Monday was my first day of work at the South Bend Tribune after a couple weeks to move back east from Wyoming. My first assignment was a floral shop where workers were getting flower arrangements ready for V-day. For those of you who observe Valentine’s Day: enjoy.
Armida Stauffer, of South Bend, puts the finishing touches on an arrangement of red roses on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, at A Single Rose Florist, 118 S. Hill St. in South Bend. Stauffer, who has worked at the shop for about 24 years, had prepared about 25 arrangements on Tuesday morning for Valentine's Day. "When you've got nice flowers, it's fun to do," she said of the work. The shop owner, Rosemary Ponto Maurer, said the shop was expecting to fill 75 flower orders for the holiday this year. (James Brosher/South Bend Tribune)
Abi Colbert, left, Destiny Wilkinson, Caitlin Hollingsworth and Dallas Hollingsworth chant for their team's white chili during the Boys and Girls Club chili cook off on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, at the Holiday Inn in Cheyenne. The girls' team was from the Boys and Girls Club. Their chili consisted of green chili, chicken and sour cream among other ingredients. The event drew more than 20 teams of chili cookers and benefited the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
Alf Grzegorczyk, owner of the Red Wood Lounge, shares a laugh with a patron as he hands out bracelets for Thankful Thursday on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at the Cheyenne lounge. The weekly gathering has raised more than $100,000 for charities since it started on Feb. 11, 2010, through 50/50 drawing and auctions. "It's such a cool program," Grzegorczyk said of the weekly event (held at 4:30 p.m. each Thursday except in the summer and on holidays) that benefits a different charity each week. Thursday's event was in benefit of the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
Framed by containers of coffee beans, John Guerin, owner of the Coal Creek Coffee Company of Laramie, Wyo., pours a cup for a patron during an opening reception for the exhibit, "Coffee: The World in Your Cup" on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at the Wyoming State Museum. The exhibit, exploring the history of coffee, will be at the museum until March 3. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
A cloud passes overhead as workers peer down into the Herschler Building as they replace a section of the building's translucent roof on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Cheyenne. The workers braved temperatures below 20 degrees to replace the roofing section. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
Laura Riley, also known as "Concealed Carrie," shares a laugh as she talks with a couple potential recruits for the Cheyenne Capidolls roller derby team on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, at Roller City. The team held a recruitment call-out for potential members. The team's first match of the year is on Feb. 11. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
Last week I was out trolling (driving around town looking for a feature photo) when I happened to come across a group of Cheyenne firefighters using a ladder truck to fire water into an empty parking lot at Frontier Park. At first, I thought I might have found a fire, but when I got closer I realized they were just training. I shot a few frames of the firefighters by the truck then braved getting down range of their stream (in 30-degree weather) to get a bit of the rainbow they were creating in the frame. I got wet, but it was worth it.
Cheyenne fire fighters Brent Osborne, left, and Jacob Vassar fire a spray of water into the Frontier Park parking lot on Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, in Cheyenne. Members of ladder one and engine one were training Vassar, a new fire fighter who recently joined the department after graduating from the training academy in December. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
Mickey Lewis, right, a member of the Fort Laramie Historical Association, shars a laugh with Hannah Buettner and Brandon Lewis on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, at the Barnes and Noble in Cheyenne. The two were depicting main characters, Lt. Ethan Bowles and Abigail Harding, from Amanda Cabot's new book, "Summer of Promise," during a book signing at the store. The book is set in Fort Laramie, Wyo. in 1885. (James Brosher/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)