Walker... LeGrand Ranger...

Ok... I guess I'm gonna have to take a back seat to Chuck Norris on this one.

I had a real dilemma on this blog... Whether to go with the "Two Stews in a Pod" title or the one that I settled in on.

I mean seriously... Who's gonna compete with Chuck Norris?

:)

What I already knew from living in this community my entire life is that Walker is one of our finest.  The quarterback... the point guard... one of the smartest in his class... the amazing cheerleader girlfriend... the awesome parents...  this dude has everything going for him... right?

And the truth is... that's a fact.  All my preconceived notions were proved correct on Walker's senior session.  Even when it came to the start time.

I had contacted Walker's mom, Fern, early in the week... before the 4th of the July holiday... and suggested strongly that we consider moving his 1 p.m. scheduled start time... to the morning slot....which is 8 a.m.... do the EXTREME heat we were looking at.   Not just any heat... but like the HOTTEST day since 1934 or something.


"We'll be there at 7 a.m. if that's ok?"

That works for me, Mrs. Steward.

So for the second time in a week... I had convinced a senior to start an hour earlier than normal to avoid the oppressive heat.

It's hard not to want to return the favor to someone that is willing to sacrifice like that for everyone's benefit... so it was GO TIME at 6:45 when the Steward's pulled up.

We hit the road right away and started mission Avoid-The-Insane-Sweat right away.   The goal was to get all the outdoor done in succession and then chill in the studio afterwards, even if it meant cycling back into outfits that we had already changed out of.

With the awesome help of Mama Fern and Girlfriend Sami we knocked out all the outdoor before the temps reached triple digits... and we were back inside before lunchtime.... What a relief that was.   Make no mistake... we all were sweating aplenty even at the early morning hours... but we all agreed that it ended up being the lessor of two evils.

The morning that felt "only tropical" versus a full blown SAUNA found us running all over Marshall County... including standing in the Iowa River... and getting what may be mom's favorite image in the alleys of Marshalltown.   What Walker was REALLY looking forward to was the images in his home away from home.... East Marshall High School.

We found shelter in the wonderful coolness of the geothermal gymnasium and lockerrooms... and I couldn't be happier to report that our Mustang floor leader not only is a good athlete... but he's also a like-minded thinker and wanted to include Biblical verses on a few of his images. 

Request fulfilled.  ;)

It was about that point that I realized that the "Two Stew's in a Pod" headline was a possibility.   Through our discussions... I figured out that the standout multi-sport athlete had much more in common with this author other than our last names being separated by just the last letter.

You see... when I was Walker's age... I was convinced I was going to be an actuarial scientist.   In addition... I figured I might end up at the University of Iowa because of my affinity to the Hawkeyes... but in reality... I KNEW the better fit for me was a small school.   What school was that?   The same division three university that Walker has at the top of his list currently... Central College in Pella.   I assured him that if he wanted to turn out as good as I did... he would lock in that choice right now.  ;)

In addition... his long time girlfriend... and friend-of-Stewart Photography, Sami Roseland, have been dating since she was 14.... sounded real familiar to me since my wife and I started down this crazy path when she was 14.   No pressure... but SOMEtimes... it does work out.  :)

In the end... the session went WAY too long... but you know what?  That's just how things go when you're taking care of one of your clients.  Especially one that feels like one of your own family... There might be a D at the end of his name instead of a T... but no matter... not even Chuck Norris could stop me from kickin' some tail on this session.