That’s me.  The sweeps guy.  The Looking Out 4 You dude.  The reporter who blows the lid off of…something.   But what?   Don’t worry.  It’s not like I’m sitting here starting from scratch.  I have my eye on several big investigations.

They are somewhere to the left of the box of microwave popcorn.

Yes.  No.  Maybe.  Hard to say.  You see, demand for Putney’s locally-produced eggs is already high.   Just ask Whole Foods Market on Woodruff Road, where Putney’s eggs are proudly sold.

Donna Putney of Honea Path

The fun part was watching News 4 photojournalist Johnny Bates trying to get shots of hens sitting on their eggs.  “The girls,” as Putney calls them, were quite nervous.  I guess they don’t like having their pictures taken.

JB zooms in for the shot!

We left Putney’s home with a new appreciation for her “free range” chickens that produce eggs of different colors.   She even gave us an awesome new coffee mug that says, Upstate Locally Grown Market.

Thanks Donna!

Tim Waller and Donna Putney

And what do I do to relax when I go home?  Just ask my Tennessee-friend of 22 years!

Videogame extraordinaire Joe Gragg.

Since the start of my career, I have stayed in close touch with my friend and former coworker, Joe Gragg.  Joe is the chief photog at WCYB-TV (NBC) in Bristol, Virginia, otherwise known as the Tri-Cities market.  He is the first news photographer I ever worked with, and has remained a friend for all these years.  Our most common bond is video games.  We are two guys in their mid-40s who love to play.

Friend Kenny joins in the fun.

This week, Joe and I have logged hundreds of hours trying to out-do each other in the virtual gaming world.  From X-Box 360 to Nintendo Wii, there’s been no shortage of competition.  From golf to tennis to bowling to darts to baseball to basketball to football, I’ve spent all of my down-time here with a game-controller in hand.  So much time, I literally dream pictures like the one below.  As always, Joe is the more skilled of the two of us.  He owns the game systems and plays more than I do.

But everyone is the master of their universe in Wii world.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly straight-in put you see here.

Now my time in Tennessee has nearly come to an end.  I will return to G-Vegas on MLK Day to prepare for another busy year in TV news.  But no matter which stories I become immersed in, and no matter how busy I become in my husband-parent role, I know my mind will eventually drift back to the virtual “playing field” of Joe’s living room.

Darts anyone?

Taking a much-needed break from the Wii dart championships.

Addendum: On the last night of my visit, I broke one of Joe’s Wii controllers by slapping it against his living room floor while bowling. Sorry Joe!