SELF AS A PORTRAIT (The Patriot-News)
When Tim Kenee was 16, he tattooed a small cross on his left wrist because he loved art and wanted a tattoo. Years later, Kenee's arms sport full-sleeve tattoos -- shoulders to wrists -- with a Buddha, skulls, other designs and the word "flea market."

Death in the desert (Orlando Weekly)
When cops found the dead, cherub-faced Florida airman last July 4, they thought he was one of those demonic end-of-the-worlders. Beyond him, huge crimson, gold and orange boulders burst skyward, like frozen explosions, surrounded by empty white desert. Dark mountain ranges loomed along the horizon.

Renaissance man escapes to his dream (Rocky Mountain News)
Matthew Tiffenbach went with his parents to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival at age 10 and saw his future, though he probably didn't know then that he would become a rennie.