World War II veteran Dr. Quentin Smith holds a replacement congressional medal honoring the Tuskegee Airmen awarded to him during a ceremony held at City Hall in Gary, Ind., Friday, April 20, 2012. Smith, 93, fought in World War II as part of the famed 99th Fighter Squadron. Smith’s original medal was stolen when his home was burglarized last summer.

I’m a nostalgia junkie. As many of my close friends can attest, I have a very keen memory for events I’ve experienced and special people I’ve met throughout the years. In fact, part of the reason I enjoy photography so much is that, other than allowing others to see the world through my eyes, I get to freeze my life – moment by moment – and hold onto those moments indefinitely. The photos in my archive act as keys to the doors which my memories are tucked behind, unlocking the enjoyable adventures, arduous struggles, and unforgettable smiles that are allowed to live on forever.

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Ginna Hoptman and Pavel Filchenkov during the senior pairs free dance of the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Nationals at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. A slow shutter speed of 1/10th of a second was used to create this ghostly image.

I’m not sure many other photographers raised outside cold weather climates could have successfully walked across fifty yards of glassy, slick ice without falling on their behinds. Heck, I’m not sure many would have even attempted it! Alas, there I was, on the wrong side of the rink at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Nationals in Omaha with only minutes to spare until the on-ice awards ceremony that I wanted to photograph began. With no time to walk back through the bowels of the arena to the correct (and carpeted) entrance onto the rink, I stepped over the wall and began my trepidatious walk towards the other photographers gathered near the center of the rink.

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A view of the northbound end of the 9-Span Bridge in Hammond, Ind., late Sunday, January 13, 2013. The bridge, which has connected the cities of Hammond and East Chicago since 1937, will be closed permanently on Monday for demolition and replacement.

Perhaps it can be attributed to my upbringing in one of the most industrial parts of the United States (I’m sure being really interested in engineering and technology hasn’t hurt), but I have a huge soft spot in my heart when it comes to giant structures that have been a part of the local landscape for my entire life. Enter the 9-Span Bridge, the hulk of rusty green steel which carries Indianapolis Blvd. over the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad’s Gibson Yard just a mile or so from my home. Built in 1935 and opened in 1937, the bridge has connected the cities of Hammond and East Chicago, Indiana, for over 75 years.

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(From left) The Glen Theater board chairman Vernon Smith talks with African-American Achievers Youth Corps members Joshua Perry, 16, of Merrillville, Ind., along with Gary, Ind., residents Christopher Woods Jr., 16, Ramon Luckett, 17, and Stephen Jenkins, 17, prior to a production held at the theater in Gary, Saturday, November 10, 2007. The youth corps members work shows at the newly re-opened theater, completing tasks such as ushering, cleaning, and technical jobs behind the scenes.

In keeping with a New Year’s resolution to myself, I’ve decided to prevent the dust from accumulating on my often-sedentary blog. A new feature that will help me attain this goal is something I’m going to call Rewind, where I’ll feature a shoot from my archives that I may have never shared before.

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