I’ve been quite busy at work lately. I’ve had fewer bylines, but it has taken more work and more time to get those stories out.

Even though I’m not a political reporter, the upcoming election has found its way into my beat.

Here in Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay is our heart and soul. So the environment becomes a political issue.

What are the candidates’ environmental promises? What are their environmental accomplishments? I spent last week working on those questions.

I’d like to share a few photos from my efforts on the political-environmental front.

First, I spent Monday night covering a county executive candidates’ forum on environmental issues. I shot video, and this is what that looked like:

Next, this is former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. speaking at a class at Towson University:

I interviewed the two candidates for governor for an article on their environmental promises.

I drove an hour up to Towson, then observed the nearly hour-long class, in order to have a shot at a few minutes afterward to ask Ehrlich questions. (Thankfully, a family friend loaned me a parking pass, which made my life easier.)

That’s kind of how things go for reporters late in an election season.

I had evening plans in Towson later that night, so rather than head back to the office, I set up camp in the Towson Library to work. Here’s what that looked like:

I also had an interview with Gov. Martin O’Malley this week, along with the State House reporter from my paper.

That was cool because I finally got to see the interior offices on the second floor of the State House, where the governor and his staff work.

I didn’t take a picture of that, though. They probably would have kicked me out!