Morning Delight
On many mornings, this view greets me when I top the hill on U.S. 221 about five miles south of Willis. I think about this scene whenever anyone asks me why I came back to Floyd County after 40 years.
The "blue" effect came by setting the white balance on my camera to "tungster," an old photographer’s trick from my film days when one wanted to alter the color balance. I then saturated the colors in Photoship.
Wrong Assumption
The danger when you assume, the old saying goes, is that all you do is make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.”
That thought came to mind last night when a reader emailed to complain about Monday’s comments regarding the Floyd County Board of Supervisor’s approval of a “shell” building they will have to buy in 2007 when the owner bails out of the sweetheart deal (see the story below this one).
“About what we would expect,” the emailer said. “Another outsider coming into Floyd County telling us how to do things.”
Old Home Week
The last week or so has been old home week around here. During the open house at The Jacksonville Center as part of the Spring Into Summer festivities last weekend, my high school journalism teacher, Ruth Hallman, dropped by the studio for a visit.
Radio Daze
These days, while driving the roads of Floyd County (and most anywhere else) I listen to high-quality digital sound on XM satellite radio — a far cry from the scratchy AM radio that brought the outside world to my ’57 Ford in high school.
Back in the 60s, AM radio ruled and it took a good radio to pull in the 50,000-watt clear channel stations from far beyond the borders on Floyd County.
In for the Duration
Closed up the home in Arlington for the summer, packed the last cat into the back and the Wrangler and headed South (Southwest actually) for the next three months or so.
Can a photographer make a living in Floyd County? Good question. Can a photographer who also does high-end digital printing for other photographers make a living? Better question with better odds for success.
The next three months will tell. Stay tuned.
Swamped
Been offline for a while. Lots of work. Swamped would be a better word. I arrive at the studio around 7, leave for the night somewhere between 9 and 11.
Now, would somebody explain the “leisurely pace of life in Floyd County” to me one more time?
I think I missed something.
Brother Wind
Brother Wind, featuring Michael & Kari Kovick and Dave Fason — another of the groups that played Floyd’s Spring Into Summer festival this past weekend. The joy was their music. The sorrow was the small crowds that attended the event.
Ten Years and Counting
On June 5, 1994, my life crashed around me. Several catastrophic events brought my world down and everyhing was caused by one thing — an inability to control my drinking.
I woke up with a hangover the next day, June 6, 1994 — the 50th anniversary of D-Day — and realized I had to deal with the Beast that was destroying my marriage and everything else that mattered in my life.
That night, I walked across the street from my home in Arlington, into the community room of a nearby church and started the first of 12 steps under Alcholics Anonymous.
Better Luck Next Time
Didn’t quite work out the way I hoped. Friday dawned wet and we had to scrap plans to shoot the World War II Memorial.
Then faced the 300 miles drive to Floyd with a screaming cat in the car. Why do dogs travel in cars better than cats? A car seems to be the one place where any cat will lose their cool. Odd.
Back, Sort Of
Lord, has it been two weeks away from here? Seems like yesterday.
Too many irons in the fire, too little time. Back in DC this week. Will try to photograph the new World War II Memorial today (weather permitting) and then head back to Floyd County for a load of work that I’m sure is piling up on the desk at the studio.
More later.