Mill House

Feels like traveling back in time...going to Yates Mill. The time-weathered wood, the large water wheel, the old grinding stones and old gears used to turn the wheels that now sit underneath the trees. Nevermind that it's now a beautiful county park...it is also a memorial to times gone by. To know that so many people brought their corn and grain here to be milled, it makes me wonder about the lives and hopes and dreams of all the footprints that are ingrained upon the land, stone and wood of this place. Back in a time when you bartered chickens, eggs, vegetables, milk, sewing and numerous other skills or crafts just to have the benefit of the mill. In a time when money is about the only thing that "talks", the ideas of trading for what you need is about as foreign an idea as apprenticing to learn a trade. Many of us learned the story of Johnny Tremaine in elementary or middle school. He worked for free with a silversmith to learn how to smith the silver. In exchange, he was given free room and board. In this present time, the concept of working for free to learn something is a lost "on-the-job" training. True, internships in college are rarely paid and in fact are a type of apprenticeship. However, they don't give you free room and board, either! So, as I stand on the slate, beside the waterfall, and watch the water turn the wheel that used to turn the gears that used to turn the grooved stone wheels that used to mill the corn and grain, I consider "If walls could talk..."

Bestie & Her Hubby

What could be better than to spend a truly gorgeous day at a really neat county park with my bestie and her hubby? Taking Fotos of said bestie and her hubby, OF COURSE!! Couple...a pair...two of a kind...lovers and friends...husband and wife. My bestie and her hubby are all of the above words. I have known them from the time they first started dating...that's when I met both of them. In the past years, I have watched them face life together. From commitment fears to family disapprovals to pressures of school, work and families. These two have faced all of it together. They exemplify numerous parts of a relationship that people seem to have forgotten...loyalty and support, love and understanding, problem solving and believing in the other person. No, they are not perfect...they have all the normal foibles that anyone person can have, but they believe in each other...they are each other's best friend. They support each other's dreams, jobs, schooling and lives. Every time I am around them, I see other nuances that I haven't seen before. They have cooked dinner, together, for me. They gave up a Sunday afternoon to let me Foto their love and laughter. I love watching them interact with each other. The teasing, the laughter, the love, all are parts of their relationship. And I love being around them. I am so glad to have both of them in my life. I love you R. & DJ. You certainly have your "W"...you are both Winners!

Momma's Eyes

You've heard everyone say: "Oh, he's got Great Aunt Agatha's ears!" or "He's got Uncle Joe's cheeks"...but this little boy has his momma's eyes. And that's no doubt.One of my former bosses, she called me to take her Christmas card picture of her son. He immediately said hello to me when we met at the park...now understand that I have never met him before. One look into his eyes and I could see a heartbreaker in the making. His mom's eyes are arrestingly vivid and I don't know many people who have not commented on her eyes. To see them duplicated in her son...WOW, what a punch! He had so much energy but he listened very well to his momma. We took a few pictures and he wandered around the open porch...looking over the railing, jumping on the leaves, and suddenly, he's looking for me and posing...just as cute as could be! His mom was so surprised. He scooted up on a bench, arranged his feet and then rolled over on his belly, propping his chin on his hand. Such a model! It was such a fun foto-ppurtunity!

Autumn in White Cross

Sometimes you have only to ask to get special permission. I've been to public arboretums in Atlanta and Raleigh but they don't compare to the place I went in October. A private arboretum hidden in the back roads of Orange County. Due to a turn of fate, I knew about this place 2 years ago through a friend of mine, but I never found the time to ask the owner if I could visit. Life has a way of getting in the way of your plans, you know. So, when I found myself with a few October weekends with no plans on my hands...I scoured my email for the contact information to this arboretum. After many emails and discarded dates, we finally settled on a Sunday late in October. As I got geared up to take this road trip, I casually mentioned to my 2 besties, Rachelle & Sarah, that I was going and would they like to join me for the ride. I thought there was no way either of them would be interested...I was way wrong. Both of them jumped at the chance to get away on a girls' road trip to a secret location! It turned out to be an overcast day with the leaves starting to turn and the colors really beginning to POP! We spent 1 hour driving there, 2 hours walking around with me taking tons of pictures of the scenery and of the besties, and an hour coming home. It felt like we were in the book, "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett (one of my all-time favorite books). Hidden from the world, in a garden that only a couple people know about, walking with 2 of my besties and surrounded by beautiful plants and statuary. We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon together and I took some pictures of my besties that made their mommas proud! It was a day full of memories, smiles and sincere, true friendship. It was a blessing and a bendiction from God.

Crossing Cultures

Having a curious mind is a very eye-opening thing. I have always been fascinated by other cultures, traditions and ceremonies. Receiving a phone call to document a ceremony for one of my favorite families was quite a pleasure. The richness of everything, the symbolism of the baby's first solid food, the closeness of the family and the rituals that created the entirety of the morning all came together to present me with a great Foto opportunity! On a week that provided me with numerous Fotoing moments, this was one that was unique, even for me!