Morning In Small Town America

I recently joined a photography group and really enjoy the interesting suggestions to join with others at specific locations to take pictures and compare product. My first outing was a place I had photographed before, Green Cove Springs, Florida. The difference this time: The group would meet at 7am to photograph the sunrise. I tend not to be a good early riser so after a strong cup of coffee, was ready to head out at 5:45 am. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

What really shocked me about arriving so early in the morning was how colorful the beginning of a day could be. I am one of those people who tends to work well into the night, and much like a vampire seeing the sun rise becomes a dangerous thing. But, surprisingly, I felt no ill effects and actually became brave and began to walk around.

The pier, which received a short mention on my previous trip now took on a whole new meaning. It became a beacon of light that would allow me to venture out on to the water.

If you are a regular reader you already know about my desire to see life from a different angle, and the pier was no different. Looking at it from a lower level creates a very different line of sight. And,  highlights the very focused way I guess I see life. From this angle the pier could be a landing strip, an alien space ship, or even a bug of some kind. Interesting what things come to mind when you give it free reign to wander...

Time is passing, and as I gaze off in the distance, I find the spot where the sun will actually rise. A look and then the realization that I might want to find a different spot to view the big event.

More time passes, and finally the big event! The sun begins to slip above the horizon. All of us are in awe that something so simple as the rising of the sun could have so much meaning and beauty. As you can see, I was not the only one struck by the wonder of this moment. Once again, I understand how Mark Twain must have felt as he greeted the morning sailing down the Mississippi River.

Moving along the river to change my spot, I hurry to get in position because with each ticking second the object of my attention is changing as it rises in the sky. Even though the camera gives a slightly red tint to the scene, it still is an amazing sight of something you and I have seen every day of our lives.

We are now almost fully engaged as the glow of the sun casts an even larger shadow across the river. Darkness has lost the battle as sunlight begins to spread across the landscape.

The battle may have been won by the sunlight but not against the computer. Rather than do a color photo I decided to display it in black and white. I got the idea from another photographer who did an amazing shot using that technique. Strange but somehow doing that makes you appreciate daylight.

The session has now come to a close and the camera is loaded with shots. But, just before I'm ready to pack up and head home I spied this tree locked in the tight embrace of some unknown vines. I could not resist, the play of light through the trees and the tangle of vines resembled a wooden Medusa welcoming a new day. And now home and back to bed!

A Small Town Festival

I always welcome a chance to venture out into small towns near the area because it encourages the feeling of going back in time and simple pleasures. The announcement on the local news of a Catfish Festival in the little town of Kingsland, Georgia offered this type of opportunity. It was just under an hour's drive, involved interstate travel, and a festival always offers plenty of people watching to catch on camera. I enjoy these small Southern  towns because they bring back memories of the mountain towns back in Colorado. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

Despite the heat,  there were plenty of people attending the festival. Kingland's proximity to Kings Bay Naval Station probably added to the mix of families primed for an outing of food and fun.

Kingland is definitely a small town as you can see from this photo of the main street. Time moves slowly in places like this, and I can understand how at times in our fast paced world that can have its advantages.

And, you can imagine the excitement in the town because the festival probably brings in more people than the entire population. So for one day each year the Catfish fly and the town balloons with people.

There was all kinds of family friendly entertainment such as pony rides that offered the chance to not only ride a pony but also pet some very gentle dogs that would ride along with you. This little girl took the plung, and who could blame her. A pony and a puppy is always a winning combination.

For the more adventurous there was the rock climbing wall which really required some bravery because the column was pretty high. This young man was not deterred as he made his way to the top!

And for the smaller set, there was the barrel train powered by a riding lawn mower that provided a ride around the grounds.

I brought my bicycle and after a meal of very tasty catfish, rode around the town.  I learned from one of the locals that Kingsland is known as "Love Town" because it is possible for a lot of people, especially coming from Florida, to get a marriage license and ceremony all in the same day. Sort of like the small Las Vegas of the South. He also mentioned that Oprah was scheduled to feature the town as a reality show later in the year. Who knew!!

And, a final shot before packing up my bike for the trip back home. I came upon this little shop and there was something about the sign for "new and used items" and the folige that seemed to be eating the building alive that caught my eye. A fitting end for the day!

Know Them By Their Fruit

Life, I've found, involves continual learning. And, there is no knowing where that learning will occur. I recently attended the funeral of a very dynamic woman, Dr. Jean Temple, and was amazed by both her achievements and the people she chose to surround herself. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

Dr. Temple was an educator and a scholar who received her Masters at the Medical College of Georgia, her Doctorate at Louisiana State University, was known internationally for the publication of eight editions of the Clinical Nursing Guide, and went on to become the Associate Dean at The School of Nursing Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia. Breast cancer was the only battle she could not win.

I found myself sitting during the small church service and marveling at the accomplishments of this very amazing woman. And, I had to ask myself, in this age of mega churches what was the draw for her membership in this small congregation at St. Paul A.M.E. Church. No answers came. There was another service planned at a larger church later in the day closer to Atlanta but we had paid our respects and decided to return home.

And then out of the blue the learning began. A member of the church asked, before we began the long ride home, if we would have a little something to eat at their Afternoon Tea Meeting? One often has to question eating with strangers but the offer was made with such grace that we could not refuse.

We were treated to a feast and some of the best company you could ever encounter. In short order we felt right at home and found ourselves laughing and having a great time playing word games. Janice, in the middle, was the leader of our group. She had a smile that could light up a room and a way about her that forced you to enjoy that ready smile and friendly nature. We became a force to be reckoned with in locating the words needed to win a prize.

And then, the treat of the Afternoon Tea Meeting: the display of hats. Any lady who wished to display her hat went into this little room to set it right. Here one of the designated escorts awaits a model. And finally someone would emerge.

There were some who would do well on anyone's red carpet.This particular model stole the show with her air of confidence and unique flair.

Everyone was given the royal treatment, like this lady who ended up with two escorts to display her hat.











And even if you did not display your hat there was still a sense of joy to watch the ones that did.

And then I understood what Dr. Temple had probably long ago recognized: Here was a place where you could be taken into the bosom of people who did not care who you were or where you were from but simply wanted to share their joy of life with you for the moment.

I told you life involves continual learning...

My New Guilty Pleasure...

It all started quite innocently, I found a list of independent films that were a "must see" and sighed thinking they would probably never come to Jacksonville. And then, one day I read an article in the local newspaper about a small indie theater just starting up... and I was hooked! As usual, click each photo for a better view.

We found ourselves going all the time to a little section of town called 5 Points. The initial draw was the first in the film trilogy from the Swedish author Stieg Larsson, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." Last night we went for the second installment "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and decided to walk around a little and I realized that there, almost in the heart of the City, is a small town.

A small town that has no malls, possesses a vibrant street life... and a little edge!

A little edge like the shop called Wolfgang where the owner has a passion for vintage motorcycles that he displays next to the fashions he sells.

Or the bar next to the theater that has this wonderfully whimsical mosaic in the outside seating area.

I love this shot of the display window of an antique shop. I like the busy feel of it, almost like a collage where you see the bike, and then the reflection of the cars, and an older woman staring at the bike probably remembering a time long ago.

There is wall art everywhere like this mural and relief mounted near the door of a shop,

or further down the street near a bead shop this mural that incorporates the reflections from the window to show what is happening in the street.

The absolute find of the day is this huge mural of a dragon or lizard, depending upon your mood, that covers the entire side of one building.

Some people love chocolate but, don't tell anyone, my new guilty pleasure is 5 Points!

Small Town In America

I read a little about the town of Green Cove Springs and since I had been working a lot lately it felt good to take some time off during the week. I went expecting to visit their Train Museum but once I arrived, found that the museum is only open on Sundays.

Not to be denied, I decided to walk around and realized I had stepped a little back in time to small town America. As always, click each photo for a better view.

As you can read on the sign above, Green Cove Springs used to be a booming tourist town that people came to for the mineral springs at what was called "The Sarasota of the South." But then the railroads began to route people further south and the town was left behind. The town itself reminds me of mountain towns back in Colorado... isolated and a little slow but in a sleepy, pleasant way. There is something to be said for small town life that makes you remember a simpler time.

This old movie house was closed but just seeing it made me think of how excited I was as a girl to go to the movies and lose myself in the excitement of what was on the screen. These types of movie houses were small and intimate which served to make going to the movies an event, something lost at the Multi-plex.

The City Hall is a prominent fixture on the main road that runs through the town for all the people heading someplace else. It is a beautiful Mediterranean style building that seems almost inconsistent with the old style Florida feel of the rest of the area.

Green Cove Springs sits right on the St. Johns River and behind the City Hall is a little park and a pier that looks out over the St. John.

The park was nice enough with a little stream running through it, but the smell of sulfur from the mineral springs hung in the air.

From the park there is a great view of the St. Johns and a lovely view of the little pier. Evidently this area is a gathering spot in a small town without much happening. I ran into several teenagers just hanging out in the sun.

And then I saw it! Within a block of the river was this beautiful old house that almost had me expecting to see Mark Twain sitting on the wrap around porch. It was the kind of place that sent your mind into overdrive with thoughts of life on the river that Twain wrote about.

It looked like a personal home but I would have given anything to look around inside. I took a side view to give a sense of just how big the house is. I'll leave it to you to guess the number and size of the rooms. If you look closely near the chimney stacks is a deck or overlook and I could just imagine standing there late into the night looking out over the river. Again, a simpler time...