Life Captured - Photography Blog: A few of my favorite things...

I heard that song yesterday somewhere between usual Saturday errands and some last minute holiday shopping. The following is an excerpt from a book I've been writing for the last four years entitled "Great Grand Dad's Rocking Chairs." One of these days I'll finish it but it seems the only time I ever find to write is when I am there. I'll trade in rain drops on roses, and whiskers on kittens any day for this...

"It’s often said that a single smell can sometimes conjure up certain memories. But in this case, for me, it not only encompasses memories of times spent here but also a mental and physical state of mind. The journey in getting here is a long and somewhat tedious one but once here the senses trigger the mind into an altered state. Since no one lives here full time she is often left to her own, closed up tight to weather the elements, also sealing in her own unique smell… a rustic bouquet of early American wrought iron beds, decade old goose down pillows and the muskiness of old fishing equipment. To some it may seem unpleasant. Heck even I have tried to cover it up with a quick trip through the house with a spray bottle of Febreeze, and the urge to open a few windows and give her a breath of fresh air. But in a nearly century old cottage with a skin of cedar shake and interior lined with knotty yellow pine it’s just one of the natural characteristics of this old country girl. Once those initial aromas process in my mind a second group begins to release immediately from my memory, or it is from the kitchen? Even in their physical absence I can smell the lingering hints of country breakfasts with fresh baked biscuits, smoked sausage, and old fashioned mill grain grits… shrimp and crab boils, regional style barbeque, iron skillet corn bread and the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies that send all the relatives into a frenzy like sharks at a feeding. In some ways escaping the daily rat race of living in Atlanta and coming here is like escaping time itself… a quick journey back to a time when things were simpler… easier. There’s not much need for modern conveniences and you learn what human life truly needs in order to thrive. Over five generations of family and friends have set up camp here. Images in both color and black and white portray a lot of the same activities, and the images of the people only a slight aged mirror reflection of each other. Whether it’s lounging on the porch, fishing off the piers or swimming in the breakers some things never change. It’s become a lazy man’s paradise out here born on tradition. And knowing that generations before me have gazed out the same windows or felt the same breezes rush by them makes me feel while here alone for now, I’m at home and in good company."