There's something about a small town that tugs at my heart. Perhaps it's because it's not burdened with all of the fast food chains or Wall Mart smack in the middle of the center. The one thing I noticed in this particular small town in Ohio is that everybody's lawn is perfect. Every blade of grass is cut perfecty. There is something about a town where people come together and visit, hang their clothes on a clothes line, and take life a little slower. It's refreshing.
As I was driving down the road, I saw several things that I had to stop to take a photograph of. I love barns so I took this shot of a barn next to the road and when I saw the clothes drying in the wind, I even approached the owner of the house if I could take a picture of his clothes. He said, "sure."
I love that a lot of these houses have fake deer in the yards. Even some have families of deer. I love it. Here are pictures of what I found interesting in Jackson Center, Ohio. For more, click HERE.
Who doesn't love a community fair? I know I love them and I was lucky enough to attend the Jackson Center Community Days fair in, you guessed it...Jackson Center, Ohio.
As I approached the event, I knew it was one not to miss hearing the live music streaming through the town and all of the blow up jumpies for the kids to enjoy. Jackson Center is a small town with about two stop lights and the only fast food restaurant is a Subway. The main drag also has a bank, hardware store, movie theatre, small grocery store, family diner and a bar. Oh, I don't want to forget the drive through pizza and liquor store. That was a sight to see.
As I approached the fair, there was small car show at the entrance and one of the participants allowed me to take his photograph in front of his pride and joy. As I walked in the fair, it was a mixed bag of entertainment. You could bungee jump in the air, play in a sandbox full of uncooked pasta, listen to live music or get the party started by buying a "bag of beer." They were selling a party in a bag for $10. For this small fee, you too can get a plastic grocery bag full of ice and 6 bud lights in the bag.
For me, my entertainment was walking around and taking photographs of people attending the fair. Everyone was happy to be there and it was a well run fair with something for everyone. I remember going to a similar fair as a child in my hometown and taking my pet turtle, Pokey to the fair to enter a turtle race while my father entered the arm wrestling contest. Pokey won.
Summer is here so I am sure there will be many fairs in your area to enjoy. I look forward to attending many more in these upcoming months. For more pictures of Jackson Center, Ohio, click HERE.
Many times, we go through life with our personal routine and general expectations. If we need something to eat, we can go to the market, if we need clothes, we can buy clothes at a store. We expect whatever we need to be there when we need it. Even for large purchases such as a home, car, or those of you who are lucky enough, an Airstream trailer.
There are stories everywhere. Farmers dedicate their lives to work on a crop so you are able to go to a store and purchase instantly what you are hungry for. Many times, you don't think about where the crop was grown, who grew it, how it got to the store, packaged and now, in your hands.
I was lucky enough to take a tour of the Airstream factory to see how each trailer is made. They are all made by hand from dedicated workers and in some cases, generations of workers who spend their life building these beautiful silver trailers. Each rivet is drilled in by hand as well as the insulation, woodwork, electric, paneling, and they even have people sewing on the spot. As the tour group was taken through the factory, we were greeted by smiles briefly, then it was back to work.
Since the men and women on the team are on a time schedule, I couldn't talk to them on the tour, but I did briefly when they came out for a break during the day. All were very polite and answered all of my questions about their work.
I was lucky enough to gain access to the rooftop to take some photographs and was escorted by Darrell. He's been working at Airstream for eleven years and is an Ohio native. A very sweet spoken man, he agreed to have me take his photograph on the roof top.
Being a witness to how much work goes into the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the vehicles you drive and even trailers you sleep in will give you a better appreciation for what you are paying for and the people who dedicate their lives to helping make yours a better one.
What a fabulous trip! Last week I traveled to Jackson Center, Ohio to be the official photographer for Alumapalooza. Airstream owners from around the world came together for their love of the trailers and to have some fun getting to know each other.
As much as I enjoy landscape photography, I have a new love of taking portraits! For the five days I was there, I walked around the grounds with my camera and tried to visit with each of the campers and take their photograph. There were around 150 trailers and about 300 people at the event. Although I didn't get to shoot everyone, I tried my best.
I am not one to take a picture and walk away. I enjoy learning about everyone I come across and as you can imagine, each person had a story to tell. I was invited in trailers to have a chat, offered snacks and each time I walked up to a camp, we sat down and chatted about life for a while. It was a great group of folks who love to travel and the stories to prove it. It was very inspiring to see all walks of life touring around in their trailer, and living the life they have always dreamed of. I especially enjoyed talking to William Turner, a 87 year old man who attended the event solo with his brand new 16 foot victorinox.
When I first arrived, we were greeted with thunderstorms and rain and it came off and on for the five days I was there. The city even sounded the tornado alarms which was a little alarming for a while. When that passed, we were greeted with beautiful skies and warm temperatures. Once the skies cleared, I circled the grounds to catch people outside enjoying the day. When the trailer door is shut, it's a good idea to stay away and not knock on it. Most of the time, each guest was at the large tent watching a presentation, visiting with others for happy hour, or enjoying the entertainment.
As I chatted with people, I told them that I am going to be on the road for the third year with my dog, Max in a tent. Most were shocked that I didn't have an Airstream. I do, but it's in my head for now. It was funny chatting with one gentleman about my story and he said, "didn't you just go to the hospital a few days ago?" I couldn't believe it. Somebody reads my blog! It's easy to share everything here on the web for people to read and a little odd when I run into someone who's been reading. We shared a few laughs about it.
I am so thankful to Rich Luhr of Airstream Life and Sue Dooley of Airstream who asked me to come out and be the photographer at the event. Especially since I had a point and shoot camera and they were fully aware of the tools that I had at the time. I am glad that I traded my wine collection for a new tool to be able to capture in pixels what I envision in my head.
Thank you to all of the wonderful people I met at the event! I hope to keep in touch and perhaps meet on the road. To see more of the portraits I took, click HERE. If you are on Facebook, I hope you "like" me.
Five days ago, I flew out to Ohio to participate in Alumapalooza at the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center.
What an exciting five days!
About 150 beautiful silver trailers came out to celebrate all things Airstream for six days on their grounds. I listened to speakers, toured the factory, watched live entertainment, but most of the day was spent meeting all of the wonderful people and taking their photograph. I was lucky enough to be the "official photographer" at the event.
I hoped to capture everyone in attendance. It's hard for me to snap a picture and walk away, since a lot of the fun is chatting with people and hearing about their life. Everyone has a story and I love to listen to where they traveled from, what they enjoy doing and listening to them describe the love they have for their trailer and their Airstream lifestyle.
I love to take field trips to new and interesting places. I've always wanted to visit The Gentle Barn and today I decided it was time to go and see all of the lucky animals living on their farm for life.
As they describe on their website, "The Gentle Barn Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999 as a safe haven and place of recovery for abused farm animals and children. We are home to over 120 rescued animals and we are host to at-risk, inner-city and special needs kids.
Our unique treatment philosophy rehabilitates animals and connects their stories of survival and healing to the personal experiences of at-risk and special needs children who have suffered physical, mental or emotional trauma.
Through the interaction with our animals, the children learn forgiveness, courage, strength, leadership skills, trust, empathy and kindness. The healing that takes place is truly miraculous!"
It was a sight to see. It felt nice to witness all of the animals living in a safe environment for life. They are only open to the public each Sunday from 10-2pm, so I wanted to take the opportunity to hug a cow, pet a pig and watch them interact with each other. I would recommend a visit if you are in the area. It's a great place to take the kids. For more photographs of my visit, click HERE.
In life, you never know what will happen. Things can change in an instant and the unexpected is always around the corner. Case in point...my day yesterday.
Since it was the beginning of the holiday weekend, I decided to go out and treat myself to a $15 massage. In little Saigon, there is a place I like to go to that gives you an hour massage for fifteen dollars in a room full of other people doing the same. You pretty much sit in a lazy boy chair with your clothes on and they give you a rub down for an hour. I had no idea what was in store for me on this particular day.
It started during the first five minutes of the massage. I was sitting on a stool and he was rubbing my neck and shoulders. I tend to like it more on the firm side, so I told him that the pressure was ok. Well, he dug into my neck. Hard. I didn't want to say "ouch" or "back off." I thought the pain would be a good thing in the end. I started to feel dizzy, nauseous and that is all I remember.
Next thing I see is several feet on the ground surrounding me. The lights were on, everyone in the room was gone and about 20 employees and a few customers were staring at me. All I remember saying is, "What's going on? What are you looking at? Where is everyone?" Less than a minute later a team of EMT's were around me asking all sorts of questions like, "What day is it? Where are you? How old are you? (I had to think about that one), etc." At this point, I am shocked and pretty embarrassed and started fighting back the tears.
After much debate with the EMT's on what I should do, I agreed to go in the ambulance to a hospital for some tests. One of the EMT's went to my car to get my phone so I thought it would be best to document my experience with some camera phone pictures as it was happening. Nevermind thinking if I was ok, I just thought that it could make a good blog. Sick, I know. It was all so surreal. It was as if I was in a dream.
I arrived at the hospital and answered more questions and told my story over and over. Oh what fun they had laughing at my expense. I suppose the story sounds pretty odd looking back. The nurse asked if I had something to eat. I thought about it and said, yes I had an ice cream a few hours ago. She said, "ohhh...an ice cream and a massage...it must be nice!" I said, "Oh yes, you too can have that luxury and end up here." She did make me laugh.
I couldn't stop thinking about how much it is going to cost me. I asked for the EMT's to give me a menu of prices for what they wanted to do (a tad sarcastic with a hint of hope) . Wouldn't that be nice? It's like a restaurant for treatment options with prices attached. The doctor ordered blood work and an EKG and my first reaction was, "how much will that cost?" Of course he didn't know. I asked for a water and when it came, I asked the worker if that was around five dollars. They didn't get it. They just dropped off about 50 papers to sign.
I would have denied treatment but I knew that my mother would be happier if I went and had the tests done. I did and everything came back normal. I have a slight problem asking for help, since I feel I can do everything on my own, so I left the hospital and walked about 4 miles back to my car and went home.
What an interesting day.
It's a good thing I am so thrifty and found a place that charges only fifteen dollars for a massage. It turns out that this is going to be the most expensive one yet.
Here's a slideshow of some pictures I took with my camera phone on my trip to the hospital:
AAA is projecting 32 million people on the road for Memorial Day weekend. If you are one of them, I hope you drive safely and take lots of pictures of things you come across. A few road trips ago, I took some pictures of what I saw with my big 3 megapixel camera phone. Some of those photographs I like even better than the ones I took with my fancy camera. Here are a few that I took on a seven hour road trip. You never know what you are going to get. I wish all of you a fun and safe holiday weekend.
Saying yes to opportunities is much more fun than saying no. When you say no, you are saying yes to the same, the predicted, and the comfort of the expected. Even though there might be the feeling of unease of not knowing in a yes, the rewards are far greater. You learn lessons, you try something new, you push yourself and take away something good from a yes.
When I was camping in Kernville, I decided to take a day trip to visit an old ghost town called "Silver City." It was listed on my roadside attractions app for my iphone so I thought it might be worth a stop for some pictures. It was just ok. Imagine walking into an old Hollywood studio of a small ghost town and that's what you get at silver city. As I walked in, I asked the ticket taker/owner/curator, "where are all of the cowboys?" He said, "maybe they might come later." I knew it was a nice response when he really thought, "good luck lady..this is a ghost town."
While walking around the "city" and taking pictures, I found more interest in the local cat following me around the town and into the jail. So I did a cat photo shoot in the jail. After about 15 minutes, I saw everything there was to see so I decided to wander back to the car. As I was settling in, the caretaker came out and said, "hey, you still want to see some cowboys?" I said, "sure." He then told me to "drive up that-a-way for about 10 minutes and you'll see some gun slingers for the Havilah days celebration."
I wasn't really sure what he was talking about or what direction he was pointing me in but I decided to give it a shot. I drove up a steep road with twists and turns for about fifteen minutes not knowing where I was going but low and behold the small town appeared with two buildings and a few people gathered so I knew I was in the right place.
Some of the locals were dressed up in old western wear so of course I had to take pictures of them. It was too late to participate in "chicken poop bingo" but I am sure that it was a sight not to be missed. All of the locals came up to me to tell me about it. Even one gentleman told me to pull up a chair while he told me the history of the town. Everyone there was friendly and happy to be photographed. Even Wild Bill Cody wanted to be sure I put his photograph in sepia tone. He said, "do you know what sepia is?"
Sometimes you will find the most interesting places from word of mouth. If you take a chance and say yes, you never know what you will find. I am glad I did and I look forward to more "yes" moments.
Next time I will arrive early enough to play chicken poop bingo.
This past weekend, I joined the California chapter of Sisters on the Fly for a weekend at the Kern river in Kernville, CA. What fun we had! As you might know, I love taking portraits of people and especially love taking pictures of women and their rigs.
All of the sisters in this group gave me a warm welcome (being the newbie and all) and I instantly felt comfortable being there among about forty or so women that gathered at this campsite for the weekend. As social as I might seem, I get shy meeting new people and sometimes it takes me a while to feel comfortable in a group situation. Having a camera around my neck allows me to hide at times, but it didn't take long for me to unwind and be myself.
I love the fact that these women camp solo with their trailers. Since this was not an "official" sisters trip, dogs and husbands were welcome to join. It's perfect for me because I prefer to travel with my dog, Max and I think a lot of the husbands were happy to be included with the group to see all of the fun the women have together. It was cute to see some of the husbands with a sad face when the sisters were announcing upcoming trips and said it was a "sisters only" trip. I think it's great that the husbands are so supportive of their wives running off with a trailer in tow to meet up with other women doing the same.
For a lot of women, camping solo may seem like a daunting task. I receive emails from women every so often asking how I am able to travel solo as a women and feel safe. I usually trust my gut and try to camp where there are people around, however I have made some mistakes here and there and I've learned some big lessons from them. I think this group is great for women who are afraid to make the leap to solo travel. You can find meet ups in your area with these women and believe me, you won't feel so alone.
I enjoyed my weekend with these ladies and I hope to come across more sisters on my travels when Max and I head out on the open road. For more pictures of these women, click HERE.
There's something about a small town that tugs at my heart. Perhaps it's because it's not burdened with all of the fast food chains or Wall Mart smack in the middle of the center. The one thing I noticed in this particular small town in Ohio is that everybody's lawn is perfect. Every blade of grass is cut perfecty. There is something about a town where people come together and visit, hang their clothes on a clothes line, and take life a little slower. It's refreshing.
As I was driving down the road, I saw several things that I had to stop to take a photograph of. I love barns so I took this shot of a barn next to the road and when I saw the clothes drying in the wind, I even approached the owner of the house if I could take a picture of his clothes. He said, "sure."
