timid but willing

this subject was fairly uncomfortable with this situation, but he pushed through the uneasiness, and i appreciated the effort. he helps take care of my family at one of our favorite sushi restaurants, and he knows that i like my water without ice. it's hard to believe that not so many years ago, there were no places to get sushi in nashville.

what to do with your dream

there are countless dreams being pursued at any given time. there are some that are so farfetched that they seem like fruitless pursuits from the start; this does not stop the dreamer. other dreams are so possible that a steady dose of taking the right steps down a paved path lead to the destination. it takes a certain stamina to get to the end, and these two women possess that exact characteristic... and, for that, the world will likely be a better world. one of these dreamers is now a registered nurse, set to take care of the sick and needy. the other is going to be teaching children, giving future generations the skills to navigate life. dream all day.

caddy-corner neighbor

"welcome to the neighborhood. nice to meet you. could i take some pictures of you."

one of the couple

my wife and i have not made a lot of "couple friends" since we have been married... i've got to say that it is probably not a very easy thing to do. for both of the husbands and wives to sincerely connect with the other husband and wife takes a magical something that is possibly an endangered something. this woman (and her husband,) made the grade. strangely enough, my wife and i met this this subject and her partner when all four of us were engaged. we were all on the brink of the same commitment, and we connected. we don't actually get together all that much, but that does not weaken the bond, as the magical something does not fade easily. this woman may know more about the things that i do that annoy my wife than i do... they meet on occasion to have dinner and wine, and maybe whine. that is not to say that they don't share their joy, that is just to say that i imagine them getting together and airing their grievances about the men they married (and their jobs.) who knows, though, those dinners are top secret, off limits to a guy like me... and it's better that way. this subject is the mother of my god-daughter, which is to say that for some reason, she trusts my wife and i to assist her is the spiritual raising of her daughter; i trust her too (not so sure about her husband, ha ha ha.) "they" say that if you can count your true friends on one hand, then you are lucky... well, i'll count this woman and her husband as one, and, i'll count myself lucky. (the portrait with the furrowed brow grimace is the result of her

noticing that there is no more popcorn left in the bowl.)

there beside me

these portraits were taken last year during the post half-marathon pizza feast at my neighbor's house. having just run thirteen point one miles, i spent most of the "party" sitting on the deck. there beside me for the entire extent of my stay, was this cute set of cheeks... and by the end of the feast, i am not sure which one of us was more tired. only one of us had to walk home.

evening comes again...

... and then you might find yourself at a silent auction fundraiser for a preschool that is housed in a church, and across the table is a former Women's Extreme Snowboarding World Champion, and she's eating chips and salsa and a pinwheel sandwich type thing.

three's company

so, i've only eight more days of posting on this blog, and though it will be great to move on to the next phase of this project that began almost two years ago, i will miss sharing the stories here. the people that i encountered were usually a joy to share a moment with, and these three were no exception. the lady with the dog was slightly frightened by me when i approached. i saw her out of a front window at my house, and the blue of her scrubs caught the late light just right. so, i quickly grabbed my camera and i walked out of my front door and tried to play it casual as i strolled down the driveway... trying not to look like some sort of stalking creep. unfortunately, i did resemble such a sort, and i could tell she was less than willing to be confronted. oh, well, we aren't always ready, but life comes anyways. she was a sport after i tore down several of the walls that she had built for protection... i did it gently and honestly. i intentionally spoke of my daughters who were inside getting ready for bed, and spoke of my wife and anything i could think of to paint me in a favorable light. evidently, she agreed to the terms of my proposal, and here she is, as she was, where she was... and it is good. the next gentleman was much easier to sell my bag of goods, as he is the father of a girl in my daughter's preschool. he was at the school at the same time in a misty drizzle, and the photos were quick and to the point. he also is the owner of a fairly new leather goods store in town that is the real deal. the last portraits were snapped at a nearby baseball park where throughout the spring and summer, hundreds upon hundreds of games are played and memories are made. the fur-lined hat is a classic addition to this collection. after i took several photos of this guy by himself, his girlfriend asked if they could get some pictures of them together, and though it is/was against the code of this project, i conceded... but they will not be included here. and with that, i bid farewell with under a dozen more people to post.

the little green straw that could

so, when i was looking over the portraits of this young man, i found myself spinning on a mental tangent about the power of certain visuals. there is such marketing genius in such things as simple as a green straw. i noticed the green straw in the color photo, and i immediately thought about how it instantly makes me think about a particular coffee shop. i don't know if this straw works on the average person the same way that it does me, but it is a super powered "subtle" marketing monster.

on any given sunday, one might find a fellow human dressed in their sunday's best. this is not just a southern thing, but, for some reason, i like to think that we can do it better here than others in other regions. here is a leader of a congregation that actually surprised his wife and daughter on this particular morning by donning this outfit. evidently, he is usually quite reserved in his choice of suits for sunday, but, not on this spring day. i think that he said he was having a moment of reflection on his childhood, when his mom would dress him for sunday school, and every week was an exciting ensemble like the one presented here. i am quite sure that he was honored to be chosen to be a part of this project, which would officially document his tip of the hat to his days of yore. all the while, his wife giggled and snickered at the chance encounter that put he and his fashion statement in the spotlight.

not girls, boys

i am raising two girls, not two boys. so far, it seems like a great fit. i do, however, wish that they would be more willing to grab some paper, make a paper airplane, stab it with a stick, and then set it on fire. i will have to work on that. it is wonderful to see the natural differences between boys and girls surface in such young kids; it speaks volumes.

not a ghost, a neighbor

this nearby neighbor reminds me of my father... the silver hair, the skin, the teeth, the cigarettes. his lawn is one to behold.

thesis statement

so, i spent a year taking photos of one person a day in an attempt to share a message about humanity... she did it in one day with a t-shirt.

pardon the interruption

during this project, i interrupted hundreds of moments that people were having while going about their business. i did my best to not force myself upon anyone who appeared to be "unavailable" in any sort of way. with this young man, i crossed a bit of a barrier, as he was experiencing a very quiet moment in a park, by himself, and probably his higher power. it seemed intrusive of me, but i went for it this time, partially because i was about to go home for the evening, and i did not necessarily want to get out again. also, the scene was perfectly lit by late afternoon light, and it was well composed by the elements of this particular park... and a sack full of something. he was genial and quietly responsive as i went about explaining my mission, and as you can see, he kept his calm composure, and i finished my job quickly and gave him back to his solitude.

on the wings of dreams

this place is not just a music club, it is an institution, and it is sometimes the ultimate stepping stone for those musicians/songwriters trying to make their way into an extremely competitive industry. it has helped launch the careers of garth brooks, taylor swift, and many others in it's thirty year history. thousands more have made their way to nashville, stood in the infamous line, and given their all to try to get noticed by the right person in the evening's crowd. i caught this woman at the front of the line on an evening when someone's dream was up for grabs... i'm not sure if it was her night or not... i am honestly not sure if she was even singing that evening. i am eternally mystified at the synchronicity that is sometimes required to manifest a simple dream... and, then sometimes it is just dumb luck. first, though, you've got to have a dream.

on his way

there is no doubt about it, it does take a village to raise a child well. mostly, though, it takes a mom and a dad who give love constantly, and hopefully that love does not have conditions. this does not happen often enough, in my humble opinion, and most of us end up with a big wound that takes decades to understand, and sometimes a lifetime to heal. anyways, of what i know of this young boy, he is off to a great start.

green and green

a couple of years ago, my sister and a friend wrote a book about a caterpillar and it's journey. it is a children's book with a message for all ages (like many a good children's book.) my sister and her friend have done readings in many different places, and this wonderful woman runs one of the stores that hosted a reading last year. the reading is more of an event, as there is dancing, drumming, singing, and a bit of yoga. the store is an environmental store that sells all sorts of "friendly" goods for the home... and a children's book or two.