in them fields

round bales here, square bales there, i do think i prefer the round bales.

Homecoming

The old homeplace next to Mt Tabor cemetery on Cline-Feagle road.

Arky Tree

Saturday morning before travelling to Williston that afternoon, I first rode the route I used to cycle, in the foggy morning, looking for scenery. There was much scenery out there. Imagine that.
Well, aesthetic scenery took a little lining up and composing to make it reveal itself, but it was there.
Did I ever mention that foggy mornings are my favorite time to photograph next to late, late evenings about ten minutes before sundown? We'll I am telling you now.
Yesterday afternoon following church, meme, Crede and I rode to Allison's to pick up Pearce and my sister Paula to travel down to my brother's church, Westside Baptist, in Gainesville for their Christmas program.
We met my brother there with the tickets and we enjoyed the production, complete with live camels,horses, donkeys, etc. Very well done.

Williston Today

Melanie and I are about to travel back down to Williston. Paula and I were there this past Thursday, meeting Lewis at Norm Fugates to work out some unfinished business concerning my fathers estate.
Afterwards, we went out to Frog's and had BBQ. Paula and I rode over to Orange Hill to check on the grave site, then out to Montbrook to see Mrs Agnes and Miss Emelia's resting place.
Last evening Melanie, Jordon and I, Allison, Meme, Helena, Pearce and Carson traveled over to White Springs for the Christmas parade. We saw Karen there, Nikki's sister in law.
Billie Earl, Melanie's mother is  having a difficult time getting over Melissa's death on December 14th last year. Melanie will help her with some decorations.

Riverside Ascension

Of the three, I liked this one best. Again, for the approximately four second exposure I hand held the camera and used the flash. The streak to me represented the spirit of Mary Martin leaving the Cemetery, even forming a bird or the letter M in the process. I do not know how I got the streak, it was one of those mysterious exposures one gets at times. Or was it?

gently into goodnight

this is more of a straight forward interpretation. I sat the camera on a post for the 8 second exposure. It was looking back at the Dees Tent where the attendants were busy sealing the grave of Mary Martin in the Riverside Cemetery.

Beyond Riverside

This is an 8 second exposure handheld walking from the Riverside Cemetery in White Springs after Mary Martins burial Sunday evening. It conveys to me the feeling I was after. It is not always tripod sharp and mega-pixels on the most expensive camera. As is, these days I seldom even carry the Nikon D3100 which would render the scene in a similiar manner I am sure, but the camera is just too large and I like to have the little Canon S95 on my belt for easy access.

Archer Barnstorming

 

On our journey from Williston, as we left Raleigh we soon entered Alachua County. Nearing the town of Archer, this side of Blue Pete Lake, we slowed and pulled off US27. In years past, when we would pass through this area, usually on a week-end,  the roads on both sides would be lined with vehicles. In the field, complete with uniforms, a large gathering of  people would be cheering on a baseball game.
The field was toward Archer next to a row of three buildings, the blue building or "jook" called "Boobies" closest to the field. Ann Hipp Mckinley, who for years has lived next to the field on the banks of Blue Pete Lake, said she  missed hearing the sound of ballgames wafting over from the gatherings.
In the early South, before segregation in the sixties merged black and white leagues, the African-American communities had leagues spread throughout America, semi-pro and pro, even a World Series.
Walter "Rev" Cannady of Lake City, an infielder and pitcher in the old Negro leagues, listed in his obituary, just a few of the many teams he played on: Columbus Buckeyes, Cleveland Tate Stars, Homestead Grays, Dayton Marcos, Hilldale Daisies, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns and the New York Cubans.
The nearest semi-pro team closest to Archer were the Jacksonville Red Caps, with many other Barnstorming and semi-pro and "minor" teams in the Florida West Coast league, including the Tampa Grays, Miami Giants and Ethiopian Clowns. There was even an all white barnstorming team called the House of David that often traveled with and competed against the Giants and Clowns in exhibitions, much like the Harlem Globetrotter and Washington Generals.
It is entirely plausible that one of these barnstorming teams passed through this little hamlet.  Lost in Florida trust's there is someone out there who perhaps recalls and will report the information.
But, like the old Negro Leagues, the buildings will soon be gone, the leaning backstop and outfield perimeter fence soon fallen and plowed over. We will have no reason to slow as we once did.
The "colorful" nicknamed players Fats, Satchel, The Ghost, Dobie, Mule,Tubby, Double Duty, Chino, Big Ed, Candy Jim, Cool Papa and Rev lost along with their memory as few survive.

the three remaining buildings

the remnants of the old dugout

 sunset over the field

the field looking from home plate toward the outfield.

Ava Visits

Nikki and Ava were in White Springs for the funeral of her foster mothers sister, Mary Martin. We kept Ava for her on Sunday while she attended. We met Nikki and Karen at Arby's and took Ava back to our church where we were having a fish fry. She ate then played on the playground.
Arriving to the house, she immediately saddled up Bug, what Nathaniel called him, and Bucky, and rode some. She made Jordon put his feet in the stirrups.

She claimed Zoe as her kitty. Zoe never warmed up, as is obvious from the photographs.

 

 

We chased Roger and Rosie all over until we finally caught Roger.

 

We got the bike out and rode down to block to see the real horses. This was not too wise as she wanted to ride them and was not too happy to leave.

She ate a peanut butter and jelly with some help from some of Nathaniels old friends.

Allison and her two sons, Carson and Pearce arrived and they decorated the tree.

It was too funny when Carson pulled her hair and she said, "Really?" in big girl fashion.

Carson happiest when messing around.

 

 

 

 

This was too funny as I caught the moment she let the blue bulb go for the floor.

Nikki called around 5:30 and the funeral was still going on. I told her I could drive Ava over and meet them at the cemetery. Pearce and I rode over and met them there. Arriving home, I saw where Ava left her glow maid in the car. I called and met them later on again at the Busy Bee at I-10.
I could barely contain myself as I told Nikki how much this meant to us, me. So many of Ava's mannerisms are like Nathaniels, from the way she hop along runs, things she says, Help me, help me...ect.
We continue to pray that Landon will come to his old self and again open lines of communication with us.
Thanks Nikki for letting us into your life and family.

God in the Tock

Yes, I was made fleet of feet
Able to run the race swiftly
The yearn to be the first to the line
To always tick a faster time
But I was also given a tock
A keen awareness of the clock
That there was an opponent
Beyond my finest moments
Erasing all the records written
With lance smiting achilles tendons
Before the ink could even dry
The fading of a once vivid sky
And so in vain the recorder played
Notes upon paper for moments stayed
Then the fade
Sounds once surrounding
Silent in the once holding
For the time it was a grand run
And how we recalled the sun
how  brightly it shown
How it warmed
and didn't burn.
Records meant to be broken
Words once spoken
Never meant for ever
Places of cheering
Never for remembering
Yet the tock in me
Tried desperately.

Stetson Men

He was a hat man from another time
of gentlemen and southern chivalry
saying grace before he dined
standing upon the entrance of a lady
working the garden til dark
in bed by eight o'clock
up by five for the field to part
only for dinner making a stop
He knew all the plants by name
Just what they needed to grow
All the many friends the same
Words of love and comfort he knew
The Stetson rarely worn today
Men mostly sit when ladies enter
I miss the old way
Calloused hands so tender.

Assumptions

We make the assumption
that everyone would know
the making of syrup
and how around the
mill would always go
but to eyes untrained
it looks but a LOL
as they don't know how
despite all the many words
and photographs shared
but a comedy of errors.
We laughed out loud we did
We made the assumption
it would never end
but it did
and now I post these
memories
and all people can do
is laugh out loud
as inside
I cry.