Gary

 

Melanie and i went to the funeral of Gary Byerley today in Wellborn at the Mt Olive Baptist. We went back with Gary to Westside Baptist. He was a founding member when it was a mission church of Parkview Baptist.That church later became Grace Life church which sold the church on us90 and planned to build a three phase structure down the road. In fighting ensued and only phase one was completed. Gary was instrumental in gaining a radio station 90.1.New leadership came to Grace Life and Gary and others underwent great persecution. He finally had enough and joined Russell Taylor and others in his home church and later at westside community center. The church Grace Fellowship later merged wth Fellowship Baptist os Suwannee County after Russell left and Aaron Turner became pastor. Gary played the keyboards through it all and was a member of the group Seven Days. Gary later left Fellowship with others when Aaron left to move to Missouri. Gary then joined Mt Olive. He continued playing keyboards. Gary studied to show himself approved and was studying to master Greek in order to better study scripture. 

Five Years After

The final vehicle

Five years ago my good friend Ray Carpenter saw me coming out of Baya to get into my vehicle from being fired. He didn’t know they had let me go but offered me a job taking photos of vehicles for the web pages of the dealers. Three years later we find out the photo department locally of Ray, his son and I are being outsourced by a company starting Monday. Well, though I didn’t need to, for the two weeks I kept the log Ray, the boss, asked us to. In other words, I stayed true even though I didn’t have to. 

Only thing I can say is, though I trust I was a good employee, it’s very important who you hire. They can ultimately cause you to be…outsourced. Peace out.

Five years after i am not working at Morgan. They kept me on and i became a porter up until May when i had a stroke and had to quit. The building we worked out of, I-75 motors has been torn down making way for a Wawa. Ray is doing quite well as a real estate photographer, Jacob works for the Sheriffs department, Katrina PregnAncy Center. 

Mrs Mary

 Mary Robinson Davis Rudd  1885-1960. My fathers first appointment to the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church was the tiny Mayberry-like town of Sopchoppy in Wakulla County in 1955. The panhandle town of under 600 was located on the banks of the crooked dark waters of the Sopchoppy River, which ran into the Oclockonee River, which ran into the Gulf at Panacea. My father preached one sunday at Sopchoppy, then the next at the county seat of Wakulla in Crawfordville.  My mother taught fourth grade at the nearby native stone school and during the day Mrs Mary kept me. Mrs Mary and Mr Emory Rudd lived next door to the church and parsonage on Rose Street in a wooden one story white cracker style house with the two front rooms and the rear kitchen. I loved the time with the Rudd's, looking forward to Mr Emory showing me the rats he had trapped in the barn the evening before, saving me his match boxes and Prince Albert tobacco tins to play with.  A good carpenter, Mr Emory made me a nice wooden high chair I could use to sit at the kitchen table with.  Mrs Mary and I would walk about the yard and collect the eggs the chickens had laid in the barn and under the bushes in the yard. She would then make me my favorite food of all time, her special bread pudding.  It had to be the eggs I assumed, for even to this day, the consistency has never been matched. Mr Emory was a fiddle player in a band that played down at the skating rink across the street on the river and he liked to rock a horse me on his foot and sing to me.  They had a nice front porch swing under the shady magnolia I would lay upon and watch as the occasional car would pass. One morning in 1960, mamma told me I would not be going to Mrs Mary's today. I remember looking out the window in our living room to their house and seeing a hearse. That evening mamma took me over to the house and there Mrs Mary was, lying in wake in the front bedroom.  It was one of the first death's I had seen, yet somehow I understood at the age of five. Soon after I went to stay with Mrs Porter, then the beloved Angeline Donaldson, who kept me in our home. But of all the dear ladies who kept me, none were loved more than Mrs Mary.

Where the Methodist church now is on the left was once Mr Emory and Mrs Mary’s home. The magnolia tree over hanged the front porch. Across the street was the Sopchoppy River.

Burning Suwannee

 

RL Lewis used my photograph of the Suwannee. 

Branford Camera Club Contest

 

The two entries in the photo contest at the Gateway Gallery. One is a double exposure of a Giant Swallowtail on Vinnia called Impression Swallowtail, the second Methodist Mice.

The mice had torn up a hymnal and made a bed. From Mt Tabor Church. 

Dance with a Queen

 The year was 1960. She was voted Most Popular by her classmates. I was in reality five years of age. But in the world of purple haze I was able to dance with the Queen.

John Deere Deck

 It’s been a slow process since taking in the John Deere riding mower I got from Gerald when he passed away two years ago for repair. The Hairs mechanic said the spindles were bent and the deck needed welding, charging me $25 to put it back together. 

I was almost ready to order a deck but it came to a grand.I put out a call for a deck or mower and a lady in High Springs said she had one I could have. So Roscoe and I rode down and with the help of a neighbor, loaded it.

Home I took the deck off hoping it would fit. I took it and Gerald’s LA115 to Hairs but they had just closed through Labor Day. So I came home and found the number to Art off Troy Road who I had called about a deck he had.

He didn’t think the deck would fit so I hauled it home and pushed it to the back. I then took off Gerald’s deck and ordered two spindles and reinforce rings. 

Today after Labor Day I took the deck to Ethan at work who removed the seized spindle. I then took the deck to MCGuires Welding off Birley who said he would weld it.

So in a day or two hopefully I can get it fixed and take it to Art or Hairs to put back on the mower.

Long ordeal. 

Where is Lisa?

 We assume friends will always be friends. Especially friends that go back to the late sixties. But in our day and age of the twenties, not so.

I do not recall what would divide us back then. It would have to be terrible. Maybe something like stealing from you. But today, it’s usually political or spiritual.

Mostly political. Used to be I never knew one’s political bend. All went to church mostly and lived morally.

But somewhere recently there has been a huge separation.

Maybe that’s good. Maybe Lisa and I are just too far apart to be friends. But it sure would be nice if we were again.

Journey with John Stokes: In a By Gone Era

Journey with John Stokes: In a By Gone Era: This evening we made a return journey to the Columbia County town of Lulu. Lulu is located approximately seven miles from Lake City on SR1...

D850 Era

Jordon, my son in the Army, was home for most of March, on leave between assignments, going from South Korea to Italy. During his time here, he kept asking about cameras, and what would be my dream camera. I told him the Nikon D850, since I have used Nikon since the 80's, but never had the full frames. He surprised me during his time home by ordering a Nikon D850 body. After several delays due to the price, over 3K, the body arrived late on March 13 at 7:02PM. It came the day before but UPS needed a signature and I had went into town.
I had hoped to take the camera with me to Newnan's Lake where Ray Carpenter, a photographer friend paid my $150 to spend a half day with Dick Vautrinot, a well-known nature photographer, photographing eagles and osprey from his pontoon boat. Fortunately he allowed me to use his Nikon D850 on my 200-500 lens. Following the session, I was able to save his settings on a SD card, which I downloaded onto mine, saving set up time.
My first test was the local Pro Rodeo in a very dark arena on a Friday evening. Even with pushing the ISO practically to the maximum, the images still maintained detail and sharpness. I was stoked.
Though heavy, I have found the body with heavy lens not too much a burden, except when trying to hand hold for any length of time on a subject.
I did notice two dust spots already, though I trust the sensor cleaning and some blowing will eliminate them. The bane of digital. Never a problem in film days.
I was also pleased to be able to use all the old lenses, programming them in. I still plan to purchase one or two wide primes and such down the road.
I also purchased a Western Digital 8TB hard drive so I can hopefully begin backing up some photos. Jordon unfortunately left for Italy before we could find the free Photoshop Express editing app for the MAC. The only one I can find is 99.99, or monthly.
So I am still stuck with editing on the iPhone.
But all in all, Stoked.

Long time away

Seems it’s been several years since posting, what was once a daily experience. I grew weary. Like a diary, the reflection became tedious, frustrating. No audience. Just myself.
Going through old post, I remark upon some, that person seems a stranger to me. Did I really write or photograph that.?

This weekend is Olustee. Many good times from the days in the 80’s of the Blue-Grey run, the time in the camps at the battlefield. I am going out Sunday for the newspaper.
I have the new 200-500 beast lens I’m taking, or lugging.

Today Carolyn White out of the blue sent me a letter. It was around 85 with Bob Jones I found their note in the bottle at St Marks. I will write her. Then they celebrated 20 years marriage. They are on 49 now.

Life moves quickly.

2017 July

Since the long lapse without laptop I've all but ended what was once a common thing. 2017 July finds me at my mamma's side, sitting the day with her. All are either at the beach or on vacation. So Melanie and I sit in. One I haven't seen here in two or more weeks. Vacation is more important. For Gods sake, mamma's on Hospice care. What would it put you out? But, what is the use?
I am still working as a driver at Baya Medical. Nearly two years. It's a job that had Melanie wasn't able to be the bread winner, I'd be on the street below poverty level. Pitiful to come to age 62 and be a failure with no decent retirement. Matter of time it all comes crashing in. We go in two weeks to see Jordon graduate Army boot camp in Ft Sill, OK. A bright spot. His maturity and overcoming holed up playing video games. No word from Landon going on 4 years. We aren't over it by any means. Each day painful as the first. By now Nathaniel our grandson nearing seven no memory of us.
Melanie is the director of Nurses for Haven Hospice and is overly busy. Again, if only I'd never ran into Calise at JCPenney having it in for me and firing me, I'd have been able to let Melanie do the supplement job. Life sucks. Sucks. Sucks.