A Day of It

I knew I needed to get out with my camera today (Gypsy Feet), but I am flat broke right now (flatter than that, actually...is there anything flatter than flat?  If there is, I'm there...), so I knew I needed to do it cheaply.  I decided, after some serious plotting and scheming, to go back to some places I'd already been and try to capture some things that got away from me before close by.

The weather today was perfect for shooting, gorgeous light and a sweet temperature.  I could have stayed out forever.  I started at Rose Hill Cemetery.  Last time I was there, it was approximately 4,000 degrees and the middle of last August, so I took a few pictures and made haste to get back in my car before I burst into flames. Today, I took the time to walk all around the entire cemetery and shoot whatever detail of carving caught my eye.  I found all sorts of things that my heat-addlement (not a word, but..well...) last time caused me to miss before.  There are all sorts of wonderful inscriptions people put on the tombstones, some short, some full length poems, almost miniature essays.  I shot some of them.  I hope there was enough contrast to get them to show up in the images.  I'll process the day's shooting after I'm done here, so I guess I'll know soon.

Rose Hill also made me sad, though.  Since I was there last, someone has vandalized Kelly Mitchell's grave, knocking off the top part of the cross just below the "arms" of it.  It has been repaired with rather ugly cement, and as always, the grave is adorned with the traditional huge piles of Mardi Gras beads and so forth, but I just stood there looking at it for long moments before I took a new picture of it.  I felt as though someone should apologize to her.  I don't know if she could possibly hear or feel it, but my God, to die in a place like this of something as horrible and sudden as her illness was in that time period and then to have to suffer the constant indignity of generations of people mucking about with your resting place, I think somebody should apologize.  It disturbed me.  Everybody, even if or maybe especially if they weren't left in peace in life, ought to be allowed to rest in peace in death.

From Rose Hill, I went across town to our carousel.  I have been trying to capture the tiger there for quite some time.  He's sort of tricky.  I think I got him this time, though.  I shot the animals as best I could between the rides, and I even took a ride on it myself, something I didn't do last time and regretted.  I think that if you're near a carousel and you don't take a ride on it, you're only cheating yourself.  I plan always to ride them if I can from now on.  It was grand.  After I rode it, I stayed on a little while and worked on some more angles.  I happened to catch a bit of a lull between loads of little kids and pensioners, and the two high school girls manning the place let me go through the swinging doors onto the carousel platform and take all the angles I wanted.  I got the male giraffe, a shot I could not get previously, and I think I got the lion as well.      We'll see how it all comes out in the wash.

While I was there, I got asked by a lovely couple from somewhere else if I was doing research about the St. Louis Exhibition.  I had to tell them that I wasn't, but we had a nice brief chat about antique carousels.  Every time I go out shooting, I always have the greatest conversations with people who mistake me for someone who knows something because of the camera in my hand.  I love that.

I really would like to do some research, though, write about some of the things I shoot.  I wonder how people do that, find people to publish them.  My dad suggested that I do that, too.  I don't know if anybody would be interested in it, though.  Heh.  I guess maybe you could tell me....

After I came home, I picked up Chewie, and I went to the Old Place.  Chewie on his leash is one of the sweetest, sassiest, silliest things I've ever seen.  He alternates between prancing along beside me and grabbing the leash in his mouth and trying to lead me where he wants to go.  He had a good time today.  He had a bit of an odd moment where he balked at getting up on the porch of our country shack, but I finally convinced him that it wasn't some new sneaky vet, and he spent the afternoon sitting beside me while I read. We walked through the woods some to a spring that flows on the property, and when he got bored with exploring that, he grabbed his leash and promptly pulled me away.

I finished my day driving home with the windows down, cool air filtering in, Chewie drowsing on the seat beside me.  It's true that nothing I did was an exotic excursion, but it was just what I needed today.