Youth and Age

"As the days waned, men chopped wood and women pressed the last of fall's bounty into jars that would be sealed and whisked off to dark cellars. The children romped in the sun getting so hot they removed their tiny sweaters and left them on the stump of a tree, rightly forgotten until the sun began to sink low behind the freshly cut wheat fields. Between games of hide-and-seek and ring-around-the- rosey the girls rested at the feet of the old lady who seemed much like Alice's caterpillar."

Available Light

"Straight from the camera. Some things are better left alone."

Welding light show

"The light-shows of life are all around us. We should take more time to be in awe."

Why do people hunt quote

"Why do people hunt? I dunno, but a few words come to mind: brainwashing, stupidity, low self-esteem, meanness. To counter that the hunting industry has an entire encyclopedia of self-promoting reasons, none of which can be accepted by any moral person."

By the hearth

"Is there anything more peaceful than a content cat? Ahhhh, the lessons they teach those who listen to the silence of their wisdom."

Snow?

"With the coming of fall comes the thoughts of falling snow. Soon it will sit outside my window, soft and sweet."

Out of the camera photo

Thank you, Gang of 124...

Sorry for my "public" absence.  I closed off my blog to all except 124 invited and vetted guests. We called ourselves the Gang of 125. For the past several months we have been gathering comments and discussions as well as info from public documents that will be put into a book in the near future, along with a new collection of mostly "ghost-town type photos. I want to thank my administrators who did a wonderful job, especially those who helped verify and clear up some misconceptions that many had. I may be living in Georgia but I am still in the loop when it comes to Maryland. Even those who live in other states were helpful in many ways, whether they were past residents or visitors.

Naturally, I have removed the comments from the past several months. You can't sell a book when the info can be had for free. But profit was not my reason for deciding to gather records and people's thoughts and concerns about small-town living. Moving to a new city, especially a small one needs careful thought and research. The book will inclucde some useful tips from people with experience.