Precious Memories

Let me run through the grasses
and the wind blow through my hair
Let me leave behind my sorrow
and be a child without a care

When tomorrow comes, I will return
But for now, give me just this day
to pretend I’m never leaving
even though I know I cannot stay

Things on the road

objects in your mirror

OBJECTS IN YOUR MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR

The Four Agreements

I just finished reading a book based on the wisdom of the Toltec who were men and women throughout Southern Mexico that lived thousands of years ago. The Toltec consisted of artists and scientists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones.

To simplify, what was passed down from the Toltec (from generation to generation) were four agreements. It was said that any person willing to live a life guided by these agreements (made unto themselves), would live free, with happiness and love, absent of guilt and burden.

It was also said that just to be mentally aware of them, you would be guided by them…. that you would fail at times… but to always begin again…. An important lesson in all this had to do with forgiveness…that once you had forgiven yourself or others for whatever past sins you had come to regret…or things that you have been holding onto against others in your life…you were to forgive and never think on it again. In that alone, you would feel free.

I have tried to live by them for 4 days now… and I have already felt a change…a great and wonderful change. I wanted to share them with you.

The four agreements:

1) Be impeccable with your word : Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2) Don’t take anything personal: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3) Don’t make assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4) Always do your best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment. It will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret.

Somewhere in Iowa…on a road

Ok, so I was lost again…but look what I found out in the middle of nowhere! I love architecture and this one was a beauty. I’ve been researching for an hour now and can’t come up with a year. I’m guessing between 1840 and 1890 so I’m down to just 50 golden years. The sun was just setting and I had this nagging feeling I’d seen this home before… I kept hoping it was from an episode of “This Old house” and ol’ Norm and his wooden “Biscuits” would show up there on the porch soon…but more than likely it was because it reminded me of either a rerun of “the Munsters” or the Bates House in “Psycho”…and there was a person… peeking through lace curtains….at me!

And if the owner of this home sees this post, my name is Miguel, I live in Columbia, I have a tattoo of a one eyed scorpion on my back and I’m really mean.

Lesson’s Learned

Until recently, embarrassing as it is to say, the only thing I knew about the Amish People were bits I took away from the movie “Witness” with Harrison Ford. From that… I learned of the plain dress and avoidances with modern conveniences such as electricity and cars.

I read more, before my trip, to familiarize myself and this unmoving paragraph of material below comes from those details:

The Amish separate themselves from mainstream society for religious reasons: They do not join the military, apply for Social Security benefits, take out insurance or accept any form of financial assistance from the government.
Most speak a German dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch at home and in church services, and learn English in school. The Amish are divided into separate fellowships consisting of geographical districts or congregations. Each district is fully independent and has its own “Ordnung”, or set of unwritten rules. The Old Order Amish are distinguished from the Beachy Amish and the New Order Amish by their strict adherence to the use of horses for farming and transportation, their traditional manner of dress, and their refusal to allow electricity or telephones in their homes. The Old Order Amish is the concept many outsiders have when they think of “Amish”.

Now, I’m going to say that I must have run into two different sectors. There were the children in the Henry Ford Museum who all had point and shoot cameras but were wearing plain clothing. They got on well with each other and were having a really great time. I imagine these were children from the “New Order”. I also saw many farms with the women hanging clothing on lines while the men plowed by horse and children played with toys in the yard. I’m guessing these are the “Old Order”.

But…My heart tells me these are just people trying to live from the land, love their children and go about their lives in relative peace while we, “the observers” look on with both curiosity and confusion. My first real Amish meeting came out of a search for of all things…fresh fruit. I’m from California, where I can go anywhere, anytime and buy fresh fruit. But the farther East, the harder it became and I decided to try my luck at an Amish farm. When I first stopped, I had high hopes of taking some photos…being a photographer in a new, interesting territory. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about those young girls who met with a such a senseless, tragic end (and not so long ago) and I was worried about the reception I would receive.

I left the camera in the jeep, got out and was soon greeted by a young, red haired, freckle-faced smile. She had on an blue, apron type dress and her red braids set against the sky blue color…well I knew what a great portrait it would make. There were two things against me here…First, she was a child and I never shoot children without their parent’s consent. Second, I just could not ask. My “better self” had turned against me, as it has in the past. I put the thought far back out of my mind. Instead, I spoke to her about the wonderful greenhouse full of good things and told her about the greenhouse my family had when I was her age. She told me about their farm and the crops they grew. We talked and laughed for a while and then she showed me her little counter where the most beautiful blueberries were piled high. I bought 4 pounds, exchanged one last smile and a wave with her and went on my way.

Some would say I missed my moment there to capture something rare in that young Amish girl. I would say I missed nothing, it’s all in my head for me to re-live… more important… I made a connection with someone… and came to an understanding about myself that day.

On my way again, I happened to pass one of those black, horse drawn carriages the Amish move around in. Even from quite a distance I could see the determination in that Mother’s face as she lead that rickety thing at break-neck speed down the road. I took only four frames, at very slow speed, so their identities would remain their own. I’m not sure how I feel about these few photos still. I have a strong need to protect these people from an imposing world, but I also think it’s important for the rest to know… they are just trying to live…like you…and like me. They simply made a different choice in the living of it.

Old West Family Portrait

Inspired by Georgia

The Hector

A amazing replica of the old Dutch boot ship “Hector” sits in the beautiful Harbor of Pictou (pronounced pick-too) in Nova Scotia. The original Hector, a cargo ship, landed at Brown’s Point in Pictou Harbour with 189 passengers aboard on September 15th, 1773. These thirty-three families and twenty-five single men began the first Scottish settlement in Nova Scotia and what is now the town of Pictou. Thereafter many other Scots followed the people of the Hector to New Scotland.

Now I can tell you, alot of these folks speak with a Scotish burr and they take their tall ship quite seriously. I was set straight by an 80 something year old women, who first made sure I could properly pronounce her town’s name…apparently I kept making it sound French, (which seemed to distress her greatly)… and she wanted to make sure I got a good, clear shot of the crows nest blown clear off in last storm… for the 3rd time… A fact she seemed quite proud of. Hey… who was I to argue? She had bright pink crocks on and she looked like she could take me!

I snapped a few off and showed her. She seemed pleased enough and allowed me to continue. I gave it the old American try and took around 50 to at least appear like I was showing the proper respect…which seemed to satisfy her enough to smile and move on down the road. She was a charmer, she was! It’s a good thing I didn’t tell her I was a Pirate in another life! HA!

The town of Pictou is full of the most wonderful people (and the best food). The owners of the bed and breakfast (well sort of, it had 40 rooms) opened their entire parlor to me so I could sit in an area large enough to download photos and burn CD’s. Another Scotian businessman joined me with his laptop and told me some of the local gossip. The lady of the home came in to chit chat every so often and was very excited to learn I was shooting mostly old white churches. She showed me an article in local paper about a couple who had recently purchased one and had renovated it to live in as their new home. It turned out really lovely. Then her husband came down to show me his new camera and it’s ingenious bag. He was using a vinyl lunch bag which I thought was a pretty cool idea and it actually worked really well for the type of camera he had chosen. It made him smile with pride.

When the lights went out, I was left on my own… to work in the silence of this beautiful, antique filled room with burgundy velvet couches and cherry wood tables and a totally full bowl of chocolate mints. But I did have a secret laugh to myself when some late arriving guests were trying to find their way to their room. I could hear them bumping things… in the darkness… and whispering in French. 😉

The Bay Maidens