Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Still Standing

Mark and I had an appointment with our friend and photographer Jason Dowdle yesterday to get some new shots worthy of sending off when we need them and to use for the new SAPA Map.
It has been a few years since we rode out to Jason's place over in Snow Camp.
We even had to dig out the map just in case.
The first trip we made over there we spent a bit of time riding in a circle until we finally called him to get directions in to his place.
At that time Jason was working on the book the " the potter's eye", if you have never seen it look it up he did a bang up job shooting the pots.
Jason loves to tell this story, and one that has come back on me many  times, of when we finally rolled up to his place I jumped out of the car and said, "I hate you!, You live 20 minutes from Greensboro and 20 minutes from Chapel Hill. " He looked stunned until I explained how we lived 20 minutes from no where really and it took 45 minutes to get to any place that you could have dinner and a beer or wine and that we traveled with a cooler in a car and really we are not big drinkers but we would stop and buy 2 cases of wine and 2 cases of beer at a time when we were in the city and......anyway- he loves to remember and tell people about that time.
Things have improve for us here as we now have beer and wine in Asheboro, but he now has a pub 9 minutes and 45 seconds from his house.
He took much glee in telling us the time to the second. I think I still hate him the tiniest bit. 

When we are traveling through the back roads from point a to point b I always love to watch out the window, as we all do. I love seeing the many cows and farms, barns and old houses, open pastures, rolling hills, and scenes like these two chimneys. I am sure there is a story around those chimneys.
And the way the trees rise to the sky in the winter- naked branches and arms.
You have to love how these bricks and trees stand the test of time.
The wood on the house long gone.
 I think that we as people all need some green space in our lives be it a park in a city or a long drive out in the countryside.

I think this is one of the reasons that folks love to go visit potters who live out in the county.
Steping out of the city life and driving where the world is softer, quieter and more like what time was many years ago.
I like both. I live in the county, but lived my youth in the city.
When I am visiting the city folks I see the appeal of things to do places to go.
Stores for shopping close by...
And night time in the city, the best.
Anyway, it was a nice drive away and seeing an old friend and catching up was great too.
Now to see if we can get that 9 minute pub going  down here. Do you think?

This is not a good shot, taken with low light, as I am sitting in the rocking chair in my living room.
But as you can see this broken, pigeon toed little girl has come home to live with me again. Tracey made her a house to live in. No more drawers for her. No more picking her up and trying to decide what and when to let her go.
She is home
I was blown away when Tracey stopped in to bring her back to me.
Who can truly explain friendship?
Tracey and I met here on this blog and on her blog.
I could have gone my whole life and never met her.
I would never have known what I was missing.
When people question what we get out of this, or if we get anything out of this at all, I know that we get out what we put in.
Thank you Tracey for stepping out and becoming part of my life.
 I look at little girl everyday and she brings me joy.
 Cheers and Joy,
M


6 comments:

cynthia said...

What a great post Meredith! As a city slicker most of my life, I pine for the country...maybe someday we'll get to live a more rural existence. I suppose it's romantic fantasy, but could totally see myself living outside of the city. Actually true story, when we first moved to Maine years ago, we rented a beach house in the winter while we looked for a permanent place to live. It was desolate, but oh so beautiful - and we were freaked out at first! All of a sudden we could hear animal sounds, the wind and all the other noises that are drowned out by city life. We were like fish out of water. But, we grew to love the place and were sad to leave.

And how cool to meet people through blogging - I've met some people in person through mine and it's so much fun to put a face to a name. :D

Linda Starr said...

How wonderful to see those chimneys again, I think I drove by them up there, and those trees are super.

What a wonderful gift to receive from Tracey with your doll gracing one of her barns, just super.

Laurie said...

I definitely have to agree about needing trees and green. Once, on a visit back here while living in LA, I asked Teresa to just take me to some green :o) You'll have to tell me the story of the little china doll.

Dennis Allen said...

Great house, beautiful girl, touching story.

cindy shake said...

I'm LOVING ANYTHING that isn't buried under 3' of snow ha! Those chimneys are beautiful -does anybody reclaim things like that where you live?? It's always fun to see where other people live and drive to, I think it helps us to not take where we are in our little part of the world for granted when we can share :)

Tracey Broome said...

I'm glad she is back home where she belongs but I miss her. Those drives are a part of me and probably my work. I'm thinking about you guys today
Xo