A Grand Day
Statues of a patriotic boy and girl found in a yard in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Whatever your politics, yesterday was a grand day in our nation’s democracy. The peaceful transfer of power occurred, once more, in this free land of ours — and Barack Obama was inaugurated as the forty-fourth president of the United States of America.
Hundreds of miles from the inaugural ceremony and celebration — in the little town of Lewisville, North Carolina — the same day of grandeur began with a light covering of snow.
Mindful of both wanting to capture images of our snow-draped town and to watch the inaugural coverage, it seemed fitting that I’d find the above photo waiting for me in a neighbor’s yard. It says all that I could say about a grand day in the life of our nation and our small town.
Please enjoy more photos taken yesterday morning in the “grandest” of small towns, Lewisville, North Carolina, by visiting the Snow in Lewisville, NC photo gallery.
Someone’s Story
One of several special objects found at a roadside memorial in Lewisville, North Carolina.
The Presence
On a recent morning excursion, I prodded myself to move beyond my usual photo destinations within the township. Even so, I was driving down roads I’ve been on many times over the years. I’d just never actually stopped before and gotten out to explore them.
I finally pulled up next to a field full of gently swaying broom sage, wonderfully lit by the golden morning light. It’s a place that has always caught my eye when I’ve driven by. It just seems to have a presence — whispering to you, if you’re listening. It was calling me that morning, and I was finally heeding.
The Unexpected
But as I approached a corner of the field near the road, something unexpected caught my eye. It was a memorial stand of artificial flowers.
A plastic toy motorcycle with a rider on it was lying on the ground nearby. I reached down to pick it up and place it next to the large flat rock at the base of the flower stand. Then I bent down to look more closely at the objects that had been placed on the rock.
The little “I Miss You” bear shown above had been placed in the middle of the rock, and was surrounded by two weathered CDs, a faded pack of Skittles candy, and what looked like a toy spinning top.
The Story
I paused for a few moments to take it all in. Who was the deceased, I wondered? Was it indeed someone involved in a fatal motorcycle accident?
And what story are the objects on the rock meant to convey? The Skittles and the spinning top. The CDs containing Brazilian and Cajun-style instrumental music.
Most likely, I’ll never learn the story of the individual who’s memorialized at this site. But what I do know is that somebody loves and misses him.
Please continue to the NEXT SECTION if you’d like to see more photos of this unexpected memorial.
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Autumn Thought
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower — Albert Camus
Something Old, Something New
Ordinarily, I’d have followed up the previous photo of the rusty old car with something very different. But I thought I’d have a little fun with this close-up of the old car before moving on.
Whether or not you like this kind of look, it does demonstrate that you can find “art” — or make art — from the ugliest or most mundane of subjects. It often just requires some experimentation. Sometimes that process includes periods of not really liking how the experiment is going. You might even begin to question your choices and feel you’ve embarked on a dead-end path.
But sometimes, all of a sudden, you try one thing and — Wowee! — you’re amazed! Something new has emerged.
