Always Meeting New People

Mundane tasks have been par for the course the past two days for me but I always manage to put a spin on them that brings about a smile.  A bicycle trip into town to retrieve the daily mail always finds me engaging in conversation with a plethora of people.  Today it was John, the deputy sheriff and Sandy, the bank manager.  I followed these engagements with a stop at the Buffalo Gap to check out the new embroidered hats and happened upon a couple there that we had run across while camping earlier this spring in Alabama. I seem to have a knack of turning chores into social events. I just love talking to people, they always seem to make an encounter the better part of a day. After returning I grabbed some camera equipment and headed out East River Road. There sits a house not far from the asphalt that draws my mind’s eye on a daily basis.  I pulled into the driveway and slowly approached the porch with a smile.  Not knowing me, I didn’t want the inhabitants to think I was a traveling salesman or some cad on the lam from the law.  I acted a bit timid so as not to emit negative body language. One of my favorite things to do is to go out of my way to engage people that I have never met before. And now, today I was going to meet Irene Wolfe. As she exited her home and stepped onto the porch I commented on her gardens and how I’ve been admiring them for months.  I asked if I could photograph them.  She was pleased that I would take the time to notice. I also met George, her husband.  After about an hour behind the lens I sauntered up on the porch as they seemed to want to chat. We exchanged life stories and pasts as they wanted to know about me and I, them. What an interesting couple they proved to be. George and Irene had been ranchers all their lives, giving up the vast acreage about eight years ago to downsize.  When they moved here to Medora, there wasn’t a tree on the place. And now she has the most amazing private garden that have ever pleased my eyes. I just wanted to share the flora that I was privy to. I’m sure you’ll enjoy these, especially my friend Lewis Mullen from Selma, NC, who just loves to put flowers in front of his lens.  Enjoy the slideshow.