My break-away

I tried to break this habit of sitting around the house on my day off and do something fun and productive. Fun... sorta...Productive... I doubt it. My cousin Calvin sent me a email wanting to do some riding back home in Lilesville and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do something fun. I had my cameras strapped to me so I could capture any type of vista that would be calling my name.





Once I arrived in Lilesville, I unloaded my bike and got ready to go. The one thing I didn't check was my spark plug. I got about a hundred feet from the house and the plug decided to fowl out on me. What can I say, I've been running the same spark plug for over a year now. It had every right to fowl. So I decided to load up and go over to Buck's where Calvin was staying for the summer and try to fix my bike. I didn't have any spark plugs with me and I left my tools back home in Matthews. After a few attempts of playing shade tree mechanic, I gave up. So I thought I'd just hike out to the big rock not far behind Bucks house. It only takes a few minutes to get there when you have a dirt bike but walking seemed to take forever.





To get to the big rock we had to do some serious tree and hill climbing. You think I'm joking don't you. Once we got to the opening to get to the rock, I knew I was in for an endurance test. Lets just say that by the time I got to the rock, every muscle in my body felt like a noodle. Calvin being only fifteen years old wasn't breathing heavy at all. I need to do this more often and get back in shape.

So here we are at the top of the hill and standing on the rock that was always a stopping point to check out the views and make a plan of our last ride of the day. That was back then. For this time it was a moment to catch my breath and dread the walk back to Bucks house. I have to say that I thought seeing the big rock would take me back into the years when I was growing up but power line crews have been tearing up the place installing new power line poles. The once symbolic place I loved to go to as a kid was now starting to turn into nothing more than just a rock. The trees have grown high enough to make it hard to see the view and all the trails have almost disappeared from all the weeds. This was not the feeling I was hoping to get and certainly not the vista I was hoping to capture. I think the vista captured me since I was so out of breathe. I think it would be different if we had come in on our bikes. Oh well... another day I guess. Here is what I got while we were on our journey.

View from the other side. I use to ride these trails from the house to get to the rock.

Calvin is the only guy that wears a pink shirt. On the walk back home I asked Calvin if he still owns the pink shirt that reads: Real men wear pink.


The trail that leads straight to the big rock.

The big rock doesn't look so big any more. I use to ride my motorcycle out here all the time to just sit and think about everything. It was always so quiet here.

This creek was still running at the bottom of this ravine. From the looks of it I could tell that if there was a big rain shower to come along, this would be a nice spot for pictures. Kinda puny looking now.

I'll just let your imagination run wild for this picture!!!

This use to be a field of nothing but peach trees. My cousin Sean and I use to ride our motorcycles all over the place here. Gees... how times have changed.

Un-eventful trend

Here lately I've been on an un-eventful trend of boredom. It's not like I don't have anything to do but it just not what I really want to be doing... or at least at the moment. For the past month I've been working almost twice the amount of hours that I was working and since Cycle Gear is open seven days a week, I knew sooner or later I would have work some of the days I don't like to work. Like Saturday and Sunday for example. Ever since the new manager has come in and tweaked everybodys schedule I have been working these odd ball schedules where you work a few days and then off one day. What can I do, I can look for another job but then again where am I gonna go and not have to deal with this same issue in a different kind of way. Like I said, I knew I'd have to face something like this before I even started school. This is what I call a necessary evil. I just need a good fun eventful day to get recharged... that all. I had plans to go hiking today but thunderstorms shut me down. So here I am again, sitting at the house. Hey wait... I know what I can do... I can catch up on my blogging!!! That's what I'll do!!! I appreciate that.

More home make-overs

Shelly-Bean is at it again... before long she will have the whole dad-gum house completely re-done. I think the next project is going to be the bathroom. Good thing her brother Alen doesn't mind doing this stuff because this is not my cup of tea... by far. I fact, I pretty much hate doing home repairs. It's just not in my blood. I think it's kinda funny how different we have come to be. We still share some of the same interest but we have also discovered many ways that we are opposite. The good part about our differences is she doesn't drag me into her hobbies and I don't drag her into mine. The most important thing we share is this thing called... L .O.V.E

The life of an off road truck driver.

I hid my camera in my cargo pants pocket my last week of work at Vulcan and got a little bit of footage for something to look back on. Check it out.

Peach Orchard

I wish I had a better picture for you but this is one of those times when this is as good as it gets. When I see this pile of rubble and knowing what use to be there is when I get to thinking all the cool photos I could get if this place was in tact like it use to be. I spent several summers in my life working at this place. This place was called Ruby Orchards. It's amazing cause it looks like there was almost nothing there but a small building what you don't know is there was a house on the other side where manager Reese Maginnis lived. The part you see here only makes up for a small portion of what use to be there. There was a complete machine set up that covered about the same space of a school auditorium and a huge cooler about the same size to store peaches, watermelons and cantaloupes. This place holds a lot of memories for me. This will also be the beginning of a new chapter in my life that I've yet to talk about and this place has a lot to do with it. Just when you think you've heard it all, is actually the beginning. To be continued!

My Sunday afternoon

What a boring, boring day this has been for me today. It's Sunday, August 3rd and I even had the day off. There have been numerous changes going on with my job and one of them happens to be me working almost a forty hour a week schedule when I am suppose to be part time at twenty to thirty hours. Next on the list is of course all the homework I have to complete every week. It takes up a large portion of the day doing some of these assignments. So now lets put two and two together. If I'm not working, I am spending a big part of the day doing homework... and today was just one of those days where it all just crashed down on me. I think I was starting to get on Shelly-buttons nerve a little. I was just wanting to get the heck out of the house and go do something or go somewhere. I just can't let myself spend too much time away when I know I have homework to do. The other issues come from us just having to watch what we do. With gas prices through the roof we have to make sure we don't do a lot of unnecessary traveling, especially since I am already committed to going back and forth to school a couple of days a week. Since gas prices have went up, I make just enough to pay all my expenses and then have a little money to pay for dinner a few times or whatever I feel like doing with it. As for the other little bit I am smart enough with money to prioritize what I need to spend and how. So why are you complaining about having to work more hours then ... you might ask? Well that's where the saying different strokes for different folks comes into play. First of all, I need the time off to complete any school work I have. Other than that I've always been the type of person where I would rather make less and have the time to go and spend with friends and family rather than make a ton of money and never get to do anything. If we make it to be old enough to sit in a rocking chair at an old age and we look back on life and see what we accomplished and where we went and the all things we've experienced, to me that would be a nice reward to think about. On the other hand if you just worked your life away and never did anything, then that's the only thing you can say you've accomplished in life. You might have a lot of money in the bank but at the age I am talking about, it's not gonna do you any good except for when it's time to go buy medicine or something. But hey, if that's your cup of tea then by all means... knock yourself out. It won't hurt my feelings a bit. I would rather enjoy my time while I'm young. You never know when your time clock will tick for the last minute of your life.

So what I'm saying is today was just a bummer day for me. It was what we call just one of those days. Sometimes we all have one of those days. It just seems to be worse when you have one on your only day off work. It has a feeling of your whole day being wasted. I enjoy hanging around the house all day sometimes but not today. All work and no play is not my cup of tea... at all.

I ran into an old friend a couple a weeks ago and we decided to grab lunch and try to catch up on life while we ate. He told me that at one time in his life he was making around twelve to thirteen thousand dollars a month. That's good money. He also told me that he was miserable in life because he never had time to do anything and the fact that he had to put up with a lot of stress added to his misery. Now he is working a normal job that only requires forty to fifty hours a week of his time and he is happier more than ever just because he has the time to spend with family and friends. It just boils down to what you enjoy out of life dictates what you do and where you go.
There are times when you have to make decisions on what to do, even when it goes against what you would rather be doing. I could have went out and found something to do but I was also prioritizing my choices and the one that required the less amount of money spent was what I needed to stick to. It's ok to have days like this once in a while. Lets just hope they are few and far between.

Woman vs shopping

You know... if there is one thing on this earth that women love to do... it's to go shopping. I had the day off from my so called job (more on that later) and my love muffin Shell-Bell works from home on Fridays. On top of that she only works till noon so the day was ours to lolly-gag around town. By the way, lolly-gag is a southern Bunn saying... it means we did what we wanted to do when we felt like doing it. I'm being told all the time that I have a language of my own so I thought I'd clarify that. Ok back to women and shopping. After Shell-Bell and I had lunch we decided to go to the almighty Walmart to do a little bit of grocery shopping. For about a year, I've really been digging (loving) the plaid look, especially in button up shirts and there was a clearance rack that caught my eye that was full of plaid shirts. Now, here is the difference between man and woman while shopping:

Brian- they don't have my size. Well dang-it...Ok lets go.

Shelly- Oh man... I can't believe they don't have your size. Here look over here and see if there is one of those shirts on this rack. Oh my gosh... these shirts are only five dollars... can you believe that. How about some of these shirts... do you like these. Here let s try this size on and see how it looks. Oh my gosh I just can't believe these shirts are on this good of a sale. Let's look around and see if there is anything else that you might like. This is just to good of a sale to walk out of here and not get a few shirts.

I have to say though, Shelly is really good about not dragging me into shopping with her. It was me that wanted to go to Walmart in the first place. It's really the same way with me when I go somewhere that has something that excites me. I can look and look and then Shelly will be the one with her hands crossed just waiting for me to say lets go. So therefore when we both do our own shopping we most of the time go alone. That way you can spend all the time you want lolly-gaging around.

Oh boy... well... I said earlier that I have a new instructor and I didn't know what to think about what this class will turn out to be... and it looks to be about nothing... as far as learning goes. I think I am wasting my time in this class. I think what I am trying to get out here is that my instructor is new and I don't think she has a good idea on what to show us and how to make us understand what she is wanting us to do. We are suppose to be learning how users look at our designs and them being able to understand what we create. Like a website... if we create a site then it needs to be understandable and user friendly for potential viewers... so they will know how to navigate around on our site. Ok, I got that... but for heavens sake stop reading to us like this is elementary school. Last week I looked around the class and everyone had this completely dazed out look. I bet you could have heard a pin drop when our instructor took breaths in between her reading. Well... enough about that.

My other class is pretty cool but the fact that I don't know anyone makes for a boring night. My instructor is very funny and has a lot of knowledge about all kinds of things. I feel like if I had this class with more people that I know, it would be a heck-of-a-lot better. I have seven weeks left so I'm sure you will hear me gripe about it even more before it's over. Until then I rest my case.

Portraits

When I'm on a photography adventure I spend most of my time looking for that certain scene that is breathtaking or any other scene that catches my eye but one type of picture I hardly ever get are portraits. For some reason I'm just never around people at a time when I can take photos of them. I did find a few photos that I took of my brother-in-laws children but this is not the portrait photography I'm talking about. Maybe I can rig something up soon. It would be a learning experience for me. Here are a few of my favorites:

3 Girls and a camera

4th quarter begins

I am now in my 4th quarter of school and my classes are... well... let me get back to ya on that one. I have Intro to User Center Design and History of Motion Media and Mass. For my User Center class we have a new instructor. I don't know about you but I'm not one that usually likes new teachers and the way things are looking, my theory will continue to stand. It's only my second week in so maybe things will get better. For History of Motion Media, this class has potential to be a fun class but then again I almost feel like I am wasting money by going to this class. I have a really good instructor that is a cut- up but I don't know anyone in that class... so therefore I am bored. We talk about all kinds of things and even watch movies. By the end of the night I have to write a two page paper on a topic by my instructor. This class would be much more fun if I knew more students in the class. Also, this quarter is only ten weeks long so if there is going to be a quarter that I don't like so much, this is the best time.

Summer break is over

I can't believe how fast my summer break has went. It just seems like a week or two ago was when class let out for the last time for summer break to start. By all means I'm not at all dreading to go back to school. It's the stress of having a lot of homework and also working a job at the same time. I think this quarter is the beginning of my last half now that I think about it. I've been checking my schedule and it looks as if I only have a few more quarters to go after this one is over. I tell ya, the day school is over will be a sad, bitter-sweet day. If school wasn't so dadgum expensive, I'd continue on but it doesn't take long for Sallie Mae (school loan provider) to start racking up. I just enjoy being around staff and meeting new people. Their are some strange folks that attend that school... I'm telling ya... but I've also met some really good people. It's mostly been the instructors I've made friends with. Since life goes by so fast I'm trying to grasp ahold of what I'm doing because before you know it I'll be writing about how I can't believe school is finally over.

Pictures of Pearl

While I was in Lilesville the other week I took a few pictures of one of my favorite pictures of dad. I'm not exactly sure but I think this was taken around ten to twelve years ago. This picture of dad is one of those pictures that most everybody in the family has a copy of. I thought that if I could get a good enough shot of it I could put a little color in the background to make it look recent. Retouching photos can be... well, touchy for lack of better words. It's easy to over do it. You don't want your retouched photos to look fake. So for these I just colored the background on some of them and the rest I just warmed his face. Here's what I got:

The original.

Close-up of original.

More skin and shirt color.

Background color with skin and shirt color. This is by-far my favorite. The new color in the background makes it look as if was taken recently.

I used a different background color on this close-up. Not my favorite but still looks ok.

Something different for dad but I couldn't resist. Not bad at all.

Beach poster

Shelly and I had so much fun on our week long trip to the beach this year... we did pretty much everything we wanted to do. On our way back I had an idea of making a poster of events that we enjoyed while we were there and this is what I came up with. At first I thought this poster was a little cheesy but it's growing on me a little now.

Remembering the sand...

A story about how and where my passion for photography started . It was these pictures that lit the fire. Read on!

It was around the end of 2002 to the beginning of 2006 when we would hit the sand pits of the good ole country land of Pageland South Carolina. Andrews Motorsports is always closed during the winter months of January and February so it was during these times when a group of 5 guys including myself would load up and head out for a day of fellowship and wide open sand spraying. It was one of those places where you left knowing your ability of riding was tested... but in a good way. It was just a great time. I believe I can honestly say that the weekends we rode the sand were some of the best times I've ever had riding. There was just something about the sand pits that made up a super fun day of riding. In fact, these sand pits are the birth of my passion for photography. I'll never forget telling the guys that someone needs to be taking some pictures since we were having so much fun. I was the only one willing to sacrifice a little bit of riding to get some shots... so I just started sitting out a couple of motos each time we went just to take pictures. After seeing my pictures after my first day of shooting, I was a bit stunned. I had no idea of what a good photo was suppose to look like but all I knew was that I was getting the peek of the moment. Eventually I got hooked and it got harder to commit to a day of riding. All I was wanting to do was take pictures. At the time I was using Shell-Bells point and shoot camera, which I call pocket cameras since they're so small... and the rest is history. I started taking that camera out to the track when it was open and tried getting the best looking photo I could. Year after year I would continue doing the same ole thing until early 2006 if I remember correctly. We arrived at the sand pits for some riding only to find a cable across the entrance. Long story short, I think the issues with the sand pits were something that we all knew were gonna happen yet at the same time, hoped they never would. By now there is no telling what those places are like. Maybe nothing at all has changed but the fact that we can not ride there anymore was a change we all hated to see. Even though our time at the sand pits were shorter than what we wanted, I can always remember holding the throttle wide open... the deep sand ruts and the big sand waves. Here's to those times.

Here are the photos that lit the photography fire that is burning ever so strong.

Bryan (doc) Persinger throws a big sand wave as he goes through one of the many photogenic sand corners.

Right after the big sandy corner was this tricky right hand corner that was filled with ruts. Rich Field demonstrates how to exit.

When we decided to hit a motocross track instead of the sand pits, we usually came here to sand hills motocross track, which is not that far from the pits. Todd Coyler shows off some style while riding this long winding left handed rut.

Mike Andrews on a hill corner at the sand pits. Mike was good at riding in the sand and new how to get around really fast.

New shampoo

While I was at the grocery store I sniffed around for the best smelling shampoo to begin my journey of how long it takes to use a bottle of shampoo... and Suave it is. I tried not to be too girlish but I really like the fruity aroma of this one. This will probably take a while to use since I have nothing but peach fuzz on my noggin. I'm really interested in seeing just how long this will take.

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July this year for 2008. Shell-Bell is in Ohio visiting with her sister and friends and my mom is in Morganton visiting with her sister. Me.... oh don't worry about me... guess I'll just sit here at the house by my lonesome and twiddle my thumbs. I'm kinda bummed... can't you tell. Even when Shelly has been home for the 4th we hardly ever go out and do anything but this year I've kinda got the jitters to go celebrate. I was at the grocery store earlier getting me some grub and I see everyone lined up to see the parade. Not that a parade is what I want to see unless we were in New York or something. To top it off, I have to be a work in 30 minutes. I go in at 1 and I'll get off at 7 tonight... just in time for the whole day to be ruined. So when I get home I guess I'll fire up the chicken kabobs I bought and chill with the dog and hope nobody tries to fire off a rocket and burn down the house.

Over the weekend

What an amazing weekend. I hung out with some friends at the track Saturday but the real fun began when I took off a couple a days to spend with Mom. I use to spend a full week with her when I was working full time but since school and a part time job has taken over the majority of my life, I have little time to do anything these days... so since I had the opportunity this weekend, I made a go of it. This weekend was something I needed. I really don't know how to put it into words except for it just seemed like I was able to relive several moments in my life in one evening. After getting to moms and having a lunch fit for a king... my quest was on. Before I get to far into this story I would like to mention that the documentary movie I am putting together of my dad got a successful kickoff. I have several people in mind for interviews including myself and I hope to soon have a movie trailer made for you so you can get an idea of what I'm doing.

After lunch I went over next door to Jesse Mays house to see how she was doing and to see if she would be interested in talking about some of the things that made my dad the person he was but she was not up to it... which I totally respect. Anyone that has had the pleasure of meeting such a wonderful person will know that it is a treat just being around her sweet personality. On her behalf I will tell you a little story she remembered about dad. She said that dad was the all time ladies man... meaning that dad was so well known and was loved by so many people that he could kiss all the women of the church and they all thought nothing of it. The folks that make up Lilesville Methodist Church are just one big family. So they all know what a special person dad was to them and that he meant nothing but fun and laughter in everything he done. Thanks so much Jesse May.

Next I made my way down to see David Vaughn, a long time friend of dads. Going to Davids house was one of the many treats that made this weekend special for me. When we all use to go camping at the river, David and the rest of his family which included his wife Kay and daughters Deana and Susan would be right there with the rest of us. When we pulled up to his house I was reminded of those times. David has a big garage where his boat use to be and was where we had a many of cookouts. You know for a brief moment, I could see all of us kids running around like it was yesterday. During the interview David poured his heart out about the greatest things he could remember about dad. Thanks once again David for the interview and thanks for not letting dads legacy of kissing all the women dye. Since dad passed away, David has took up where dad left off.

After leaving Davids house mom and I decided to get some good ole home made ice cream and call it a night. A few hours before it got dark I took off like I normally do so I could revisit the places that I use to call home... or should I say my old stomping grounds. While I was out I drove back into an area where my friends and I would meet before we went riding on our motorcycles and got a little caught up in the moment. Once again there I was... looking out over the whole field and remembering back on times that seemed like yesterday. As I sat there I began to wonder why all things must come to an end and why in the world do some things have to change. Lilesville has and will always have this affect on me. As Buck McCormick said, "this is home" and I agree 100%.

So it's now Monday morning and mom has made me some grits and eggs with bacon and toast. Remember you aren't eating until you pour your grits over your eggs made sunny side up. Then you can mix it all together for one heck-of-a-breakfast. After letting that settle I was off again to explore some of the old stomping grounds that are painted in my mind and searching for that feeling of reliving the good times of the old days. I didn't make it to far though. With it being Monday there were crews out working around the places I wanted to go so I'll have to wait until next time on a weekend. I did manage to make it down to the bottom of a ravine where Sean and I use to camp and hike. It was an old creek bed that looks to be all dried up. So I just packed up and went back to the house to see mom a bit more before I needed to head out. After talking a little bit we said our goodbyes and I was off to city.

On the way home I stopped in Wadesboro to get some peaches and a cantaloupe and next thing you know I was talking to a girl that is a sister to a good friend of mine that I went to school with. He got stationed in Hawaii and then somehow landed in California in a bit of a mess. Divorced and messed up on drugs was sad for me to hear knowing this person and how cool he was to hang out with. We were music buddies all through high school and we both had dreams of becoming a rock star. Hopefully things will turn around for him and he gets straightened out.

As this story comes to an end just like all the good times in my life that I wish never did, I have to say I am proud of who I am today. I am thankful for what I have and I try to cherish everything like the old days and embrace the feeling that goes with it. To the people of Lilesville N.C , a big thanks for being the greatest people on the face of the earth and to my lost friend Chuck Lataker, that is somewhere in California, I hope you find your way back buddy. You have a friend waiting on you. Thanks most of all to mom for all that you are.

L.A Photos

Every time I go down to Lilesville to spend time with Mom I'm constantly taking pictures of her crazy dogs... but then again it wouldn't be the same if I didn't. Just take a look at these goofy dog faces. They're irresistible!

Buster Junior looks as if he is squeezing something out!

Over the last few visits I've noticed this... what use to be a lake.. has dried up a little. Most people don't realize that water holes like this are about 80% of what Lilesville is. As long as I can remember the water went as far back as the trees in the back and started about 20 feet from where I'm standing. There were none of these islands that you see now... just water... very deep water. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these holes were around 100ft deep. Keep scrolling and you will see what I mean.

This side of the water hole is probably the deepest. My friends and I use to swim in this part too. We had a rope tied to a tree to pull ourselves back up out of the water and then we would run and jump off the edge again. It was always a little eire to me knowing that the bottom was so far down. We all knew how to swim pretty good so we never wore life jackets... which is a scary thought now that I think back on it. However, there have been reports of people drowning in some of these water holes. You see, once the draglines reach a certain distance of digging, the water that comes up is always a blue color instead of this greenish color. In fact this water is no where near the pretty blue color. It's almost like tropical waters after the draglines are through digging.

Here is the edge we always jumped off from.

See what I mean about these holes being so deep. You also have to add in the fact that normally where I'm standing should be covered with water. Just judging by looks I would say the water is down about 20 ft. So add that to however deep this part is. Click the photo to enlarge so you can get a better look. The edge is straight down. I have also been fishing in this same hole. Yes.. there are fish in these holes. You will probably think I'm lying to you but the water is very clear at 3 to 4 ft under. We use to watch the fish come right up to the jig in the water.

An old abandoned dragline.

Sadly, as I ventured back down to this ravine I noticed the creek was all dried up. I was a little disappointed because this really is a neat place especially when the creek was going strong. Once we discovered it became more of a hideout so to speak. You can see where the water rounded off this rock over the years into a mushroom look.

This spot has always been one the coolest places to check out. About 15 years ago my cousin
Sean and I camped out at the top of this hill. We were doing some hiking and the next morning this is what we found. Nothing but a bunch of huge boulders but it's just the way they were stacked and the fact that a big creek was flowing at the bottom made this place an icon for us. We hiked out here many of times to jump off some of these rocks.

Benjamin Segal

How many times in life do we pass by people we've never seen before... and you got this weird gut feeling that you need to say something to this person but because you don't know them... you kinda hate to bother. Or how many times do we just completely ignore any feelings what-so-ever and keep on going our way as if they have nothing to offer you and think that it's just a waste of time for you and them. Thank goodness I listened to my gut feelings and said something.

About a year ago I was at a motocross track with my new camera trying to polish up on my new found love of photography when all of a sudden, I see this guy come rolling up in his old pickup truck with no bike... but on this particular day there was a reason he didn't have a bike. This guy I'm telling you about goes by the name of Benjamin Segal. I'm here to take a few pictures... Benjamin said, with his air force glasses and a back pack about the size of something I use to carry around elementary school. I knew for sure this guy was up to something serious. He just had that look. At this stage in my life I had just got my camera and was still riding the majority of the day. So as a few hours passed, I noticed he was walking back to is truck and thought this was my time to pour out my guts and explain to him that photography was a new passion for me and just wanted to see if he would give me a minute for a few questions. So here we are in the moment of truth... which is the time when he can either give me a simple answer and walk away or explain what I was asking him. Hopefully by now you've figured out that since I'm writing this story about Benjamin, you know that he gave me his undivided attention and was more than happy to answer any questions that I had... he even gave me his business card before he left for any further questions that I might have. Like I said, thank goodness I listened to my gut feelings. As time went on I would occasionally send Benjamin an email with questions and he never missed a beat when replying back with answers. Over the next several months of getting to know Benjamin a little better, I felt that he was the type of person that was honest and enjoyed helping people, which is the type of person I call a friend. After swapping a few photos back and fourth I learned that Benjamin's whole life has been all about photography. He has lived in Miami and California as well as other states living the professional photographers life and is now pursuing his dream as editor and chief of an online motocross magazine called easterndirt.com . There are a million cool things about Benjamin and the help he has offered to me. So much that it would be difficult to remember but the one I'll never forget is the offer to take a few photos for his magazine. Even though school has taken almost every ounce of my time for shooting photos for his magazine he still calls every now and then to shoot the breeze... and that is just one more thing that says how willing he is to help. Before I close, I would like to mention a phrase I read a long time ago. It said... "Be who you are, say what you feel. People who mind don't matter and people who matter won't mind". Well Benjamin Segal is someone who matters. I would like to say to Benjamin... thanks so much for all your help and advise. It has really made difference in my life.

To see all of Benjamins work, go to http://www.benjaminsegal.com/

To see his online magazine go to http://www.easterndirt.com/ and while you're there go ahead and subscribe. It's free. Just for a little bit of bragging rights you may even run across a photo of mine that Benjamin used for one of his stories.

Once again, special thanks to Benjamin Segal.