Are You Sober?

As you well know, every market day is different. Of course, when you are constantly interacting with people, that's just the way it is. This past Sunday morning Bruce left me a little early to get some things done for our trip, one of which is a check list so I don't forget anything. He is well aware of my horrid memory!

So, there I was, hanging the last of the canvases, getting the bags ready, putting out business cards, you know, the usual. A young woman came into the booth, started looking at prints, and then received a phone call. Asking permission first, she sat down in one of our two chairs. Originally they were for Bruce and me, however, they've come in so handy for visitors and regulars, of which I have many.

Anyway, because we were in such close proximity I overheard some of her conversation, and frankly I thought she was talking about a break up of some kind. Concluding her call, she once again began looking, saying she was interested in something for a gift. All of a sudden, while I was minding my own business, hanging the price tags, she looked at me and asked, "Are you sober?" Clever readers may have immediately deduced what she was talking about. Your much slower blogger was somewhat taken aback by her question, completely confused. I stammered, yes I was sober, after all, it was only 9:30 on a Sunday morning. Then the light bulb came on...she was talking about AA. She remarked that so many of my titles had a spiritual angle to them, prompting her to ask. I got it. Following this exchange she began relating her story which was not pretty. Becoming hooked on crystal meth at, God knows what age, she became sober at age 19. Yikes! Five years later, she began drinking, she hoped like a normal person might(her words), but it wasn't working out, as you can well imagine. Additionally, she told me her mom died when she was 9, forcing her to care for her younger brother, who is now in her custody. All this by age 24. She eventually picked two prints, however, to date her credit card has been declined. That, I guess, is what I should have expected, but somehow I hoped for better. Her name is Dina and she needs help.

Something a little more cheery--isn't she adorable? After my closet cleaning last week, I took some items to the thrift shop which is where I found her.

And then there's this:

The magnolias are blooming like mad these days. I've always loved the little pieces that look like a pile of match sticks.

Jonathan posted some storm chaser pictures on Facebook which led me to this blog http://www.extremeinstability.com/. Simply amazing!

I thought you might also like to hear this little story from the market. I told you I never know what to expect each Sunday! A fellow came up with mega cameras hanging around his neck. Naturally I was curious about his stuff, which as it turns out he was one of the photographers whose work was shown on Saturday night as part of the Snap event I told you about. His images were striking, but what really struck me was his bio, wherein he describes being hired by the Orlando Sentinel Star at age 17. Can you imagine that happening today? Here's a link to him: http://murdercityphotography.com/

During our conversation he gave the run down on who he's worked for, including 17 years with National Geographic. Other notables are Time and Newsweek, as well as People, which he described as National Enquirer with better paper! Currently he's freelancing and has multiple corporate clients, including Progress Energy. Using one of the mega cameras, he did the shoot, then, just as he was getting into his car, he shot 6 images with his camera phone. You guessed it, they chose one of the camera phone pics, paying $6,500 for the privilege! Let's all repeat together: It is the photographer, not the equipment!

Time to get to the check list, my gentle readers....