Home-Cooked Meal, #7

The Shore Family, Boonville, NC, September 29, 2007

I am currently in PA. I leave for B'ville, NY in a few minutes. I am introducing myself and the project at the Town's Chamber of Commerce meeting, tomorrow, at 8:30am. last week I called in to Boonville, New York's local radio station and did a quick interview. It was running this past week and I have gotten more then a handful of calls and emails from people offering support. I got a call from a husband and wife with 3 kids, a B&B owner, a single guy living just out of town and a few others, all offering up free places to stay.

Wow!
Boonville, New York: "Opening doors to vagabonds everywhere. Just come on in!" I love it.

I'm looking forward to getting back up to NY! This is where it all started, almost four years ago. It will be great to see how things have, or have not, changed. I can't wait...

WOW! Thank you, Boonville, NC

Photo: Jonathan David Phillips

Tonight, the weekend-night crew at Trish's Restaurant in Boonville, N. Carolina threw me a going-away party. WOW! What a cool experience. Jonathan from the Yadkin Ripple came by to write a follow up story on me. Can you believe I might get another front page article? What? Crazy. A lot of my friends from B'ville showed up. It was a fine time filled with food, hugs, and presents.


"We Will Miss U"

I got pizza, sausage balls, chocolate brownies, a card, a shirt, a Boonville, NC photo album filled with photos, a key chain, and a license plate! It's like Christmas. It was amazing to have that kind of love and support. I'm blushing.


Me and Amy, Trish's Restaurant, B'ville, NC

So far this trip has been filled with many ups and downs, but it has all been worth it. I've already learned so much about myself and my art. Thank you Boonville! It all starts over in just two days. I'm excited (exhausted) just thinking about it.

Above Boonville

"Boonville Airport," Boonville, NC

This morning I went flying over Boonville. Danny Smith, the Boonville volunteer Fire Captain, American Airlines pilot and Son of the Mayor, took me up. It couldn't have been a better day. It was so smooth I often felt like I was sitting at home and watching the miniature-like Boonville on a T.V., just relaxing; There was not a single bump, it was amazing.


Pilot Mountain and Danny Smith

I'm kinda afraid of heights and I will usually say no to anything that involves unnecessary-risk situations: Bungie jumping, sky diving, flying above Boonville in a 1960-something prop plane. But, I couldn't resist the opportunity. Danny actually let me "fly." We were up for about twenty minutes and he let me handle the controls for about one of them. For about a full minute I was genuinely scared for both of our lives. I was super cool though, handling it like a pro.

Lost in Boonville, Day 60

Nathan's Deer Head, Boonville, North Carolina

Today is day sixty of my Boonville project. I am leaving Boonville, N. Carolina for Boonville, New York on Monday. The last week has been very difficult. I've found that the last five or six days in each town I've been to (Boonville, MO and NC) have been excruciating. I am beyond mentally exhausted. It is a lot harder to work on the road then I initially expected: trying to meet interesting people all the time, shooting everyday, continuing to get fresh images, all while staying sane. I have many people invested in me and this project. I am often hit with a sense of failure and guilt. It's hard to keep up the momentum. Some days the exhaustion, headaches and second-guessing is so hard that I cannot move.

Two days ago I awoke to that feeling. I did not want to move but the guilt was overflowing. I forced myself to get up and download and load my 4x5 film. After I downloaded the shot film, I opened my changing bag and sat there, just zoning out. I went to load the empty 4x5 holders, only to find my box of film open and exposed to the light. I lost twenty-five sheets of film, or two days worth of work. I was devastated. Words cannot explain. In the eight years of using my 4x5, I have never made that mistake. I quickly accepted it, went through my notes, wrote down the shots that were in the box and then called my girlfriend. The highs are high but the lows are really low.

Driving for inspiration

Driving at night in the middle of nowhere, with no one else on the road and your high beams blasting, has always been a favorite "hobby" of mine. You see things you would never see when you're flying around corners, only being able to see thirty feet in front of you, with bright-white clouds flying past a full moon and the yellow glow from a farm-house window in the distance.

A few nights ago, after driving for inspiration, I stopped into a closed gas station to collect my thoughts when a truck pulled up and three guys came out, complete with some sort of gear and a bright light coming from one of their heads. After about four minutes of twiddling my thumbs, I gathered the strength to approach them and introduce myself. They were "Coon" hunters (Raccoon hunters, for you city folk). After a subtle hesitation, they agreed to sit for a portrait. They pulled out their dogs and rested themselves on the back of their truck. I got off two sheets of film and then they were gone.

Moments like that are what keep me going when I am struggling to find inspiration. Regardless if that image is a winner or not (I think it will be stunning), I am happy I found the will to go forward and talk to them. Approaching a stranger or strangers, especially late at night and in a foreign place, can be difficult; But when the approach is made, the payoff is usually outstanding. This trip has been filled with amazing photographic opportunities, some embraced and some lost. The ones that have been lost will often leave a painful feeling in my gut. But with day sixty approaching, the ratio of moments won to moments lost is quickly falling in my favor.


Dusty and Joanna with Dale, Boonville, NC, 2007

Dusty and Joanna are a perfect example: I first met them in town and after making that initial jump to go talk to them, they spent the next forty-five minutes as my very patient subjects. That initial approach resulted in a number of great images as well as them inviting me over for dinner the next night. I spent five hours with them at their home, enjoying a fine roast, talking for hours, and taking even more photos. Our conversations were amazing. We discussed all sorts of things: Life, love, Dale Earnhardt and everything in-between.


Photo: Joanna Simon

I came to learn a lot about myself and my art that night. It's almost difficult to explain, but when I am doing this work, photography is often my main focus. I really learned how to separate myself from the "image" and invest myself into their lives as a person and not a photographer. In that last hour, after I really discovered who Joanna was as a person and a friend, rather than a photo, was when I was able to capture her true likeness onto film. It was a huge moment for me and my work.

Home-Cooked Meal, #6

David and Tammy Anderson, Burgers, 09-16-07, B'ville, NC

A Boonville Cookout

cook·out
1. a party or entertainment featuring the cooking and eating of a meal out of doors.

bar·be·cue
1. pieces of beef, fowl, fish, or the like, roasted over an open hearth, esp. when basted in a barbecue sauce.



I was first introduced to David and Tammy Anderson at Trish’s Restaurant during the interview with the Yadkin Ripple. That same day they offered to have a “cookout” for me and to celebrate my stay in Boonville. Not a BBQ, as some of us "Yankees" might say.

Last Sunday was the night: There were a number of people there that I had not yet met and a few I had. Rex, Boonville’s Chief of Police, was there, except that night he was on call as Boonville’s Emergency Medical Technician. The EMT truck was the first thing I saw when I arrived; Now that is a sure sign of a party! My new friend Amy was also there. Amy has a few priceless quotes in the Yadkin Ripple article saying “I love scandals, that's why I work in town, to hear all the scandals." She goes on to say "I’m probably the only one around here who smokes, cusses and fusses.” I am currently sitting in Trish's Restaurant, again, and Amy comes up to me, gives me a big hug and says "I'm sure gonna miss you when you leave." Awesome...



After everyone left the cookout, David, Tammy and David’s son, David, introduced me to the comedian Ray Stevens. We sat there and watched about an hour of videos! I am surprised that I have never seen any of his work, as it is down right stupid, ridiculous and often hysterical. Above, you will find the first Ray Steven's video I was introduced to that night.

P.S. That Sunday night was extremely cold and I was very happy when David and Tammy offered me their couch for the night. Thank you! The food and the company was great…I’m always down for a gathering of Boonvillians and free food!

L'Shonah Tovah! and Sunny Italy

This last Thursday and Friday was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. L'Shonah Tovah! It is the year 5768, according to the Hebrew calender.


Laura at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, 9-13-07 and Sunny Italy, 9-14-07

Laura was kind enough to use her time off of school during the high holiday to come to Boonville, North Carolina. "But I still went to services!" We have been hiding out at the Holiday Inn in the town of Jonesville, NC. We are sneaking in and out of Boonville from time to time, while continuing to explore bits of the surrounding area.


Sunny Italy, North Wilkesboro, NC, 9-14-07

Last night we went to Sunny Italy, a family style restaurant in North Wilkesboro, NC. Sunny Italy is out on a farm, located in an old Chicken House and is lit by gas lanterns, candles, and Christmas lights. Good food and really nice people. Get there, if you can find it.

Sunny Italy was kindly recommended by my last host, Ashley. Ashley lives in East Bend but often wanders into Boonville. We met downtown and she quickly offered me a place to stay. I got a warm shower and she even slept out on her couch, giving me full rights to the bed for two days! I said "no," but she insisted. You can't argue with a southern woman.


Telephone Pole, North Wilkesboro, NC, 2007

Laura arrived on Thursday the 13th and will be flying out on Sunday the 16th. It is great to have company and to see her. Laura and I live together in Brooklyn and seeing each other is not as easy as it might seem. I left home about 50 days ago and we have only seen each other once, now twice. Laura is currently going through Grad School for Social Work in New York and I am on an eight-month cross-country journey. As you might have guessed, stress levels for both of us can be high. We always do our best to hold each other up, but when you are both in desperate need of forklift-like support, it can be hard. We have done our best to get each other through these times and it doesn't seem fair to only see her for three days, two of them filled with missing-you musings and much-needed, but often stressful and complicated support. This morning we relaxed and read; We are now off to enjoy the Harvest Festival in Yadkenville. Hopefully more relaxing is in the future!

The Yadkin Ripple

Photo: Laura Roemer

As I have previously mentioned: I was recently shadowed by the associate editor of the Yadkin Ripple; The Yadkin Ripple is Yadkin County's local paper, in which Boonville is apart.

My hat off to Jonathan David Phillips, the article is amazing and I am very happy to have been his subject for a day. Check it out here. It is fantastic!

The Tree Doctor and The Ripple

Photographing Petey, the Tree Doctor, Boonville, NC
(photos: Jonathan David Phillips)

Yesterday, I was shadowed by a reporter, and friend, from The Yadkin Ripple (the local paper), "Captain" Jonathan David Phillips. He met me at Trish's Restaurant to talk about the project, pry into my goals, my vision, my personal life and to take some photographs.


Trish's Restaurant, September, 7, 2007, Boonville, NC


"Boonville Park," September 7, 2007

Yes, that is my tent. And yes, I am currently the homeless man living in the park. The Boonville Park! Harvey Smith, the Mayor, offered up Boonville's Park as my new home for the next few days, weeks or "for however long you need it." It is actually quite comfortable: As comfortable as packed dirt and wet grass can feel while your laying on it for long periods of time. Tom and Sharon Arnold, a couple I met in town, have brought me a couple of chairs and extra blankets to make my stay here in Boonville a bit more cozy. Now, if only someone could bring me a shower and four solid walls. I'm just kidding! I truly enjoy camping and I am just lazy enough to enjoy not having to shower.



Shortly after Jonathan and I arrived to camp, "Petey," the Tree Doctor, stopped by to say hi. Petey has come to visit with me a number of times since I have lived in the park, as he often works just around the corner. We all hit it off and Petey quickly left, returning just as fast with three bottles of non-alcoholic Sangria. Good times, the non-alcoholic way!


Jonathan, Petey, and me, September 7, 2007

Our time with Petey was well spent and I am grateful that he wandered over, again, for Petey was the first person that I have photographed in Boonville, North Carolina. And now the fun begins...

Boonville, North Carolina, Part 2

Mural of Downtown Boonville, North Carolina.

I've met some really nice people, made some good friends and have had some interesting experiences thus far. Boonville, NC is quiet, small and word about my arrival traveled fast. A few days ago I met with and had lunch with Harvey Smith, Boonville's Mayor. Harvey Smith has been the mayor of Boonville for 33 of the last 50 years! He is currently 81 years old and other then his mayorship, he still holds miscellaneous jobs and still continues to fly his plane from time to time. We ate at my favorite place in Boonville, Trish's restaurant. He bought me lunch and then drove me around town before he had to go back to work: driving a bus for one of the local schools.


Day 22 vs. Day 39

After dealing with my long hair while traveling in Missouri, I decided to get a haircut. Also, I was getting a few too many "looks" while I skipped around Boonville, NC with my birkenstocks and long hair. Look mother, I am now a respectable young man!



"You're gonna be gone from home for how long?! You better call your mother!" a few moments later..."how much of your hair do you want me to cut?," said the local Boonville hairdresser. "All of it, please." "All of it! Even the back?"

Was this woman implying that she is used to NOT cutting the back of someones hair? As in a mullet! I actually thought about it for a second...Nope, I couldn't do it. "yes ma'am, even the back, thank you."

Home-Cooked Meal, #5

Two eggs fried with turkey bacon, Trish's Restaurant, Boonville, NC

Boonville, North Carolina

I've been here two days. Not easy finding Internet service and it's even harder to find a place to stay. Boonville, NC, population 1128, has no lodging. I spent the night at the Yadkin Inn (about 10 miles out of town) with a number of shady characters outside my door. Sleeping with one eye open is not as cool as it sounds.

P.S. Boonville, North Carolina is a dry (NO BEER!) town. What?!