unavoidable one day delay, now over!

post #147
        Before I return to Counting on the Woods, here are three favorite photos from this past week that I posted July 21 since I wouldn't be able to do very much on this post until today, July 22.
 

This parrot's name is Baby!

snake skin in our garden wall

baby bunny at Natalie's

       

 And now, back to thoughts about and photos from Counting on the Woods:
    

      Here is Kyle in the sycamore tree, part of the two page spread in the book for the words "Eight trees, whose innumerable leaves" -- followed in the next spread by "clean the air for everything that breathes."
      This was the penultimate photo I made.  I had the help of my son and his girlfriend, since it was already 8:15 at night when we got organized -- and when the light was right.  I was using a tripod in the middle of a muddy tobacco field, as I have written about in an earlier post, and so I couldn't put any of my supplies on the ground.  Anyway, I love George Ella's choice of the word INNUMERABLE.  Isn't the sound of it just like a lot of leaves moving in a breeze?  

       I have shown ten photos plus the cover, about a third of the photos in the book.  The dedication I wrote in the book was to Elliott County, where I live in northeastern Kentucky.  What I didn't realize until the students in the local schools saw photos of the book is that  although this is very much a book with Appalachian photos, it is not what they are used to seeing.  I wonder how many readers of this blog realize how beautiful the area is where I live.  This book shows what I call the richness of Appalachia, but not because I am trying to make a point.  It is just what it is.
       The students in my northeastern Kentucky county also think that the waterfall in the opening pages is the same one they have on their place....  I always love to hear this. It's also true that these same students are often amazed to know that the book can be found in libraries all over the USA.  We talk about how these photos are what people are seeing about their place rather than the "normal" media images which often make them feel shunned or ashamed.  
      These thoughts are a bit of a digression about my photography, but learning from one's work is always a great thing.