Tamara Reynolds Photography

Genetically Modified

2015-10-29T12:38:00.002-05:00

Recently I took a trip to Peru, IN. It was an adventure that took me in a direction I hadn't been before. An invitation was extended to me, by a new acquaintance I made, to attend the ACHA World Cup. It sounded very sophisticated and well, different for me. So I loaded up and headed north. Little did I know that just across the road from the World Cup was one of the biggest X-Factor White Tail Deer Farms. It's kind of a scary, sci-fi name for sweet little deer, but "little" is not the word that would come to mind when you see what is grown here. These bucks are genetically engineered in such a way that the racks they sport sometimes need to be pruned. Antlers grow so large that even the mighty neck of the X-Factor buck cannot hold them up. A visual popped into my head when I heard this bit of info. I imagined deer moping around with the heads hung low dragging their 8 to 10 points racks along the ground. Some of the antlers I saw laying about in boxes in the garage and workshop area of the employees are comparable to moose antlers.

The bucks aren't too easy to find but the of X Factor does are plentiful. They are pretty normal too. They look fragile, docile and of course, doe-eyed. I was there on the day they were forcing the girls into heat. This is a hard to explain, but if you are not agriculturally and husbandry educated, it is a typical procedure.

The kindness of the owner and employees of the farm carted me and my friend around to areas where we could get a glimpse of the big 'uns. Hidden among the shadows of trees and deep in the under brush we could see the points. We had to look very closely because the bucks are camouflaged so well. Once they rise to check us out and before they bound away, we are given a breath stopping, heart pounding view of these animals so large they are just plain unnatural. Prehistoric came to mind. And once I started to pondering, I realized that all the fencing I had been wandering around that day was like Jurassic Park. I was excited in a nervous kind of way. I love the adrenaline and the weirdness and danger it provoked in me. Now what these deer are worth for hunting is another story altogether. Money is not as important as time and space, lets just say.

Up North

2015-07-26T09:20:00.000-05:00

So I am deep into summer and must move this last post down the line.

I think I am at Hogwarts (photos to come). Actually my room and board is at St. Thomas Seminary. I feel at home with all the Catholic reading material and spartan dorm room. That child in me is playing with fantasies of being a postulant.

I really do feel a peace. The simplicity is calming. Maybe it is going back to school I feel as if I have no responsibilities awaiting back at home, that mom and dad got that covered. Let's see how I feel in about a day or two.

In the spirit of my humble abode I leave out with this image I shot in Pike County GA during my Slow Exposures AIR

The NRA in Nashville, USA

2015-04-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

It was by happenstance I learned that the NRA was coming to Nashville. And in two days middle america en masse were going to storm the floors of the Music City Center where guns, ammo and weaponry paraphernalia were going to be on displayed.
Amazingly it was tight in the cavernous Grand Ballroom. I must have bumped, rubbed and dodged 50,000 of the expected 75,000 attendees. My adrenaline was peaking right up till I had to leave at mid day on the first day and only day I could be there. I saw things. I learned things. As noted at nraam.org it was a weekend of fun and fellowship. And there was something for everyone in the family. Celebrities and politician, scantily clad girls and camouflage galore was mixed among the sea of people. Tee shirts with messages that were lost on me. They even had a "Defense Cafe" where one could "take cover." I left thinking that the 2nd Amendment was in no threat. "A lot of money in them there hills".

Neighbors

2015-03-26T23:14:00.000-05:00

The profound exist right next door or down the street. One tend to overlook what one see everyday. Slowing down just long enough wonders are found right at hand.

Johnson City Skating Rink

2015-03-16T10:15:00.003-05:00

On my way out of town on a cold dreary day I stopped by the JC skating rink. I noticed a trickle of cars picking around for parking spaces in the lot and figured it'll be a place to lift my spirits before the long drive to Alabama.

The night before was "All Night Skating" and the rink had over 300 skaters. But this day the place seemed a bit hung over to me. There was some stirring going on albeit in a subdued kind of way. And I puttered around looking for something maybe I left way back when in my childhood.

I left feeling a little blue so I was hoping to find warmth on down south. I promised myself a return to experience the whirl and whimsy of small town fun and even a trip or two around my memory.

Selma 2015 - Not a Bloody Sunday

2015-03-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

I felt immense amount of love and pride in Selma Sunday and it was an education for me in "oh so many ways." Meeting young and old, black and white, rich and poor, serious and joyful; the day proved to be generally light but purposeful. I met a lady who march 50 years ago. She was a teenager then, attending today with her daughter, grandson and husband. They were proud of her and she was beautiful to me. I was nervous like I was in the company of a celebrity. My fingers could barely type her name out on my iPhone note pad from all my shaking.

I learned a little about the Masons and the Sisters. The proceeding links can tell you a bit more. While I was standing in presences of the Sisters of the Order of the Eastern Star looking into the glowing white light created by the sun glistening off their white dresses, there was a peace I felt wash over me. It was like I was nested in the bosom of love. They truly had an angelic aura surrounding them. And the Mason's were buzzing around them like proud bucks safeguarding their harem.

At one point I was allowed to enter the Selma Times Bldg. so I could get off a shot from its fire escape an above view of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. As I was leaving the employee/journalist/editor, I'm not sure, led me to a dry eraser board in one of the paper's offices that had been signed by George Bush and Laura under a welcome note from the STJ. I questioned his objectivity.

On into my day I wound my way through the crowd finding festive feelings everywhere. The boy scouts were in attendance and churches from all across Alabama made the trek together in buses. Each church dressed in their own special tee shirts. There was bbq smoke drifting among the gathering. Souvenirs were being bought and sold, drums were beating, and people where singing. I finished my day with a full heart and high feelings even though Selma is a city still suffering from having to overcome. (here)

ArenaCross in Nashville 2015

2015-02-12T16:43:00.001-06:00

ArenaCross comes to Nashville. And I was a lost ball in weeds.

Martin Luther King Day

2015-01-30T20:56:00.000-06:00

Women March on Nashville

2015-01-29T20:43:00.000-06:00

Same day our legislators were sworn in the Women March on Nashville also convened. Freezing cold weather didn't stop supporters and neither did the State Troopers. Protest chants and rally calls moved up the Capital steps and right to the door of the General Assembly.

Making a Livin' in NOLA

2014-12-08T21:28:00.002-06:00

I saw lots of money exchanging hands this last visit to New Orleans. I know I passed a few bucks along my way. The city was vibrant, friendly and workin' it.

Jackson to Centerville

2014-11-10T16:15:00.003-06:00

Krispy Kreme

2014-10-13T14:13:00.001-05:00

My father claimed rising before the sun was ingrained in him while in the army. Those mornings I heard him stirring I felt so safe and comfortable, knowing all was in order. Sometimes I’d get up along with him. If it were Saturday or Sunday we’d go to Krispy Kreme on West End and sit bellied up to the counter eating our plain cakes in silence. We’d watch the glazed doughnuts behind the plate glass move slowly along the conveyor belt. Returning home with our assortment of doughnuts for the rest of the family who were only now beginning to stir was a perfect finishing touch to the morning. It is my special memory. And even today I feel the soul of my father in the 6 AM hour.

something wicked this way comes

2014-09-14T22:31:00.003-05:00

Where do all these people come from. I think my mother has said this same thing. I can't believe I too am guilty. The Fair is visually explosive or assaulting depending on your mood. I love the Fair although there is a feeling of unease I have at everyone I have ever attended. It is like driving by a train wreck. I can't help myself. I got to look.

The Tennessee State Fair doesn't have that wholesomeness you see at smaller county fairs. The carnies are more sinister, the crowd is more intense. This year it was arriving at a more comfortable family affair. There remains a creepiness to it for me though. Like I have gone into a world where I am not suppose to be. Eerie green lighting, homemade tattoos, smells that co-mingling in a not so pleasant aroma, questionable entertainment and food you know better not to eat. But the whole feel of the Fair was milder all together. I remember hawkers in the past bordering on rude and drunken, tawdry language violating my finer sensibilities, burlesque shows with women parading around on stage in pasties and panties. Rarely did I go to the Ag. Centers or the Frontier section usually situated far away from the mayhem. In the past I couldn't drag myself away from the scandal of the Midway. This year the animals and rodeo was the place we found reprieve. Even then the whole business of hauling farm animals around from county to city to state was as surreal as the carny collective.

State Fair Heifers

2014-09-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

Guns

2014-09-07T22:43:00.000-05:00

Rural America / "Beaufort West" by Mikhael Subotzky

2014-08-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

Reading over a foreward by Johnny Steinburg in Mikhael Subotzky's book "Beauort West" I recognize similarities we share here in the American South.

"Rural South Africa has emptied over the last couple of generations. The number of commercial farmers has declined by almost a third. More and more of those who remain have mechanised their work and employ fewer and fewer people.
As for the rural poor, everyone goes to the city. Whether with their family’s consent or on the sly, whether alone or with others, scores of young people leave sometime in their teens. It is unusual these days for a person to reach adulthood with visions of spending the rest of their life in the countryside."

The remainder of the foreward and images of Mikheal's are here

Summertime on the Harpeth

2014-08-07T13:00:00.001-05:00

This took me back some years to see this group hanging by the river. It was a mixed bag of emotions for me though. Wasting afternoons with friends and talking about easy subjects like what animal you see yourself being was heart warming and cute. But the dead "something" smell wafting along the water's edge and the fear someone might get hurt because of the invincibility youth seems to believe they possess was not so missed by me. I wish I could have let go but too much water under that bridge.

Along the road

2014-06-30T22:00:00.004-05:00

Kids

Crossville Speedway

2014-06-02T23:08:00.003-05:00

Dirt was flying Saturday night at Crossville Speedway. Excitement was in the air. My adrenaline was up a notch. Why didn't I find this sport when I was 14? It would have fit me like Barrel Racing.

It was a night with early fireflies and a cool enough breeze to dry the sweat. I felt soothed by the sweet wholesomeness of the occasion. The nostalgia helped me forget the world. Of course, the economy has hurt this sport too. The jest of it as told to me is tracks are goin' under everywhere.

Sandy had her crowd and willing participants, though. Her husband bought this track for her and together they ran it until his death last April. It was a hive of activity and I imagine she finds her solace in the whirl and thunder.

After the Steeplechase 2014

2014-05-20T21:54:00.005-05:00

My whole life has been about seeing what is behind the curtain. I want to know how things are done. This year I made an effort to dig deeper into what goes on away from all the hoopla of the Steeplechase. This is where my peace is. I enjoy parties but I have to find my secret, quiet place. Big hats, wagers and mint juleps are not for me. Give me lead ropes and fences to lean on.

Kentucky Derby 2014

2014-05-13T11:28:00.002-05:00

It was a beautiful day on the track at Church Hill Downs. But for the lowly ones of infield crowd the track, horses, jockeys and roses are not what you will see. It was a record crowd this year. I had no idea since this was my first Derby. I only know that it was chaos and crazy. I tried to breach the security to get in the boxes of the lucky "golden ticket holders" for a quick shot or two. That was not going to happen on this particular day. But somehow I did find myself among the band and an opportunity opened for me. I ventured tentatively and cautiously out on to the track at least for a breather and to see the races in real time. What worlds apart exist within the Derby itself. Each group had its part and role. But because of having been quarantined to an area of mayhem I could not explore as freely as I wished and the sea of people was unbearable at times. Will I go back? Only as the privileged or press.

Miss Kitty's

2014-04-23T22:24:00.004-05:00

These wonderful neighborhood bars are few and far between. Each time I pass Miss Kitty's the timing is off. Finally on Easter Sunday around sunset the place was hopping as I was heading home. It was old music, disco lights and fine clothes. I was terribly under dressed but was accepted directly none the less. It was old Nashville as it used to be. Nostalgic and homey and I wish I could have bellied up to the bar for a long night of people watching.

We are loosing out by letting things like this quaint joint disappear. Years of lovin'. The floor was worn through in the dance path and the wood at the bar was rubbed smooth. Unique, colorful and raw. Far from the pristine, sanitized predictable places we are having to succumb to now. Give me real any day even if I don't bend an elbow anymore.

Robin Hood Tires

2014-02-11T19:55:00.001-06:00

Tires loose air pressure on a cold day

Around near Wytheville, VA

2014-02-07T20:55:00.001-06:00

The Rack and Cue

2013-12-22T21:14:00.000-06:00

Following the backroads from Birmingham I found myself finally in Cullman, AL. I'd always wanted to go there to see what it was all about if you can believe that. I just can't remember why I needed to go there. Is it history or family that drew me in I haven't a clue? Anyway, I saw the sign and took the turn onto Hwy 31.

On a quiet sleepy, dreary Saturday morning my eye spied the Rack and Cue sitting inconspicuously on Main Street. I am comfortable in a pool hall. I've won my share of games. I've gotten drunk around a few tables. It was one of those pool halls dying. It called to me even though I no longer frequently play as I once did. Pool isn't "In" now as Dustin explained. "After "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money" pool got big for a while, but not now."

Here I am in this pool hall talking to this "tall drink of water" of a man. And I mean tall. He told me he was 6'5''. I said, "was"? He said, "last he measured a few 20 years ago he was". Intrigued I was by his humor. We were off into lots of stories. Among pool stories and antiques we talked about the Civil War and his great grandmother, Holda Bone, a Cherokee Indian who stood up to the Union Troops. They came to take her husband, a Confederate soldier who fought in the Chickamauga and Vicksburg Battles, but who had had enough. While standing at the door holding her rifle at her hip, she told them as they approach the porch they were welcome to come up but she doubt they'd be leaving. They left and without their renegade.