OCD

I have a stack of postcards ready to be written on and sent out, but I don't have any postcard stamps. I realize that I might be slightly OCD when it comes to postcards.
1. I can't write on a postcard if it doesn't have a stamp on it.
2. I can't use a regular first-class stamp. It has to be a postcard stamp.
3. I never put postcards in my home mailbox with the flag up...I always take it to a Post Office, or a blue mailbox.
4. I almost never put it in a box if the mail has already been picked up.

OCD doesn't explain this type of organization though...

Eggleston's Guide

Every where I look there is an Eggleston. Eggleston Hall, Eggleston Repair, Eggleston Road.



Right across from Winston Hall is "Eggleston Hall" which used to be the library.
Last weekend we drove to Appomattox in hopes of finding some coffee. We came upon a great bookshop/coffeeshop there. They sell musical instruments, videos, books (I found Richard Cahan's "They All Fall Down" - a great book on Richard Nickel and Louis Sullivan). they also host Shakespeare Nights and an open-mic night. The owner was really sweet and nice and when he found out that I will be teaching photography at Hampden-Sydney he asked if I knew Eggleston Hall. Then he told us that his father's first cousin is William Eggleston.

The Weekend (butterflies 2)

Sonya and I drove to UVA to see the last day of the show I'm in at the UVA Art Museum. It's a show called "The Figure in Photography, 1995-2005" and includes works by Dawoud Bey, Sharon Core, Chan Chao, Hellen van Meene, and Jenny Gage, among others.

In the main lobby is a painting by Willard Midgette, a really beautiful piece.
On Sunday, needing coffee, we drove to Lynchburg and found a great place- The Starlight. Good coffee, Huevos, biscuits. A nice atmosphere...and no one on laptops.

I went across the street to watch the pickup basketball game in session. Unfortunately I stood a little too close to three guys smoking weed, and after a few minutes one of them said "You better get out of here with your camera before you get hurt." I didn't understand him, and had to ask him three times what he was saying. Sort of embarrassing to have to ask a guy to repeat his threat three times.
We walked on the trail to Percival island and witnessed a baptism.

On Monday, Kay came down and helped us move our stuff into our house. We walked around campus and came upon a dog that had nestled into a swamp, in shock from the heat. There wasn't much we could do except for give him water. Sonya stayed with him for an hour. The police called Animal Control and we returned home.
The next morning we went back to look for him, but he was gone. A friendly man who was fishing pointed out some Monarchs for me to photograph.

Patch

We are waiting for our stuff to arrive, and in the meantime we don't have much to do. No cookware means we are using a camping pot, plastic bowl, and plastic forks to eat some simple meals. We don't have a bed, couch, or TV, internet, New York Times, or Scrabble to keep us busy. Last night it stormed so badly that the power went out for an hour. So we got in the car and headed to the movie theater. Along the main road I swerved to avoid hitting a dog. We pulled over and found this little guy.
He was lost and scared, but very friendly. We ended up at Walmart buying him a leash and collar and some food. We put him in the bathroom for the night.
Not knowing what to do in a town without Craigslist, we went to the animal hospital. They said "Dogs like that are a dime a dozen around here...but maybe you can call the radio station". I like the fact that you can call the local radio station looking for a dog, or reporting a lost one.
I started to get attached to this little guy. I've never been a dog person, but found myself fantasizing about driving around the countryside with my faithful Beagle by my side. I even started trying out names- "Shakey", "Bagle", "Charlie". I called the radio station, they took down the info, and within an hour I got a call from "Billy". He had called in to the radio station that morning. His granddaughter's Beagle got lost in last night's storm, and he was relieved to have found him. "Patch" was the dog's name. So long, Patch.

We doped up the cats and hit the road. I should have tried some of that "homeopathic pet relaxer" for myself. Popped in a book on tape, and started driving. Through the long state of Kansas we drove. There were times along the way that I wished that we could have stopped to make photographs...Like the woman pumping gas with her cat in her arms at a truck stop, or the small towns in West Virginia. But we couldn't be out of the car for more than a minute without the cats starting to fry. The numerous billboards along the way that say "Never leave a child in a car" helped remind us.
JP liked being out of the box, and slept most of the way in the middle space so he could look out the front window. Slim liked to stay in his little cubby hole (the cat carrier)
We pulled over at a Bob's Big Boy hamburger in Illinois(for nostalgic reasons. Thank god there aren't any more of those in Colorado- I'd be huge.) Just getting out of the AC into the humid air caused my camera to steam up.
West Virginia sure looks beautiful. If there was a nice little no-frills teaching job in Charleston W.VA I'd take it in a heartbeat.
Our backyard is perfect for croquet or whiffle ball. It backs up onto college-owned land. Sonya and I went on to campus yesterday and played tennis. After an hour my clothes were soaked.



There are bugs here all over the place. We'll have to buy a vacuum just to hoover up all the dead ladybugs. Sonya just called to tell me she found a tick. The boy's hair is starting to curl. It rained so hard last night, with huge thunder and lightning. We've definitely found ourselves in a strange and exciting new land.