Trail of Tears

79-Year old Gene Glasscock and his wife Noqah Elisi are taking a trip, but not just any vacation. They are traveling by covered wagon along the Cherokees’ Trail of Tears. The trip is to memorialize the thousands of Indians who died on the route in the 1800’s. The Glasscock’s have Cherokee ancestry in their blood. Noqah Elisi is also taking the trip as a way to remember her son Johnny who died the year before in Alaska. Johnny died in an accidental shooting, according to Noqah Elisi. She had planned to take the trip with him four years ago. That never happened. 

About 16,000 Cherokee Indians were driven from their lands by the US Army under the command of Andrew Jackson. They were forced to walk about 1,000 miles to an area that was titled “Indian Territory.” Some 4,000 died along the Trail of Tears that is also called “The trail where they cried.” The Glasscock’s will end their travel in Oklahoma, which is where the Cherokee also ended their trip.

I captured this shot when they stopped at MTSU in Murfreesboro, TN to spend the night. 

The FBI Placed me here, "No Pictures"

She was sitting only 3-feet from the edge of a busy roadway begging for money. Her cup said "Brain Injury, Homeless, Cancer, Need Food." We did not ask questions, besides "Would you like a Pizza?" She quietly responded, "I don't have any dollars." My friend told her that the pizza is for her, free. She reached for it and I snapped a picture. She quickly held her hand up and stated, "No pictures, the FBI placed me here and are protecting me - they don't want anyone to know where I am." I did not argue. I only took a single photo of her hand in front of her face. Mental illness on the streets of our country is a significant problem. 

50-Cents

"Hey man, could I have 50-cents," he stated with a slur. He stumbled towards me and asked a second time, "Do you have 50-cents I can have?" A third request, "Hey man, do you have 50-cents." I finally replied, "I don't, but I have a dollar." I then handed him the dollar and he asked, "Why are you video taping me man?" I said, "I'm not, I'm taking a photo of you to put online." He smiled, "Oh, cool man." 

Kiss Concert

Nothing warms the heart more than an aspiring young Kiss fan waiting for the doors to open at the concert venue in Nashville, TN. 

Waiting on a bus after a long day

This man is waiting on the long, relaxing bus ride home after spending the day at work. 

My dreams

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

― John Lennon

Who should tell you what to wear or how?

We are all at war. Some of us just pick different things to be "at war" about.

 Charlie Chaplin had an interesting quote about his fellow man...

"I am at peace with God. My conflict is with Man." -Charlie Chaplin

Eat well my friend

"I just ate," he told me. I asked, "Was it good?" He told me it was great. 

A famous writer from England by the name of Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) once stated, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” I think this man would agree. 

The constant dreamer

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” ― Edgar Allan Poe

Photo shoot with the General Lee

For this little journey, I followed a man from Rockvale, Tennessee all the way to Georgia where we captured his General Lee / Dodge Charger in original filming locations of the Dukes of Hazard. The popular American television show was aired from 1979 to 1985. Re-runs soon followed for years. Most of the show was filmed in small communities all around Atlanta. 

Rest on a beautiful day is a beautiful thing

“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” ― Maya Angelou

I am the creator...

I kneeled down next to this woman who lives on the street and said, "Hello." She smiled and said, "Hi." She then told me that she created all of this, waiving her hands in front of her. I said, "You created all of this?" She said, "Yes, I am the creator." I asked, "You are God?" She said, "Yes." I believe that in her mind, she truly believed that. She was so happy to explain everything to me and to sit back, relax and talk. I'm guessing that most disagree with her, this was probably the highlight of her day. 

Food Not Bombs

The group Food Not Bombs set up shop in a small Atlanta park on a sunny Sunday afternoon and served food to the homeless, the addicted and the less fortunate. It was a very positive event with smiling faces and live music for all to enjoy. 

According to the groups website, "Even though we provide meals and groceries to thousands of people we are not a charity. Food Not Bombs is trying to inspire the public to participate in changing society and focus our resources on solving problems like hunger, homelessness and poverty while seeking an end to war and the destruction of the environment."

Empty Places: Got Milk?

I was honored to tour the old Flagship Atlanta Dairy, LLC in Georgia, thanks to the generosity of a local government worker at the property that is now used as a parking lot for Government of Atlanta vehicles. 

In these photos, I decided to make the exterior shots in black and white and the interior ones in color. Why, you ask? Who knows?

I do not know why the Flagship Atlanta Dairy, LLC closed, but I have to admit that I found data from the federal government quite interesting. Evidently, the company had a Food Service Contract with the Department of Defense. 

In 2005, the dairy had a contract with the Department of Defense that added up to $98,037. By 2008, that number grew to $2.28 million. In 2009, the contracted amount dropped significantly to a mere $3,225.

Empty Places: An abandoned school in Georgia

I was able to walk through and photograph the John B. Gordon Grammar School with a man whom attended the school in the 1970’s. He had fond memories of every room, including the cafeteria, the auditorium / gym and of course the principal’s office. He pointed to the stage with a smile and said, “My very first school play was right there.”

The school opened in East Atlanta, GA in 1909. As you look through these photos, you will be able to see some of the vibrant colors of years past as lead based paint flakes and falls to the now dirt floor. You will also see that some years, the colors were dark or bland. Other years boast pastel greens and yellows.

The school was shut down in 1995 and later purchased by a development group with plans to turn the structure into loft apartments. That never happened and in 2009, the property was foreclosed on.

In April of 2014, the building caught fire. Today, it is a total loss and will likely be torn down in the near future to make way for development. When that will occur is still up in the air.

These photos were captured in June of 2014. 

Empty Places: Welcome to the Prison Farm

The Prison Farm is just as creepy as it sounds. This structure, once owned by the Federal Government, opened in 1920 as an experiment for alternative punishment for prisoners. The inmate population of 100-beds (which later grew to 700-beds) knew their home as one of the first sanctioned "Prison Farm's" in early American history. Guards oversaw about 1,200 acres in the area of Atlanta, GA. 

The prisoners that lived on the farm were trusted individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The population was hand picked by the warden and each inmate worked hard to raise not only crops, but also animals. 

The prison, while successful, was expensive to properly oversee the inmates. The prison eventually closed in 1983. 

The prison, which is a very significant part of history, now sits abandoned. Fires, vandals, drug addicts and the like have been unable to destroy the massive structure, which is falling apart all by its lonesome due to nature.