Peace Eagles at Wedge Oak Farms

I took these pictures on the way back the main barn from feeding Big Momma(pig) one day at Wedge Oak Farms. I like how birds can make ordinary moments feel epic.

Dickerson Pike Eggleston Moment

I saw the Eggleston show twice at the Frist. I love the quote of his from the show " I had this way of democratically looking around where nothing was more or less important than anything else(my paraphrase)The color of this wall against the cherry blossoms reminded me of the show and I had my camera in my pocket so I snapped this photo. He or any other photographer would have a field day on Dickerson Pike. I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice this. This was in the Mapco parking lot next to the Teen Challenge Thrift Store.

Country Western Sign

This beauty is on Dickerson Pike. I drive this way to APSU sometimes just to see it even though there is a back way from my house.

How the trophy project got started

I was listening to the Diane Rehm show in October 2002 while I was a courier for Crye-Leike Realty in Memphis and I heard Carolyn See discussing strategies for writers. It was a wonderful mixture of suck it up and get a thicker skin and hand some of that rejection back to them. I started by making a stamp that said "I'm sorry I cannot accept your rejection at this time" which I stamped all of the rejection letters I'd kept and sent them back to the institutions I'd received them from including my home team University of Memphis where I was in graduate school at the time. I'd submitted a proposal for their wonderful Art Lab space. Though these stamps were fun to talk about I also felt a little too good(in a bad way) about sending them back(though I still do when I get rejection letters). I also remeber hearing Ms. See say you should tell someone whose work you admire thank you on a regular basis. So I began making trophies for different individuals I admire. I'm not sure why it took me so long but in 2010 I sent one to Carolyn See and she was delighted. Thanks again Carolyn See.

Kick-Flip

This is at the big pavilion in Daytona Beach Florida. Joey, Windy and I went down one day to see the Daytona 200 Motorcycle Race memorial plaza that's a few hundred yards south of here. He landed this trick by the way.

Pigs laugh for hay!

It was another great day working with Brian, Karen and Anne at Wedge Oak Farms. The pigs at the long barn laughed for joy when I brought them hay to keep warm (it was in the low 20's). Brian, the rooster and I worked on a shelter to ween Mama Mia's piglets next week. It took me 2 hours to make the 45 mile drive but our backyard was gorgeous when I finally got home.
Check out the farm's blog http://wedgeoakfarm.blogspot.com/

The Trophy Project

While at the University of Memphis I heard Carolyn See on the Dianne Rheam show. She said you should send someone whose work you like a note of encouragement every week! I haven't quite kept that pace but I have sent some folks whose work I love trophies over the years. Here's the trophy I sent Terri Gross from WHYY's "Fresh Air". She sent me an email a few weeks later and said it was on her desk!