the tourists

Future attempts are being made to differentiate between the types of photos posted here. There are the pictures I record to coincide with my project and then there are the photos that I simply snap whenever I'm just out and about. This is the latter. Young tourists walking in the rain after leaving a matinee at the Fox Theatre.

peters house

Access to some of the photos I take can be limited. I've grown accustom to rejection and learned the art of patience and repetition. It took me four months before a business owner would even talk to me. It's been another three trying to convince him me and my camera are not a threat. Whenever I get turned down, I just remind myself it's a not a sprint, it's a marathon.

Working for newspapers, getting permission to take pictures was a breeze. When you're working on a personal documentary project the subjects always want to know why. Why do you want to take pictures? Why are you interested? Its part of the territory but I don't know if I still have a perfected response. I just try to explain my project and tell them I enjoy taking pictures of my neighborhood.

The above is why I approach bureaucracy with apprehension and prepare for questions when I ask to photograph something on the radar. However, I couldn't believe it when I was easily given permission to explore the old Peters House restoration at the corner of Piedmont and Ponce. I typed an email and was allowed in the next day. I'm grateful to Bob, the overseer, and his crew.

I'm planning an audio slideshow, so I don't want to say too much yet, but the 120 year old building is one of the few remaining mansions than once loomed over downtown/midtown. It's in the process of restoration and is set to reopen in October as a literature facility for Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The process is amazingly meticulous and things like original tile and wood molding are being painstakingly redone by hand.

happy birthday

I found this balloon blowing in the evening light and though it was fitting with a recent obituary. I was saddened to learn that a local celebrity had passed away this week. Bill Hargrove, who last year became the world's oldest bowler, died in the hospital four days before his 107th birthday.

Though Hargrove lived in Clermont, he was a member of Grace United Methodist on Ponce. He regularly made the 70 mile route for Sunday services and was famous for participating in singing Happy Birthday annually on his birthday. I'm sorry to say I won't ever get to witness that.

From the obituary:

His daughter suspects, though, that his long life had more to do with what was in his heart than what was in his body.

"He was a standard-bearer for optimism," she said, "and I think that's what kept him in shape all those years."

spencer

I got back from out of town and immediately hit the streets on Saturday to find the whole neighborhood alive and seething with all sorts of activity. The panhandlers and prostitutes were especially vocal and talked to me at length, both friendly and suspicious. I've noticed that many of the familiar faces around Ponce seemed to have left and the contacts I made over the past two years have faded. It's difficult because you feel like you've established yourself as someone to be trusted and recently I've come to find that I need to socialize more and introduce myself to a whole new set of residents.

After a few chats with some of the locals at the corner of Boulevard, I headed east to Murder Kroger. The infamous grocery store, so named for its frequent appearances on 90's episodes of COPS, stretches between Ponce and North Street. Behind the Kroger is the Masquerade, which is the largest music venue in the area. Some time ago I noticed that before certain shows, patrons would scrambled across North Street and hit up MK for beer and sugary snacks. I guessed my best option would be to simply hang out before a concert in the rear parking lot and wait for colorful people to wander over.

I did this a few months ago before an hardcore show with mixed results. The people I photographed had painted clown faces and were a perfect sight amongst the lettuce carts but they were difficult to photograph and not the most cheerful dudes. After one threatened me I backed off and decided to find more optimistic music fans.

This time the concert was punk show and the kids were younger and more relaxed. I met Spencer and Eleanor, who were from the city. I followed them and a few other ticket holders around MK and the parking lot. They were friendly and we chatted briefly about my project and other punk bands. I admitted to them that it was difficult to walk up and start taking frames but they understood. The others groups I met were the same way and we shared ten minutes intervals with one another before the gates at the Masquerade finally opened and I decided to call it a day.

boiled nuts

Midtown and the Highlands had a slew of activity this week, most of which I missed due to prior commitments and travel. Besides the homicide/suicide at the Bank of America building Friday, there were several shows in the vicinity, including a live performance at the Plaza that had fans dressed up like characters from Adult Swim while crowding the sidewalk. Traffic from the annual Inman Park Festival/Parade spilled over and the Tour de Georgia crossed through on Sunday.

Events are a part of any city and while I try to avoid them because of the banal nature, I feel obligated to take photos because they still affect the community. Ponce itself doesn't have anything in the way of festivals or events but pieces of other gatherings tend to overlap and I hope to include them, even if like the Pride Parade, they only cross the street for a moment.

One thing I did manage to get around to was paying a visit to Raymonds food stand at the corner of Moreland and Ponce. The stand is an overgrown shack with buckets of tomatoes, watermelons, and assorted garden foods. The signature product however, is boiled peanuts. According to the hand painted sign, Raymond's Boiled Peanuts are world famous.

The last two times I went up there the nuts were out of stock but my third trip led to the purchase of a bag of regular and a bag of cajun for a buck each. Unfortunately, I could not find Raymond for an interview and the vendor assured me he was not Raymond. The nuts are served hot from the vat and distributed in plastic bags. I carried them home and got many looks from passing drivers since carrying two clear plastic bags of soggy nuts is not a common accessory. At home, I unwrapped and tried both types. I prefer cajun style. Next time I'm going to meet Raymond and have him divulge more of his nut tactics.

yardwork

The residents of the Correction facility tend to the grounds around the campus on a daily basis. Despite what notions some people have about convicts, it's probably the cleanest lot in the area.

o'malleys

A couple months back I noticed they had gutted the back of the twin spaces at the corner of Kennesaw and Ponce. The space on the right was O'Malleys, which was apparently a tiny pub that fell into disrepair. I didn't find much info about it, sans the fact it was once a pub back in the day. The structure rests on one of the worst corners on Ponce, a spot frequented by dealers and hookers. One of the first times I was propositioned for drugs was shortly after walking by the bordered up doors of O'Malleys.

This past week construction workers finally began overhauling the site. They have stripped the roof and rear as well as torn up the foundation. When I walked by they had begun to pour concrete and touch up the back of building. I took a few frames with my rangefinder. One of the things I love about a small old film camera is that people tend to pay less attention to me when I'm not hauling a big digital.