CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

  Jay waited for the next ride, the constant beat of the city soaking up the time, like a drummer in a band. He didn’t like quiet times, his thoughts often drifted back to the dark places in his life. Missteps, misdeeds and worse. How they had hurt others and himself.  Thoughts that always got through in reflective times. Somehow giving a crazy deafness to the better parts of his life, achievements and all. He tried to quiet these hauntings, hoping they would go away. They only became less dark, a graying if you will, but never going completely away. Overtime he understood this was the best you could hope for, that the real test of life being if you learned from your dark places.

  I have too many cameras. Even my camera store has hinted at this. Still, I love them and prefer them over my smart phone camera. Besides being beautiful tools, they have taken me to new places and unraveled the complexities of life. They have helped me make sense out of things.  A camera takes you away from your everyday world. It does not have the constant interference of the phone, freeing you to focus on what’s round you. It also separates you from the crowd and makes you feel you are doing something special. You are out there creating for your own account, not working for someone else’s. Having a camera can lead you to places and stories beyond those initially planned. The chance encounters with people and scenes. A camera never fails to provide you unique insights. It accomplishes this by the mere fact that it does one thing, capturing images. You will find yourself pausing and observing. Giving you rare calm in a pressed world.   Once you start using a camera you learn to see t

  They were bright of red brick worn by time and stretching as far as you could see along Railroad Street. It seems like every small town and city in the South has a railroad street. Where long iconic textile and furniture factory buildings once flourished, where thousands worked and trains crossed rails loaded with goods. Gone now those days and sounds, only the buildings remain. Some towns have torn down the factories, others just leaving them to their own demise. Only a few like Lexington NC have realized their potential for community change. Lexington has cleared away the debris and kept buildings clean. They are like a living museum, gems waiting to be used again.  Lexington envisioned the “Depot District,” using it as a slogan for rebirth. To make it work, they developed incentives to foster its growth. Businesses including Crazy Joes, Bull City and Goose & Monkey Brewhouse have already moved in. Other buildings such as NC Candy Factory are under lease. An outdoor amphitheate