Scuffalong

Clear green water, tulip poplars, sepia photographs, Japan, creeks, metaphors, etymology, hand-lettered signs, holding things in my hands, old things, pocosins, passports, the sound of Portuguese, clean lines, muted colors, pomegranates, Mountain Dew in a can, Mount Olive-brand sour pickles, Havana, country roads, country wisdom, turns of phrase, hot sunshine, Sharpies and Uniballs, gods of the crossroads and protectors of travelers, small groupings of similar things, children on their birthdays, serendipity, ancestors, lists, Polaroid pictures, pedicures, back stories, Sapelo Island, soaking tubs, a hard massage, privet blooming at roadside, sliced ruby-red tomatoes sprinkled with salt, blackberries, wild cherries and hogplums, sensitive singer/songwriters, Orion and the Evening Star, Wikipedia, maps and atlases, nostalgia, New Orleans, slow winks, slow grins, scuppernongs, drawls, the long curve of an inner thigh, the warmth held in the hollow of a neck, a warm palm in the small of my back, the taste of salt on a collarbone, learning, grace.

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This is Mr. Harry Ellis. He was born in 1899 and died in 1988. He was the brother of my cousins' grandfather, and he lived in Wilson County, but I don't think I ever met him. Can I tell you how much I love this photograph? It is a Polaroid, which is a whole mood and the color of childhood for me. Uncle Harry's -- I claim him -- smile and his thatch of white hair. His short-sleeved dress shirt and the cross around his neck. (I imagine it's Sunday after church.) His work-thickened hands. His stocking feet. The rocking chair out in the yard. The sandy soil of eastern North Carolina. Everything.

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Me today -- having been set back 50 years. #inaugurationblues

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“Keep your negroes at home.” The Spirit of the Age (Raleigh NC), 19 December 1860.

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Lamp, warehouse. Wilson NC, Nov 11.

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No visitors allowed. Wilson NC, Nov 11.

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West Sonora Christian Church, 1891. Deer Creek IN.

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If I could have figured out a way to mitigate the risk -- and had some tools -- I'd have stolen this and prayed for forgiveness. #abandonedchurch #smalltownmidwest #webeenhere

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I'm a reporter at the AJC and I'm doing a project on Atlanta's former amusement parks. I noticed that you published a post with an image of the Funtown sign. Is that an image that you could give me permission to use in an online gallery? Thx.

Sorry I'm just seeing this, and hope it's not too late. Yes, you have permission.

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Santo Martín de Porres. Templo Santo Domingo, Oaxaca.

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Oaxaca.

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All damn day. New Orleans, Aug 11.

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Kingdom Cuts. Near Edgard LA, Aug 11.

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Caire & co. Edgard LA, Aug 11.

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Cripes. New Orleans, Aug 11.

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Clouds and shotguns. Donaldsonville LA, Aug 10.

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Saint Joseph's Society. Donaldsonville LA, Aug 10.

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Saint Roch chapel. New Orleans, Aug 9.