Remember the Old Home Place Forever

As southerners we want to hold onto to everything. And, sometimes we don't have the resources and time moves on. Only the memories remain and the stories we pass down to our children about our elders and our childhoods.

What memories are more special than those of the old home place. It may be the house you grew up in, or maybe your Grandmother's house or the farm where you spent every summer. It could be that old lake house or river house or beach house. No one but you and your family can appreciate what that porch swing brings to mind, or that old truck in the barn, or the fence going down the drive.

Here is a way to preserve those memories forever.

Several years ago I took my 75 year old mother to a family reunion that was held at her old family home place. We were lucky in that some cousins had lovingly cared for the place and as I sat in the yard eating fried chicken and potato salad, it was just like being there 40 years ago.

I went back and photographed the place and presented my mother with a book of the pictures. She went through the book, page by page, reminiscing over times she had spent there visiting her grandparents, playing with her cousins, and enjoying holidays with her family. Since then my mother has passed away. But, I captured the magic of the home place forever. Who knows the place may burn down tomorrow.

Let me capture that magic for your family.
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The Brass Tacks (or How to Get it Done)

If you are interested in preserving a memory for generations to come I think you will be very surprised at how little it will cost to have your precious memories saved for generations to come by a professionally produced photographic book.

I like to work with every one on an individual basis because each project is a work in progress. Often we end up finding more than we thought was there. (Memories fade until we return home and are reunited - briefly- with the past.)

Just email me at homeplacememories@gmail.com I always enjoy hearing from folks and am happy to answer questions.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Pepsi sign

Discards. They don't paint signs like this any more.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Keeping the Haints Out

Then there are the homes with the traditional indigo blue around the doors and windows to keep the haints out. This Gullah tradition is now rarely seen. Even if I do not know the home owners, I try to photograph these if I come upon one.


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Before and After the Fire


This home was built around 1860, only to burn to the ground in 1908.


Luckily someone photographed it when it was rebuilt in 1910 because it burned again in 1970, never to be rebuilt. (This is Tanglewood mansion in Pendleton, SC)

And now, below is what remains today.







Saturday, July 23, 2011

House, All Alone

Sometimes it seems like all that is left is the house, literally, sitting there in the field by itself.


Friday, July 22, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Bottles




There were always bottles. Drinks out of a can just don't taste the same.


Monday, July 18, 2011

Front Gate

Just start at the gate and work your way down the drive, you'll be coming home every time you look at it.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Old Wagon


Is the old wagon still in the shed out back?


Friday, July 15, 2011

Old Studebaker


What about that old Studebaker out back? Is it still there?



Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Th'ol Wooden Bench

Was it for story time or where you sat and listened to the tales of the land and your family or just memories of your first love?



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Things Left Behind

Walking around there are surprises everywhere. Who needs a boat shed?





Monday, July 11, 2011

Some Things We Choose Not to Remember

Maybe some memories we thought were just figments of our imagination. Certainly not at our house. But there it is - in living color. Embrace the humor and the heritage.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Done Plowing

I saw this tractor in someone's front yard. It reminded me of my Granddaddy. He only used John Deeres. But, his were always in the shed and now my uncle uses them on the farm.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Mama's Zinnias

Remember Mama's garden in the front yard. She would always cut the Zinnias for the dinner table.



And, her flower boxes in full bloom.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Just Waiting There

There was always that boat waiting to go fishing. 




Wednesday, July 6, 2011

How the Times Change our Perspective

When you were a child it was a place of wonder, where you spent many an afternoon playing in the barn, riding the old horse (or mule), following your father (or grandfather) around outside or your mother (grandmother) around in the kitchen, In your teen years maybe it was just an "old" place. But now, isn't it special? And, if those walls and fences could talk (or not!)



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Log Cabin

Some are lucky enough to still have the log cabin that has either been in the family for generations or some generation of the family lived in it eons ago. Wouldn't you want to have a personal pictorial account for your family?






Monday, July 4, 2011

The Old Table Out Back

Maybe there was an old table in the shed behind the house where you used to play or Dad (or Granddad) worked at.


Saturday, July 2, 2011

Country Roads

When creating the family album, don't forget the old dirt road before it is paved and changed forever.



Friday, July 1, 2011

Sunrise over the Family Pond

Maybe it was where you first learned to swim, or where your Dad or Granddad taught you to fish. While it is still as natural and beautiful as you remember, why not preserve the beauty.


Sunrise over the pond