We'll Miss You, Nancy Faye Tribble

December 11, 1954 - July 23, 2009

It just happened. You know when someone who you love has just died and you think of something to tell her/him and you get smacked in the head with reality? You can't tell her anything, ANYMORE? There was an ad on television about Paul McCartney coming to Atlanta for a concert next week. I started thinking about who I know who would possibly want to go, and I thought of Nancy Tribble. Well, guess what, she can't go; we lost her last week.

About three hours ago, I returned home from attending her service and the celebration afterwards. Being a teacher and a friend to so many, there were well over 150 in attendance. It was one of the most beautiful and meaningful services I have ever attended. Two of her good friends sang and her brother, Randy, and friend, Mary, spoke. They both told stories about her life and how it affected those who were her family and friends. Randy told us about the family and the times he spent with Nancy as a child. He also explained her illness and her constant struggle to survive. In Mary's eulogy, she asked several questions that related to our experiences with Nancy. For example, "Have you ever gone grocery shopping with Nancy?" That caused a laugh from many of us who had that excruciating experience. Mine was a little over a year ago.

Nancy had just had another surgery and after a lengthy stay in the hospital she was being released from Emory. I volunteered to take her home and get her settled. I can't remember which surgery this was, but she was able to walk and take care of herself. After she got in the car at the hospital, she asked me if I could make a quick stop at Publix so she could get some groceries. Thinking that she really did mean "quick," and I knew she wouldn't have much energy, I agreed. I had no idea what I was in for. This was my first and last trip to the grocery store with her. After you went grocery shopping with her once, you never went again. She fancied herself of somewhat a gourmet cook, so every piece of fruit and every vegetable had to be examined. You would think she was the chef at the Ritz. To make a long story short, I was ready to explode. I think she was used to getting this reaction from others, because she totally ignored my expressions and body language and continued on her merry way up and down the aisles. After an hour or maybe a little less, we were on the way to her condo. I was fuming and she was happy.

Then about two weeks ago, she asked if she could spend the weekend with me because her friends who were taking care of her, Mary and Doreen, were having company and she wanted to give them her room. So I drove to Macon with my friend Penny, picked her up and brought her to Atlanta. As we were nearing my house, I began to discuss my plan regarding her meals, etc. I told her that I would get her in the house and settled and then go to the store and buy what she wanted. She expressed in her weakened state that maybe WE could stop at Publix and shop together. She was trying it again. Penny was sitting in the back seat and was somewhat surprised by my reaction to Tribble when I replied, "NO, HELL NO!" Tribble had given it the old college try, as they say. To calm Penny down, I told her about my fateful trip to the store a year ago.

I know lots of folks hate going to funeral services, but they're a part of life. It gives us a chance to listen to stories about our friend or family member and honor them. It's okay to laugh and to cry. We did both. Because Tribble was so funny, I think we did more laughing than crying. I really believe that she would have been proud of what was said about her. Proud that Jolly and Leslie sang, proud of Randy and Mary's eulogies, and proud that so many of her friends, especially the Tift women, came to honor and remember her. The song that the Tift girls sang was truly beautiful. She was honored and that would have made her happy.

Below I have included pictures that were in her program.

After the service, everyone was invited to continue the celebration at her brother, Robb and his wife, Pam's home.

Pictured below are her three brothers: Randy, Steven, and Robb.

"Old, old friends" (HA!), Doreen, Debra, and Mary.

Her two ex-roommates, Leslie (who sang at the service) and Sherry.

Marie, her friend from Fernandino Beach and Nancy Faye (in the urn).

School friends from way back, Nettie, Yolanda and Pat.

And finally, the Tiftettes!

I'll post more pictures on my Facebook page later. It was a celebration to remember. What a wonderful group of friends she had!

As you can tell, Nancy Tribble was a friend to many. She will live forever in our hearts and never, never, be forgotten.

Well, Damn

Here I sit, early on a Saturday morning typing on my blog, when I should be fast asleep. "Why am I up so early ?" you might ask. "Because the damn water heater leaked all over the garage last night," I might answer. I'm not going to import a picture of the leaky water heater, it would just depress you. Here's how it started.

Last night before going upstairs to bed, I checked the garage like I do most nights. I'm in charge of security around here. I was making sure the doors were down...don't want any intruders...four legged or two legged, when I spotted the leak. How could I miss it, it looked like Katrina had come to visit (I exaggerate), or that monsoon segment in the movie Jumanji. Anyway, to make his day or evening, I alerted Tom with a shrill that could be heard from miles. You can just imagine his delight. Words came out of his mouth that would make Lucifer look like Beaver Cleaver.

Needless to say, we started moving stuff away from the walls so we could begin the fun task of sweeping stuff (you know what I want to say) out of the garage. In between dirty looks and snide remarks, we talked about whom to call. He didn't want to call Sears again and I didn't want to call the plumbers who we usually call.

In Atlanta there is a company that advertises constantly. As luck would have it,I've memorized their phone number because their jingle stays with you. It goes like this, "Trust Superior, the honest one, call 770-422-plum." How could you forget it? (Imagine what you heard after seeing either the play or the movie Mama Mia.) Being honest and all, we or really Tom called them this morning at 6:45. John, the honest one, was here an hour later. After all of the pleasantries, he inspected the situation and started with the questions. Size, code, cut-offs, and water pressure were discussed. Tom and I both glazed over after 20 minutes of stimulating conversation. We hadn't had anything to eat or drink because, you know, the water was turned off. We were in a weakened state.

Then came the dreaded price book. We weren't that concerned because I had my booklet with the receipt of the leaky water heater purchase. ( My filing system is, I must say phenomenal.) We bought it in 1997 from Sears at $440. It couldn't be that much more, could it? Even if we went from a 40 gallon to a 50 gallon, how much more could it be? About $1000. more, that's how much!

So, that's it. Exactly $1365.90 (including my $25.00 coupon from the internet) later, the honest one has completed the job, Tom is watching the golf tournament...it's 3:15 in England and I'm going to take a nap.

Here are a few shots of our next vacation.

As Walter, God love him, would say, "And that's the way it is."

July 4, 2009

It was early in the morning when I took this shot. I wanted to get to the beach before the crowds started to descend, but it didn't exactly work out like I planned...it never does. When I arrived the walkers were already there. By now I've learned how to play "cat and mouse" and I play it with a lot of patience. In most of my shots, I wait for a gap and then quickly take the picture. In the image below, I gave up and took it with the walkers. I was trying to capture the feeling of peace and quiet on the beach in the morning.

Then four hours later, look what happened to that peace and quiet! I took this shot through the window of our hotel. That explains the reflection on the left of the image and the blue tint.

I wanted to get a closer look, so I thought I would just mosey on down there and mingle among the crowds. Here are upclose and personal images of the masses. As I was enhancing the images, I found this filter. Gotta love Photoshop! This image was taken facing west. In case you were worrying, since this is a public place (beach), I didn't have to get signed releases. Hah, as if.

This image was taken facing north.

Facing north again.

This image was much clearer when I downloaded it, but I just wanted to try some funky stuff. I am liking funky.

I could have taken some really humorous shots, but it was around five in the afternoon and most of these folks were deep into the grape, so I didn't try it. I'm not that sneeky. Maybe if I wore a press pass they would think I was official. There's always next year.

It's all about the light, and the camera, and photoshop, and the classes, and the...

I love to take pictures. I really, really do. But to get the perfect lighting outside means getting up early...very early, and I really, really, hate to get up early. Since I entered "transition" (I refuse to use the word retirement) I don't "do dark." Meaning that I don't get out of bed until the sun is up.

To show you an example of taking a picture when there is full sun, look below. I took this on Hilton Head in the middle of the afternoon.

Can you see the huge shadow on the surface? When I took this shot about three years ago, I thought it was breathtaking. Sure, the color is good and the composition is okay. Maybe I should have composed the horizon differently, but the major flaw is the shadow. To get this shot without the shadow would mean opening my eyes before sunrise, and as I said before, I don't "do dark."

But there is another way and I was lucky enough to have my camera in hand. Well that's not exactly true. Here's how it happened. A few weeks ago, three friends and I were on the beach on Hilton Head just talking away, catching up, with not a care in the world, when this major cloud appeared. So, the Ansella Adams who I think I am, sprang into action. I ran, or walked briskly (depending on whom is telling this story) to the condo and grabbed my camera so I could get the shot. Truth be told, I had contemplated getting up early to get the shot but here was my chance to get it without "doing dark." As all digital photographers do, I took about 20-30 shots of the same walkway. I was in all sorts of contortions- bending, squatting, and kneeling...praying that no one would walk on the beach until I could get the shot.

As my friend Tracy would say, "Et voila." Thank God for clouds.

It's Always Somethin'

So there we were driving on Route 22 about ten minutes from our exit onto Highway 17. Tom and I were on our way to North Myrtle Beach for Spring SOS; the 51st for Tom and 30 something for me. Since we had been traveling about six hours, we were all "talked out" and getting a little anxious to get to the condo. Suddenly Tom pointed out the strange haze forming over the clouds. It seemed to get darker and darker and soon it became apparent that we were in the middle of a huge fire. I grabbed my camera, rolled down the window and began to shoot.

This series of images reminds me of the summer that my friend, Barbara, and I drove to California, stopping along the way to visit famous landmarks. One of them was Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. We must have taken twenty or thirty pictures, thinking that the geyser couldn't get any higher. It was the same here. I kept clicking thinking that it couldn't get any worse, but it did.

Finally, we were through the smoke and minutes from the exit.

As most of you know, the fires continued for several days and many lost their homes.

Not to make light of a horrible situation, but it seemed to me that there were a few other SOS's that were plagued by one thing or another. Last fall, they were involved in dredging the sand, making it impossible to sit on the beach. (See blog dated September 19, 2008.)
Then a couple of SOS's ago this was going on the street outside of our condo. As luck would have it, we had the back bedroom, facing the street, so we were awakened every morning at 8:00 to this. After I made a trip to the city manager's office, I was told that in the future I would be glad that they were doing this cable work. But why during SOS?

It kinda makes me wonder what's in store for us in the fall.

Through it all, we really did have a good time. After the ash cleared, I was able to get on the beach and take some new golf shots and one afternoon, friends from Wilmington drove down for a quick visit. Those of you from Huntington remember Connie and Mike Tatum. It was great seeing them again. Aren't they just the cutest?

I think the last time we were together at the beach was the summer of '66. Remember that? We'll just keep that between us...now that y'all are grandparents and all.

Note To Self: NEW YORK CITY IS COLD IN APRIL

I've been back in Atlanta for six days after my trip to New York and I've finally thawed out. I know you think I'm exaggerating, but the temperature didn't get over 50 degrees while we were there. But a little thing like freezing temperatures and hurricane force winds didn't stop us.

I met my sister, Janie, at the Atlanta airport with her friend, Shirley, who were changing planes to continue their trip to NYC. I joined them on the final leg of their journey. Shirley was going to visit her daughter and Janie and I were visiting my niece and Janie's daughter, Jennifer. We thought it was a perfect time to visit Jennifer because it was her spring break and she could spend the week guiding us to the right subway and pointing us in the right direction on the city streets. It was nice not having to have our AAA maps in our frozen hands at all times. We must have walked miles and I know we climbed hundreds of steps. Although it rained or misted most of the days, I was able to take a few shots on two of the days.

On Monday we met Shirley at the River Cafe located on the Brooklyn side of the East River. The restaurant is located near the Brooklyn Bridge and is steps away from an area called DUMBO (down under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). After lunch (which I might add I couldn't recognize many entrees on the menu...I had chicken) we set out on an adventure. I think Janie and 'em were looking for Jacque somebody's chocolate shop and I was looking for THE SHOT. After finding the chocolate shop and getting great hot chocolate, we found Water Street where I took these shots.

The next day we met my oldest sister, Ann, in the city. We had lunch at a really nice restaurant behind the New York City Public Library, followed by a tour of the library. As we were walking, before the rain began, I managed to get this shot. This house is located directly across from the Port Authority. I haven't cropped or enhanced any of these shots, so please be patient.

It was wonderful seeing and visiting with Ann. We ended our visit with a glass or two of wine at the bar in the Waldorf-Astoria. After putting her on the bus to Hartford, we managed to crawl to the subway heading to Brooklyn.

The last day, Thursday, April 16th, the sun appeared! We packed and then headed to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The cherry trees were in bloom and the tulips were everywhere. As we walked along the paths we saw turtles sunning themselves. Here's a few of them.

I don't usually take photographs of landscapes (except the beach), but this was too beautiful to ignore.

Here'a a shot of my sister and Jennifer. FYI, they were standing in the shade so I used my flash. Until I took my last photography class, I had never used a flash outside. Who knew?

Here is the final shot. I asked a young woman who had a SLR camera around her neck to take this picture, thinking that she knew how to use it. Not so fast. Not only did she not focus the shot, but the composition is not so good. Whatever.

Looking back, I think it's a good thing that she didn't focus. It's hard to see the enormous bags under my eyes and the extreme pain I was in from the endless walking and climbing. Now I know why you rarely see older people ride the subways. Come to think of it, there really aren't that many overweight people down there in the tunnels. That's something to ponder Jenny Craig.

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I must end this post by thanking Jennifer for allowing us to hang out with her for six days. She was a expert tour guide who showed extreme patience with her aunt and mom. She even let me use her Mac to check FB every day, okay twice a day. I bet next year during spring break, Miss Jennifer will high tail it out of the city to parts unknown. Who could blame her?

He Said, She Said

I got the inspiration for this blog from my husband, Tom's, blog. (http://www.tommyhamrick.blogspot.com/) He usually writes about the happenings in the world of shag, but since there were no major events last weekend, he decided to write about his family vacations to Windy Hill Beach every fourth of July. He explains that the reason for the same week every year in July was because his father worked in the cotton mills and they always shut down for the week of the fourth of July. Newberry, South Carolina, was where he spent most of his childhood and he talks about what a great town it was to grow up. I think he said, "I wouldn't trade growing up in Newberry for anywhere else in the world."

So then I started thinking. I grew up in Huntington, West Virgina and I think my town was a great place to grow up. We had sidewalks and lots of grass with clover for the bees...just enough for us to get stung at least three times each summer. We had bikes and skates and played hopscotch on the sidewalk in front of our house. The only establishment that I know of that closed during the week of July fourth was Jim's Steak and Spaghetti House on Fifth Avenue, so the week of the fourth was just like any other week, except for the fourth and that was always fun.

My family didn't go to the beach in the summer or any other time, for that matter. My father worked for the C&O Railroad so we could take our vacations anytime during the summer, and it wasn't to the beach. My parents weren't beach people. Daddy was of Scottish descent and mother was Irish. Needless to say our skin was very, very, white and daddy always talked about how the sun wasn't good for our skin, and that was in the 50's before SPF 75. For some reason, my father liked to take his vacation over Labor Day. Since my oldest sister lived and lives in Connecticut, we rode the train to Hartford via New York City, where we had to change trains. He arranged it so that we arrived at Grand Central Terminal in the morning, took a cab to Penn Station, checked our luggage in the lockers, and set off for an adventure. My mother usually took my middle sister, Janie, and they went to sites unknown; while daddy, on the other hand, was stuck with me. I remember one trip when daddy took me to Hayden's Planetarium. Because he had one vodka drink too many on the trip from Huntington to NYC, he fell asleep and snored during the program. I was so embarassed. I could write lots of stories about our adventures in New York, but I won't bore you. My point here is that we never vacationed at the beach. In fact,the first time I went to Myrtle Beach was the summer after my freshman year in college. That was the first of several summers that my friends and I worked there.

Although I never made it to the beach as a child like Tom did, we still had fun in Huntington over the fourth because we had great food like hot dogs and potato salad and fun stuff like sparklers. I thought that was the best ever. I can still see the lightning bugs blinking as the bright sparks from the sparklers shot into the black sky.

Below is a picture of me (age 5) in my first two piece.

Here I was dressed and ready for the beach, but I just didn't know where it was! Ignorance is bliss. Tom and I are lucky to have grown up in two towns that we both love. We had normal childhoods where we could run and play with our friends and we were safe. But I have to say, I wouldn't trade growing up in Huntington with any other place, and that includes, you know where!