Category Archives: Photography

Perfectly Imperfect

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What’s your word for the year? I’m sure in January you probably saw social media posts about this question. You may have even selected a word and are living it right now as you read this. I have to admit, when I first found out this was “a thing” to do, I was intrigued. What word would I choose? Would I even be focused enough to follow through with it? Could having a word guide me through my year? What if I changed my mind half way through the year and decided to choose another word? Clearly I wasn’t sure how all this should work! But this past December, I landed upon the “perfect” word. Here’s what happened.

Early in December, I was searching through old photographs to find some pictures of my three kids at Christmastime. On a side note, I had just started working on major photo project with every photograph I’ve ever taken. You remember those days when we used to take photographs and actually take the film to the drug store or places like Costco to get them developed? I was that person who took 10-15 rolls of film at any given event and would also get double prints to share with others! Talk about a pile of photos!!! At the moment, they are all in a heaping piles, sorted by year, in my She Shack just waiting for me to “spark some joy” out of them. Marie Kondo will be very proud of me…eventually…

There was a time though that I kept meticulous photo albums. As soon as I would get my photos back from the photo lab, I would sort through them and write the date taken, where they were taken and who was in them before putting them – IN ORDER – into my albums. When my kids started coming along, it got harder to sort through photos and get rid of any. I mean…these were pictures of my kids! How could I throw even one away, even if it was a little blurry or I didn’t like the way I looked in that photo…my child looked SO ADORABLE! So what I started to do was to select the best picture of the several I would take of a grouping and put the best one on top and tuck the other 2 or 3 behind it and then place them in the albums.

So in December, as I was going through my albums I came across a photo of me with my three kids at Brookwood Mall. Emily was just a baby, Charlie was 5 and Anna Marie just 3 years old. We were trying to get a group shot in front of one of the little Christmas trees that were placed around the mall. Well… it was a struggle to say the least. We couldn’t get all the kids to look forward at the same time and eventually we had three out of four of us so that was the photo that was displayed in the album. Then I pulled the photo out of its slot and two others tumbled. These were the ones that weren’t deemed “perfect” to display. But you know what? The photo I decided to use wasn’t the perfect photo. The photo where I was trying to get Emily to turn around in my arms and my head was turned away and Charlie looked completely bored and Anna Marie was on the ground grinning ear to ear oblivious to what was happening around her…yeah, that was the perfect photo. Actually, it was “perfectly-imperfect.” I even made that comment when I posted it on Instagram.

I thought about this the next few weeks. A lot. How many times do we see social media posts that are perfectly staged and the lighting is beautiful and everyone is shiny and new, so to speak? I know I’m guilty of it…we all are to some degree. But these older photos were really speaking to me about the beauty of imperfection. Think about it. Today we can instantaneously see a photo taken through digital photography or our IPhones. We can retake and retake until we get it just right. But back when I was using film, you had to patiently wait for the film to be developed and then drive to the store to pick up the photos. You really didn’t know what you were going to get until you flipped through the envelope. There was a bit of excitement too when I would do that, hoping that I got just the right photo of an event. Sometimes I did, and sometimes I didn’t.

On Christmas Eve this past year, I had all my kids home and it all came full circle. After they all put on their Christmas PJs, we began trying to get a group photo in front of our tree and with their dogs! The struggle was real but oh what a fun struggle it was! I just kept clicking my camera as my kids kept trying to get their dogs to face me for that perfect shot. Well, we got that perfect photo, but you know what? My favorite photo was the one I captured right before that perfect photo. It shows Emily hugging our family dog, Lucy, and Anna Marie and Ryan rubbing their dog Lucia’s head while trying to get him to sit still, and Charlie getting a grip on his dog, Scarlett. It was just like the photo I would have hidden behind the perfect photo in my old photo album days.  But now I realize…this was the perfect best photo.

 

So, my word for 2019? It’s actually two words…perfectly imperfect. But as a friend said this morning when I was telling her this story, you can always hyphenate and make it one word!  That was “perfect” advice.

The Vintage Beaded Sweater Made in Hong Kong

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This cashmere beaded sweater came from Hong Kong in the 1950s – my dad bought it for my mother on their honeymoon.

I have a beautiful vintage beaded sweater that belonged to my mother.  She gave it to me many years ago when she was going through some old clothes and I tucked it away to preserve it.  It was already showing signs of age and I didn’t want it to get worse, so I bought a good garment bag and stored it in my guest room closet.

This week I was at my favorite thrift store and was about to leave when I made one more pass through the jacket section.  That’s when I spotted it…an off-white colored beaded sweater with a Hong Kong label.  It was gorgeous and in incredible shape and only $4.99…and as I picked it off the rack, that’s when all the memories rushed back to me about the beaded sweater from my mother.

The Kung Brothers beaded sweater I found at the thrift store last week for $4.99 – made in Hong Kong.
Kung Brothers Hong Kong beaded sweater circa 1950s
Kung Brohers Hong Kong beaded sweater
Sleeve detail on the Kung Brothers beaded sweater I bought at the thrift store!

After my parents got married in Cambodia, they went to Hong Kong for their honeymoon.  My dad was always insistent about buying quality items.  I remember one Christmas when I was in high school, I wanted a small stereo and I knew money was tight so found one at a discount place for about $50 and showed it to my mother.  When Christmas rolled around, I didn’t get that discount place stereo.  Instead, my dad went and bought a Magnavox stereo complete with stand and headphones!  I had that stereo for years too.  So I can just imagine my dad in Hong Kong with his new bride making sure it was a memorable experience.  I think this is when he bought mom two beaded sweaters…one in black and one in off-white.  Both were cashmere and both were stunning!  I remember as a little girl putting them on and they were – still are – quite heavy!  The detail in the beads was always amazing to me.  I could not imagine the time it took to create these masterpieces and I would turn it over and over admiring the detail of the beaded design.

My mother’s beaded cashmere sweater from Hong Kong circa 1950s
This cashmere beaded sweater came from Hong Kong in the 1950s – my dad bought it for my mother on their honeymoon.
Back of mom’s beaded sweater
Sleeve detail from the Vicuner beaded sweater

These sweaters symbolized glamour to me.  When I tell people about my parents, where and how they met in Bangkok, and then tell them about their wedding in Cambodia, people always comment on how exotic and exciting their lives sounded.  Growing up I loved looking at my dad’s photos of their time in Cambodia and Thailand and also the photos he took of my mother. before all us kids came along.  I especially loved the photos of mom all dressed up for nights out with dad.  My mother had the glamour factor going for her big time in my little girl eyes.  She would wear her blonde hair up in a French twist and dress up in one of her hand-made (to fit her figure) Thai silk dresses or suits.  She would then add her favorite black peau de soie spike heels and on cooler nights out, she would add one of the beaded sweaters.  She looked like Grace Kelly to me.

I know my dad probably took many pictures of my mother wearing these beaded sweaters but I’ve only come across one in the slides that I’ve scanned and archived.  In this photo, mom is at a dinner party in Puerto Rico in the mid-1960s wearing a blue Thai silk dress, the peau de soie shoes I mentioned, and the black beaded sweater.  There is also a photo of mom and her best friend Gladys and another woman (not sure who she is) before they left for the party.  The more I looked at that photo the more I think Gladys is wearing the off-white sweater!  The photo is a little overexposed and while I worked on it to see if I could identify the sweater, I wasn’t able to say for sure.  Still…mom and Gladys were very close and don’t girlfriends share clothes at times?  I’m going with the idea that Gladys IS wearing the sweater.

Mom’s best friend, Gladys Seda is on the left with what I believe to be the off-white beaded sweater that I now have. Mom is on the right in her blue thai silk dress. This photo was taken at our house in Puerto Rico in the mid 1960s.
My mother is on the left wearing the black beaded sweater at a dinner party in Puerto Rico in the 1960s.

It’s funny how a piece of clothing can bring back such memories.  I need to talk to my mother about these sweaters again.  We’ve talked before but I need a refresher and I always love watching her face when she reminisces about these early years.  Meanwhile…I’m still on the hunt for a photo of mom in the off-white sweater!

 

 

 

Remembering Easter 2008

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Easter 2008 Mimi’s swing photo – this year including Ryan and Lucy!

Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.  Janine di Giovanni

This week I’ve been putting our family’s Easter plans together.  We’ll have lunch at our house on Sunday afternoon, so family members have all been notified about what time to arrive for our traditional Easter spread.  The “big cookie cake” has been ordered as well as the Honeybaked ham.  The dining room table and buffet have been decorated in bright spring colors and on Saturday Eddie and I will try to clean off the deck from all the pollen and other spring “gifts” the trees are sharing this week!

I don’t know what made me look back on photos from past Odom family gatherings.  I was thinking about the Easter egg hunts we used to have with all three of my kids in the house.  Charlie, Anna Marie and Emily would all start at the top of their stairs with a basket and when Eddie and I would give the signal, they’d come running down to see how many eggs they could find that had been hidden in the house the night before.  Every year, we’d find a candy filled egg or two that wasn’t discovered during the hunt a few weeks later.  And every year, Emily would be the one who would win with the most found eggs.

But for some reason, I opened up the 2008 Easter gallery and as I looked through the photos I was filled with so many emotions.  Little did I know what types of stories I was photographing that day only to discover them all these years later.  If memory serves me correctly, it was our last Easter at my in-laws home in Jasper.  The year before, my father-in-law, Glen Odom, passed away in March.  Eddie and his brothers were working on getting their mother, Johnnie, into a newer house with less property to manage.  Most of the photos I took that day revolved around a game of touch football in the backyard that the “kids” were playing.  They first did this at Thanksgiving a few months earlier and wanted to recreate the fun they had that day.  These photographs prove they did just that!

Dustin Odom
Jonathan, Ryan and Kate
Jonathan, Charlie and Aaron
Strategy session! Ryan, Anna Marie, Emily and Dustin
Charlie
Charlie and Anna Marie
Anna Marie throws the ball!
Kate, Charlie and Jonathan
Jonathan and Emily
Ryan
Aaron and Charlie
Aaron with Jonathan
Charlie

My now son-in-law, Ryan, was with us that Easter.  I think it was his first time to spend a holiday with us in Jasper and the first time to be included in the traditional Odom grandkids swing photo.  My pup, Lucy was also with us that day too!  We had just gotten her and at this point she was only about 6 months old and looked like a fuzzy house slipper!  She was so fluffy!  It was fun to see her in all her fluff and I had honestly forgotten she went with us that year!  It was also her first time to meet the family, including Rhonda, my sister-in-law, and her dog, Bentley.  Lucy and Bentley would have a love-hate relationship for years to come.  Mainly, Bentley hated Lucy to chase him around the house but she did it anyway!

Lucy as a pup! She was about 5 or 6 months old in this photo!
Emily holding Lucy – she looks so fluffy in this photo!

We celebrated two birthdays that day too.  My son, Charlie turned 19 and Rhonda’s grandson, Jonathan, turned 12, if I’m counting the candles on his cake correctly!  My mother is standing behind Charlie in a few of the photos and she looks so happy.  Her hair was finally getting thicker after having lost it due to chemotherapy the year before.  Easter 2008 marked one year since she had been diagnosed with breast cancer reminding me how fragile life can be.

Charlie with his birthday cookie cake – Mom (Barbara Zuniga) stands behind him.
Charlie and Jonathan celebrating their March birthdays!
Charlie and Jonathan

It’s ten years later now and if this trip back through my family photos has taught me anything today, it’s that I need to take even more photos when the family is together.  For instance, I regret that I didn’t get a photo of my mother-in-law that Easter.  She’s in a couple of photos from a distance but I don’t have anything close up that day.  I also wish I had asked my husband to take a few photos of me with both my sisters-in-law that day.   Looking back on these photos, I see opportunities that I missed but I also see what I was able to capture too.  In the photo of Rhonda holding Lucy, my sister-in-law has her head thrown back and is laughing.  I can actually hear her laugh when I see this photo!  Ten years isn’t that long ago but in this short time, we’ve lost several family members from these photos…Johnnie, Rhonda, my nephew, Aaron, and just recently, Bentley.

Lucy and Rhonda
Rhonda introduces Lucy to Bentley!
The back of my mother-in-law’s house – the swing is next to the tree…
Eddie and Terry with their mother
Dustin
Kate and Charlie in the golf cart!
Anna Marie and Ryan
Carla and Abigail
Easter 2008 Mimi’s swing photo – this year including Ryan and Lucy!
Kateand TJ

These photographs remind me of our family story.  They also tell me that our family story will continue.  It will have highs and lows, good times and not so good times.  Through it all…we will come together each Easter for our own hope and renewal.  And we will remember every family member and keep their stories with us.

Happy Easter from my family to yours…

 

 

 

Spirits of Thanksvings Past

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Thanksgiving 2012 – Odom Family photo

This time of year, I do a lot of reminiscing and looking at old photographs.  Thanksgiving has always been “the” holiday in our family – both Zuniga and Odom.  When my dad, Aunt Gail, and grandmother were still alive, we always had Thanksgiving on the actual day at my house.  And we would have the Odom family Thanksgiving in Jasper the Sunday before.  Soon, we were having our gathering on the actual day in Jasper.

One of the things that remained constant for many years was the annual family photo on the Odom family swing.  We have been taking a grand-kids photos for years on the swing but we really didn’t start taking a family photo until 2006.  My niece, Kate became our “family photographer” for these photos and we used these photos for our Christmas card too.  We were pretty consistent with this for many years until we switched to Christmas in 2015-2016.  But for this Thanksgiving, I thought an Odom Family pictorial over the years was in order.  Meanwhile, I always like to encourage everyone to take photos so you can reflect back on these times later in life.  I’m finding time goes by very quickly and these photos and memories are so priceless.

Here are our photos over the years…beginning with 2006.  We were all seated on the family swing and Allen and Rhonda’s dog, Ozzie decided he wanted to get into the picture!

Nov 2006 – Photo bomb by Ozzie!
Nov 2006 – Our Christmas card photo!

In 2007 – Our 2007 photo was taken after a major family football game in my in-law’s backyard!  I’m surprised we were all so put together after all that!  Then in 2008, everyone sympathized with Anna Marie by puffing up their cheeks.  She had her wisdom teeth taken out a day earlier and was a bit swollen!  We didn’t use any of these photos for our family photo, of course, but she was a good sport and posed for photos regardless of how big her cheeks were that year!

Nov 2007 photo
Nov 2008 – The adults tried to make Anna Marie feel better by taking a photo with our cheeks puffed out – Anna Marie had her wisdom teeth pulled earlier that week!
Nov 2008 – Anna Marie and her siblings and cousins

I couldn’t locate the photo from 2009.  But here are the ones from 2010 and 2011.  We included Lucy in the 2010 photo.

Nov 2010 – Kids photo with Lucy
Nov 2010 – Odom Kids
Nov 2011 – Family photo
Nov 2011 – Odom Family photo

Here are the photos fro 2012 and 2013.  In 2013, we hosted Thanksgiving in Hoover so we took the photo on our deck.

Nov 2012 – Jasper, AL
Nov 2013 – Hoover, AL

In 2014, we took our last family photo on the Jasper swing.  After that, we had to change to taking the photo after decorating the Christmas tree at our house in order to have everyone together.  I’m sure this will continue to change over the years but if we can manage one family photo together a year, I’ll be happy!

Nov 2014 – last family photo on the swing in Jasper at Thanksgiving

 

 

Odom Thanksgiving at Kate and David’s House!

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The Big Thanksgiving Cookie – it’s a family tradition!

 The Big Thanksgiving Cookie – it’s a family tradition!Thanksgiving doesn’t officially happen until November 23rd, but this year the Odom family had the gathering a little earlier than usual.  As all of our kids get older and everyone moves out of the general Birmingham/Jasper area, we are getting creative with how we celebrate and where!

Kate and David outside their new home in Athens, AL!

This year, my niece Kate and her husband David wanted to host the family at their new home in Athens, Alabama.  Kate and I kept in touch the week of the gathering via text message down to Kate making sure we had pumpkin pie covered for my daughter Emily.  (I thought it was so sweet that Kate remembered how much her cousin loves pumpkin pie!)  Their home is beautiful and there was plenty of space for everyone to spread out and enjoy each other’s company.  But you know where everyone gathered, right?  Yep…the kitchen!  I told Kate that they have the same situation we have at our house…the end of the island is right in front of the refrigerator and that’s where everyone wants to stand!  Of course, I said this as I was standing there opening a bottle of wine!!

Thanksgiving plates and napkins set up beside the sofa couch with a sweet Happy Harvest Tray
Mom enjoying the company of Charlie, Danielle, Allen and Rhonda.
TJ and Carla enjoying Thanksgiving mimosas!
David’s mom, Connie, watches him carve the turkey.
David with his dad, David.
Sister hugs…

Everyone was able to be there this year except for my daughter Anna Marie and her hubby Ryan.  They were in town last weekend from Colorado for a family wedding so couldn’t return again this weekend.  We were also missing my nephew Dustin and his daughter Maddie.  They always make the gathering more lively!  We missed them all.  But we are working on a cousin reunion in December when everyone is back in town so stay tuned!

“Swing” photo – minus the swing – of the grandkids!
The “grown-ups!”
Zuniga-Odom Family photo – space left to insert Anna and Ryan!

Our gathering was just what this family needed…great food, great wine (thank you Perry’s Steakhouse!), the tradition of our Thankful Tree, group photos and of course, the big cookie!  I didn’t take as many photos as I normally do…surprise…but here are several I took throughout the day.  Happy “early” Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thanksgiving prayer…
David carves up the ham and turkey
Soups on!
Abigail…
Abigail writes her thankful leaf
Jonathan writes his thankful leaf
The Thankful Tree
Ping pong or table tennis?
The older dogs got to stay inside – Bentley and Lucy
Tired Bentley…
Sleepy Lucy
Danielle and Charlie
Jonathan and Terry
Myrk, Allen and Eddie
Outtakes from the group photos!
Selfie with TJ!
Selfie with Jason!
Selfie with Kate!
We have no selfie control!
More outtakes!
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

Black and White Photo Challenge

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You’ve probably seen the black and white photo challenge on Facebook these past few weeks.  You get tagged, you post one black and white photo a day for seven days, they can’t be of people and you can’t describe the photo (“no words”) – and you tag someone else to challenge.

I got tagged a week ago and decided it would be a good time to go through some of my photographs.  To say I take a lot of photos would be an understatement!  I used to think my dad was nuts when he would use up an entire roll of film on a single flower.  Now I get it!  And with digital photography now…gosh…just keep snapping away until you get the image you are looking for!

The challenge made me remember what it was like to take photos with film.  I remember buying black and white film at times to experiment.  I always loved the effect and the detail of the photos when I would have them developed.  And speaking of getting photos “developed,” it was always interesting to see what the final result would turn out to be when you picked them up from Walmart or Walgreens.  For the most part, you just never knew!  My dad took so many photos from the time he moved to Bangkok, Thailand for his work and bought his Leica camera.  This was around the time he met my mom.  Going through his photos and slides is always such a treasure to me.  It’s like seeing the world through his eyes at that point in time.

These days photo editing lets us take color photos and turn them into black and white, or sepia or other artsy variations.  The photos I used in the black and white challenge all started out in color but I used my Camera+ app to convert them and get them just right.  I am still amazed at the detail that comes through with the conversion.

Here are the photos I used in the challenge, only this time I’m breaking the rules and telling a little more about them!

Day One – Taken at a winery in January 2010.  This was our 25th anniversary trip to Napa and the wineries were pretty empty as the holiday and new year’s rush was over.  We received tons of extra attention from the wineries since they weren’t getting a lot of traffic.  I loved the way the wine barrels were lined up at this particular winery and the lighting was just perfect in this cave where they were all stashed.

Day One – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Two – My husband and I visited Ft. Worth, Texas earlier this year and visited the Stockyards.  We heard about the daily walk of The Herd and positioned ourselves directly in front of where the herd made their turn.  We couldn’t believe the horns of these magnificent creatures!  It felt like this one was looking right at me and saying “take the picture already!”

Day Two – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Three – This is a portion of the Four Little Girls monument called “Four Spirits” on the corner and across the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church.  It was unveiled in September 2013 and received a lot of traffic.  Everyday leaving work, I would pass it and see all the people taking pictures and paying respects to the four little girls who were killed when the church was bombed in 1963.  One evening I left work early and spotted the monument virtually empty.  Fortunately, I had my camera with me and pulled right up and was able to take a number of photos including this one.

Day 3 – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Four – In 2011, I was attending a conference in Washington, DC.  My colleagues and I were able to take some time to tour a little and it was unanimous that we wanted to go to Arlington Cemetery.  Seeing all the white tombstones stretching across all the hillsides was a sobering sight.  Everyone in our group was silent but emotion was visible on all of our faces.  Converting this photo to black and white, I believe, shows this emotion.

Day Four – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Five – This was taken on a very cold day after a little snow in Alabama.  The birds were going nuts in our backyard and flying all over the trees most likely in search for food.  Our bird feeder was empty so I’m sure this was their way of telling us to get it filled again!  This little guy decided to pose for my camera despite all the flying and chirping going on!

Day Five – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Six – For our 24th anniversary trip in 2010, Eddie and I went to Callaway Gardens for the weekend.  We toured the beautiful grounds one day and found this beautiful chapel – the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel.  What I love most about this photo is the reflection of the chapel in the water.  Such a beautiful place!

Day Six – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Seven – My last photo is of my favorite subject…my puppy, Lucy!  Lucy loves the snow and this was photo was taken on our back deck where she was frolicking and trying to eat the snow.  I think the coldness of the snow makes her frisky!  This is one of my favorite photos of her too with the snow falling on her black ears and one caught in flight right in front of her left eye.

Day Seven – Black and White Photo Challenge

If you like photography, I would encourage you to take a few photos and convert them to black and white.  Then, compare the color and B&W photos side by side and notice the difference in detail and dimension.  This black and white photo challenge was just what I needed to take a critical look at my photography.

Happy Fall Y’all!

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My first picture of my favorite tree this year…still a little green but beginning its fall color show.

It’s finally fall!  This morning while I was walking my pup Lucy, it was a cool 50 degrees, sunny and the wind would blow just ever so slightly.  A few times, while we were walking the leaves would fall off the tree and float by us.  Listening to the wind and the rustle of the leaves was so calming.

It’s been a little rainy and dreary these past few weeks.  Around the end of October, I always start to watch my favorite tree in my neighborhood.  I wrote about it last year in a post called,  My Favorite Tree.  It’s just such a gorgeous tree and when the leaves start changing, they change quickly and then before you know it, they’re gone.

Two weeks ago, I noticed a spot on the top of the tree that was beginning to turn orange.  I knew the tree would begin its color change soon.  This past week, I began taking a photo of the tree everyday as I left my neighborhood.  The first day was a brilliantly blue and sunny day, much like last year when I photographed the tree.  I stopped my car just across the street and took my first photo of the tree this year.

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Over the next three days, the colors kept changing against a gray sky.  We had some rain and wind so I began seeing more and more leaves falling and covering the ground below the tree like a gold blanket.  I was so hoping the tree would be able to turn completely orange and gold before the leaves began falling.  But still…this tree is beautiful to me no matter what stage it is in.

Today, I was coming home from running errands around 4 p.m.  The sun was starting to set  and was catching the gold and yellow of the tree as I drove up.  I stopped briefly to capture one final photo this year.  I know in the next few days, all the leaves will fall and the tree will settle in for a long winter’s nap.

Today’s photo of the tree – it has already lost most of the leaves from the back side. In a few days, it will be bare.

Whispers from the Past – A Native American Experience

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Whispers from the Past – October 2017

There is an event called Whispers from the Past that takes place each fall at Aldridge Gardens in Hoover.  I’ve always wanted to go but for some reason or another, I’ve never made it.  This year I was determined to go and I knew my mother would love it so we made plans to go.  The event is designed to provide attendees with an accurate portrayal of the lives – both past and present – of Native Americans in the Southeast.  There are approximately 530 different tribes in the US, each with its own customs and language.  That day we were just hitting upon a handful and the event  definitely lived up to its educational purpose.

We arrived just in time for the first dance demonstration – the Native American Pow Wow dancers.  As the dancers prepared their beautiful regalia, we listened to Alex Alvarez as he introduced each dance.  We learned that Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of gathering in dance, song and friendship.  He went into great detail about the regalia, the significance of all the regalia, the reason for the dance and also a little information about each dancer who had traveled from all over the Southeast to participate in the event.

Alex Alvarez
Bustle on Alex Alvarez regalia
Traditional Choctaw dress
Ladies jingle dress
Jingle dress

One dancer in particular, a young woman, wore a dress with metal cones that jingled when she walked and danced.  Alex explained that this was a healing dance and that there were several versions of a story involving a dream where the dress to be worn along with the dance and song to be performed appeared to a person.  Instructions on how the dance and costume would be used were spelled out in the dream.

The dance with the men wearing the bustles was incredible!  I think the back of the clothing in this instance was more striking than the front.  The dance signified the retelling of stories of the hunt to their tribe.  The beaded moccasins were adorned with fur from Icelandic sheep.  Alex mentioned that when a Native American wears something from an animal they are asking for that trait to reflect upon them.  The bone bead breastplates were worn to keep arrows from piercing their chests and the head-piece was made from porcupine.

There were several other dances and I hate that I lost track of their significance.  Taking notes while photographing was a little difficult! That’s why I let my photos tell the stories at times.  This is one of those times!

This was a very kid-friendly event with activities galore!  One that mom and I found very beautiful was leaf pounding….and it’s just what it sounds like!  We walked around the back of the Aldridge Gardens house and there were people placing leaves between two strips of white cotton fabric and pounding the leafs with a rock to make the transfer.  Some of the designs were really beautiful too!  Mom and I picked up the instructions and decided to try this at home.

Leaf pounding instructions
Leaf pounding

Other families were making dream catchers together.  These are so iconic when you think of Native Americans.  We thought about making one ourselves but then mom spotted artist Jim “White Cloud” Hill doing a sage cleansing on someone and she was intrigued!  We walked around after watching a cleansing but she kept mentioning it so we went back so she could experience this.

Dream catchers
Families making dream catchers

The use of smoke is not uncommon in religion.  For Catholics, incense is used during mass and it is also used by Buddhist and others.  To many people it can symbolize spirituality.  For Native Americans,  the cleansing is done using a large feather to fan the smoke in order to rid the person from any negative energy and help with healing.  I could tell this ritual was having quite a positive effect on my  mother as I watched this play out.  She smiled sweetly as she followed Mr. Hill’s instructions during the process.  Afterward, he gave her a hug and maybe it was my imagination, but she appeared “lighter.”

Mom beginning her sage cleansing with Jim White Cloud Hill
A hug from Mr. Hill after the cleansing.

Mom and I learned a lot that day at Aldridge Gardens.  It left us wanting to know more and I hope we can find other ways to learn about Native American culture in Alabama.  I know there are opportunities…

Jim Sawgrass demonstrated tradiional hunting skills to the crowd.
Mom chats with two of the pow wow dancers
Selfie with mom at Whispers from the Past – we had a great time!

Alabama Dia de los Muertos Celebrates Quince Años!

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Dia de los Muertos celebrates Quince años!

Dia de los Muertos Alabama, presented by Bare Hands Gallery, celebrated 15 years this year!  I know I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again…after my beloved Fiesta, this is my second favorite festival of the year.  Fiesta board members have always felt a kinship with DOD Alabama going back to our fifth year in existence.  That was the year we “discovered” one another as each of our festivals grew and that was the year we decided to support one another.

This festival has been looking for a forever home since it lost its original location last year due to the changes in the Birmingham landscape.  The Rotary Trail was completed and it just wasn’t possible to use the same area for a festival this big.  Last year, the festival temporarily moved to Cahaba Brewery and it was packed.  After the crowd that showed up, they knew they needed more space so this year they secured Pepper Place for the event.

Papel Picado lines 2nd Avenue South between the main altar area and the main stage at DOD 2017

The entrance was at 3rd Avenue South with sponsors lining the left hand side.  A portion of 2nd Avenue South was closed off to house the main stage on one side and the food court on the other.  The main altar site was in the middle between the two in a large parking area.  It was so beautiful and reminiscent of the original location.  Two large brick walls surrounded the space and were used to hang murals and other décor.  Chairs were set up around the site with fire pits as was done in the old location.  I can remember years when it was so cold that those fire pits were a God-send!  Lights were strung between the walls and papel picado was everywhere!  The Mercado was in the parking lot of Pepper Place and there were so many vendors with beautiful hand crafted items for sale!  I wanted one of everything!

Masks created by artists on sale at the Mercado
I really liked this Wonder Woman mask!
Little girl in sugar skull makeup helped her mama set up in the mercado before the event opened
Little girl admires her face painted in the mercado area.
Sugar skull painting in the Mercado

This year, the set up allowed for more space and a better flow to all the event components.  The event was crowded but there was more space to walk around and not feel like you were being walked on or constantly running into someone.

I arrived at 3 p.m. to photograph some of the set up yesterday.  I always like to get there early to do this and then I stay until after sunset to take photos by candlelight and enjoy catching up with friends.  This year I had a meeting to attend from 4 to 7 so  when I got back to the site, the line to enter was down the block!  Luckily, I had pre-purchased my ticket so walked directly up to the entrance and was given my wrist band!  (Lesson to you folks who didn’t plan ahead!)

Spider Martin altar
Florals being used to set up this altar.
Altar set up in progress
Gillermo Castro altar area
A view of one of the walls in the altar area
Altar to victims of crime
Real sugar skulls made to be placed at altars around the event
Altar to the victims of natural disasters this year

People watching at DOD is always entertaining and I love the way more and more are painting their faces as sugar skulls and dressing up.  They embrace this event and seem to take the time to understand the reason behind it…why it is important and why it exists.  It’s not just a costume party, it’s a remembrance of loved ones who have passed on and a way to keep their memories alive for ourselves and a way to tell others about them.

There is also such artistic talent in our city and so much of this talent is displayed at this event in the costumes, the unique vendor items and of course, the altar creations.  I am always inspired when I see what is created and moved to tears by at least one thing I see.  This year, there was an altar created to honor the people who have perished in the many natural disasters experienced in 2017.  It was both haunting and moving…

Here are some of my photos from last night…sometimes it’s just easier to tell the story with photographs.  Meanwhile, happy Quince to DOD Alabama…it was a fabulous event! Viva la Vida!

Memorial altar – names of loved ones who have passed on scroll on a powerpoint
Pan de muertos!
Fun with friends! – Amy Miller, Vanessa Vargas, Julia Sayers, me and Audrey Panell at the Latino News booth
Flaco Jimenez performs!
Tracy Martin during Flaco Jimenez’s performance!
Flaco Jimenez

Fiesta Fridays! 2016

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NOTE:  Fiesta Fridays is a special series to highlight the many memories I have of Fiesta through the photographs I’ve taken since 2003.

For Fiesta 2016 there was a renewed focus on our Cultural Village and what makes it the “Corazon” of our event each year.  We depend on the kindness of the Hispanic community when it comes to pulling this village together.  It is because these community members want to share a bit about their countries of origin that the village is always such a wonderful place.

This year we decided to have a competition to encourage participants to take it up a notch or two.  Word got out quickly when this was announced on social media and we had quite a turnout.  Not to mention, the booths were incredible!  Our cultural village chair and board member, Lui Fernandez, always has something special in mind as he creates the village atmosphere.  This year, he really wanted to encourage the community to sign up early for our 15th anniversary celebration and he decorated a booth with photos from all the previous Fiestas.  It was such a great way, in my opinion, to personalize the village even more!

The winner of the competition was chosen by three anonymous judges who went through the village throughout the day to observe and make notes.  At the end of the day, Mexico won the competition and a $500 prize!  Interestingly, the Mexico booth also has photos displayed all over the tent of past Fiestas!  Great minds…as they say!

DJ Ivan Correa and a happy dance lesson recipient!

Fiesta 2016 was also warmer than the year before!  If you read my post from last week you’ll remember that it was a cold and drizzly day.  This year made up for it with blue skies and warm weather.  It was beautiful…  And because of this, I think that’s why I remember people dancing so much!  We decided to use the gazebo in Linn Park as a Dance Station this yea and got DJ Ivan Correa to host music there.  He is always so wonderful and engaging with people.  He gave dance lessons and would also draw pictures of people who took a quick lesson from him.  Each time I went by there was always a steady stream of people.

Last but certainly not least, we had the McDonalds Fiesta Tour return for a third year thanks to our Title Sponsor, McDonalds!  This year, the tour went through a bit of a makeover with updated colors, design and also some new items on display.

Here are a few more photos from that day – some for how colorful they are and others because they are of family and friends who make Fiesta so much fun because they are there…

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Fiesta Fridays series as much as I’ve enjoyed going through my photos and telling them.  If you are in Birmingham on Saturday, September 30, 2017, I hope to see you at Fiesta for our 15th anniversary…and if you are, SMILE!  I’ll have my camera and you may just end up in my Fiesta photo collection!

A young man at the main stage
Los Canarios de Michoacana perform and the guy with the harp was amazing!
You can’t beat the colors of Hispanic foods!
Sombreros
Traditional Mexican costumes
Mexican Comedian Huicho Dominguez performs for the crowd.
My mother came by herself this year because she doesn’t like to miss a Fiesta! Posing here with my husband, Eddie
Friends at the VIP – Freddy Rubio, Matt Ennis, Chris Miller, my husband Eddie and Nick and Judy Harmann
Walter Body from Coca Cola with Fiesta board members, Vanessa Vargas and Orlando Rosa – getting ready for the festival!
Two of my favorite photographers – Larry Gay and Clark Scott – they capture the best photos of events in Birmingham!