Taken A Back

"Lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well. She looked back over her shoulder and there, between the dark tree trunks, she could see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out. (She had, of course, left the door open, for she knew that it is a very sill thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe)". The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

It was a fluke, really. We were just taking pictures in a cute little town in the middle of nowhere. That's all. No more, no less.

Except, that wasn't all.

There are fascinating people in the world, do you know that? And on this particular afternoon, I met an experienced photographer -- more than 50 years of photography experience, is my understanding. He documented historical events over the past half a century. Ball games. Shuttle launches. Civil Rights demonstrations. All with a camera. And - more than that - his was a career that spanned the years of film and makeshift darkrooms. He was the real deal. None of this cheater digital stuff.

And, better yet, we explored the upstairs of his father's old hardware store. It'd been around since 1935, supplying the area like today's Wal-Mart would, tools, candy barrels, and more. Better yet, though, the ghost of a building held remnants of better days. Cobwebs and ladders. Boxes of books and goodies. Ancient Christmas decor and ceramic dolls.

"It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places". The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

I want to be able to go back to those days. Days of dark rooms and candy barrels.

Sounds delightful, no?