My son went to the Guilford Fair last night with a few of his friends. I asked him to check the arts tent to see if my photograph had been hung and if it had gotten any placement. He called home around 10pm to tell me it had won first place. Not only that, many others had submitted four or five photographs each, but my single shot got the blue.
This is really just a little thing, but I struggle to accurately express the magnitude of how it lit up my world last night, this acknowledgement, this nod to my simple picture, this little blue ribbon.
What makes it extra special for me is that it’s a photo I took of Eddie and Phils clam rakes in Joshua Cove. This photo is not typical of what is entered in these competitions… you see a lot of beautiful landscapes, flower arrangements, moon shots, wildlife photography, etc. In comparison this picture is kinda simple… but drew me in right away when I saw the shot out there on the water, the industrial strength of their rakes, a basic tool that does a lot of work, and the beauty in the delicate grooves and the blue, gray and purple hues of the clam shells themselves. Reminds me of the simple beauty in the story of Eddie and Phil.
One of my favorite quotes…
I hope they still read my blog, because I’d like them to know their kindness that day brought home a blue ribbon from the 154th Guilford Fair and made this woman’s day.
