Sunday

Originally, I had planned to go to church with Martha. However, with the truck loaded and waiting - and still some things to do at the house - I went ahead and went back. There were a few things left to salvage - some tools, the exercise bicycle. We took advantage of UHAUL's 30 days of free storage and put the remaining items in storage. We did what we could to get the trash from the packing and cleaning in trash bags in the back.

While I brought my camera, for the most part I found that while I could "see" poignant photos - the wedding memorablia on the mantle with its layer of gray soot, the stuffed animals with the thick black soot on the top . . . . these are not the kind of photos that I want to shoot. I prefer to show the beauty of God's world - documenting life's sorrows and heartaches is a painful task. But I did pull out the camera today. This is my last chance . . . .



Because of our travels, I had not been to Thomas' and Stephanie's house before. How sad to be taking "memory pictures" of what was left. And it WAS a cute house - and will be again. Then to try to be "creative" . . . . . considering "composition", depth of field, circular polarizer, amid the journalistic nature of these shots . . . . . . will I ever use these shots - is there value to them . . . . . do I have the heart to do it. . . . . But since photography is what I "do", I would have been sorry later if I had not taken any. . . . . . . . .



The smoke patterns in the living room display an eerie abstract feel. You can actually see the air flow during the fire by studying how the smoke was deposited. How strange to try to find the best "composition" - do I put the center of the fan at the power position (Rule of Thirds)? How do I use the natural lines here to show this strange abstract? Should it be left in color - or converted to black and white . . . . .









The spider webs have been fascinating. In their natural state, they are designed to blend in with their surroundings, virtually invisible. After the fire, they are now covered with an incredibly black soot - and are visible everywhere. The intricate patterns etched in black are suprisingly pretty.





There were a couple of stuffed animals left behind . . . . After photographing them, I stuffed them in plastic bags to add to the things going back.













Poor Pooh!











After returning the waterbed pump, it was time to head home. At first, it looked like I was going to go home in the heat of the afternoon with no air conditioning. But I found a setting that worked, for which I was grateful. A stop for gasolene and the purchase of a Slim-Fast shake and soon I was home. At least I had been faithful to my diet during this emotional week. The scale on Monday morning showed that I had lost 5 lbs this week.

This was one time that I was glad to be home and going to bed in my own bed.