It's Day 254......it's also January 15, 2020...and we are in Bainbridge Georgia

It's Day 254......it's also January 15, 2020...and we are in Bainbridge Georgia

Our very first night in Georgia......... and we found a pretty cool park called Hales Landing.... just outside Bainbridge…on the northernmost tributaries of Lake Seminole. .....and not to awful far away from the Flint River.

We drove around Bainbridge a bit before heading out to the park....and this place feels different somehow.....different from most of our other stops to date....it feels....old...well wait...not old in a bad way....but more like....historic..... Even before reading about the origins of the town....I could feel ... that we were surrounded by....and looking into history....a history that digs deeper the further east we drive.....into the beginning of it all....where these United States began. I thought about the differences....between where we started....back there in Washington State.....and where we are now....some 2815 miles away in Bainbridge....Spanish explorers would first discover this region......in the 1500's.....but it would be the British that would settle the area and establish a trading post...with Native Americans ..... some 2 centuries later.......and during this very same time period.....Another Spanish explorer and crew....were finding their way up the Pacific Coast where they would discover what would later become.....Washinton State.....man....those Spanish explorers were a busy lot back there in the 1500's. And I always find it fascinating to learn that in a world....and time....in which Spain....Portugal....and France seemed to have been the players on the world stage when it comes to discovery.....and occupied territories......it didn't much seem to end in a "finders keepers" sort of way.....and North America....in particular.....would come to example this more than any other place being discovered in the time. In the span of of less than 300 years....it seems that Spain would discover....occupancy would toggle back and forth between Spain....France.....Britain....only...to.... ultimately to end up in the firm grasp of a bunch of young upstarts that would begin calling themselves.....The United States of America around ....1776

Anyhoo.....Our drive....into....around....and thru Bainbridge, as I said..... offered something different. The ancient oaks and magnolias have stood lining these streets for some 300 years.....even before there were streets here....., the branches of the oak tree's were bare for the most part....when we arrived....but I could still picture the canopies over the streets these tree's would create once again.....with the arrival of spring.....but even today....those bare branches still create an intricate silhouette...against a partly cloudy January sky. The air was fresh.....with just a hint.... scent of pine.... and all the while...those azaleas, rhododendrons, and magnolia blossoms wait for spring to ad their pop of color to life in Bainbridge. Quaint brick storefronts....majestic churches and vintage signage....having stood for hundreds of years.....giving it that historic feeling....but yet just up the street....and in some cases....right next door....modern cafes, boutiques, even gas stations and fast food joints reflect the towns ability to blend history......with the staples of an America in the 21st century. All right along side The Flint River.....a river that flows over 340 miles....yet begins....and ends right here in Georgia.....but I guess it doesn't really end here..........but rather....transitions....right here near Bainbridge as it joins forces with the Chattahoochee river to create Lake Seminole.....and from there....well...the waters of the Flint....the Chattahoochee.....and their joint effort....lake Seminole.....will become the Apalachicola river.....and complete the trek.....as most rivers do in this part of the country.......to the Gulf of Mexico....

But reading more about this "Flint River"......what stories it must have to tell.....A river that formed millions of years ago.....and has peacefully witnessed ..... time. And what it must think.....of just the last few hundred years....since these things called humans showed up on sight. Waters that have passed thru pure and untouched nature.....and then witnessed Native Americans build villages along it's banks and giving it names.....Thronateeska.....a Creek Indian word meaning "flint picking up place"....a reference to the abundance of Flint rocks along the rivers banks.....these rocks would become invaluable to these early inhabitants....due to their ability to craft tools and weapons using this unique stone.

And in the blink of an eye.....in river time that is.....the native Americans would be joined by spanish explorers during the 15th century....and in a time when Roman emperors were still engaged in a quest for world domination across Europe.....over here in North America the Flint River would watch Spanish settlements grow and the river would begin hearing itself referred to by different names....like....Rio de Capachequi....and later....Rio Perdernales......once again.....but in Spanish this time....each moniker referring to those Flint stones along it's banks.....so I guess it makes sense that we would eventually just start calling it The Flint River....

The very same river that would roll through one day to find British.....then American settlements....along it's banks. It would witness forts being built....and then great battles taking place. In yet another blink of an eye....in river time that is.....it would bear witness to the Seminole wars......a series of wars in which the sounds of nature.....and peaceful coexistence along it's banks would be shattered for the first time...... by gunfire....the river would continue to roll by as American settlers dawned uniforms and began attempting to recapture escaped slaves that had sought refuge amonst the Seminole bands throughout the region. Wars that would escalate as the recapture of slaves would evolve into attempts by those newly uniformed clad settlers....... to forcibly remove the Seminole people from the region entirely...... and ultimately relegating an entire culture....a thousand miles away..... to an area that would later become Oklahoma.....

And what must this Flint River have thought when just a few years later.....it would roll through to find those newly uniform clad Americans....now pointing guns and cannons at ...... each other. It's banks .....lined with those ancient oak tree's witnessing, along with the river.... yet a new level of bloodshed. Americans....killing Americans.....Pretty sure....neither those oak trees....nor the river counts time in seconds, hours, days or years......so no telling what 1,490 days felt like to these silent onlookers....but it had to be a little curious to them that they would watch nearly a million Americans die.....at the hands of other Americans.....and no doubt.....that river.....and those oak tree's..... had no concept of American...or British...or Spanish....or otherwise......They were simply observing humans....kill humans......over the rights of other humans. It must all seem so curious to the rest of nature and the universe....how we humans can behave sometimes.....and why......It's certain that across time....Rivers.....oak tree's ....and nature in general has watched humans behave in some pretty nutty ways across the globe....but here in North America....this could have marked some of the first instances....in which nature.....got a close up look at how badly one human can treat another.....and maybe not.....maybe it's seen worse......but for me.....I think this place.....and what has taken place here.....is what brings me the sense of History I feel here. And we'll definitely keep learning.

About things like......this Lake Seminole. A 37000 acre lake that straddles the Florida and Georgia state line. It was 1957.....when the Army Corps of Engineers completed the installation of the Jim Woodruff hydroelectric Dam 1000 feet below the formation of the Apalachicola River resulting...in the creation...of Lake Seminole. And today.....the lake is known for the 10 state parks that wrap its shores. The area is popular for it’s natural beauty, and abundant wild life…which includes a vibrant American Alligator population. it is known throughout the area for it’s goose hunting and world class bass fishing. In fact, the area often tops the list for the National BassMasters Tour....

The name Seminole is believed to have originated from the Creek word "simanó-li", which means "wild" or "untamed". This term was likely derived from the Spanish word "cimarrón", meaning "wild one" or "runaway". The Seminole people would emerge as a distinct group in the region.....taking on the name as a reflection of their history.....of resisting European colonization.....and maintaining their independence by living in the wilderness.

Reading of the Seminole people....I found myself hearing the song...Seminole wind...in my head....

I remembered back to our last couple of stops....and how a simple experience of driving by a Welcome to Mississippi sign....and that would lead to a bunch of random thoughts about music....and songs.....and artists....an enormous body of work ...... and so much of it's content is concentrated on this part of the country....

And here I was again.....this time....it was John Anderson.....almost 30 years ago.....telling me ......

Ever since the days of old, Men would search for wealth untold. They'd dig for silver and for gold, And leave the empty holes.....

He's also make references to chief Osceola, who symbolizes the resistance and resilience of the Seminole people.

It was a good song....and I liked it......but standing.....on the northern shores of Lake Seminole.....looking to the south and picturing those not to far off Florida Everglades.....I like it more.

And with that song seemingly on a loop in my brain.....I'd go on to learn that the construction of the Jim Woodruff Dam ....would also establish Bainbridge as Georgia's first inland barge port. This development allowed the city to handle bulk cargoes such as industrial chemicals and minerals......providing navigational access to the Apalachicola river....and ultimately....the Gulf of Mexico.

I'd also learn that the Lumber Industry would come to play an integral part of the economy of the region during the 19th century....as Bainbridge developed as a lumbering town, with the Flint river facilitating the transport of timber throughout the region.

And then....there was that One more click.....and man....when your hangin out in southern Georgia....one more click.....well it can take you down a bunch of different roads....and they are pretty random....

Like.....The word "antebellum" .....just a few minutes ago.....in my head....that was word in the name of a country music band......and....that it is......but it is also a word that originates from the Latin phrase "ante bellum," which means "before the war." In the context of American history, "antebellum" specifically refers to the period before the American Civil War.

A term often used to describe the Southern United States' society, culture, architecture, and economy before that war, highlighting the distinct characteristics of that era. And the "antebellum" period... as it is often called.....conjurs up images of grand plantations.....slaves working the cotton fields on a hot summer day..... and the complex social dynamics.....of a time not so far back.....in the past.

And what about.......the Bible Belt...Had I heard that term....yea.....but did I know what it meant....probably not. And here....in south Georgia.....I would learn that the term Bible Belt was first coined in 1924....by a journalist named HL Mencken....and has since become a way to describe the regions strong religious identity. A region of the country known for it's high prevalence of evangelical Protestantism and a strong influence of religious beliefs on social and cultural life.......a region that spans some 9 states from parts of Florida to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina...even parts of Texas ....... all areas proud of their high church attendance...and the significance that religion plays in daily life. Regions in which you will find a high concentration of Southern Baptists....and Evangelical Protestant congregations. It's also a region of the country known for their more conservative social beliefs.....and you will more often than not find these folks engaged in their communities.....charitable causes....local politics and educational challenges they face.

And then.....I learned of a guy named....."Paul Kwilecki:.....a photographer......an author.....the subject of documentaries.....and perhaps even a journalist of sorts......but none of these by profession.....The simple truth is he is a guy that was born...raised....and lived his entire life in Decatur County Georgia....right here in Bainbridge. He worked in the family owned local hardware store to pay the bills after college....but along the way....and over some 50 years.... he would capture life in his beloved.....decatur county Georgia in photo's....not even particularly sure why himself....in the beginning.....he just knew....he felt......it was something he wanted....needed..... loved....and was driven to do. In the early years.....it was not much more than that.....an amateur photographer snapping and developing photo's in 1950's.....60's, 70's , and 80's Georgia.....but over time.....folks would take notice of his work. He would be referred to as an outsider in his own community......possessing the keen ability to capture life from the outsiders perspective......but clearly understanding that life on every level.....constantly in search of understanding the paradox around....the human condition....and the evolution of place called Georgia. A place that had fought.....so hard....and paid a heavy price.... in an attempt to preserve slavery........and a hundred years after the confederacies loss....was still struggling to find a way to embrace...integration. A man that would visit over....and over....and over.....the neighborhood grocery store....the church.....the cemetary.....the cafe...the bus station.....and the factories.....to capture the essence of that transition in photo's. He would argue at times that he was an atheist.....but at the same time.....considered himself a spiritual....a religious man.....and in turn would find himself relating to those that lived on the periphery of mainstream society in an ever evolving attempt to become a part of that mainstream society....and he just kept taking pictures of it all.

And methodically....year after year....he would send prints of his work to the Duke University Archives ......and in doing so....would establish a library of over 500 print quality photographs that would later be published in the book titled One Place. That work would lead to the documentary titled The only place he ever knew.....

His work would also become the focus of galleries in a far off place called Atlanta.

in 1982 Paul was interviewed by a local news channel.....and of everything I've learned of his work....and examples I've seen.....I'll remember most one thing Paul said.....

It seems to me to be an awful way to spend so much of your life.....being bored to death in the grocery store.....the bus station.......and boredom is what comes through in these photo's......this business of waiting....waiting....waiting .....So much of your life spent waiting and in boredom....and so often it turns out....that what your waiting for.....isn't worth the wait....end quote

Paul....a man that would later be referred to as the most important....or most interesting photographer you've never heard of.....has clearly left his mark.....Much of the recognition of his work would come after his passing in 2009....A man that recognized that in never leaving home....he had gone so much further than many of us ever will....simply because he watched.....he waited ...... and he captured life....in the American South East....in place called Decatur County Georgia.

it would also be thanx to paul that I would learn of ...... shade tobacco.....and the industry that would rise up around it. An industry born way up north in Virginia......but the fertile soils and moderate climate would open the door for a place called Georgia to enter....and then dominate the industry.

But before I could understand the shade tobacco industry fully.....I guess I needed to understand the tobacco industry in General....and man...did that take me down an interesting path....

Tobacco.....a plant that would thrive in the fertile soils.....and be tended to for centuries by the native americans for medicinal purposes.....would be quickly exploited....in the name of profit....in this brave new North American world....the British would be the first to exploit this product ...... and it's abundance......quickly establishing tobacco plantations and exporting the extremely profitable product back across some 4000 miles of Atlantic Ocean ..... to British consumers. Tobacco...would become a mainstay in this North American world...and in many ways...would help to fund the birth of a fledgling United States of America......But before I go to far down that rabbit hole....I feel like all the rest of this.... is a tale for another time.....

In the context of our stop here here in south Georgia......Shade Tobacco

A version....or hybrid if you will...of that globally sought after plant. In this method of Tobacco farming....wooden arbors would be used to make the leaves lighter and thinner.....resulting in the perfect tobacco leaves for those expensive cigars consumed around the globe. A bit later on....and as the technique was perfected.....cheesecloth would be added to create a tent like structure.....filtering out direct sunlight....and insects.....allowing the plants to grow to perfection. A labor intensive practice that would be perfected here in Decatur County Georgia.......leading to significant economic growth for not only Bainbridge......but across the county. Companies like The American Sumatra Tobacco Company would grow to dominate the industry.....and would remain in operation until 1965.....And by the mid 1970's....the shade tobacco industry was all but gone from south georgia......the modern era....mechanization.....increased labor costs and global competition had all taken their toll......Ahh....Progress.....

I think maybe one of my last take aways......in learning of Paul...and his work....I read of a falkner quote Paul once referenced when he wrote about a place that he would visit time and time again....to photograph......The Oak City Cemetary... in Bainbridge

Paul wrote.....Decatur county is in the southwest corner of Georgia....it's southern border joins Florida and it's western border is less than 30 miles from Alabama. Every day....30,000 lives unfold...men and women get up....go to work....return home....and go to bed.....between rising and going to bed.... they grow into their particularity.......life at the courthouse goes on simultaneously with life in the factories.......prayer meetings overlap shopping......Sunday picnickers are clerks and teachers on Monday..... every citizen wears many hats and all the while houses stand looking out on their streets.....And cemetaries silently wait.....

And once again......I needed to stop...I needed to wait for that to sink in.....

And some 60 years later......the words resonate........Every day....billions of lives unfold.....men and women get up.....go to work....return home and go to bed....between rising and going to bed....cemetaries silently wait....

And wait they do.....it was a few years back when a friend once said to me...."aint none of us getting out of this alive....we laughed at the time.....but in the humor.....we knew...that cemetaries silently wait.....because....."aint none of us gettin out of this alive.

The long and winding road....there I go again....another song..... road that ultimately leads us all to that final destination.....So how will we navigate that road....and what will we take there with us?

For sure....something to think about.....

Thanks Paul.......

I'd just read of all this........all of Pauls work.....over some 50 or 60 years later.....and began to ask myself questions....In a world in which photo's are taken simply because we can.......that very same world that has put a camera capable of so much more than anything Paul had ever seen...in my pocket.....and in my phone no less. But 50 years ago Paul lugged around what we would have considered a clunky box....he would have invested over 300 bucks in that camera.....the equivalent of like 3k today.....and with that investment......he captured life....he told a story.....so what am I doing....with this 800 dollar phone in my pocket.......am I telling a story....capturing life......or am I just taking pictures because I can?

I dunno.....for sure.......in a world of instagram .....tik tock..youtube and selfies......what am I? Do I want to be an influencer......do I want to take selfies.....ha ha...not....or do I want to capture life.....like Paul did....in a very different time.....

Like I said....dunno for sure......but I think....as we dig a bit deeper into this adventure....I should probably ...... figure that out......

We would end up spending a week or so parked here in Hales Landing....it was becoming a bit of a joke between the camp hosts....Dougie and I....each morning as we walked up to the office with another 30 bucks....for another nights stay....waving to Glenn as we left the office for another 24 hours......knowing full well......that we'd spend the day carefully traversing the park......fully aware of all those alligator warning signs....and kinda sorta....but only a little bit wondering.....will we ever actually see....an aligator? We didn't.....and I'm ok with that.....

Oh....and fyi.....various critters of the amphibious nature find creative ways to introduce themselves into the scenery of it all...

For example....open the cover on your power supply very slowly when attempting to plug into shore power…little froggy’s and lizards seem to like it in there.

And as we finally prepared to head out...The 80 degree day in-store...we were told....was unseasonably warm. I could not help but grin…maybe even chuckled out loud a bit when the morning weather forecast announced that we would see some rain in the next couple days…along with “a return to our winter weather”…which they then went on to explain meant 60 degree days and a maybe even a 35 degree night…I think we can tough this one out.

Think I'm loving Georgia in January........

So we will hit the sack one more time...here in Hales Landing......after a bit more reading....learning......and wondering whats next on the list of things South Georgia has to teach us....and where....

But most importantly wondering......What are we gonna learn there?