“I was ordained a minister the year after I graduated from high school by the Church of God Jesus Freaks,” he told me. “That was in 1971,” he said with a smile.
Art on the empty
A boy and a girl facing one another on an otherwise desolate wall outside of a closed down factory in Asheville, North Carolina.
The mural by Ian Brownlee is one of many painted on buildings in North Carolina. Ian’s words, “Don’t Stop Believing.”
Paintings on walls that guard the emptiness inside only go to make the emptiness more meaningful. Otherwise, the building would collapse in ugliness. Now, it can be overtaken by mother nature with a little dignity.
“We become aware of the void as we fill it.” ― Antonio Porchia, Poet (1885-1968)
From Michigan and never going back
I often meet people who have a face that is covered in tattoos and I think to myself that they are likely hiding from who they want to be or from who they are. I see sadness in the eyes of so many who live on the streets of America.
“I’m from Detroit, Michigan,” he told me while standing outside of a truck stop. While looking away he said, “I will never go back.”
As for the tattoos, “I was going to get my eyebrows tattooed like a clown, because life’s a joke and you have to laugh – if you don’t laugh then somethings wrong with you.”
“The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather what he does not say.” - Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)
A real key to get inside the room
Walking into old and decaying motels is like stepping back into history. The doors that connect the adjoining rooms are narrow, which today would not be allowed. The walls were paper thin and you could likely hear even the faintest whisper from the neighboring television set, that had rabbit ears on the top.
Yet, there is something romantic about the simplicity of old structures. The bright colors that once adorned the walls. The idea of random people stopping along the highway for a good nights rest for $19 or less. The doors used a real key as opposed to a plastic card.
A roadside motel in ruins
What's left of an old roadside motel in North Carolina...
"There is something uniquely American about the motel: It speaks to the transient nature of America itself, one enabled and encouraged by our roads and highways."
- Hanya Yanagihara, American novelist and travel writer
Sober and Alive
Sobriety is a big thing in the lives of many. Others simply don’t understand the struggle.
Thomas Jefferson, yes… that is his real name, understands the reality of the struggle, but noted that it gets easier and easier over time. Thomas has been sober for eleven years. He once lived under a bridge during his drinking days, but those days are long behind him. Today he has his own place.
A tattoo of rosary beads and a cross wrapped around his right hand reminds him of his mother who was a devout Catholic. A bear claw necklace is around his neck along with a cougar tooth weaved into his hair. Both are from Indian mythology with the cougar being legendary to the Seminoles and the Shawnee tribes. The Pueblo tribes saw the cougar as a directional guardian. As for the bear claw, it represented a protector and symbolized courage, physical strength and leadership among Indians.
“I personally believe this: We have only today; yesterday's gone and tomorrow is uncertain. That's why they call it the present. And sobriety really is a gift... for those who are willing to receive it.” ― Ace Frehley, former lead guitarist and founding member of the rock band Kiss
She grows plants
She lives in a small North Carolina town with a population of 910 residents. She makes her living selling plants in front of her home that she once shared with her husband who passed away 14 years ago. “He put in that window,” she told me pointing at a window on the front of her home next to her small greenhouse made of plywood. Looking a bit annoyed she said, “Our town is mostly quiet if it weren’t for the fire station.”
She grows flowers, cabbage and tomatoes.
“The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is an open door?
An open door is not always an invitation to where you want to be.
“There are so many doors to open. I am impatient to begin." --Charlie Gordan” ― Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon (1959)
I shot this photo in a quiet area of North Carolina on the outskirts of the Pisgah National Forest. This photo is inside an old and deserted motel that sits on the edge of a creek. The motel is slowing caving in and mother nature is winning the battle.
Traveling to the tune of music
“Where are you guys headed,” I curiously asked because I am always way curious about everybody. She continued to pick the guitar and he enthusiastically responded, “New Orleans… We just got back from Nashville.”
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” - Ludwig van Beethoven
The Teacher
She is a lifetime teacher…
“I used to teach in Santa Cruz and later the Venice Beach area of California,” she recalled. I would imagine that she was no ordinary teacher in her time, but instead a great teacher, “I’m originally from California and I would take the students to the beach and we would write in the sand.”
In Asheville, North Carolina where she lives today, she taught at several charter schools before retiring. "I've been blessed, very blessed," she said to me.
While retired she helps people to realize their dreams and then chase them so that dreams can become reality.
Before I walked away her words to me, "Let me give you a hug, everyone needs a grandma hug!"
“There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.” ― Robert Frost
He is Homeward Bound
James is currently homeless, but on the way to housing within the next few weeks thanks to a nonprofit in Asheville, North Carolina called Homeward Bound.
I asked him why he is homeless and he took a breath of cool March air while sitting in the sunshine on a street corner and said, “I have made lots of mistakes in my life – I have no one to blame but myself.” He then explained how he has tried just about every drug known to man, other than shooting up heroin.
“I am laying everything with God – he can figure it out,” he said while looking at the sky. “The way I see it, I came here with nothing and I’ll leave here with nothing. Some people don’t understand that,” he told me.
With a relaxed look he told me, “I’m gonna be getting a place here soon and I can’t wait – I can pay for it myself with my disability check.”
Originally from Polk County, North Carolina, James moved to Asheville because it was a larger city that offers more services and help to those who are homeless. Polk County has a population of about 20,000 residents while Asheville has a population of 87,000.
As I walked away he stopped me to give me an address. "Mail me those pictures," he told me with a slight chuckle.
He said he was a Jesus Freak
Asheville, North Carolina: While I usually photograph people in their natural state, I had to capture this man’s sense of humor and joy. The second he saw my camera he started making faces and laughing.
“I was ordained a minister the year after I graduated from high school by the Church of God Jesus Freaks,” he told me. “That was in 1971,” he said with a smile.
For those who remember the 1970’s, the Jesus Movement was something that started on the West Coast and made its way across America. Members of the movement were often called “Jesus People” or “Jesus Freaks.”
The so called freaks were an effective Christian force in times of major change between the mid 1960’s and into the 70’s. The young adults that were part of the movement had the ability and love of life to mix with a variety of crowds, some of whom were on LSD, following the likes of Charles Manson and more. In other words, the “Jesus Freaks” were able to grab a hold of misguided youth and help them turn their lives around before the drugs overtook them.
A Time magazine article in 1971 suggested, “Their love seems more sincere than a slogan, deeper than the fast-fading sentiments of the flower children.”
Despite the movement breaking apart in the late 1980’s, it did lead to some major changes in churches that can still be seen today. The movement led to new music in churches and what some call today the “Christian Right” and the “Christian Left.”
Rest
Taking a rest after a days work in Mexico City where minimum wage is about $4.25 per day (U.S.$).
Start the day with fish
Preparing fish during the morning hours to be sold at lunch at a small restaurant in Mexico City. Notice, it is being prepared on the cafe table where customers will later be eating.
310 Sleeping Bags
A big thank you to those of you who have helped me with blankets and sleeping bags. I gave my last sleeping bag to John (pictured), who served in the National Guard. He then gave the bag to his friend, as opposed to keeping it for himself. So, I gave John blankets and he was so appreciative.
For the count, that is 310 sleeping bags in the past 3 months.
Hands of Heart
Nashville, TN: He continued to say that his mother died and then he would hold his hands in the shape of a heart.
"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." - Honore de Balzac, French Playwright (1799-1850)
Mexico City Food Stands
Did you realize that over 75% of the population in Mexico City eats from food stands that are set up throughout the city at least once per week?
Everything from cow head, sheep, pork, steak to chicken and seafood are served on the street.
This is a photo of a man preparing a meal as he gets ready for the lunch crowd.
"I've seen zero evidence of any nation on Earth other than Mexico even remotely having the slightest clue what Mexican food is about or even come close to reproducing it. It is perhaps the most misunderstood country and cuisine on Earth." - Anthony Bourdain
The Catholic Church in Mexico
I shot this photo in a Mexico City Catholic Church on a Sunday afternoon.
Roman Catholicism was first introduced in Mexico during the period of the Spanish conquest that started in 1519. The Catholic Church had a powerful say in the governence of Mexico up until the end of the Mexican Revolution.
It was not until the end of the Mexican Revolution that the Catholic Church's role in Mexico was restricted constitutionally.
Over 101 million people in Mexico are said to be Catholic today. Mexico has the second largest Catholic population in the world, just under Brazil which is number one.
Stronger Than Yesterday
Mexico City is a very vibrant and youthful area filled with Latin rhythms and salsa dancing in the public parks along with a multitude of public workout areas.
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” —Ernest Hemingway
The Famed VW Beetle
He was attempting to start his small VW. After about the 4th crank, she started.
The first Volkswagen Beetle was introduced to Mexico in 1954. The car obviously caught on and by 1967, it was being produced in Puebla, Mexico. In 1968, the 100,000th Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico.
In 2004, Mexico was still producing the VW Beetle and while the engine was different, the car itself looked nearly identical to the 1954 model.
By 2006, the VW Beetle was highly utilized by taxi companies. In Mexico City where this photo was taken, there were 50,000 Beetles on the streets that were painted green and used as taxis. In 2017, there are only about 3,500 Beetle taxis still taking passengers from point A to point B.
In all, 21 million Volkswagen Beetles were manufactured in Mexico, all looking much like the first one from 1954.