28/100 Strangers ~ Boom-Boom

I'm not even sure I should count Boom-Boom as one of my "strangers" since the whole time I talked to him he was interviewing me instead of the other way around.  He was at a small vendor table at the recent First Monday Trade Days in Canton.  I think his business had something to do with jewelry or perhaps glitter.  As I said he was full of questions about my camera and then trying to impress me with his knowledge of photography.  But I must say he was the friendliest stranger and definitely one of the most unique I've encountered.  Thanks, Boom-Boom.  (Doesn't that name just fit him to a T?)

27/100 Strangers ~ Steve

I met Steve at First Monday Trade Days in Canton where he was a vendor offering demonstrations and selling a product called a Swiss peeler.  I'm always fascinated by what those guys can do and I shelled out 11 bucks for one of his little gizmos because I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets.  Now, granted, it's an okay peeler and maybe with a little (I mean a lot) of practice I might be able to peel a potato, but never anything like Steve.  He actually made hashbrowns with this doohickey (notice the bottom right of the photo).  He fashioned curliques and rosettes and he even gave some lady in the audience a shag haircut and shaved her legs (don't believe everything you read on the Internet).

For those of you new to my blog, the 100 Strangers Project is a method to improve your street and portrait photography and make you more comfortable in approaching people and asking to take their photograph.  Just Google 100 Strangers Project and you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know.  It's fun but still rather intimidating.  If you want to look at my first 26 Strangers, just click on "100 Strangers" below or in the sidebar on the right.

26/100 Strangers ~ Jason

I met this gentlemen while a friend and I browsed through an antique store in Nacogdoches.  My friend had met him before.  It turns out he lives in an apartment above the store next door to the proprietor.  He had some old books he was bringing down to put on consignment.  He told us about a monthly auction in town and reminded us of some of the town's flea markets.  He said he usually has a booth at a couple of them.  He overheard me asking the proprietor if he had a bottle sprinkler top (Remember when we sprinkled our clothes the night before we ironed them?  Actually, remember when we ironed our clothes?)  A little later Jason advised that he was pretty sure he had one of those bottle tops upstairs in his apartment somewhere and if I'd leave him my phone number he would give me a call and give it to me if and when he found it!  Isn't that sweet?  Thanks, Jason, for being Stranger No. 26.

25/100 Strangers ~ Maida

I met Maida last month at First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas.  She was a flower vendor with some of the most beautiful rose bushes I've ever seen.  Unfortunately, she did not converse well in English so I was not able to get too much information about her background from her.  Or maybe that's just the way she wanted it to be because when I first started talking with her she seemed to understand everything I said or asked.  Below are two beautiful examples of her roses.

This rose was called Playboy.

A note re yesterday's post "Little Shed in the Woods."  No, Tracy, that is not an outhouse.  It is a small storage shed behind the Libby Community Center, a meeting place for residents of a little village a few miles from where I live.

24/100 Strangers ~ Vivian

When I lived in Phoenix I enjoyed going on Saturdays to the farmers market. I have now discovered the farmers market in Nacogdoches, and while not as large as some of the markets in Phoenix (remember, though, there is a slight population discrepancy – only about 30,000 residents of Nacogdoches compared to Phoenix which had an estimated population in October of 2010 by the City of Phoenix of 1.5 million), I found it just as much fun. So let me introduce you to Vivian.


Vivian is a self-admitted character. I think you can tell that from her face. She has an overflowing personality and is a vendor at the market. Vivian is a member of the Nacogdoches Art League and she now has me interested in watching for their annual show which should come along in early summer. She is an artist working in several media. Her display at the farmers market included crocheted baby caps and beautiful throws made from upholstery remnants. She also paints and her crafts are for sale at the Wildflower, a shop featuring the works of local artisans. In addition, she is a green girl, a recycler. The beret she wore today was crocheted from Kroger plastic grocery store bags! Don’t you think it’s stylish? You go, girl, Vivian, and thanks for being my No. 24 Stranger!

Oh, BTW, I think Vivian is my best Stranger yet!  I feel like I hit the jackpot!

23/100 Strangers ~ Buster

Earlier this week I went on a little road trip to Douglass, Texas (population, approximately 75), a small comunity west of Nacogdoches in search of a truss bridge which has been featured in local news the past year because it is in danger of being torn down.  I met my Uncle Joe Buck (that's his middle name, Buck!) at the trading post in Douglass because he was a schoolteacher for many years in that area and supposedly knew where this bridge was located.  At age 86 Joe Buck is my mom's "baby brother" and is somewhat of a character who never met a man he didn't like nor did a man ever meet him and not remember him. 

On our way to search for the bridge we stopped on a narrow country road so I could take some pictures of blooming jonquils at an old house place, and while we were trudging around through overgrown berry vines, bamboo and cane, a county worker on a John Deere tractor came through mowing the side of the road.  Since my truck appeared to be in his way, I waved at him and and mouthed, "Hang on, I'll move it!"  He quickly shut the down the tractor and I was waiting for some irritable words about how I was keeping him from his job, but instead he loudly asked, "What's your name," looking at Joe Buck.  Joe Buck is hard of hearing so I screamed, "He wants to know your name!"  When he replied, the man jumped down off the tractor and exclaimed, "I knew it was you, Mr. Joe Buck!"  As it turned out, this now grandfather whose name is Buster was one of my uncle's students when he taught agriculture at Central Heights High School.  Here is their initial greeting to each other.

After ten or so minutes of remembrances and catching up on whatever happened to Johnny Mack and Billy Bob, we went on our way in search of the bridge and left Buster to his work.

I think Buster probably has an ideal job.  He gets to ride around all day on a big John Deere tractor (its tires were much taller than even I am!) out in country settings where it's quiet and the scenery is beautiful and he does it in peace with no one to tell him how or what to do and he doesn't have to listen to the office gossip or get involved in the politics.  Now that's a satisfying job!  You can tell he loves it by the smile on his face!

If you'd like to see the historic truss bridge you can find it here on my picture-a-day blog. 

21 and 22/100 Strangers ~ Fred and Poogie

I realized recently that I had put my 100 Strangers project to the side after I moved to Texas, being somewhat enthralled at all the photo opportunities here.  You know, you just can't beat all those cute farm animals and when you throw in the historic nature of the place being the roots of the Texas War for Independence against Mexico, well, I just got suckered in.  So yesterday while I was ramblin' around in the old town of Nacogdoches (purported by some to be the oldest town in Texas) I spotted the  perfect stranger!  Meet Fred.

Fred is a glass sign painter.  I had totally forgotten that these artists once thrived in towns and cities all over the world.  Fred says he's one of the last one in these parts.  A native of Nacogdoches, he currently lives in Harlingen, some 470 miles away in the Rio Grande Valley, about 30 miles east of the Gulf and 30 miles north of the US/Mexico border.  He was just back in town for a few days and doing a little work while he was here.  In Harlingen he also owns a cactus nursery.  Before I knew it, someone else had joined our conversation.  Meet Poogie!

Poogie (aka Nathan Alders) just happened to be driving down the street and saw his good friend Fred talking to this old grandma.  Wondering what was up, he whipped his big diesel-engine truck into a parking space right behind Fred's van to investigate.  That's one thing nice about living in a small town ~ there's always plenty of parking places!  It turns out that Poogie is a retired fireman, is supposedly  the mayor of Shirley Creek (off to Google I go and learn that Shirley Creek is a campground and marina down on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir - a HUGE lake that spans the Texas/Louisiana border in this region) and is the co-star of Maule In the Morning, a local radio talk show hosted by Brad Maule, the former soap opera star of General Hospital.  Goodness, what a lot of information.  I even found a short video of Poogie getting thrown by a donkey on YouTube!  Yep, that's him.

So, Fred and Poogie, thanks for making my day!

On another note, just before running across Fred and Poogie, I had just photographed one of the most beautiful ads on brick I have ever seen and one which is in pretty much pristine condition just around the corner from where Fred was painting his window sign.  In doing a little research on glass sign painters, I learned a little about both of these dying artforms.  The artists are called walldogs and what I termed ads on brick is more appropriately called brickads (I wasn't far off, was I?).  I'm starting a series depicting this type of art on my other blog which depicts daily life in a rural setting if you'd like to see the first of the brickads.

Kirk ~ 20/100 Strangers

My daughter, Em and I were standing behind Kirk and his two absolutely adorable little girls in a line waiting for pictures with Santa.  We couldn't help but notice Kirk's brilliant million dollar smile and his snazzy clothes so he was the perfect subject for a stranger photo.  Kirk and his daughters (age three and five if I recall ~ sorry if I'm off a couple of years, Kirk!) recently moved to Phoenix from California.  In addition to holding a Doctor of Divinity degree, Kirk is a senior solutions specialist for the Federal Housing Bureau.  Happy Holidays to you and your beautiful little girls, Kirk, and thanks for being No. 20 in my 100 Strangers Project.

19/100 Strangers ~ Vera

Today after soccer I went with Em and his mom to the barber shop for a haircut.  There I met Vera, the manager of the Clean Cut Barber Shop, a small neighborhood establishment.  Vera was born in Russia and came to the United States 10 years ago.  She has a beautiful smile and a lovely accent and she gives a great haircut!  Thanks, Vera, for being No. 19 of my 100 Strangers.  Happy Holidays!

18/100 Strangers ~ Brent

Brent is a giant of a guy.  And he has a smile and a laugh that's equally gigantic.  I spotted him at my local farmers market sporting this ridiculous turkey hat, which actually gobbles and wiggles its legs.  I'm convinced he makes it do those things by wiggling his ears or vibrating his eyebrows.  He promises soon to be wearing some type of Christmas chapeau complete with lights.  Brent and his partner own Sweet Earth Art.  After visiting their booth at the market I thought the business was just the beautiful dichroic glass jewelry that was on display but after visiting their website I discovered they also have original art, mirrors, lampshades and even offer party showings complete with standup comedy by Brent's partner, Nick!  For more zany pics of Brent and Nick be sure to visit sweetearthart.com.

17/100 Strangers ~ Dave the Garden Guy

Look at who showed up at my yard sale today!  If you're local in Phoenix, no doubt you know Dave the Garden Guy, one of our most popular organic gardeners and also one of the stars of  Channel 3, azfamily.com.  Even though the early morning sun was blinding as I looked east, I thought the tall thin guy with the starched plaid shirt and blue jeans walking into my carport looked familiar.  I hope Dave can count as a stranger since we had never met before.  He was on his way to the station, which is just a mile down the street, and stopped by to look around at all the goodies.  He quickly spotted the antique pecan cracker and decided it was worth the $5 price tag.

15 and 16/100 Strangers ~ Tony and Shay

Today I had huge yard sale in anticipation of selling my house and moving to Texas via Southwest Airlines.  I have friends who say, "Why are you selling this?  It's so neat.  You've had it so long."  My reply is always something like, "If it's not worth paying storage fees for it and if I can't take it on Southwest Airlines, I have to get rid of it."  After all, I'm moving from a three-bedroom house into a 12 by 14 room with little if any closet space at my mom's which will house me, my wardrobe, my computer equipment and supplies for my proofreading job, my toiletries, my files, and my camera.  So the goal today was to sell everything possible. 

Early in the day I watched this pickup truck come cruising into the cul-de-sac thinking that someone had hired a new lawn service.  I loved the name of their business. 

I went on about my business of helping my helpers.  I had realized about 9 a.m. after the hordes of yard salers descended on my driveway that I still had lots of garden tools and equipment out in back.  I was trying to get back there but kept getting stopped by questions of "Kathy, will you take a dollar for this,"
Kathy, do you have a toilet lid for sale," "Kathy, do you know when this baby blanket that is priced 25 cents was crocheted?"  I had taken out one rake and was returning with a shovel when someone yelled, "Stop those guys!  They were looking for more garden equipment."  They had purchased the rake and were leaving for greener pastures because they had been told there was no more garden stuff.  I quickly escorted them into the back yard, where they proceeded to buy all the rakes, shovels, hoes, a pick axe, a wheelbarrow, fertilizer, loppers, and drip irrigation supplies.  They evidently had been driving through the neighborhood looking for trees to trim since Shay had a new saw that he wanted to try out and just happened on my yard sale.

Tony and Shay were good guys to pose for me by their trailer.  I never even noticed Tony's shirt until I started editing and cropping the photo.

14/100 Strangers ~ Dave

Dave is a professional photographer who just happened to show up at my house to do a virtual video tour recently.  When I explained the 100 Strangers project to him and asked if he would be one of my subjects, as a photographer, how could he really refuse!  In addition to photographing (both still and video) houses for local realtors, Dave also does studio-type photography with a heavy emphasis on children and pets.  He was kind enough to take a few extra seconds to have a look at pictures of my previous 13 strangers and gave me such great encouragement that I decided I'll probably continue this project.  At least with this photo I finally was able to break out of my habit of just doing a head shot and actually having the picture portray something about the subject.

Thanks, Dave, for being No. 14.

13/100 Strangers ~ Felipe

Felipe delivered a Billy Goat to my house a couple weeks ago for the lawn.  Now before you start thinking I'm nuts, Billy Goat was the brand name of a machine used for aeration purposes!  Felipe works for an equipment rental company and has been there 13 years, although I didn't think he looked old enough to have worked anywhere for 13 years.  He gave Sam the handyman a quick lesson on how to make the Billy Goat do its job, but he had to come back later because a belt had slipped off.  Sam was within 15 minutes of finishing the whole thing so Felipe waited so he could take Billy Goat back home again.  He and I stood on the patio watching Sam's progress, and it was then I noticed how tall he was.  When asked, he responded that he is 6'5" and added, "I'll bet you've never seen a Mexican that tall!"  I had to agree I had not.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to meet a really tall Mexican and for being my 13th Stranger, Felipe!

12/100 Strangers ~ Casey

I found Casey early one Saturday morning at the farmers market that I like to frequent.  He was manning a booth for Dr. Hummus.  He offered up several delightful samples of tahini-free hummus, meaning it has no sesame oil.  I was intrigued by his beautiful hazel eyes. 

Thanks, Casey, for the hummus samples and for being my No. 12 Stranger.

11/100 Strangers ~ Luis

Luis was a wonderfully handsome, kind man I met on a shuttle ride between Tyler and Dallas following my trip home in July.  I caught the shuttle in Longview, he boarded some 30 miles down the road in Tyler, and we rode the rest of the way to Dallas together (about a three-hour ride).  Luis is from Costa Rica and was in the Longview/Tyler area because his wife's father was hospitalized with a serious heart condition.  He met his wife almost 20 years ago while he was traveling through the US and happened to stop in Longview (now, you must wonder, why would anyone from a foreign country stop in Longview, Texas?  Have any of you ever even heard that name and know where it is?).  Fast forward two decades and he and his wife are the parents of two teenagers and Luis owns what we call here in the States as a used car lot.  He had been in Tyler/Longview for three weeks and was returning home to his children and his business and leaving his wife to care for her parents.

Luis, thank you for being my Stranger Number 11!

10/100 Strangers ~ Cecil

I met Cecil while I was browsing around the little town of San Augustine, Texas, one Saturday afternoon during a recent trip back to my roots.  He was picking up so much laundry and dry cleaning that I was sure he was probably an employee of the local cleaners near his parked vehicle.  But no, he was just getting his wardrobe in place for the coming week.  Saturday is a big day in Cecil's schedule because he is part of C-Dog & Sons Disco Road Show and they provide entertainment in various genres (blues, gospel, rap, R&B, oldies and Zydeco) at parties, weddings, reunions, or just anyplace people gather to have a good time.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with Zydeco, it is a music medium which evolved in Southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of Creole music. The rural Creoles of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas still sing in Louisiana Creole French.  I wish I could have photo'd Cecil at work but since that was impossible he agreed to pose in front of a vine-covered red brick building.  An extremely polite gentleman in a white starched shirt, he works during the week for a large poultry company.  Thank you Cecil for being No. 10!

9/100 Strangers ~ Robert

Robert was a seatmate on a flight between Phoenix and Dallas earlier this month.  He jumped on the plane in Albuquerque where he had been visiting his daughter for the purpose of attending her baby shower.  He was exuberant that he also had had the opportunity to see an ultrasound picture of his soon-to-be born granddaughter.  Robert, who lives in Dallas, is a missionary working in the Caribbean. 

8/100 Strangers - Lisa

Lisa is one of the street people you might encounter near the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol.  She actually encountered me as I returned to my car after a tour of an historic home in the area.  She said, "Whatcha doin'?  Just takin' a buncha pitchers?"  I replied, "Sure.  You want me to take your picture?"  She stood very straight with her shoulders back and posed.  When I showed her the screen she asked if I'd take another one.  I did and asked her if she liked that one any better.  She told me she'd like to take my camera and take a picture of her sister.  I had to politely decline, and as I turned to go to my car, she waved and said, "God bless you."

And God bless you, Lisa.

P.S.  I received an e-mail this week from the wife of Guy - Stranger 5/100 (posted here on June 19) - who said she believed that was the best picture that had ever been taken of him and that it captured his personality completely.  My goodness!  I walked around with my peacock feathers all fluffed for several days!

7/100 Strangers - Carissa

I met Carissa last week at the farmers market at a farmers market booth.  No, that is not redundant.  The organization that hosts the farmers markets in the greater Phoenix area has a booth that disseminates information about the market and this year has instituted a service where one can charge their purchases on a credit card.  Many of the merchants are cash only but now they will give shoppers a receipt for their goods and the customers can present the receipt to Carissa who will process the credit card charge.  Carissa, a native Nebraskan, immediately agreed to be one of my "strangers."  I was initially attracted to her Western hat, her feathery earrings, and the reflecting sunglasses.  She is extremely photogenic.  Every picture I took was a keeper!  Thank you, Carissa!