I saw this man today while driving with my Aunt Kathy from Eatonton, Georgia back to Lawrenceville. “There’s this one spot,” she said as we approached a very small town, “where you’d swear you were in a John Steinback novel. It’s just frozen in time.”
This man in the photo is working at a cotton gin, where most of the surrounding brick buildings have remnants of being glorious at one time, but are now mostly covered in kudzu and have no roofs. Rust is the new black in this town, and it casts a feeling of nostalgia over everything and makes you feel like you stepped out of a time machine.
Our country was built on industry like this, though, and the South was one of the places that made our nation great when it was young. Being there today made me feel proud… and also like I don’t get my hands dirty enough. But I want to toss up so much gratitude to the folks who did, to the folks who gave and give so much to make this nation free and full. Happy Independence Day.
ps – don’t be afraid to jump out of your car and get closer to people you find SUPER picture worthy! I went over to this gentleman, told him I wanted to take his photo and to keep doing exactly what he was doing, and he was great about it! (permission is always a good idea, though) 
