(this is my grandma)
from atlanta, we hitched a ride to the state where I was born, where I spent the greater part of my childhood. Illinois, where spectacularly flat land stretches out before you for days on end. this is where my parents live, the two greatest people in the world. this is also where the thrifting is so good you sort of want to cry.
a list of polaroids I did not take but wish that I had:
miles and miles of cornfields
olga and her house of stuff
the giant ice cream cone just off highway 55
my mom's sweet collection of white antique pitchers
my dad and the way he magically spins the basketball on one finger
lightning bugs, lightning bugs, lightning bugs
next time for sure.
hula, your pictures make the world seem so magical...or maybe they just bring out the magic in the world. thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeletesounds like such a fantastic trip. this shot is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThe Queen Anne's lace reminds me of my hometown in northern Ill., for sure! Love your grammy's hands and arms. And, I'm guessing the Soy City motel is in Decatur (my college roomie at U of I was from Decatur and was always talking about the soy fields!)
ReplyDeleteincredibly
ReplyDeletebeautiful.
there's nothing like returning to your homelands... the place your soul was first born :)
Andrea,
ReplyDeleteYour Grandma's hands and the beautiful lighting made me tear up.
Somehow so poignant.
Wendy
Just beautiful images. Are these polaroids?
ReplyDeletei miss the queen anne's lace of the midwest. i'm from wisconsin and miss it so...
ReplyDeleteyour grandma looks like a lot of love.
ReplyDeletewe drove from charleston, sc to chicago once; i remember those flat fields that go on forever.
ReplyDeletei adore the photo of your grandmother and am thankful for how it makes me think of mine.
your grandmother's necklace made my week. just beautiful andrea - as always.
ReplyDeleteI love your list of polaroids you did not take! And your grandmother's hands. And, just everything.
ReplyDeleteif marrying polaroids was allowed, i would soooo marry yours. i'm just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteoh, illinois. i'll probably never leave. lovely pictures. whereabouts are you from? i grew up in waukegan.
ReplyDeletethe photo of your gram is so divine. makes me wish i had one of my gram like that...i love the focus on her hands...and dress. when a face is included sometimes you don't notice those other so very important details. lovely lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat picture of your grandmothers hands is pure magic.
ReplyDeleteoh thank you for sharing these! so personal...so beautiful!
ReplyDeletebeautiful and warm. I love memories even though they tug at us. I think I might start a list of memories I would have liked to capture.
ReplyDeletethanks
ann
Nostalgia for your home state shines through your photographs so beautifully. They call to mind how at times I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I love prairie land :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have heard that there is a county in southern illinois that is filled with abandoned towns.
So Nice! I love the pics from Illinois! Especially your grandma, I used to visit my grandma in Kewanee IL every summer... the fireflies are so magical!
ReplyDeletegorgeous photos, great post, it feels nolstalgic for me reading this post about you hitchin a ride to ur home town. reminded me of my own private idaho,
ReplyDeleteso nice to see your Grandma - I liked that you took a picture of her arms and hands. reminded me of mine (who i sorely miss...)
ReplyDeleteOMG!! this is from decatur? i am from there!!! i know this motel sign and i am a shopper at olga's when i visit home! let's chat?! just found you by chance today and seeing that picture of the motel sign brought me home for a minute (i now live in CA)
ReplyDeletesay hi when you get a chance!
jen smith
jen beat me to it! i knew i recognized that sign from somewhere! i grew up in decatur and have driven past that sign many, many times. and i love olga's house of stuff! she is such a unique person. i love how she keeps her change in her bra. haha, seriously. i wish you would have taken some pictures! i absolutely love your shots.
ReplyDeletecheers from chicago!
-steph
can you put me on your list the nest time you visit?
ReplyDelete: ) im one state over. i can bring doughnuts and we can laugh until we cry, friend. oh yeah, love the flat land. : )
xoxo
Gerat post. Such lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteI can't sleep so I am looking at my favorite blogs and listening to the dogs snore. I am suddenly caught off guard at the photo of your grandmother. Oh, how I miss my grandmother and this picture could easily be her. I miss her. Thank you for reminding me just how much.
ReplyDelete