Got a chance to visit Bowling Green Kentucky again, home of WKU, and part-time home of youngest son Cody.

Fall leaves were turning, I mean they actually have a yellow to their trees between green and brown for more than a week. As per a Cody reunite, we bond by hitting the road for the backroads of Kentucky, looking for that one shot and reminiscing about all past and looking to the future. This trip was a little different than the recent ones, in the fact that Cody is now a Senior, knows his way around the town very well, and being Cody, knows pretty much all the folks in town and what they’re into.

What a great guide for a 3 day stay. Got around to all of the things that excite Cody about the town, and myself as well since we share a lot of the same interest. One of the first stops was Shipley’s Chevron, where Cody works part-time as a grease monkey. Now I’ve always said that every town has a heartbeat, although not always easy to find, when you do, it’s a special spot. Such was the case with the old Gas Sation on the corner at the foot of Cherry Hill.

I dont think it is any one thing that makes a place but a combination of so many together. This place has been in the same spot for fifty plus years.  A lot of the students at WKU pass by every morning, most of the customers have stopped on the way to work, almost as a ritual. 

When the light shines through the full glass doors in the morning, its an instant studio with light bouncing off metalic everywhere, but as always it’s the person or people that make a place special. So enters Tooter Shipley, he’s worked at this place for thirty-four years. Tooter give’s the place it’s color, most of the people keep coming back for the Tooter experience, wondering what’s on his mind today. Watched him a couple of times talking to customers after filling up with fuel, they would get off on a topic and shoot the breeze till the topic run out.

Tooter pretty much knows everyone and everything thats happening in town, who did what and why they did it, but the main thing that sets this guy apart is, he really likes the people and really tries to help them with anything they need, hence “service”, but the main thing that connects him to the town is his love for it, and his love for what he does and where he’s at. I highly recommend the “Tooter experience.”

How does this apply to a photoblog?  If you find the heartbeat of the town, you’ll get a feel for the area ,and it’s certain to show up in your photos.

With this much color it’s hard to go wrong with your backgrounds,so we played:

Cody mostly with his car,me mostley with Cody, and the car.But then there were the morning solo walks,for pondering of the previous day events, personal vision time, And sometimes just slowing down to see the small!