A Good Day

Today was a good day. I once again was at Harvest Cafe, this time meeting with a quite nifty Mrs. Worthan who is wanting to turn her hobby of photography into a business. She's going to go far I can tell! We laughed, we cried. It was a lovely time! I was quite honored that she wanted to sit down and chat and pick my brain...and even more honored to bump into this fine man... Meet Mr. Jim W. Adams:

Mr. Adams is a Korean War veteran that proudly served in the Air Force from 1951-1953. I spotted him sitting by himself in a comfy chair, sipping on coffee focusing his thoughts on a Suduko puzzle. He was wearing an Commemorative Air Force khaki jumpsuit with numerous patches filling the sleeves. Given that I had a lost photo opportunity at Harvest Cafe just 3 days ago (see previous post), I decided to jump at the opportunity and invited my fellow photographer to grab her camera and come along.  My request to sit and chat with him and take his picture were greeted with a warm smile and a, "To what do I owe this ego boost'?!

We didn't have that long to talk to him, as he was on his way to a parade honoring local police, firemen and veterans on the anniversary of Sept. 11th. But I did however, manage to find out this about him in our brief encounter:

• During his service, he worked in Photo Intelligence. (I was so intrigued by this!)  He shot using military speed graphic cameras which used 4x5 inch negatives.  During the time he served, they were making the transition from black & and white film to color.                           

...I'm never going to complain about toting my camera around again.  Check out this bad boy:

• A few of the duties performed were aerial bomb assessions and of radar installations to detect enemies. 
• Mr. Adams was at one time passionate about taking pictures of steam locomotives (and still has every one he ever took!).  Now that passion has shifted to taking pictures of his 5 children and 13 grandkids. :)
• He met Ansel Adams while working one summer in Yosemite Valley and is a fan of his work.

During our chat, an elegant lady approached and put her hand on Mr. Adams shoulder.  He looked up, smiled and said, "Well hello there, Beautiful!"  A friendly Mrs. Adams reported it was time for them get going, as the parade would soon be starting.  

Oh, how I would have loved to have sat and chatted with him more and heard more about his experiences!  Who knows... I have his email and perhaps one day I will!  

Thank you Mr. Adams for your service to this country and allowing the aspiring photographer a glimpse into your life.