Separately and quietly, Randolph and I mused: how long would Richard keep up his work as a Substack blogger? Did either expect him to celebrate his 400th post?
I am very impressed with my stamina. I am reasonably impressed with my photographs and my annotations. There are some really good photographs and on occasion some equally fine prose and also a spray of poetry.
Wherever I have lived as an adult — Hamilton New York; Murewa Zimbabwe; Lexington Kentucky; and for the past 7 years Auckland New Zealand — I have attempted to get under the skin of place, to know it intimately and passionately . . . its people and forms, both material and natural.
In Hamilton, I joined the local volunteer fire department, was an officer in the rescue squad, and learned how to drive (badly) a 14-ton fire truck. I served for two years as an elected member of Hamilton’s local government, and in that capacity as a village trustee I performed the duties of the public safety commissioner, overseeing both the police and fire departments.
In Murewa, I taught english and social studies at the high school, a boarding school where 600 of the 1,000 students lived on campus, as did all of the teachers. It was full immersion, including weekend walks with students to explore local cave paintings as we practiced our recitation of Macbeth and other studies. I offered my services as photographer to the school and surrounding community, affording me a privileged place at a number of weddings, local church festivals and innumerable school events.
Randolph and I lived in Lexington for more than 30 years. We raised two daughters, pursued our careers as educators and participated passionately in the civic life of our community. It was in Lexington that I honed my craft as an architectural photographer, a pursuit that attracted the interest of my dear friend, Karl Raitz. Karl had a storied career as a professor of geography at the University of Kentucky. His interests and expertise included architectural history, and together we produced, as a mobile app, a walking tour of Lexington’s downtown commercial and public architecture. It was our gift to our beloved city, and I always delighted when on a stroll across the city centre I saw people using our app to explore the richness of the city’s built environment.
Finally, as an expatriate and now dual citizen, I will spend my retirement years in Auckland, deeply engaged in my roles as grandfather, civic provocateur and peripatetic photographer. My Substack blog has been my attempt to chronicle those meanderings.
On to the formal post - entry 400.
After all these years, it's nice to get to know you better...