I am writing this post from sister’s living room in Fowlkes, Tennessee.  It’s 8:30am, coffee in hand, while everyone else is still silently asleep.  Right now, you’d think Hurricane Ike was hitting us.  There is a giant wind storm taking place outside which has spilled my sister’s aluminum cans across her yard and claimed a neighbor’s tree right down the road.  And yet, there is very little rain falling.

I took a vacation day on Friday to leave St. Louis and come back home to Tennessee to celebrate my mother’s 64th birthday which is today.  I spent Friday taking photos of my niece (I’ve been given the duty of photographer for her senior pictures,) and also took a few of her mom (my sister) and my mother.

Also on Friday, I went to the grocery store with Mom and perused a used bookstore that just opened downtown.  She made white spaghetti which is what we are having today.  It’s always better after sitting over night.  Yesterday, we hit a local flea market which happens here the 2nd Saturday of every month.  Although it was mostly new stuff, there were more guns, warrior-looking knives, and duck calls than you could shake a stick at.  Mom and I bought and shared a back of praline roasted pecans.

Yesterday afternoon, we went to Reelfoot lake for more picture taking of my niece…who complained most of the time about her eyes watering or the sun being in her eyes.  That’s a teen for you.  Then, the whole family joined us to eat catfish at one of the lake’s restaurants…a long time tradition we’ve done for years for birthdays and various holidays.

We are going to church today with my mother, then having an early dinner at her house, and then I’ll be returning home to St. Louis.  But here are some of my best Kodak moments I captured on Friday…

My niece.  One of the best pictures when she really was in the moment, despite that huge necklace around her neck.  I took it in faded sepia and black and white tones for a different effect.

Silly to them, but cute to me because of the bright colors they were wearing.  That’s Mom, my niece, and my sister.

Another good one that I think came out perfectly of her.

Three generations.  There were some good candid ones of them laughing while I was trying to make them pose.

My sister framed this one with a few others as a birthday gift for Mom.

Happy Birthday!  That’s my Momma!