The treetops west of the cabin framed the full moon as it set yesterday morning. I brought out my phone and took a picture, knowing it wouldn’t capture the daybreak scene quite the way I saw it.
Monday brought the season’s first 40s, too. The unheated cabin dipped below 60°F, brisk but tolerable.
I couldn’t remember the last time I ate at Taylor’s Freez-King in Gassville, so I looked it up — December of 2023. Christmas Day, in fact.
The new proprietors, a young couple who bought it from people who’d owned it forever, had the best of intentions and yet couldn’t make it work. I mean, it wasn’t bad or anything, but the “improvements” they made turned it into something that long-time patrons weren’t fond of.
Business suffered. It closed last fall. A community institution, loved by two generations of Ozarkansans, sat dark and vacant.
A couple of months ago, social media began rumbling with rumors that Freez-King might be making a comeback. Unlike most Internet twaddle, it turned out to be true — former employees and family of former employees have stepped up to return the place to its previous glory (and menu).
Opening day is less than a week away.
Speaking as a customer who ate at Taylor’s Freez-King both before and after the previous change of ownership, and having seen the reaction of local folks to the prospect of it reopening, I couldn’t be happier. I won’t be first in line (like I was when Carolyn’s Razorback Ribs reopened after its fire), but I look forward to dining there again.
I haven’t picked up a camera in four years. I know that for a fact because when I pulled my old DSLR out of storage yesterday and checked the memory card, the last images on it were taken at Kintla Lake — that was September 10, 2021. Since then, every image I’ve snapped has been captured with my phone.
One of the “moves” I’ve committed to making is to get back to my cameras, which include two DSLR bodies and two advanced point-and-shoots. All are “obsolete” by today’s standards. All are in need of deep cleaning. Two require minor repairs.
My eye for subject and composition has never rested, nor has my interest in preserving moments. Unfortunately, my adeptness with settings and control has atrophied, thanks to relying for so long on a tyro-friendly phone camera.
I discovered that yesterday when I ventured out with my trusty Canon EOS 60D. I’m not accustomed to struggling with photography, but the frustration was real, the images disappointing.
As it turns out, photographic mechanics are a perishable skill.
It’ll be a process. I think I knew that. Discipline, time and patience are called for.
As long as my shaking hands and aging eyes allow, I intend to make the best photographs I can. Lots of those images will continue to come from my phone. Starting now, though, I’ll be taking more with actual cameras, and I’ll share some of them here.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable