Texas Sized in New York August 31, 2009
Posted by Emily in : New York, Photography , 1 comment so farOn the corner of Church Street in Palmyra, there are four massive church buildings.
Each, separate denominations.
And each building was established well over 100 years ago.
This is one of the churches.
I love the architecture on this building.
It is so detailed. It’s the prettiest of the four churches on this corner . . . in my opinion, of course.
I would now like to mention this building:
It’s located right behind the church building above.
This is a small portion of an Elementary School.
Did you read that last sentence? AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
I’m not sure about you, but my grade school didn’t take up an entire city block!
The school building is beautiful. It was built in 1929, and if you look closely at the windows, you can see that some of the panes are original.
WOW.
I didn’t photograph the entire building because I don’t have the right lens to capture the enormity of this school. Trust me, it’s HUGE.
I know that most things are bigger and better in Texas, but some of these “Texas sized” buildings in this small town can hold their own.
I’m just sayin’.
Book of Mormon Print Shop August 28, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Church, Daily Life , 3commentsSome of you may recall that we live on the second floor of this building.
We are just here for a few more weeks, then it’s back to Kansas City where we hope our neighbors remember us. Hannah talks about her “friends” all the time, so PLEASE remember us when we return!
In the mean time, Hannah has been very busy making lots of new friends, which means I practically know every vendor and neighbor on our street.
We live two doors down from the Book of Mormon Historic Publication site and David finally had some time off to tour it with us this last weekend.
The Book of Mormon was first published here. (Just like the sign says:))
The type setting and printing was done upstairs in this room.
The ink spattered in this wall is the original ink from the 1830’s.
This is the main floor of the print shop where the first 5000 original copies of the Book of Mormon were sold.
At that time, the book sold for $1.25 which was about two days worth of labor.
It is so neat to see this little town first hand where the church was established.
The Loaded Question August 27, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Medical School, My Handsome Husband, Thoughts , 2commentsLoaded questions.
We’ve all been asked them.
For years, the question was, “When are you going to have kids?” Which was later followed by, “Do you want kids?” after we’d been married about six or seven years with no visit from the stork.
Today, the question is, “Where are you from?”
This question always makes me take a deep breath as I decipher what the person is really asking.
Are they asking where I’m currently from, where do I live, or where was I raised? Because they are all different.
It’s a straight forward question that does not merit a long and detailed explanation.
Usually.
Most people haven’t been living like a gypsy for the last several years.
But . . .
Since I never can tell if someone is simply exchanging pleasantries, or asking for a more detailed description of my roots, they usually get the the long, convoluted explanation with much more information than they ever wanted to know.
Most conversations go like this:
“Where are you from?
“Do you mean right now, where am I from? Are you referring to where my house and stuff are? Or are you talking about my permanent mailing address, or where I was raised?” (This is usually followed with big eyes from the questioner.)
“Are you guys in the Army?”
“Oh no, were in the other profession that makes you travel all over the world. Medical School.”
“Medical School?”
“Yeah. Medical school did this to us.” (Our experience is not typical . . . only a select few get to follow their husbands out of the country, and from state to state for clinical rotations.)
The thing is, David and I have really enjoyed living in different parts of the country, and living outside the country. Our experiences have been rich. We have met so many wonderful people along our way, and we love so many things about different parts of the United States.
The follow-up question to “Where are you from?” is usually “Where do you want to end up?”
Again, for most people, this answer is easy.
For us, we simply have no idea. I mean, we do have our limits like not pursuing a residency in Alaska or any other state that has cold/cooler weather nine to 12 months out of the year, but other than that, we’re open.
The only thing we can decide on is the style of house we like.
We like this house.
A lot.
You can’t really tell in the picture, but this house takes up an entire block. The brick fence is very majestic.
It is still up in the air as to what size of town we want to settle into, (rural, suburban, or a downtown area) and what region of the USA we’d like to put down roots, but at least we know the style of house we want, right?
Because it’s Pretty on the Outside August 26, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, New York, Thoughts , 3commentsI’m a visual person. I never read instructions or labels, and there is a 99% chance I can’t tell you the name brand of re-fried beans I buy. But, I could tell you where they are located in the store, and the exact shelf. I have seen them before. 
And if I like what I see, then that’s all that matters. This is usually how I make major decisions. Like when I was considering moving to New York for a couple of months. My initial reaction was, “OF COURSE! It will be so beautiful and I’ll photograph everything!” I immediately focused on the “visual” aspect instead of the logistical reality and such.
My point is . . .
I like this building.
In fact, I want this to Doctor to be our new family doctor.
Because I like the building.
Is this a lame way to research and choose your family doctor?
We all have our methods of madness, but all I’m saying is . . .
I might not feel so ill when I’m feeling sick if I got to enter this door to see the doc.
That’s all.
A Walk Around Town August 25, 2009
Posted by Emily in : New York, Photography , 3commentsThis week David has been working nights. And by “nights” I mean all the time.
He has eight hours a day of personal time. Six of those hours he chooses to sleep. The other two hours are spent with us and commuting.
The only nice thing about this schedule (besides the fact that the kids and I get the car during the day when he’s home) is that he’s at the house sleeping during the mid part of the day.
Which means I have an extra person around to listen to the silence of the house while the kids snooze away in the afternoon. This gives me a rare opportunity to photograph mid-day (which still isn’t ideal on a sunny day with all the hard shadows and such, but I’m just happy to go out) without two little people hanging on my legs.
Since I’m the only one in my house who doesn’t need a mid-day power nap to continue with my day, I crept out of the house to photograph some architecture on my street.
This is the front of our building. We live in the orange building on the end.
This is around the corner. I love how historic this place is.
It has great lines, texture, and character.
Palmyra is a very religious town with a church on every corner. One of the roads on this particular intersection with the four large churches is aptly named “Church Street.”
Some of the buildings are so close together, it makes me claustrophobic. I’m not sure why I photographed this, I was taking deep breaths just looking at it.
This door is an enigma. I mean, why would you need a door on TOP of your roof? Someone must love going on that roof because why else would you need a door up there? Someone who needs frequent access. That’s who!
This brick building is next to the city park. I found it interesting how people wrote their names on the bricks. I stood there, starting at this wall, trying to think of why people would etch their names into the brick. What ever happened to vandalism with good old spray paint?
I have certainly loved exploring this small town. I can’t believe our stay here is almost half over!
David, This Would be a Nice Buy August 24, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Beauty, New York, Photography, Thoughts , 2commentsI might be in love with this building.
In fact, I might have a secret desire to buy this building and turn it into the most beautiful house.
I’m just sayin’.
Smith Family Farm August 21, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Church, New York , 2commentsThis is the a replica of the Smith family home. It was reconstructed in 1998 on the original foundation of the original log home on the Smith’s farm.
Joseph Smith lived here during his teen years.
It was in this home that Angel Moroni visited him.
The Smiths later built this house on their property just down the street from their other little farm house.
It is 85% original.
Although it is much bigger than the small farm house down the road, I still can’t believe they fit so many kids in this house.
If it were me, I’d require more space. But before we even go there, I don’t plan on having a gaggle of kids. Just a few.
This is the Smith home as viewed from their original log house down the road.
This place is very interesting.
And special.
Like I said before, you should all come visit.
The Sacred Grove August 20, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Church, New York , 7commentsWe are living in Palmyra. This little village is very special and sacred to the church.
It was here, in this very grove, that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ.
It is such a beautiful place.
So quiet.
So serene.
So sacred.
David and I could have spent hours walking along the trails in this grove.
It’s so neat to be here.
Really.
I wish you all could come.
The Erie Canal August 19, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Asia, New York, Photography , 5commentsI am still trying to grasp the concept that I currently live on the East Coast.
The East Coast. Home to more major cities than I can name and the Great Lakes. I have been busy photographing everything: houses, buildings, churches, you name it.
Like this for example:
I pass this bridge on my way to the grocery store. As I drive along the highway, the Erie Canal parallels the road. It flows into this Aqueduct, making a beautiful waterfall.
This is what the bridge looks like from the other side in a park. What you don’t see in this picture are several locals fishing and tons of bugs swarming around my body. It also stunk VERY BAD. Fresh water canals don’t smell that great. In fact, the smell faintly reminded me of the night market in Taiwan. (You may have read about my experience shopping in the stinkiest place in the world here.)
I shot this just after sunset. I read how to photograph waterfalls capturing the “silky water” look in a book. You must shoot just before sunrise (which, lets be honest, I don’t get out of bed before 7:00 AM, so shooting before sunrise is just not likely) or just after sunset.
If I could handle the bugs and the smell, I think I would enjoy photographing more of this area.
As of right now . . .
Don’t count on it.
There is so much to photograph around here.
My blog is going to be overloaded with new images over the next few weeks.
For Once, We Live in That House August 18, 2009
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Little Man Dallin, New York, Princess Hannah, Thoughts , 2commentsWhen you go to a parade, the most inconvenient part about it is leaving your home, finding a place to sit, and locating public restrooms.
Honestly, wouldn’t parades be so much more convenient, fun, and relaxing if you didn’t have to worry about any of those things?
You know you have wished you lived along the parade route.
Just once even.
Well . . .
This is what happens when you live on Main Street in a small town . . .
The parade comes to you! And you know what? I didn’t know there was a parade that day until I saw several chairs set out along the street.
The nice people at the bookstore below us lent us some folding chairs so we could secure our front row seats, directly in front of our font door.
That’s right friends. Our front door. This parade was 1000% more enjoyable sitting in front of my house. I made one toddler potty run, one diaper change run, and one run to refill our drinks.
Here’s the best part . . .
We could have watched it from our window just like this chick. You know, just in case it was blazing hot, or too crowded, we had options. For once, we lived in that house. The one you wished you lived in on those hot and sticky parade days.
Of course, Dallin and Hannah loved it.
Hannah has declared more than once that New York is her favorite place to live.
I’m pretty sure the parade sealed the deal.
