Father's Day.

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I made a short trip to Blacksburg for Father's Day last week. It was really great to see my family and have some time to relax. The more I'm away, the more I appreciate and love this place. I have so many memories from growing up here; my first day of school, getting dirty on the motocross track, swinging on vines in the woods before catching the school bus, riding horses, family reunions...the list goes on.

As real life sets in, I'm realizing how fleeting this place could be as part of my life. I'm in the process of recording everything that I can. You won't believe how many crazy stories my grandparents have from when they were young. I enjoy listening to them whenever I spend time there. This is the beginning of that record.

A Year Later.

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  A little over a year ago, I spent my spring break at home in Blacksburg. I was borrowing a friend's camera and got the chance to experience medium format film for the first time. I immediately fell in love with it.

  There is something about using a film camera that digital doesn't quite touch. Using a film camera, there is no chance to view your images right after you've taken them.  And, unlike digital cameras, film captures the image onto a physical surface.  There isn't just a file, but a physical record.  There's a permanence that isn't achieved in the digital realm.

  Anyway. Obviously, I love working with film.  But as for my time in Blacksburg, this is more of how I know Blacksburg to be.  It's not Virginia Tech or the tiny downtown that is quite literally two blocks, maybe three, depending on how you count them.

  My cousin, Ashley, is an experienced horseback rider, entering rodeos throughout high school, and eventually becoming the Virginia High School Rodeo Queen.  It's a big deal, if you're not familiar with the sport.

  Sprawling fields, backwoods trail rides, motocross, ATVs, were all the norm growing up.  I may have moved away from the area, but things are still similar to how they used to be. I spent a couple of days with Ashley and her mother.  They'd just gotten back from a rodeo the day before, but the trailer was a mess, and the horses needed a workout.