Happy Veterans Day - A Small Town in Georgia Honors it's Vets - Ringgold, GA
Catoosa County Courthouse decorated for Veterans Day - Photographed on Kodak Tri X Film by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Scenes from the South - Veterans Day Edition from Ringgold, GA.
Several years ago my wife and I happened to be driving through Ringgold, Georgia one Friday afternoon. The roads were lined with white crosses and American flags. At first I didn’t realize that Veterans Day was coming up. As we drove further through downtown Ringgold, more and more flags decorated the streets, each cross with a name. The county courthouse lawn absolutely covered in flags and crosses.
The next morning I came back with my camera to try and photograph them. The lighting was horrid. Harsh sunlight and not a cloud in the sky. For my style of photography, it just didn’t work. I’ve tried the past several years with my digital camera and each time I’ve been unhappy with the lighting and colors. This year though, I lucked out knowing that Saturday morning was going to be super foggy. I left before sunrise (I live an hour away) and I took my film camera to photograph on black and white film instead of in color.
Ringgold is a beautiful little small town in North Georgia and I love seeing the honoring of our veterans in this way. If you have the opportunity to check it out, I highly recommend it. In this time in our country’s history, it’s important to remember the men and women who have served to help preserve democracy and our freedoms.
Catoosa County Courthouse decorated for Veterans Day - Photographed on Kodak Tri X Film by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Ringgold, Georgia decorated for Veterans Day - Photographed on Kodak Tri X Film by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Ringgold, Georgia decorated for Veterans Day - Photographed on Kodak Tri X Film by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
A Glance at Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham
Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photographed by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
A Glance at Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama…
I wanted to take a moment and offer a glance at a recent visit that I took to Rickwood Field, which happens to be the oldest standing ballpark in America. It’s located in Birmingham, Alabama and was built in 1910. It has been utilized as a field for the minor leagues, the negro leagues, and last year even Major League Baseball used it for the East-West Classic between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Lous Cardinals. Over 200 baseball Hall of Famers have played games at Rickwood Field.
Now I’m only offering a glance in this blog because the day I went the field was closed for tours. It wasn’t my primary destination but since it was so close, I had to stop by and take a few photos from outside the stadium. I look forward to making a trip down so I can see the historic park inside as well. I cannot wait to take that trip! I love baseball history so much and cannot wait to get to actually be in a park where Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Willie Mays, and so many others have stepped foot on the field.
For now, here are a few photos that I took that day.
Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photographed by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photographed by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photographed by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church - Documenting America with TRD Photography
Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church - Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Kodak Tri X Film - Documenting America with TRD Photography
I grew up visiting Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I have so many fond memories of camping in the campground and then either biking the cove or riding in the back of my dad’s small Nissan pickup. Of course as a kid you were excited about the deer, and ever hopeful of seeing a bear, but I also loved seeing the old cabins and churches along the loop trail.
I always love the Missionary Baptist Church, I honestly don’t remember why I was drawn to it. I think that back then it may have been that it was the third one on the loop road and may not have been as busy as the first two! Whatever it was I still love it to this day.
Recently I made a trip to the Cove to photograph with some film. I don’t go into Cades Cove hardly anymore because it’s so busy. I honestly prefer to explore areas that are less crowded and popular, but I really wanted to photograph some of the churches on film. It wasn’t as busy as usual, but by the time I hit the midway section of the loop, traffic was backed up to the exit. I didn’t stop at anymore spots because I had another appointment to get to.
If you don’t care about traffic or time, it’s definitely a nice drive, but in the Smokies there are some places that you may find a little less crowded like the Historic Nature Motor Trail in Gatlinburg, TN.
Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church - Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Kodak Tri X Film - Documenting America with TRD Photography