It was a gray cloudy Sunday and I spend most of the day writing, so I decided a photo shoot in the front yard was in order. This is my daughter's boyfriend Gary. He's a tree guy and part time firefighter and EMT. He brought us a load of free firewood and he and my husband spent the day splitting and stacking it. This isn't the photo I was hoping for, but Gary was ignoring me the whole time I was shooting so I have a whole bunch of profile shots. This was the only one that he actually looked straight at me. Lesson to self: take about 40 more photos. Sixty was not enough.
Nice shot. Looks like you are all set for wood this winter. What you do is say she can go out after a cord is split. That's what my father-in-law use to do to me :-)
Gary's not only a keeper but one of our kids. He lives with us in our spare bedroom. He's been part of our family for three and a half years, eating dinner with us every night and helping with chores. When my daughter asked me to write a letter to our town fire department saying he lived with us so he could follow his dreams, I refused. When she asked if he could move in, I said no. But then I thought about it, and opportunities are so scarce for young people. I'm a journalist, so telling any lie is not just against my code of ethics, but it would put me out of a job.
But our young people need a leg up to their dreams in this economy, so even though my daughter doesn't "live with her boyfriend," her boyfriend lives with us. And he has done us proud, taking classes every night after his day job, and passing the firefighter written and physical test. Just this week, he passed his EMT license test, so now he is on a squad. I couldn't be prouder if he was my own son, because I set aside my qualms, made strict rules and then watched a kid work hard for his dreams. Unconventional, but no regrets.
He sure does look serious about his work. Which is good because splitting logs is not a job you should goof around while doing. Nice that he did look your way at least once for this photo.
Haha--it looks like you surprised him! And chopping wood--no fun! When we moved into this house, I was happy (in a I guess I'm in suburbia now, kind of way) that our fireplace was gas. Happy until the bill comes, that is. Glad you're ready for the winter (:
i not only love this candid shot, but I really love your story. it takes a special person to dig deep and find a "new" way and I applaud you for that. It sounds like it has been a great and successful journey for all of you. and it sounds like you are all lucky to have each other and we can't ever be too grateful for that. :)
October 5th, 2011
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He definitely looks like he's focused on the task at hand, which is definitely good. And I take a lot of shots, too. That's the beauty of digital.
I feel the same way when I try to take photos of people!
great that he helped u guys out!
But our young people need a leg up to their dreams in this economy, so even though my daughter doesn't "live with her boyfriend," her boyfriend lives with us. And he has done us proud, taking classes every night after his day job, and passing the firefighter written and physical test. Just this week, he passed his EMT license test, so now he is on a squad. I couldn't be prouder if he was my own son, because I set aside my qualms, made strict rules and then watched a kid work hard for his dreams. Unconventional, but no regrets.