Yesterday evening I noticed this awesome cloud pattern when I looked out our back door. After a few minutes I thought....wonder what the view is like looking from Harburger Hill?
I drove the few block to the overlook to see a fire red sunset. I was hoping for a little more dimension in the clouds but it was still a great sight.
You can see the top of the new Northside Baptist Church sanctuary from this angle.
From the same location I panned over to get a shot of the courthouse. The clouds weren't as bright to the south west.
I drove down the hill to the cemetery where I could still get a good shot of the top of the courthouse. The sun was disappearing fast & the sky had a cool magenta cast.
Just an hour prior, I posted a video I had seen on facebook about 9-11 & God. I guess that's why I felt compelled to get this flag & angel photo. The images from that dark September day were a great reminder of how lucky I am to still have my family & you never know when your life can change in the blink of an eye. It's hard to believe it's been 9 years since the tragedy. I remember I was still working at Eckerd & a customer came in for photo processing. While leaving her film, she said, "have you heard, the World Trade Center has been bombed." Many of us employees quickly huddled around the TV in the break room and watched in disbelief. As Alan Jackson sang, the world did stop turning that day. The store was empty for awhile & for that entire day everyone was in a daze. No laughs, jokes & small talk, just heavy hearts. I'll never forget that day....where were you?
Powerful blog today, Jake. I was living in upstate NY getting ready for my move to Fl. The production company I worked for was in NYC on 9/10 shooting footage of the Twin Towers for a commercial, that would never air. My co-worker's husband called to say a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. We all thought it was a small plane that had gone off course. Then we heard about the 2nd plane. We turned on the tv, where we all remained for the rest of the day. I spent the next few weeks riveted to my tv every night. I went from being sad to being angry to being sad. Back and forth. Then, when I left NY to drive to FL, I truly found the American spirit. On almost every overpass on 95, there were banners hanging from the bridges. Amazing messages of patriotism and support of the 1st responders who lost their lives. It was truly moving and I will never forget it. I hope each and everyone can dig down and find that feeling of patriotism we all had after 9/11. I hope everyone flys a flag on Saturday. We always need to remember how we came together as a country after 9/11/01. I know I do.
ReplyDeleteI was at home enjoying a beautiful day and getting in some early fall cleaning, I almost never have TV on during the day, that day was no different. My Mother in law called with this horrific news, I turned on the TV and just couldn't believe what I was seeing. How could this be? Any of it, how could it be? I immediately called my husband who works in a refinery and was unable to get in touch with him, I was panicked and alone, worried, sad, heartbroken, and almost in disbelief. I sat out front & waited until my son's school bus dropped him off early that day. I was so relieved to see him, he had so many questions, ones I couldn't answer, we sat and watched the news together and prayed. Finally my husband who by the way, has served his country called, to let me know his unit had been under a lock down and on high alert. He was safe and would be home later than normal. We live very close to the NCCO Airport, the NCCO Army National Guard & Military, even the President uses that airport to fly in and out of, the guards fly 3 planes in or out at a time. I'll never forget the eerie feeling of not hearing planes fly over after airspace had been restricted.
ReplyDeleteWe fly an American flag everyday at our house, I too wonder what happened to all the patriotism we saw in the days after 9/11. People seemed to be kinder to one another, no matter where you went. To this day I still watch, listen, cry, & pray for each name being read. I light a candle for each plane that went down. 5 years later, my only son's girlfriend's, Father -- would go to Iraq with his Army National Guard unit, a unit that hadn't seen a tour of duty since WWII. He had told my Steven, he needed him to step up and take care of his family while he was on tour and Steven was happy to do it. The day he came home from serving his 18 month tour of duty his heart rated dropped and he was rushed to the hospital for a pace maker.
He died very suddenly last August watching a Phillies game. I'll never forget that full Military funeral as long as I live. Ever.
As I traveled to Baltimore this summer to see Casey, on the Idol tour, our hotel was booked solid for a Fireman's convention in the city. I met so many Firemen, Police, and EMT's many of them from NYC. One man in particular who I spoke to lost 13 "brothers' that day. His voice cracked and tears started to fall, as he told his story. This year, I'm going to think of him too and keep praying.
Wow. Thanks for you comments on 911 & how it affected you. I too was glued to the TV for weeks. So many stories & accounts from family members who had phone calls. Just unbelievable...
ReplyDeleteSo sad, My husband who heard it on the radio, called me to tell me and I turned on the news while getting ready to go to my place of work at American Airlines. It was so devasting, I got sick at work and had to leave. I remember my son just staring at me as I sobbed and sobbed while watching the news. Beautiful pictures Jake. Your work is amazing, your heart is huge. Thank you. :(
ReplyDeleteI was a reservist working full time at Tinker AFB and will never forget that day and what I was doing and how it changed my life forever. Our unit was activated within a very short period of time and we were flying over DC and NYC to protect the airspace. I flew on an E-3 Sentry (AWACS) as an Airborn Battle Management Technician and our mission was to monitor all airspace within a certain radius of DC and NYC. Those were the longest missions ever but I can't remember a single person complaining...it was all we could do in such a devastating time to "help" in any way we could. Within a few weeks our unit was deployed overseas and I had to leave my sweet baby girl (who is 9 now) with her dad--those two bonded like I could not have ever imagined had I been home.
ReplyDeleteSo much has happened in the last 9 years that I can go back and say, "If 9/11 had never happened, what would I be doing today?" I was hurt while overseas in the line of duty and was medically discharged in March of 2005. I am now a single mother and my sweet girl has an angel for her "other" mom (I have a hard time calling her "step-mom" because of how wonderful she is). Because of 9/11, I now have the new Post 9/11 GI BILL benefit and am currently working on my MBA. There are so many things that I can directly point back to that day and say, if only that had been a normal day.
I am so proud to be an American and so proud of our many men and women that keep us protected. That day has shaped so many of us in such different ways and I pray we never forget that day, the day our world changed forever.
Thanks for your service & everything you did/do for our country!
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