Latest events

05-11-2010

I've been so busy lately and haven't written a whole lot. I was finally able to get some turkey pictures and a couple of Horned owls that I'd never even seen in the wild before.

The show at the Brunswick Hospital in March was well received.... but no sales.

I have put the word out in a few places that I would like to do a book about Zirkle and have stories and pictures.

The river was almost getting to where I like it for pictures on the Little Satilla and now has jumped back up from the rains last week.

Getting ready for our trip to Montana and Yellowstone in August.

The 2nd issue of the Brantley Magazine with another one of my photos is on the front cover and turned out really nice.

CSX is willing to help with our SatillaRiverkeeper and Rivers Alive clean-up this coming year and I'm still finding plenty of trash left behind so I guess there will be some to get. It would be nice to have a river clean-up and not have anything to do!

One of my river pictures will be auctioned off to help the SatillaRiverkeeper organization at the Spring Gala on Jekyll Island this Saturday the 15th.

Brantley County has a new brochure promoting our county with my photos on it.

I'm doing a show for the month of May at the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross and the reception is Thursday the 13th from 5-7pm. Come out if you will.

Here is a shot I got of the turkeys and of the trash I found just a few feet away from the river.

wayne

www.waynemorganphotography.com

(912)288-0810

Nahunta Jail

03-18-2010

The walls are dark, damp and dreary. The steel bars are cold and hard. Pencil scribblings cover the walls and are on almost every brick that appears to have been repainted several times over the years from occupants of the Nahunta Jail. Some seem to be looking for religion while others definitely are not. Most of the names that are written apparently had something to do with why they were behind these bars and are not highly thought of by their quotations. A few good artists have spent some time here with a cigar smoking pig with a star on his hat and chest on one wall with Jesus holding up his hand on another. Bugs Bunny, old hot rod car and a Georgia Bulldog sign grace the wall of another cell. Several hand written monthly calendars from 2007 with most of the days marked through are on one with bible quotes scattered throughout with one eye catching note in one of the womens cell - "I MISS MY SON!"

The two large cells have four steel racks coming from two walls for bunk beds while the smaller cells have two. There is one shower stall in the corner and each has one toilet sitting out in the open. No privacy here.

It seems only fitting that Trey Keene and his workers are cutting the steel out of the old jail. He probably don't remember his grandpa but Arthurs Liquor store was once a popular place right across the street. I use to work in a pool hall when I was 16 years old between the jail and the redlight and could watch Arthur sitting on his cement bench waiting for customers to stop in and take out a brown bag or two of their favorite beverage. He was a rather large man with a rather large moustache and rumor was that he would put a whole pack of Redman in his jaw at a time. Many of his regular patrons spent many a nights sobering up in the old jail across the street. Arthur and his store are gone now and so shall the old jail be.

The power has been cut off to the building and while I was inside taking photographs the wind blew the heavy steel door shut and I was almost in total darkness except for the little peep hole in the door. The sound of that door shutting sent chills up my spine as I could only imagine what that would sound like knowing this would be my living quarters for at least a little while.

My uncle Charlie passed away a few months ago and I know he spent quite a bit of time behind these bars. Several years ago he thought he had been in there long enough and decided to leave...... without permission. When he got to the county line he called the office of the jail and asked '

"Do you have Charlie Davis in your jail?"

"Yes we do" the operator replied.

"No you don't! I'm gone and will catch you later."

Which they eventually did.

I asked him before he died how he escaped and all he said was "spoon and a toothbrush. Made me a key."

I'm sure there are lots of stories about the old Nahunta jail that has been a part of Brantley Counties history that will never be known.

Here is a picture of the demolition of the Nahunta Jail and the latest issue of the Brantley County Magazine.

wayne

Getting got

03-09-2010

I've found out over the years that people at work will try out the new guy to see how he takes things. Sometimes called "getting got." One I just heard about last week was a new young supervisor from New Jersey was told by a worker that a part was needed - a stool sample valve. Supervisor went to the storeroom and ordered the much needed part and found out he had been "got." Don't think he was too happy.

On other jobs I've had people have been sent to the tool room for pipe stretchers, board stretchers, sky hooks and a hen way. When they go ask somebody what's a hen way the answer usually comes back "oh about 4 or 5 pounds."

A story was told about a man when he was new on a job many many years ago this old quiet black man that he respected and enjoyed working around supposedly had a daughter that could really dance. Several people kept telling this young man to tell ole Mo he wanted to see his daughter and he finally got up the nerve to ask one day.

He walked over to Mo and said "I heard your daughter can really dance like crazy. When can I come see her?"

Ole Mo was sitting on his bucket over in the corner, looked up at him and said "that ain't funny man, my daughter has polio and cain't even walk!" Jeff felt like crawling under the nearest rock and ran away from there in a hurry. Later on he found out none of it was true and he had been "got." Most of the time things are not that cruel.

One of the first days on the job for me I was told by a co-worker to go check the oil in a certain locomotive. When I opened the door to the engine compartment there was this huge cement block sitting where the engine usually sits. I knew right then I had been "got." I closed the doors back and when asked later how was the oil level I just said it was full. No need to get mad about it.

I'm doing a show at the Brunswick Hospital for the month of March and this picture is when things were being hung. The other picture is one I took at Zirkle a while back and am going to enter it in a photo contest in Valdosta in a couple of weeks.

wayne

"Spur of the Moment"

02-23-2010

A little over a year ago when I was training at the redi-center in Atlanta for my new job with CSX a question was asked on one of the tests that was something like "Do you sometimes do things on the spur of the moment?" I know the correct answer was supposed to be "no" because you can get hurt or do something stupid if you don't take your time and think about what you are doing. At work I can see where that would be the right thing to do but usually when I go taking pictures the "spur of the moment" thing happens a great deal. I will be going one direction and all of a sudden I decide to go somewhere else. "Instinct or gut feeling?" I don't really know. This morning it was foggy and I went to a couple of different places that I normally go and as I came up to this road that turns off of the river road I decided to turn left and visit the church where my granny and grandaddy are buried. Going around the "Road Closed" sign I pulled up to the opening in front of the church and there was a whole herd, covey, bunch or whatever a group of turkeys are called. I've been telling men at work I want to go with them sometime and get some turkey pictures and here are sixteen standing here posing for me. I shut my truck off and after they ran for a short distance quit paying any attention to me as they fed back and forth in front of the church. If I had not done the "spur of the moment" thing and turned down this road I would have missed this opportunity.

wayne

02-09-2010

We almost decided to head north on my two days off today and yesterday but things are kind of busy right now so it didn't happen. The Satilla is out of the banks and not the way I like it to take pictures so that is not working for me. Stayed at my daughters all day yesterday digging holes for a new fence they are putting across the front of their property and didn't come home 'til almost dark. There are a couple of big ponds or small lakes on the Raybon rock road and they are full and running over the spillways. I stopped and did a long time exposure to catch the foam of the overflowing water. Being I couldn't go take waterfall pictures in the mountains and the Zirkle dam is not even shootable with my longest lens sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.

I've got two big shows coming up soon. The bottom floor of the Brunswick Hospital will be the month of March and I'll be doing a show at the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross in May. Hope everyone can come check them out.

wayne

www.waynemorganphotography.com

Refections of '09

January 05, 2010

The year of 2009 was an event full and busy time for me as I reflect back on some of the things that happened.

My first year with my new job at CSX.

Pa-in-law Ralph passed away.

Uncle Jerry passed away.

Uncle Charlie passed away.

Brother-in-law Stanley passed away.

My friend John that gave me my Nikon cameras passed away.

Mom almost did the same.

Me and Bonnie celebrated our 25 year wedding anniversary.

My 10 year pace-maker check up found me running on a tread mill until almost passing out. (They said I passed the test.)

Won 1st place at the Okefenokee Heritage Center photography show.

Did a month long show at the AW Jones Heritage Center on St. Simons.

Daughter celebrated her one year anniversary at her Sisters & Company cosmetology shop in Hoboken.

Son graduated from BCHS high.

Bonnie had a major operation to remove a cyst off of her esophagus.

Finally got around to cranking the engine in my dads truck that I rebuilt right after he passed away in 2001.

1st issue of the BRANTLEY MAGAZINE came out with one of my photos on the cover.

Met country music star Tracy Lawrence.

Received a thank you note from former president Jimmy Carter for the river photos he got earlier in the year.

Cleaned up around pa-in-laws house where junk yard once was. (Still not finished.)

Helped clean up about 3 more tons of trash out of the Satilla River.

Hobbled around with a heel spur part of the year until finally getting a painful shot to relieve the pain.

Worked about 1/2 the year part time at Lowes while working full-time on trains.

Shot photos for one of my best friends daughters wedding along with pictures for the Brantley Express and in my spare time taking some for myself around Brantley County and the Satilla River.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but this is most of the highs and lows of my year gone by and who knows what 2010 is going to be like.

Speaking of reflections. Here are two I've taken lately of the Satilla River.

wayne

http://www.waynemorganphotography.com/

R.I.P. JHS

12-11-2009

"He said I'll love you 'til I die..... Went half crazy now and then. He still loved her through it all. Hoping she'd come back again. They placed a wreath upon his door and soon they'll carry him away. He stopped loving her today." George Jones

A friend suggested a couple of years ago that I start sending pictures and stories about my photo taking trips to a man in Iraq. John replied back that he appreciated getting them and always talked about a long lost girlfriend that he hoped to marry soon when he was home from the war. The first time I met him he slid a black box over to me to look at. Inside was a black and silver case full of Nikon camera equipment. He said "it's yours. Just keep sending me photos when I go back to war. I bought two of these kits - one for you and one for my girlfriend."

The next time I saw him he was a mess. Anxiety, depression and vodka. The marriage didn't happen, he was heart broken and getting ready to go back to Iraq.

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the ex-girlfriend. John was dead and she didn't know any details. Last week I got an email from her wanting me to come over to Brunswick and pick up the camera. I walked in her office and saw a black and silver box sitting near her bookcase. She pointed at it and said "John wanted you to have it. Just remember him when you use it."

I opened it up and it was still in the plastic , never been used and just like the one he had given me.

The last post card I received from John was from Iraq with a picture of a temple on the front with a hand written note on the back. "I shall be one of the few Americans who lived & worked on the sacred grounds of Babylon. Peace to your Family."
JHS

John struggled with a lot of issues and told me his life was a mess but he was good at saving other peoples lives as a medic.

I didn't know you long my friend. May you now rest in peace JHS.

wayne