Candler Park

Just returned from our annual 3 week trip back home to Atlanta. Though we packed-up and headed West for greener pastures nearly 10 years ago, the ATL will always be home. 

This trip was a little moodier than usual. I spent Juneteenth with my son at the High Museum, exploring exhibits on African American art and the larger artistic impact of the African Diaspora. A major highlight was the Tambor Party led by DJ Stan Zeff in the piazza. We danced and sang with many other native Atlantans from all backgrounds. It felt like a deep and resonant reconnection with home I didn't really know I needed. I also spent a few hours at one of my favorite locations to photograph, Oakland Cemetery (which gets its own blog post!) and I spent time with family doing family things - some of those things being heavier than others. It was a trip imbued with a little "extra" this year. I was really grateful for having the chance to experience that and I think it affected how I gazed at everything around me. 

When we're in Atlanta we stay in Candler Park with my MIL. Close to Emory and Little 5, it's an old leafy neighborhood full of Craftsman bungalows and a tiny market district with a few restaurants, an art gallery, a boutique wedding dress shop, and a neighborhood convenience store. The neighbohood is anchored on the West side by a public park full of huge old growth trees, a brand new playground, tennis courts, and a public swimming pool. The trees are the star in Candler Park, so I spent time this year exploring them in 820nm. The invisible infrared veil that shrouds the neighborhood is really quite spectacular. What a beautiful place.