A Cure for the Doldrums

Healan Mill, Hall County, Georgia

Fuji X-Pro1, Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 lens

(Click to enlarge)

 

I've been in the doldrums lately, feeling out of sorts and a little depressed. Of course, the last election was enough to depress anyone who cares about America's future. But it's not just that. The last several years have been a long, hard slog, as we worked to get our house and property ready to sell at the highest possible price, then the intensity of making a quick decision about which fifth-wheel camper to buy, moving out of our house and into the camper, preparing for the estate sale, getting settled in the RV -- lots to do and not much of it fun. And then of course, concern about Louise's upcoming surgeries, the first of which is thankfully behind us.

Last week I was telling Louise about how I felt and she said, "You haven't been out and about with your cameras since forever! No wonder you're feeling down. In a few weeks, after I've recovered enough from my first surgery to be able to be by myself for a while I want you to take your cameras and spend some time on the road. You need to get started on the new edition of Backroads and Byways of Georgia anyway."

How lovely to have a wife who understands! 

It is not good for a photographer's psyche to go very long without photographing.

In early 2018 I was in a similar, but not as bad, doldrum. I took a day, just one day, and went across to northeast Georgia, one of my favorite parts of the state. This post features two of the photographs I made that day.

The Healan Mill near Lula, Georgia was built in 1852 by William Head. It was in poor condition when I first photographed it in 2016, but has recently been completely restored by Hall County as the centerpiece of a park. The lovely brook that powered the mill in its working days is actually the headwater of the North Oconee River.

The Ragsdale Mill on Nail's Creek near Homer was built by the Reverend Francis Marion Ragsdale in 1863. The millstones were imported from France and brought into Savannah during the Civil War by blockade runners slipping by the U.S. Navy guarding the port. In its heyday, the mill included a threshing machine and a sawmill.

Ragsdale Mill, Banks County, Georgia

Fuji X-T20, Fujinon XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OISII lens

 

I had photographed the Ragsdale Mill for Backroads and Byways of Georgia in 2016, but wanting something a little more dramatic than the photograph I submitted for the book, I fought my way through the undergrowth to the bottom of the cascade -- something I would not have done in warmer weather. If you know why country people look down when they walk, you'll understand.

Both photographs, by the way, are jpegs straight out of the camera, except that I burned in the right side of the Ragsdale Mill picture slightly.

I returned home well after dark but thoroughly refreshed. Looking forward to hitting the road again.

Photographs copyright 2021, David B.Jenkins

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week.

Soli Gloria Deo

For the glory of God alone

Tags: Dave Jenkins, photography, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, Healan Mill, Lula, Georgia, Hall County, Homer, Ragsdale Mill, the Reverend Francis Marion Ragsdale, Fuji X-T20, Fujinon XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OISII lens, Fuji X-Pro1, Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 lens