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Submitted by Samatar 02/19/10 7:54 AM GMT
As Mimi is having trouble with her computer this week it is my pleasure to present on her behalf this months artist spotlight: PatAndre!
I thank you all for this honor. Caedes has meant a lot to me ever since I discovered it in Feb of 2006 while exploring the Kim Kamando website.
My proper name is Patricia Andrepont but if anyone calls me anything other than “Pat” I’ll get my shotgun out. I was born in Dayton, OH in Nov of 1944. My parents moved to the country when I was a young teenager so I could have a horse. I have always loved horses. On Saturdays, I would throw a pair of saddlebags and a bedroll on her along with a packed lunch and “head out” for parts unknown. I also participated in rodeos (barrel racing) and could stand up on my horse’s back while galloping thru the pasture. Nowadays, I am lucky if I can just stand up.
I graduated from Brookville High School near Dayton, OH and went to college at nearby Cedarville University and majored in Public Address. I graduated in 1969. I moved to Windham, Oh where I taught school for awhile. I decided to go for a Masters Degree so I started graduate work at Kent State University. I happened to be there when that infamous shooting and riot dubbed “The May 4th Massacre” (1970) broke out. I’ll never forget that day.
To help pay for this education, I took on part time work at Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant in Ravenna, Oh, where grenades for the Viet Nam war were being assembled. I was making more money there than teaching so I gave up teaching and began working full time at the plant. It was there that I met my husband (Ernie) who had retired from the Air Force. He was working there as a government inspector. He came along one day and started criticizing the way I was handling black powder. I told him where he could stuff his criticism. We decided not to let lots of good fights go to waste so in 1970 we married. I’ll never forget it-he gave the preacher five bucks and took off with me.
Ernie was from Louisiana so we moved down there in the early 70’s where we ran two service stations for awhile. On a wild whim (long story) I joined the Air Force in 1974 and spent 12 yrs as a Services Officer in charge of dining halls, billeting, mortuary affairs and Search and Recovery when airplanes crashed- all in all a thankless job. I had intentions of staying in till eligible for retirement but that did not happen-another long story.
I can remember always being fascinated by big trucks for whatever reason, so when I got out of the Air Force, I went to truck driving school and hit the road for the first time in August of 1986. I stayed at that for 19 plus years and loved every minute of it. I drove coast to coast and Canada. My husband’s health kept deteriorating and in Nov of 2004 I had to give up truck driving and take care of my husband. I lost him to COPD in April of 2007. My own health was getting bad as well (back trouble which started in the Air Force). I have been pretty much disabled with that ever since and have to get around with a rolling walker.
As for photography…………I remember taking lots of pictures in the Air Force. I really enjoyed photography when stationed in Japan for four years. Ernie bought me a Canon A1 and also a Canon AE1 (film). I don’t know when digital cameras first came on the scene or when I got my first digital but I have a Canon Rebel XT (350D). I also have a Canon 40D, two Canon 50D’s (all for sale by the way, stateside only) and a Canon 5D Mark II. I’m contemplating buying the Canon 7D for it’s 8fps but am still undecided.
The Caedes website has definitely made me a better photographer. I loathe the C-score system but I’ll have to admit that when an image gets a low score, it pushes me to try to understand why and do better.
Who has inspired me? From a photography standpoint that would have to be owd Bob. He took me under his wing not long after I joined the site. Thankyou so much, Bob.
Favorite images? Oh my gosh, that’s a tough one. “Oak Alley”? “Alone In A Watery World”? “Fall On The Bayou”? “Chicot State Park Fall Beauty 2009”? “Almost Done”? I think I can nail one particular one down called “Window Through The Cypress”. That has to be my favorite.
Now, you have no idea how many of your images (Caedes members images) I have saved as “Favorites”. I have 157 pages of them. You might want to look through my “Favorites” if your trying to find an older image that scored well. It’s probably in there.
Thank you all for your many wonderful friendships, support in tough times and just being a great bunch of people. Caedes, you have done a great thing here in your development of this site. Whatever you do, keep it up and running.
Owd Momma (Pat)
