Essence Of Saratoga

Essence Of Saratoga 

By John R. Greenwood

The song is Pretty World By Sam Baker

After spending a weeks vacation working around the house I awoke at 5am with a creative thirst that needed quenching. I grabbed my camera and car keys and headed down to Broadway in Saratoga Springs, NY. There is never a lack of something to photograph in Saratoga. It was a quiet Saturday morning and the streets were empty. I love the hours of 5-7am. There is something about the combination of light, sound, and smell that make early morning different than any other time of day. I was looking for color and life without people this morning. That seemed to be the theme. Life via color and composition. Views from within the heart and eyes. Love of life from your surroundings is essential for true happiness. It's how we digest our life that provides true nourishment. If you slice through it without slowing to savor the aroma of fresh dirt or sizzling bacon you are doomed to a life of yesterdays. Life is now regardless of your age. Children don't think, they just play in the moment. If we over think our daily bread we miss out on life's basic principles. This morning was zero thinking. It was all about opening my arms and eyes wide and embracing anything that passed through the viewfinder. I hope you enjoy this slideshow of photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them. They were a gift I accepted with gratitude. Thank you Saratoga, you look great! 

Photo Mystery

Photo Mystery
By John R. Greenwood

Solved Unsolved Mystery

Being born in Saratoga Springs and growing up a few miles north in Greenfield Center has given me the privilege of having a lifetime worth of history sprinkled throughout them both. In my recent, "Search For A Sign From Clem," I have discovered family scrapbooks at the public library. I have reunited with high school friends, and made some new friends on the other side of the country. That was my hope when I began searching for signs. I never once believed it would be so intriguing. 

Here is another wonderful example. 

I had posted a link to a slideshow of family photos on a site called Greenfield Remembered. A comment appeared shortly after. A woman said one of the photos caught her attention. She was certain the women on the left was her mother Emily. Her mother Emily's family lived a short distance from my grandparents. She knew her mother was a friend of my aunt Millie. I knew the women on the right was my aunt but I never did know who the other woman was. Most of the photos my mother passed down had no names on the backs. I  loved this photo because of the sheer joy it exuded. There was such happiness in their faces. They were young and probably celebrating a special occasion. 

I needed to confirm the identity so I dug back through the family collection to see if I could find the photograph. I found the photo and turned it over. There as clear as a bell was confirmation that it was indeed her mother Emily and her friend Millie, my aunt. 

I began searching again-as I am prone to do. I figured if they were friends and neighbors, I might just uncover another photo of the two of them. As I carefully sorted through to the bottom of the pile, I recognized a couple of now recognizable faces. 


The photograph had lead me from Greenfield Center all the way back to Congress Park in Saratoga, and it all started with a little search for a sign from Clem...

Saratoga Winter Morning by John R. Greenwood