March 1, 2010

Wow things got a little rough around here for the last little bit. My internet has messed up and I am unable to get on line to blog at home. So you might see me sitting at McDonalds blogging. Please don't hesitate to stop me and introduce your self to me or just to say hello.


Not only did I loose my internet connection but my brother was spending time with me as we worked on designing skateboard skins and shirts. While he was here he started having seizers and I ended up taking him to Nashville where we stayed 3 days in the hospital. He's doing better now an will be going back to the Doctor tomorrow. And I am back to work and blogging again. I missed blogging and meeting my neighbors last week.

I believe I still have a few more pictures and stories to blog from the lions club. I will be checking on that tonight and get those added to the blog tomorrow.

Again I am thankful for the understanding and being able to get back to the blog and meeting my neighbors again.

February 11, 2010 Roger Schmidt

I would like to personally welcome Roger Schmidt and his Wife to Portland. As they just moved to Portland the week before I met him at the Lions club meeting. Roger was a guest at the Loins Club luncheon as I was last Thursday. I was able to spend a little time talking with Roger and it didn't take long to figure out his passion for his church or his wife. We discussed camera's, since he said his wife had one something about like mine that she took pictures of there children with and that friends had started asking her to take pictures of there children. He said that we would get along good. I look forward to meeting her. His other passion is his Church. He is the new Pastor at The Highland Seventh-day Adventist Church in Portland. When I told Roger that he needed to share the word about Project Portland to his Church family he said that he had 720 members that he could tell about Project Portland. Roger had no problem jumping into Project Portland and posing for a picture.

http://www.highlandadventist.org/

February 11, 2010 William Collinsworth

I also met William Collinsworth at the Lions Club meeting. William moved to Portland in 1994 to find work. He has since become disabled and spends time with the lions club and in December he puts on his red suite and gives candy canes out all day around Portland until Christmas. I guess one could say William likes to make people smile, I know he made me smile as we talked and cut up while I was taking his picture. As you can tell in his picture he has the real beard and he says that he doesn't plan on shaving it off. You know that makes for a better Santa's Helper. We even discussed maybe teaming up this year for Santa pictures.

February 11, 2010 Donald and Bea Curtis

Donald and Bea Curtis are husband and wife Lions Club members. I had the pleasure of meeting these two and Photographing them. I was not able to spend a lot of time with Donald and Bea for they had to leave to go to a funeral. I was able to learn that Donald moved to Portland in 1962 when he and Bea bought a farm and made Portland there home. If I remember correctly Bea was born in Portland. I would like to be able to sit down with the two and learn so much more. I am sorry for your loss and would like to say Thank you for taking the time that you was able to take to participate in Project Portland.

February 11, 2010 Lions Club

While I was invited back to the Lions club meeting on February 11, 2010 to meet with the members and discuss project Portland and to take pictures of the ones that are ready. This was great. Everyone welcomed me and my idea. Many of them were ready to participate. I enjoyed meeting each one of the members and learning so much about them and what they do for the community. For more information on the lions club http://www.portlandtn.com/lions_club.htm

February 10,2010 Brandi Youngblood Cole

Brandi Youngblood Cole is my daughter and she stopped by today to do her part in the project. We moved to Portland the summer before Brandi started the 7th grade. Brandi Graduated from Portland High School in 2005 and went to Western Kentucky University before she married Kyle Cole in January 2007. Brandi moved to Mississippi with Kyle for a little while and moved back to settle down in Portland in 2009. I know that made me a happy momma. Brandi has been thinking about going into the medical field to become a nurse but her real passion has been culinary. What every Brandi chooses to do, I know that she will do he best and give it her all. If you see Brandi out in town make sure to tell her hello.

February 9,2010 Wayne Bandy

I was able to talk to Wayne Bandy at Pharmacy Express again. Wayne showed me his Passion to help people an his concerns by taking time to talk to me about my medicines that I am taking and I do appreciate him taking time to do this. Thanks again Wayne.

Wayne is a lifelong resident and Pharmacist that shows he cares by calling his customers by name when he sees them. It was like he knew everybody. Wayne is a pharmacist with his services geared toward customer satisfaction. Most times you can find Wayne at Pharmacy Express located at 105 North Broadway in Portland.

While I was at the Lions club meeting Thursday Wayne was there. While we were enjoying the lunch we talked some more and I learned that he is just a Year older than me. I told Wayne about the "A little about me" form that I have for the project because I am not about to remember every thing about each person that I talk to. When I asked him if he would like to share something on the form. Wayne was glad to fill out the form. This is where I learned that we are close to the same age and that he is proud to be apart of the Lions club and Portland. When Wayne was asked a few things he would like to share on the form he said

" I love Portland, Born and Raised here. Have business here and hope to dye here. Even with Portland's few faults it is still the best place in the world to live. The folks are friendly and caring. "

February 9,2010

It's been a few days since I have been able to blog. I would like to explain why and apologize. I have been having some medical problems over the last few months and now I am having to go for multiple test because the Doctor thinks I might have Lupus. I will not let this keep from from finishing this project. The rough days or the trips to the Doctors office may cause me to miss some days but I still look forward to meeting each one of my Portland neighbors and photograph them for this project. Thank you for being patient and understanding.

Friday January 29, 2010

Incase you were unable to read the article in the Portland leader this week you can read it on the internet. http://www.portlandleader.net/articles/2010/01/28/news/16203038.txt Due to the weather I was not able to be out meeting people today. I am sorry for this but I don't drive in the snow or ice.

Wednesday January 27,2010

Good evening. Did you check out today’s Portland Leader? This project is on the front page.
I would like to wish Wayne Bandy and my father in law Cordell Kepley a Happy Birthday today.

As far as the project goes, tomorrow I will be around town close to Main St. shooting pictures if you see me and you are ready please feel free to stop me. I will be more than happy to shoot your pictures.

I will start posting Pictures and stories tomorrow. Please mark this blog to follow so that it will be easy to keep up with the progress.

Thank you all for the support by reading the blog.

Melissa

January 26, 2010

Oh boy what a day today was. I started out by heading to the Mayor's office to tell him about Project Portland and to see if I could get him to pose for a picture. But he was in a meeting, so I left the paper explaining project Portland for him. I will have to check back tomorrow and try to catch him.

Next stop, Pharmacy Express to tell Wayne Bandy about what I was doing. Wayne said he could see where it would be a good thing and good for the history of Portland . He talked about how he would like for his children to be able to look at a book and see pictures of people and places of Portland when they hear stories. I know that I would love to see some pictures of the people my grandfather told me stories about so I could put a face to the name. Wayne is helping to pass the word about Project Portland and because he feels so strongly about this project, he has made a donation to help this to succeed. I am going back Thursday to take Wayne and his employee’s pictures for the project. Thank you Wayne for all that you have done for this project. I enjoyed talking to you about this.

Next stop Chamber of Commerce where I met Amy Wald. I enjoyed spending time talking to Amy. She liked the idea so much that she has invited me to attend the Thursday Kiwanis meeting so that we can spread the news about the project to all of them. And she will be posing for picture before the meeting. Thank you Amy for all that you are doing for the project, it was fun spending time talking to you today.

After spending time at the Chamber of Commerce I moved down the street to the Senior center where I spread the word of what I was doing to Jamie. He had just finished playing the Wii with some of the ladies but he took time out to talk to me for awhile. Jamie said when I got finished at the Chamber Thursday to come on by the senior center and they would be ready for their pictures.

Well it looks like I have a lot going on Thursday. So until then, I will be taking pictures of my family and getting ready for Thursday. Don't forget to grab a Portland Leader tomorrow and look for the story on the project.

Until Tomorrow.

January 25, 2010

Today January 25, 2010

I tried to shoot my own picture today for the project and for the paper. I guess I am just not as fast as I once was. I just couldn't set the camera up and get my self posed good before it would shoot. So I called in some back up. My oldest daughter Brandi (Youngblood) Cole came to the rescue. I gave her a quick lesson on how to use my back up camera. I think she did really good. What do you think?

Ok I upload this picture to the paper for the artical they are writing on this project for Wednesday's paper.

But to my surprise they wanted a picture of me taking a picture for the project. So another phone call and my other daughter Tayler Louden jumped right in and let me take her picture for the project while Brandi took our pictrue. From what I understand this will be the cover story and picture in Wednesday's Portland Leader.

Well thats all I have for tonight. I think I am going to talk to the Mayor tomorrow and see if I can get him to pose for a pictrue for the project. Oh and that will be a good day to stop by the pool hall and capture some of the guys.

Week one

Week one of Project Portland was spent getting my thoughts together on how to go about this and what needed to be done.



I saw Sonya Thompson the editor of the Portland Leader at Foodlion one night this last week. I decided that if I was going to be able to accomplish this project I needed to tell people about it so I mentioned my project to her. To my surprise Thursday afternoon Sonya called me and asked more about Project Portland. After telling her more about the project she agreed that we needed something to help bring neighbors back to the way we were in the past. It's like turning the clock back to the day when we knew our neighbors. Sonya asked if I would be interested in it being a feature story. Well of coarse that would be wonderful and I would be so honored to have this story ran in the Portland Leader. Cherie is writing the story now and I am starting my first shots with my husband Kenny. Cherie wanted a picture to run with the story so today as I shoot my first picture for the project, my daughter Tayer will be shooting a picture of me shooting a picture of Kenny. Tomorrow I will be going to talk to the mayor about the project in hopes of him being willing to pose for a picture for me. Check back tomorrow to see if he does it.


Now the Project begins. First shots will happen today.

The Launch of Project Portland

Project Portland was Launched on January 15, 2010

On Portland's own WQKR 95.9FM 1270AM

http://www.wqkr.com/

In Project Portland I am setting out to meet and Photograph

every resident of Portland, TN.

I estimate this to be a year long project.

I look forward to every photograph and to hear the stories from each one.

You can help by passing the word around town for residents

that my not have heard about the project yet.

Bookmark this blog and check back often as

I will be journalizing this project as I go with pictures

and some of the stories

or follow me on Twitter.com/Melissakepley

With enough community support and involvement

we will once again know our neighbors

once every resident has been photographed

lets turn it into a community photo book.

Project Portland T-Shirts will be available soon

to help promote and support this project.

If you have not been able to take part in Project Portland please contact me at 615-403-3259
or E-mail me at ProjectPortland@comcast.net to let me know where I can find you.
I would love to have every resident of Portland, TN. to participate in this Project.

I look forward to meeting each of you.