Getting Back to the Roots

My last few post have been a little hurried, and not as well thought out, in an effort to catch myself up on the last few years. However, with this post I hope to give more insight into my upcoming projects and why they are so meaningful.

As mentioned from the beginning, these pieces mostly came from my great grandparents' house on Houston Ave in Macon, Ga. I am now reading a book about that part of Macon in the 1950's and 60's called 31206: The Boys of Willingham High. To others this book may not hold the significance it does to me, but my life has recently been coming full circle with my Macon heritage. Joe McDaniel's account of South Macon has only heightened my awareness of how deeply my Macon roots are planted. It is a great read about the value of diligence, determination, love, friendship, and never forgetting where your roots are planted. 

My father attended Willingham High, and so many other family friends did as well. Reading this book is really like going back in time. To here accounts from 25 other people who describe their childhood so similarly to my own parents' perspective, really proves Macon was the enchanting, wonderful place of the stories I have been regaled with since childhood. Hubert Wheeler, minister of music and youth at Mable White Baptist Church at this time, once described to my father the era in which he grew up. Hubert said it was a time where all the right people and personalities came together to create an experience that will never again be repeated. Hubert was right. The people of South Macon were not wealthy, but they were rich in moral fiber, pride, integrity, love, and faithfulness to their churches, family, and friends. These people went on to be some of GA's most respected citizens, and I am proud to be a product of their generation.

Recently, in addition to reading this book, I have been spending a lot of time in Macon. My husband and I, along with my parents have been helping make improvements to my grandparents' home. I have even taken many of my grandmother's plants and placed them in my own garden. Macon is not just in my blood, and my house, it is in my yard as well.

Finally, my connections to Macon end with a friend, Andrea Crawford, who recently moved there to pursue interior design. She has been an invaluable resource in helping me get my old Macon relics out of the basement, and updated to be seen in the house. She has recently worked on the Macon Historic Society House, and I am thrilled to have a new Maconite, working on my Macon pieces in Macon. Please check out her website: http://www.couturehouseinteriors.com/CoutureHouse/Home.html

Here are the pieces Andrea will be re-finishing for me soon! (I cannot wait to post before and after pics)

 

 

Each of these tables came from a different house in Macon. However, they are all Macon pieces. Two are from great-grandparent's, and one from a grandparent.

 

Here are the pieces that Andrea is working to have re-upholstered.

(Note: this pink chair is not from Macon. It will be reupholstered and placed in the dining room. I purchased two of them on Craigslist for $25 each. What a steal! The owners were the neatest people. Thomas Nash is a local Atlanta painter. He is maybe best known for his portrait of Newt Gingrich in the House of Representatives http://www.thomasnash.com/making/gingrich.htm.

How wonderful it is to meet such amazing people on craigslist!?

These chairs will always be a great conversation piece. Even when they are no longer pink!

 

Finally, these are the pieces, I am going to re-do myself. My friend Ashley Brown and I have decided to make a girls day out of it soon!

 

I am excited for all the projects ahead. It is so wonderful to work with great people on pieces that mean so much! I may not live in Macon anymore, but Macon definitely lives in me!