Shoot First; Ask Questions Later

As my friend Susan and I were making our way through the dewy grass toward the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in Saint Charles, Illinois, we were wondering out loud what we had decided our weekly meet-ups were called.

"Was it Coffee and Cameras?" Susan asked.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, English professor. Should it be alphabetical?" I asked. "Cameras and Coffee?"

"Well, today we're going to take pictures first, and then go out for coffee, so I guess today it's Cameras and Coffee, and sometimes it has been Coffee and Cameras."

Coffee and Cameras. Cameras and Coffee. I suppose it doesn't really matter the order, but today, we basically decided to shoot first, and ask questions later. 

Whatever it's called, I'm just glad we do it. 

Today we explored the community gardens beside Hickory Knolls Discovery Center. The well-tended plots were full of plants heavy with ripening vegetables. The sunflowers were so huge and heavy, they hung their heads, looking like forlorn and road-weary travelers. Tomatoes were red and ready for picking, and the pumpkins were turning deeper shades of orange in preparation for the harvest. The plots were surrounded by zinnias, marigolds, and other brightly colored flowers whose names I do not know. 

After only walking partway up a mown path, and across another path to the parking lot, we decided we would come back soon to explore the trails further, and take more pictures. Then we headed off for a local Barnes and Noble, knowing we could find a quiet spot in the Starbucks there to talk and visit. 

Nearly every week, Susan and I get together to practice our photography and visit at a local coffee shop, but not always in that order. Sometimes we get exotic drinks like Lavender Lattés, or Lemon Mint tea, but mostly we just get plain, hot coffee with cream. I always sweeten mine; Susan never does. 

We decided early on that there would be no complaining about our husbands during our koffee klatch time. Complaint sessions wouldn't last very long for us anyway. We both married well, and we know to count our blessings. Our husbands are the patient, loyal types, who put our needs before their own. We know that we are their first priorities. We aspire to be as good as the men we married. 

Susan and I talk about our children, our grandchildren, and the families of our childhoods. We talk about our dreams for the future, and our photography, and our writing. We talk about God, and church, and becoming the women God wants us to be. It is so wonderful to have a face-to-face friend here in Illinois. It took me a long time to feel like I belong here in the Midwest, but now I really do.

Everyone needs a friend like Susan; someone who lifts your spirits, and always has a kind word. I hope I can be the friend to her that she has been to me. 

I knew just how lucky I was today when I realized I had a friend that would shoot with me, and ask questions later, or vice versa. Asking questions, and then shooting works, too, especially when you are friends who are photographers.