I must admit I am impressed. I finished reading Fred First’s new book this weekend. I have been dragging out the finish quite frankly because I was enjoying the read so much and didn’t want it to be over.
Since I am cursed with an omnivorous appetite to read (thank God for the internet), I have read many books on a variety of subjects. There has always been a place in my heart for those few books I have stumbled across that weren’t widely read, but really spoke of a certain place in space and time and the authors connection there.
I have been following Fred’s journey for a relatively short time on his blog. It was his photo’s that first brought me in, but, it was the story which kept me coming back. And the audacity of his publishing his own book caused me to take him up on his pre-publication offer to pay the postage and order the book. I am very glad I did. I devoured the first half of the book and had to force myself to slow down and savor the remainder.
To give an idea of how much I was impressed by the word pictures I was seeing, I would divide my reading between the book itself and the archives at “Fragments From Floyd”. It was this reading and others that led me to begin to find my own voice and start this blog. You will find references to different conversations I found there in my archives and on Fred’s site. In many ways I find myself following in Fred’s footsteps, at 52 it’s nice to have someone up ahead breaking path. And his emails and blog posts are like calling back encouragement to those of us who are following.
Fred, keep strolling through the woods, keep taking photos, and keep writing. There are those of us out in the virtual community growing out of Floyd County, Virginia who will keep coming back to your front porch for the stories…and the companionship. Thanks, Fred.
And if you find yourself going over to visit with the Floyd County folks, tell ’em Gary sent ya…