Last year, Braelyn participated in a photography/writing project with the Ridgecrest Library. For several weeks, she went with a group of would-be photographers and writers to find another side of Ridgecrest they’d never seen and share it with the rest of us. This year, Nolan joined the second group of young people to venture out into our city in search of an alternate look.
Today we went to see the display of their projects. I thought I’d share Nolan’s.
These were this year’s participants. Nolan’s “blurb” that someone wrote about him reads: Nolan is a sweet, honest, funny type of guy. He is very attentive to his work and pays close attention to a lot of things going around. He’s one of those guys who listens to you when you have problems or when you’re just plain bored and lazy. He is truly an AMAZING friend and it’s great to BE his friend. So… THANK YOU NOLAN!!!! (emphasis theirs. Snort.)
One of the girls is from the homeschool group here in town (bottom left) and Nolan played against her in volleyball this year too. If I remember right, his team won. Go Nolan! (hee hee)
This was Nolan’s board. He was very fascinated by the architectural aspects of Ridgecrest. I think the firstp icture is probably my favorite, but the stairs are also very amazing.
He learned a lot about the Quonset huts around town, how they were used, and how they’ve been repurposed for use today.
The second picture is of the stairs of the USO Building which, you’ll see later, Braelyn also used on her board last year but from a different angle, and designed to make a different point.
Many of our oldest buildings and homes are cinderblock as shown in the third picture (top right. In this picture you see two windows in a cinderblock building which Nolan points out we no longer build with anymore.
The last picture captivated him. He was fascinated with the small rock sitting on top of the fence that wouldn’t quite fill the hole in it. I found the hole in the fence and the bottom hole in the old door to be an interesting similarity and contrast.
Doesn’t he look proud of his hard work. Snort. You can barelysee the board next to it, but it is Braelyn’s.
I had such a hard time getting this picture. An elderly gentleman spent five minutes or more reading every word Nolan wrote. It was kind of comical. I mean, on the one hand, I was so aggrivated; on the other, I was flattered for Nolan. His essay was:
RIDGECREST THROUGH THE YEARS
Ridgecrest is a unique town with widely varied architecture. From cinder block buildings and homes to repurposed Quonset huts left over from World War II, to more modern steel and glass buildings like the Civic Center, our town has progressed from utilitarian structures to sleek designs that combine function with a more aesthetically appealing façade. Originally, buildings began as simple places to serve a specific function, but over time people added on to them and redesigned them to serve other needs. Like the Quonset huts that now serve as automobile repair centers, even small houses in Ridgecrest are now redesigned as stores. There is even one house that now serves as tearoom.
The world changes quickly around us, but in every city there is usually a discernible blend between the old and the new. Ridgecrest is no exception. Newcomers drive down China Lake Boulevard and see our old hospital being converted and changed into a modernized facility, while across the street, new buildings dot the once empty landscape. As you turn onto Ridgecrest Boulevard, suddenly, the new buildings slowly give way to older ones. You can almost see the styles change yard by yard.
Some of the buildings are newly refurbished, and yet others seem to crumble a little more every time you drive past them. In the middle of one row of businesses, several buildings were razed and a new building built as though proof that the new will always find its way among the old.
Yes, I helped him take his words and polish them. He was very dissatisfied with how it was phrased until I took words like “practical” and redefined them as “utilitarian.” He wasn’t familiar with the concept of a facade, but he is now and now his essay doesn’t say “fake front.” Hee hee.
I finally managed to get a broad shot of both of their boards. Braelyn’s was titled “Ridgecrest Through My Lens” and focused on four words. Mystery, transformation, serendipity, and palimpsest. We all learned a new word. I’d never heard or seen the word palimpsest before this thing.
Palimpsest: something having usually diverse aspects or layers apparent beneath the surface.
Thought you oughtta know.
These are pictures that didn’t make the final cut, but they wanted to share some with the public. I wanted the bottom right to make Nolan’s final cut… it was one of the first he took I think (I think he took it!), but it really doesn’t fit the rest of the pictures so I think he was wise to leave it out.
Voila. The last pictures. That red door really grabs me. It’s
such a powerful little picture. I don’t know who took it, but I liked it.
I also think the heart in the gate was kind of symbolic. I love that glimpse into the heart of someone’s life so to speak.
I also think the greenery growing up through the storm grate. In Ridgecrest, even the possibility of something so green growing in the hottest months of our year, without good soil or sufficient water… is almost a miracle.
I sound like a boasting and proud mama. Maybe that’s cause I am. 
