[Leica] IMG: Mystery Solved

[bjq1 at mac.com (Bernard Quinn)]

Easter Sunday morning is a good time for solving mysteries, and  
today's Sunday Shot is the answer to a puzzle. When I first sent out  
a picture of these ruins several weeks ago I had no idea about their  
name or history. One of our fellow LUGGERs, John Braun, who lives in  
Columbia, MD, suggested that I contact the Talbot County Historical  
Society where the church is located. My friend Ray Hardy, one of the  
world's distinguished cello makers saw the picture. ( His son David  
is the Principal Cellist of the National Symphony Orchestra, by the  
way.) Ray is also an excellent photographer. He showed the picture to  
two friends of his, David Crandel, who is a professional  
photographer, and The Rev. Lyle Buck, a Presbyterian minister. The  
three of them formed a team to track down the story of this ruin. Ray  
got in touch with Ms. Beth Hanson, the Curator of the Talbot County  
Historical Society. She knew the answer.

These are the ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church. They are located  
on the Miles River, in Unionville, MD, not far from the town of St.  
Michael's. The chrch was built in the 1830's, and was in regular use  
through the late 1890's when the congregation declined. It was closed  
in the early 1900's when several people were injured as some pieces  
of the ceiling fell on them during services. The church has been  
deconsecrated for the past century.

I am sending this picture today because it is also become my own  
personal Easter story. In 1990 I was in a serious bicycle accident. I  
broke my hip and pelvis. Complications developed. My hip became very  
arthritic and I became so lame that I had a lot of trouble walking  
even short distances, though I tried not to let in get in the way of  
my photography. (Edward Weston is reputed to have said, "If it's more  
than 100 feet from the car it's not scenic!" Believe me, I know  
exactly what he meant.) Last July I had my hip replaced. What makes  
this picture an Easter story is that I took it with my Leica M8 with  
my 24mm f 2.8 Elmar lying on my stomach in the muddy grass. I took  
seven or eight different shots from this perspective. I had no  
trouble crawling around or getting up an down. Weather or not this  
was a prudent thing for someone who will be 65 in a few weeks to be  
doing is different question! :-) This is my Easter Sunday picture  
because there is no way in the world I could have taken this picture  
six months ago. My new hip is a gift of Biblical proportions.


http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Barney/St_Johns.jpg.html

Comments and Criticisms Welcome!

Barney