Charlene and James Redux

Last year I made newborn photos for Charlene Barela, a formerly-unhoused woman who has overcome enormous obstacles in her short life. 

Today I drove out to her grandparents’ farm again, this time in high summer, through fields of red clover and new-mown hay and along country lanes fragrant of blossoming sweet peas. Charlene’s grandmother is still working at her job while Charlene’s grandfather cares for the farm and animals. Her grandparents have given Charlene and James a stable, loving home, and Charlene has begun working for her high school diploma online. Charlene is even happier than she was the last time I saw her, and her confidence has grown. She showed me the albums she has made, using the photos I made last year and some others she has made with her phone. She has taken parenting classes and demonstrates excellent skills as a mom. James is a gurgling, affectionate baby who was unafraid of a stranger with a camera. I love the skin tones in this photo of the two of them, taken in the shade on the back porch. An extra is James, being adorable.

I bought a new modem this morning after a few unsatisfactory phone calls with people in India whose job it is to persuade me to sign up for a “bundle” of services that would double my already-sky-high phone bill. I resisted their importuning and went to a brick-and-mortar shop where I purchased a new “wireless” modem with four wires I think I hooked up to the right orifices. It seems to be working properly, though now my printer refuses to recognize my computer. I’m sure there is a setting somewhere....