The bike was on hold, I barely found time to shoot a picture a day that week. I made the time for a weekend trip to a reenactment in Tennessee. I invested in a wooden tripod to use with the old Polaroid camera just for that trip. I was giving serious thought to getting some period clothing and camping gear. I hadn't gotten into it quite enough to sleep on the ground. I was still sleeping in local motels when I met Jenny, not that it made any difference.

Jenny was a most remarkable women. She was part of the Tennessee re enactor group. She was played what could only be called a camp follower. One of the women who moved with the troops. In the real war they were probably old crones. Jenny was as far from that as I was from respectability.

I saw her first during the day at the encampment. She was frying corn bread cakes for the men to eat with their beans and bacon. She was attractive enough to be noticed and even remembered, but it was in the evening that she captured my heart and those of a lot more like me.

I got invited to join the social hour after the day's battle. The re enactors had built camp fires all around the old home place where the encampment was taking place. At one fire the number of men was easily ten times that of any other. At that campfire a woman's beautiful voice split the dark. Her voice seemed to make even the most tired of men sit up and take notice. She sang hymns in that beautiful southern accented voice. It made grown men cry, even though these men were in no danger of dying tomorrow. I could image the effect such a woman might have had on troops headed into battle the next day. That might have been what we were all feeling, even if we didn't really understand it.

I waited until the next day to approach her. "Ma'am my name is John Abba, I am a photographer."

"I know who you are Mr. Abba. People around here talk about the images on your web site. I even got to see the site this morning. The miracles of modern science. I would be drummed out of the camp followers and prostitute league, if anyone knew that I kept my fancy phone hidden in my petty coats."

"You might have read on the site that I make only one image a day. I would like today's image to be you."

"I would be most honored to be your image of the day."

"I shot her picture in her fancy lady of the manor dress, with a matching parasol. It was one damn fine picture. It was also the featured image on my web site from that day on.

I got back into Carthage late in the night on Sunday. I didn't even stop for food, instead I drove straight home. I wasn't happy to find the front door to my half of the duplex ajar. There was a business card taped to the door. It advised me to call the investigating officer. I went inside and found that the house had been tossed. There was no way for me to tell what was missing at that moment, so I went directly to bed. I did sleep with the pistol close at hand.

Repairing the door took a while the next day. I made my one image for the day of a hammer and carpenter's square laying on a saw horse. It was the only things I was expecting to see that day. After I finished with the door I got my shoe box rollodex out and called the animal shelter.

"Hey there, is Sam working today?" I had already returned the tranc pistol. I wanted to talk to Sam about something else.

"Abba, that was payment in full," he sounded concerned that I was going to be like a blackmailer.

"It was indeed, this is a favor you can do me."

"What?" he sounded a little concerned, buy also relieved.

"I'm looking for a puppy. A male that has not been fixed."

"If they come through the shelter, they have to be fixed you know that."

"Yes but do you know of any that are about to be weaned. I would like to get him before he gets to the shelter."

"Come on Abba, I work with these shelter dogs. We have plenty of them that need adoption."

"How about a litter that is headed to the shelter. It would save the country some money, if I got to the puppy first."

"Keep your cell phone on, this isn't really the best time of year, but I'll give you a call if I get one for you. If you can get there in time, you can pick one out."

"Fair enough, I owe you Sam."

"Not yet but you will," he laughed as he hung up the phone.