It's the middle of winter, and writing blog posts is keeping me entertained. My puppy thinks less of this newfound hobby. He's requiring me to take many breaks to stop him from destroying everything in my room. These photos ahead are from a gig I'd never thought I would say yes to, but Frank was always so supportive of my photography and my adventures- that I wanted to go see what his business was all about.
Frank would stop into Currahee from time to time and share his life stories. He owned this baseball bat company that was pretty cool sounding to me. CamWood Bats. My dad is a baseball nut. I mean that. He loves the memorabilia, knows so many stats, has been to hundreds of games, and we grew up going to those with him. I loved sports as a youngster. Had an era of obsession with LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Derek Jeter. To name some of the guys I got to see in action thanks to Papa Dan. I went to a few NBA games, the College World Series, hockey games, Hawkeye football games, ISU games, Yankees games (when they played the Twins or the Royals so we could drive), and a PGA championship all before college. Then in college I just kind of quit being into the professional levels. I always enjoyed college stuff, just thought the pros and their fans could redirect some of that financial energy into saving the world, but I don't worry about that these days. I have my passions, and they have their undying love for a man who throws a ball better than some. I am now back into sports a little. It's fun when you don't really have an opinion, just impressed by the athleticism, and always in awe of the dedication of the others. Whatever keeps you looking forward right? If that's the next game the Yankees or the Hawkeyes are playing, then so be it. I will love that for you.
This bat company is pretty cool by the way. It started as this special practice bat for his sons, and turned into a little bit of the American Dream in action. Making real wooden bats again too, which I think is beautiful. Traditional. Wanting to run my own photo business fully someday, entrepreneurs fascinate me and keep me inspired. Sometimes an idea is all it takes to change the entire course of your journey. I guess maybe that's more inspiring to me than the photos I took here, just the idea of it all. Make your own way, and enjoy the ride. Use that money to do some sweet stuff with your kids. Live it up. Buy a sweet ride. Get a house in the mountains on a beautiful river because YOU earned it. Sure you had help and support, but you had an idea. And it worked out.
So Frank convinces me to come take some photos of the bat warehouse in Waynesville, NC. I showed up not really knowing what to expect, like most photo gigs honestly. I see a big commercial building and a Land Rover so I know Frank's gotta be here somewhere. I really can't wait to hear him complain about what car is giving him grief this week. I loved hearing about the vehicles he was working on or had drove up the coast of California. Pretty sweet. The bat company is named after his sons, and I thought that was a neat gesture. I miss seeing this guy back at Currahee. These are out of my normal realm, but give me inspiration to work with companies to show what they're really doing in there. Even if they don't use them, it's fun to show them how I see what a day in their life looks like, even briefly. I got to see the process of making the bats and getting them to the customers. A small, but mighty team doing it all themselves. Working hard to do it too.
On this day they had just gotten a new laser printer and were dipping the wooden bats in this system Frank had developed to give them two colors. By hand. I loved seeing this specific process the most. I've always had an inquisitive brain, and figuring out how someone makes something gives me answers to questions I sometimes didn't know I had. I think it brings me some peace of mind knowing how things work, if that makes sense. And the more processes I understand, I guess that makes me feel more peaceful in a way. Knowledge is power as they say. Learning is living baby.
The wooden game bats were a newer addition to the business and were about to go live soon. Beautiful bats. The laser printer was giving us grief, but Frank gave me my own bat this day. That was special. It was Carolina blue and said "Dani The Beertender" :)
Currahee Brewing Company brought me a lot of special connections. This was one of them. Frank brought in one of his friends to the brewery one time, and she recommend Stanley, Idaho to me. I still have the piece of paper she wrote that on. I went there, upon her and my friend Heather's recommendation. And ended up falling in love, and spent two weeks then a full summer there. Stanley, Idaho is forever in my mind as paradise, and Frank kind of brought that paradise to me. Isn't that amazing?
You NEVER know who can open up your horizons. Magic is in these not so random connections, and I love them.
Cheers to you Frank, and CamWood Bats.
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