Brian Buckner Photography to Ecuador at The Agora Borealis
This event is not only a sales event but a farewell to Brian and Edie Buckner.
Brian Buckner’s metamorphosis post reads:
“Fourth Quarter”
Many years ago a man named Fritz Ball told me something. He said, “That’s the heck of the thing about life, you’ve got to live one to know what to do.”
Well, Edie and I have been “living one” as Fritz would say for sixty years now. That may or may not be long enough to qualify Brian and Edie as two people who “know what to do.” Those that know us realize our metronome has a different cadence than the beat keepers of most others. We’ll just have to see but I’m betting ALL on Edie and I. Get a drink of water, a coffee or beer and shake the dust off. Settle in if you want and I’ll spill the beans. If you don’t care, here’s your chance to move along, this story isn’t for you.
Edie has to know what’s over the next hill and her husband is built the same way. We’ll go without water, food, shelter, rest and sleep(and often do)in an attempt to satisfy an insatiable appetite for travel and high adventure. We walk about ten miles or more a day. Outdoors almost exclusively; all climactic conditions. I put in bike miles on top of that. We like to cook and eat and this exercise keeps us pretty trim and fit. But, the main reason for our exercise is to be prepared for rough conditions out on the trail(of life) when we encounter them during adventure travels. It’s about stamina, endurance and the adventure lifestyle; whether work or play.
A desire sometimes begins as a faint spark that somehow lodges itself in the cerebral cortex. Over time, your psyche nurtures that little spark into a candle flame. When it becomes a candle flame, a raging bonfire quickly follows. It may only be extinguished by the satisfaction of the desire that seeded it. We had discussed it for about eight years; what we would do when one of us finally said, lets get busy with some full time adventure. Edie went first back in October of 2014.
Early one evening, she began to again speak in earnest about wanting to have more time together. Not just time but some real quality time doing the things that she and I like. Then, she said that she was going to retire. What?! I thought. She went into a mode verging on selling it to me but she didn’t tread that ground. I asked her was she opening a family dialogue about her retirement. You know, opening a forum for further discussion of the topic at hand. She told me, “no”. She essentially put me on notice that she was retiring and that it would be effective on or about February 1, 2015. I just grinned while she talked. Then, I called her hand. I asked was she ready to execute on our long term plan for forth quarter adventure. She paused but for a nano second before meeting my two boring gimlets with her own assured and steadfast gaze. Her mouth opened and she said, “absolutely!”
The long and short of this is that I also retired around January 1, 2015. Let me explain. We are not really retired. We plan to keep working but I’m not sure what type of work it will be. It is now time to do some payback to the world for all the wonderful blessings that we have received in our lives. God is amazing and defies description. His blessings know no bounds; we have more than I could ever make a list of to be thankful and appreciative for. Photography and writing are at the top of my list. For those who don’t know it, Edie Buckner is an accomplished photographer. She is capable of producing very creative and quality work and has done so repeatedly. She has her own collection of awards and accolades. Edie has indicated that she is about to invest a great deal more time in her work. Me? I haven’t composed a photograph in about nine months. I’ve been too involved in the process of getting ready to birth the next adventure. I’ll be using my photography to do some “giving back” but I cannot corral and explain all it will be today since I don’t know all the details myself. Edie and I have planned a most excellent adventure too so let me tarry no longer and tell you what is going on.
Edie and I have sold everything we have except for a little clothing and all our camera gear. Edie’s and my personal belongings fit into eight suitcases. That does not include our camera equipment which occupies a number of pelican cases; and we each have two backpacks. Our 3k square foot home is on the market and we think it is close to being sold. All else is in order; we are waiting here to consummate the home’s sale. Then, Edie and I are moving to Ecuador.
In brevity, concerning my photography, it’s all just starting again. Once I received a fellowship from the city and was named visual artist of 2014-2015 in a 13 parish area, I knew the time to open a new book of creativity had arrived. Really, I’ve only just gotten started. Ecuador is filled with the Andes mountains, 350 miles of Pacific coast and the Amazon jungle. The landscape and wildlife opportunities will be boundless. However, it’s also the home of four and five hundred year old cities filled with amazing architecture and all the wonderful people that live there. So, I expect my street photography to be active and compelling as I use my camera to reveal the most interesting slices of the humanity of Ecuador. Stay tuned to my FB page for updates.
I have kept this pretty quiet since the process of getting our residency in Ecuador approved has been a very long and drawn out process with no guarantee of good results. Many would have just announced their intentions at the beginning but I needed to be sure before I told you what I am about to do. We started the process of residency in mid -January of 2015. In late November, we were summoned to the Ecuadorian Consulates office in Houston, Texas to have our visa’s installed into our passports. Prior to that, all my communication had been with Ecuadorians in Ecuador. We made our journey. We have every official stamp and hologram stickers that the South American country of Ecuador could think of. Our visas read, “indefinido”. It’s just like the English word indefinite, a cognate. It is their way of saying we are RESIDENTS of Ecuador.
I’ll be having an all day art show at the Agora Borealis on the 17th of December. All of my art will be offered for sale at special pricing. Edie and I will be there together during the day but for certain 4-7. Our dear friend and proprietress, Katy Larsen, will be serving beverages and such. Come say your hellos and goodbyes(for the present anyway)and hear about our next epic adventure! We would love to see all of you!
I’ll be glad to field your questions and I do expect to write more about our journeys as they unfold. Get ready. I promise to tell you all our doings. It will be a wild ride. Que chevere!