A successful shoot in Arkansas Sunday...

Back when my studio was in Carthage it was easy to know almost everyone. The town was 11,000 occupants and it was as though one Carthaginian died and a new one was born. Sort of a revolving door so to speak. However.....occasionally someone would move to town. The older I got the more I understood as to the "whys" but in those days I just guessed the new comers just made one too many lefts. I had been traveling a lot with commercial jobs and had eaten in my share of mid-town deli's across the U.S. I never dreamed one would show up in town. I was in Galbraiths paint getting some painting supplies for a new background and someone, I can't remember who, asked me if I had been the new Deli ? Looking all knowing I just said " what deli ?"...... It was run by some guy who had just moved his family to town and had been in the newspaper business. As a prerequisite to relocating in Carthage, there is an untold law that everyone in town will know more about you within hours of you setting foot within the city limits than you know yourself.....which can lead to some fabrication, exaggeration, and mucho speculation. I decided to check it out.

Turning right as I left the door, sounds tricky doesn't it......I saw the new sign that left no question as to the location of the store. On a white sign with black letters boldly stood the name. THE DELI
I walked in and there was a guy with a beard, about my size, a bit older wearing an apron. I introduced myself and he told me that he was Tom Candela. We shot the breeze for a minute or too and I welcomed him to town as I was scoping out all the deli meats behind the counter. A total list of sandwiches hung on the wall and I though I had died and gone to heaven. Hot Damn...I must be in Chicago.

As fate would have it Tom and his family bought a home one house away from my Moms and as the years progressed we became good friends. Their son Tony, aka "Young Anthony" became an audio whiz kid and after becoming a regional Sales manager for one of the largest Stereo companies in the nation left them and started his own company which makes custom and speciality electrical wiring kits for the automotive industry. Their daughter Allison is married and has a great family with a son who at thirteen is starting to tower over me and will soon be over 6 feet. Tom and his wife Corrine expanded the Deli to a much larger building on the square, and then after a number of very successful years, sold the deli and mover to Dallas. We kept in touch and visited once or twice, then Tom and Corrine moved closer to us locating in Bella Vista Arkansas.

We were there last Sunday celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and had a really great time.
In the late 70's our family owned a townhouse there so I was familiar with the place. However I wasn't prepared for the gigantic expansion that has taken place throughout the area. Commercially it is hopping and residentially is "The Great Expansion", primarily due to the location of Walmart and poultry producers home offices. It is absolutely incredible. As I say in Facebook concerning my Blog....Check it out....