IF ONLY I COULD TALK - Volume 1

Today I think I will discuss this first volume of my talk series. I grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio. When I married we found a small place out in the country at West Alexander, Pa. You had to drive through a covered bridge to get to our place. It was the first time I had ever seen a covered bridge. Love at first sight.

Through the years I took many pictures of this bridge, and any others I could find. The more I looked at this bridge the more I would wonder - what went on around here? Who used this bridge and why? (There were other ways to get to the little town other than just this one road.)

One of my favorite pictures of this bridge was taken one January, snow on the ground, zero degree weather, and fog, lots of fog. Overnight the fog froze into hoar frost - or frozen fog - covering everything.

And then I started thinking, or imagining, whatever. If this bridge could talk right now, what would it tell me? I began playing around with this idea, wrote several different stories, and off and on through the years I did the same with some of the other pictures I had taken. I had no idea if or when anyone else would ever see these stories, but they were fun.

When Double Edge Press publishing company came into being, it was suggested that they would like to do a photography book of my pictures. It was at this time that I mentioned my idea. The rest is history.

Volume 1 contains this bridge's story - THE OLD COVERED BRIDGE. All my stories have one or two pictures accompanying the story of the subject.

Volume 1 contains 21 short stories with pictures told from the subjects view point - covered bridges, carousel horses, cats, barns, alpacas, outhouses, fort. I never in all my life imagined that I would be doing this, and oh! how much fun I have had telling their stories.

Anyone wanting more information on this, and my other books can contact me at my e-mail address www.marthadou@hughes.net, web-site address www.marthadheritage.com, or through Double Edge Press www.doubleedgepress.com