SEBRING FLORIDA
By Duncan
Let me think about how and why this stop is important.
If you have been following along, you know I have been on a road trip that started in Indianapolis, including London, North Carolina, Jacksonville, Hollywood, North Fort Myers, and Cape Coral. I'm headed to Sebring, Florida, for my next adventure.
My first marriage ended in the late 1980s. The details might be interesting to some, but what would finger-pointing solve? All the fingers would point at me, and my actions were why I found myself single again.
I decided to give marriage another try. It's interesting wading through the needs, wants, and desires of a woman who wants her marriage ceremony to be special. I have to ask myself, isn’t that true for all women?
We were married. One afternoon, I returned to our apartment and found my blushing bride on the floor with the wedding proofs from the photographer on the living room floor. She was crying, and she was very unhappy with the pictures.
I tried consoling her by saying, "Honey, they are good, fine, great."
She was having none of it. "You take better pictures than this guy."
I was an amateur photographer with a black-and-white dark room. Yes, I was using film back then. Digital cameras did not exist at that point. I would take pictures, head to the dark room, and give my black-and-white prints away as a gift. It was my hobby.
It didn't dawn on me that she was serious until she came home one afternoon and said,
"We're in the wedding photography business. I've been talking to a girl at work who needs a photographer. I told her we could photograph her wedding."
This was a huge surprise to me. I had no idea how to photograph a wedding, what to charge, or what camera equipment I would need. The day came, and I was a nervous wreck.
After the ceremony, I took my film to the drugstore and waited for the results. I was not impressed with my work. I slipped the photographs into an inexpensive wedding album and presented them to the bride.
The bride loved them, Mom was happy, and everyone was delighted—except me. I couldn’t believe they all liked the pictures. I needed help; I had another wedding to shoot.
I searched for information about Professional Photographers. I noticed a group called The Professional Photographers of Indianapolis meeting monthly at a nearby hotel. I decided to attend the meeting, even though I would likely not be allowed to participate.
I walked down the hotel corridor and found a convention room full of people standing around talking with drinks in their hands. I stood in the doorway, frozen in fear.
A woman in the middle of the room looked up and noticed me at the double doors. She walked to me and asked,
"Can I help you? What are you looking for?"
"I was looking for the Professional Photographers meeting."
"You would be in the right place. Are you a professional photographer?"
"No, I'm an amateur and need help photographing weddings."
"Have you photographed a wedding?"
"Yes, just one."
"Did you get paid?"
"Yes."
"Then you are a professional. What is your name?"
This woman grabbed my arm. "My name is Nancy Bailey; come sit next to me. We need to talk."
Everything I know about "professional wedding photography" has come from Nancy over the last thirty years. She is considered a total professional throughout Indiana and the United States. She judges contests and speaks to groups all the time. I'm honored to call her my friend.
Nancy Bailey - Professional Photographer
So, when Nancy found out I was going to be in Florida, she said, "You are stopping by Sebring and having lunch with me, right?"
And how could I refuse a request like that?
As expected, the trip from Cape Coral took a little over two hours. I arrived in Sebring, which is in the middle of Florida. I pulled into Haammock Estates, looking for her home.
I needed some clarification about the housing addition. They spell the Retirement Village two different ways: HAAMMOCK and HAMMOCK. Everything in town is spelled Hammock. Hammock Park, Hammock Street. So, I can only assume the sign company “Larry, Larry, and Darryl Sign Company” installed the sign. I can only imagine the questions at the HOA monthly meeting.
I found the entrance to the addition and drove down the street to find the address. Nancy was outside waiting for me to arrive. The first thing she did was introduce me to her neighbors.
Next-door neighbor Phil.
Next-door neighbor Carolyn,
Alan, and Nancy Bailey-Pratt.
On the front porch of Phil and Carolyn’s home.
A quick tour of the Baily-Pratt home gave me a little look at their lifestyle.
The kitchen at the Pratt home.
Then, it was time for lunch. Nancy decided to take me to what is considered the historic section of Sebring. Sebring was founded by George Sebring, an Ohio industrialist, in 1912.
Archival records indicate that George Sebring’s “Circle Plan” for the downtown area was based on the design of Heliopolis, an ancient Egyptian city. George’s idea was that all roads should radiate from the center of the community.
Which has the same street layout as Washington D.C., and Indianapolis. So, it was off to the downtown area of Sebring. The population of Sebring is about 12,000 people. That small-town feel makes you slow down and enjoy life.
We ended up at Dee’s Place, which has been in business for more than 22 years. It’s a small breakfast restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch and closes at 2:00 PM.
Dee Andrew - owner Dee’s Place - Sebring, Florida
Lacey was our waitress.
Lacey told us that Dee Andrews keeps a low profile. I asked how it all started. Lacey said when Dee was 14 years old, she worked for a woman named Paige Brooker.
“I guess she saw something in me and taught me all the important things about the restaurant business.”
Dee managed the restaurant when she was a high school senior. Then, when Dee stopped working for Paige Brooker, she worked at another restaurant. In 1992, Dee decided she could run her restaurant and opened Dee’s Place.
Dee Andress
When asked what she likes about running a restaurant, Dee quickly says, “I like the people. You know, you have good days and bad days, but the people are what makes it work.”
Dee said, “If you are called to do it, do it. Give it a try because you’ll never know if it was meant to be if you don’t try.”
NANCY BAILEY-PRATT, DUNCAN - Lunch, Dee’s Place, Sebring.
This is an interesting story, much like my own with Nancy. If I had not shot that first wedding with blind faith, I could have pulled it off, and then, knowing I needed help, I would have never attended a professional photographer's meeting and met Nancy.
When I think of the people who have given me a boost and shared information and knowledge, I would not be the guy I am today. Let’s call it the circle of life. If you have been there and done that and are asked to mentor, do it!
You end up with some great friends.
