Roland Twining, Big Pine, 2021.
I met Roland in the early 1980s when he and his wife, Ida, moved to the Big Pine community. Roland’s family were farmers in Baltimore, Maryland, and he brought his skills to Madison County and raised bumper crops of tomatoes and tobacco and incredible gardens. He then moved into construction and was one of the first people to bring alternative building practices to the community. We fought fires together.
Family called him back to Maryland in the early 1990s where he continued building and raising gardens. He and Ida never lost their love of the mountains and the friendships they made here and come back to Madison County a couple of times a year. We are fortunate to be on the list of people they visit when they come back. Our children are also friends although they live across the country.
During their last visit Ida asked me to make some photographs of them. I had made many images of them years ago and Ida was interested in seeing how they looked now, 40 years later. My portrait of Ida was published on this blog on March 5.
Lasting friendships seem rare these days, but grow more important with age. The older I get, I’m more appreciative of these old relationships and the time spent together, knowing full well the role they have played in making me who I am.