For those of you who know the song, Simon & Garfunkels "Old Friends" automatically plays in my head every time I see this photograph. "How terribly strange to be 70. . . ." These three old ladies were talking things over last Friday afternoon when I took their picture at the Memphis Botanical Gardens. The gardens were mostly empty, and they weren't aware of my presence at the time (long lens). So after taking the picture I walked over to that gorgeous purple flowering tree next to where they were conversing. As I approached them they quieted their conversation, and standing there for a moment or two in an uncomfortable silence I realized it was going to be one of those encounters where both parties pretended not to notice the other. So I then turned to them and asked, "Have you ever seen such a beautiful place as this on such a lovely afternoon?" Big smiles burst out on their faces and the four of us then covered everything from the weather and the joy of spring to how one of the ladies had been coming there for over 30 years. What changes these ladies have personally witnessed in their lifetime! The houses they were born in did not have electricity. A couple of them lived through the Great Depression, and all of them through WWII. Then they saw the fast paced changes that swept the country during the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and then finally the "0's". Imaging how many times they had to say goodbye to loved ones for the last time, and all the times they wished they could have. Although I have a few decades behind me, I cannot imagine how it must feel to have memories from so many decades flying at me every day. Surely it must seem to be like multiple lives. Finally I wished them well, and went off looking for Julia who had come to the gardens with me. But I kept thinking about those old ladies who seemed so sincerely grateful that I had taken the time to talk with them, and listened with interest to a few of their stories. I wish I could have stayed longer. Cherish those close to you. Some day they, or you will be fondly remembered on some sunny afternoon such as this. Thanks for reading, marshall