Nathan W. Armes

My grandparents worked two shifts in the now-demolished Burlington hosiery mill, my grandmother took the later shift so she could fish in the mornings, and my grandfather tackled assigned shifts and picked up all the hours his body would allow.

Growing up in a military family was an adventure. Endless highway miles and countless hours watching the country rush past was the norm. Days Inn parking lots stretch big and broad across this great land. My grandparents, we called them mam-maw & pap-paw, lived in the house pictured above and would stay up to greet us at the door. It usually played out the same.

The smokestacks of the Kingston Fossil Plant, managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the town of Kingston, TN have dominated the small town's skyline since the 1950s.

There are hidden valleys and hidden coves among the folds of the great hills where a man can catch a glimpse of Eden.

My pap-paw Pete Armes, 91, gets a haircut from lifetime Franklin, North Carolina resident Ronnie Dills. Dills has been cutting hair for 45 years, 43 in this location and generations of residents have pulled up a seat for a trim.