in his own words, "you're welcome"

we have a very special treat for this post. i have asked my silent partner, photo boy, to be the guest blogger tonight. he just finished 9 holes of golf and is home to grill some shrimp, sausage and potatoes for dinner. so while he is relaxed and drinking a beer or two, he is granting us an exclusive interview on his forecast for fall. we will see what he has on tap for this 2010 season, what he will be wearing, any new music he has downloaded, and anything else that might be on his must-have, must-see, must-do list for fall...

photo boy (we will be affectionately referring to as pb) arrived for the interview in a pale, orange polo and patagonia shorts. his casually tousled hair was covered with a hat, and he was sporting old-school adidas flip flops. he turned the music up, opened the french doors and took a seat on the patio. he seemed relaxed and pretty much ready for whatever i had planned to ask him. the temperature was so comfortable tonight and there was a breeze in the air. it felt a bit like fall.

(pg, what i am affectionately calling myself)
pg: so, thanks for sitting tonight and sharing some of your thoughts on fall. let's start with music. i know you are a huge music buff and have recently tapped into a new source via an atlanta buddy. what are some of your latest downloads to freshen up your ipod for fall?

pb: (as he flipped the shrimp and took a long swig of beer) you know, some dr. dog, some spoon, some inxs live. you know, i'm a big fan of live music. there is a lot of emotion and passion that you don't get in a studio album.

pg: anything else on the list?

pb: edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros.

pg: any suggestions for a good fall beer? or anything new you have found that you will be enjoying during football season?

pb: you know what, spent a couple weeks in n.c. with the wife, and visited a cool bar/restaurant in asheville called enoteca. i'm always interested in a good wheat beer. they introduced me to a beer called allagash, out of portland, maine. it's a good, light wheat beer. not too filling like a blue moon.

pg: where can you find it?

pb: it's not available in very many places in rome but you can have it ordered at such places as scant's or roy's.

pg: roy's??? ok...let's change gears a bit. thinking about fall and looking forward to temperatures cooling off, what will you be transitioning into fall with, as far as clothing goes?

pb: you know, i would go with a good pair of fall back jeans. i'm not talking about seven's or anything too expensive, just a good pair of jeans that you can pull out of the closet on a moment's notice.

pg: what about footwear?

pb: well, a pair of jeans always looks good with a brown boot, whether it be a 3/4 pull-on or a lace-up.

pg: i know that you stumbled upon the j. crew warehouse sale on your trip to asheville in june. any finds that you are dying to pull out as fall approaches?

pb: cashmere. it's a light enough sweater to wear alone or over a button-up. it's a classic staple that i like to keep in the closet. there is a good sports coat that i found too. you can't go wrong with that either.

pg: you can't think about fall without thinking about football. it's a pretty well known fact that you are a die hard auburn fan. any games that you are planning on going to or any other football plans?

pb: you know, fall brings this passion to me unlike any other. i do everything for my wife for 9 months out of the year, but i put all of my eggs in one basket when football season starts...starting this thursday night. it's time for pb to have his time. i'm expecting at least a 9-3 season from auburn. we have a new dual quarterback, cameron newton. he looks to lead the tigers to the promised land.

pg: any tailgating plans?

pb: you know, ranging from a low country boil to a boston butt that is cooked for 8 to 12 hours. there is no greater feeling, other than being with pg, than spending a saturday afternoon with a jack and coke, a nip in the air, and watching football with 87,500 of your closest friends.

pg: we see that you are pretty stoked about football season. let's change gears again. you are now the step dad to 2 amazing kids. both have started new phases of their lives this year with school. can you tell us what is going on with them?

pb: it's great to see children take that next step in their lives and watch them grow. it's interesting to see how they were 2 weeks ago as compared to now. now they are playing the "parts" of their next steps. they don't necessarily understand the new stages, but they are playing the parts. in the coming weeks they will hopefully be understanding the responsibilities that come with the new stages of their lives. it's new to all of us...parents and kids.

pg: what's going on currently with your photography business?

pb: well, i started a photography class, a 3 week session, that teaches some of the basics of photography. it has helped me to review some of the things i learned and been a joy to see some amateur photographers learn some new skills. i look forward to offering this again in the future.

pg: i know that last year you offered a christmas special for new and existing clients. are you doing this again this season?

pb: i am. it's kind of the same deal but i have added some new options this year. i am offering a package that includes a personalized christmas card design that clients can order.
(phone call interruption)
you know, fall is the harvest time. and on a side note, east bound and down is a recommendation for a tv show. kenny powers is a hero of mine. it airs on hbo. i'm looking forward to spending time walking downtown with my family and enjoying the leaves changing and this time of year. you know, the gold, orange and brown leaves. it's a time of change. i look forward to change every year. it keeps my soul going and my spirit thriving.

gp: well, there you go. thanks for that interesting stream of conscious thought. and thanks for sitting down with me, letting me watch you cook, and ask you some very pointed questions. we don't hear from you enough. anything else you want to say to your fans?

pb: i'm just proud of my wife for being who she is and of all that we try to do. there are, of course, stumbles along the way. but who better to stumble through with? i look forward to hearing from the readers and my fans and tackling more of these topics in the future.

awww, with that, pb closed the interview and picked up his phone. i'm guessing to check emails or something. thanks for all of your thoughtful insight and your answers. thanks for this epic interview.