Athens, GA, 1974/75

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer” 1963 hit by Nat King Cole

I spend a lot of time going through old image files these days and recently noticed these photos from a raft race on the Oconee River running through Athens, from when I was a student at UGA. The word “carefree” came to mind. It’s such a simple word to cover so much ground. I remember life being so much more spontaneous then.

It’s been spring in Savannah for several weeks now–lots of pollen and lots of falling oak leaves, luxurious dogwood blossoms and the bright colors of azaleas exploding everywhere, and of course the blanket of green on St. Patrick’s Day. The real tip-off, though, is when the bright plumage of teenage girls in formal wear appears in Washington Square, along with the spiffed up, Bond-esque look of their escorts in rented tuxedos. It’s Prom Night, and groups of graduating seniors gather in our square every year with family–parents, siblings, grandparents–to photograph every combination of couples and groups they can imagine, before the stars of the show head to the dance.

They, all of them, are gorgeous in their party clothes, eager to go through these last few gateways to adulthood, not thinking about this likely being the last whole summer they can take off, or the hurdles and shocks the life they seek will throw at them.

I am a little envious of the often carefree adventure they are starting.

For more of Bill’s photographs, go to https://www.billdurrence.com/index