The Campbell Hall kitchen, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2001
When I was looking through my photos for Halloween shots, I realized I also had a ton of pictures from random other dress-up days and themed parties over the years. One of these was Alter Ego Day, which was basically just an excuse for the seniors to get to wear whatever they wanted as the school year was winding down. Having already dressed as my alter ego (Wayne Campbell) earlier in the year, I was kind of stumped. At first I was going to go as my dad (aka Farmer Jim), but then the measuring-tape suspenders he wears when he’s doing yard work — the key to the whole outfit — were busted. I scratched that plan and pulled from the depths of my closet the dress my dad’s mom had worn to my parents’ wedding in 1972, because why not?
Winston was technically dressed as Hugh Hefner, wearing a velvet robe he’d borrowed from the theater production he was in at the time, but when the two of us were side by side, it was decided that we were the very picture of “domestic bliss” from sometime in old-timey times — ’50s, ’60s? Not sure. Some genius among us decided to go to the kitchen that the language classes used for their cooking units and stage this lovely image. I’ve had it on display in a kitschy gilt frame ever since — it’s just so perfectly me and Winston.
ADOOOOOOORAAAABBBBLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.