Continuing my Research...

On Saturday I attended a dinner at Rib N' Reef with members of the group Dinner for Ten. I didn't know what to expect, but had emailed Judy from the group, and had received an invitation to take some pictures. She had mentioned that some people might not want to be photographed, and wasn't sure if anyone would consent to an audio interview.

Since up to this point I had no pictures or audio for my project, I was happy just to have the opportunity to meet the group members. I was able to get off of work, and had the entire evening free to mingle with the group members.

After everyone arrived and the table was ready, I was introduced to the group. I explained what my project was about, and made my plea for some visual and audio help. The group was extremely friendly; I talked to almost every member individually. There was only one member (out of 14) that did not want her picture, name or voice used. She was up-front with me, and I told her I would not. She got a little angry with me when I took a picture that might have shown her reflection in the window, but I showed her each picture I took and she was satisfied.

I was able to get a decent amount of pictures before dinner was served. Karen, the former president of DFT, agreed to give me an audio clip, but when I went outside to make sure it was audible, I found that the restaurant was way too loud to hear her clearly. The current president, Sonia, suggested I could stick around until the crowd died down, and I did.

After dinner and dessert, the remaining group members passed my digital recorder around the table and gave me some great audio clips. I explained I'd be using their words as the photo gallery plays on-screen. After that, I thanked all the group members for the help, shook their hands and left, extremely happy with my research progress!

I plan on calling Debbie Mandley of Parents Without Partners tomorrow to set-up a date when I can attend a dance and hopefully acquire the pictures and audio I'll need to finish my project.