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4wondering why this fellow is so interested in this particular fire escape, that particular chimney.John Bower%u2019s newest book continues his love of exploration, paying close attention to the everyday stuff of life%u2014stuff that often escapes attention. In this collection, he encourages all to simply lift their gaze a bit and discover a magnificent world we seldom notice%u2014a place between sky and ground, where we find second stories.The images in 2nd Stories reveal a deep curiosity for the otherwise forgotten and overlooked. In these pages, you%u2019ll discover another world, one that is still, quite simply, our world. A universe of the intricate and the simple, often residing, virtually ignored, right over our heads, or just out of sight: the dove-white detail of a church steeple, the patient strength of framed timbers in a dusty loft, the doily-carved cornice of a Victorian home. There is a keen awareness in 2nd Stories to a common, yet lovely, human experience. Imagine walking down a street, or driving through a city or town, your mind full of appointments, to-do lists, dinner plans, and dreams of winning the Lottery. As you walk, or maybe rest momentarily at a stoplight, your gaze, so briefly, looks up. You are, basically, just staring off into space, as your mind mulls and churns the vast complexities of your life.You lift your gaze from this river of activities, for just the briefest of breaths. Then it happens. Maybe it%u2019s a gargoyle statue peering out from atop the library. Or the way the light is hitting the old water tower just that instant. Suddenly, you find yourself distracted from the noisy babble, just long enough to actually see something%u2014for the very first time! You experience a jeweled moment of new discovery, before the light changes and you must drive away. John Bower has captured this simple, yet revelatory, experience%u2014again and again%u2014in 2nd Stories. Places seldom seen, like an attic, have a life beyond our gaze. But we hold an unspoken, yet certain, faith that they%u2019ll always be right there, just above us, supporting the roof over our heads%u2014as well as a couple old bowling balls gathering dust, next to the boxes of Christmas decorations. Faith, after all, is a deep belief in the certain reality of the unseen.John takes us to typically unseen places, with a remarkable faith in their beauty. At first glance, you might think he%u2019s only there to observe quietly. But these ordinary observations inspire extraordinary journeys%u2014to hear the stories these spaces tell, paradoxically sharing their rich past even as they affirm their eventual decay. Other spaces delight in having found a continued, or even a surprisingly new, existence with another generation, their heritage a quiet backdrop to brand new dreams. John%u2019s work may capture a singular moment, but in this moment, he tenderly cradles past, present, and future. 2nd Stories also offers the only opportunity many of us will ever have of seeing the normally unseen superstructures of places ranging from county courthouses to downtown businesses. Ever wonder what was in the upper recesses of your local fraternal lodge? Well, you just might find out, in 2nd Stories.John Bower reminds us that the rare beauty of everyday life waits just outside the fringes of our attention. Discovering this dimension is as easy as lifting our eyes to a second-story window. A focused attention, on the often overlooked things around us, is both prayer and meditation to John Bower. John invites us to raise our gaze%u2014and pay attention.Michael AtwoodHost of %u201cAcross Indiana%u201dAugust 2005