Ruth Fisher of Irvington may be down, but she’s not out. After retiring as the receptionist at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury last year, she fell and broke her hip. Two hip surgeries and two back surgeries later, she is now learning to walk again.
Despite having to use a walker or two canes, she isn’t missing a beat. Fisher’s stunning photography will be on display in RWC’s Gallery Hall throughout the month of March.
“I’m struggling along trying to do anything,” she admits with her trademark good humor. “The doctors say it may be two years for me to get back to normal. It’s already been a year. I’m 80 years old. But in my head, I’m not 80. I guess you don’t heal right away at my age.”
Fisher hasn’t been able to use her artistic talent for the last year, but the shutterbug has a storehouse of inventory she will show at RWC.
“I have a lot of work that people may not have seen,” she said. “I grew up in this area, so I cater to the fishermen and the farmers. If I see something I want to take a picture of, I just pull up in the yard and take it. Nobody cares in the country. I just love landscapes and wildlife. We go to Corolla and the Outer Banks every year and I capture photos of the water, birds, owls, bears…”
Fisher’s eye for composition is exceptional. She has created a calendar showing selected photography for each month for two decades.
“This year marked my 20th year, and I wasn’t going to do it,” she said. “But people kept asking me about it, so I went ahead and did it again. I’m used to being on my own, but I’ve had to depend on people to get around. I haven’t even been able to drive.”
Family members or friends will have to help hang Fisher’s work for the March show, but she doesn’t plan on being dependent on others much longer.
“I told my doctor I was going to get back on the golf course,” she said. “He said, ‘How are you going to do that when you can’t walk without a walker or canes? How are you going to hit a ball?’ I said, “I’ll figure it out.”
Residents and community members are invited to view Fisher’s photography exhibition from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily throughout March at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury, 132 Lancaster Dr. in Irvington.