Scenes from a Train 2 - The Gardener

When taking photographs from a train one feels a little like a voyeur. I get a quick glimpse of a life or area and my mind immediately makes assumptions. What do I know about this man? Very little actually. I know that he is standing in front of a nicely maintained house looking at a tree early on a Tuesday afternoon. There is a wheelbarrow on the sidewalk and he is dressed for outdoor work. Of course it is only from his build that I am assuming it is a man at all. Something about his posture and dress makes me think he is up in years.

So from this little bit of info I have developed a story in my mind about this photograph. This man and his wife have lived in this home for many years. They have raised their children in this home. All along, while working to raise his family this man landscaped and maintained his yard. Now he is retired and he putters in the yard to pass his time.

Of course he could just as easily be a hired gardener for the rich family living inside who is off to school and work at this time. It is a big house and you can’t see if from the cropped photograph but the original shows a very big yard. But it seems too modest a home, especially being right by the railroad tracks, for a family that can afford a gardener. Maybe he has just been hired to put down mulch but where is his work truck?

What do you think? Tell me a story of this man and this house.

Scenes from a Train - 1

Hello, I promise you I have set a reminder for myself and a new plan to update my blog more frequently. I have some photographs to show you and talk about so that should keep me going for awhile.

Last June I talked about taking a train to see my daughter. On the way up I got a small room on the train rather than just a seat and I spent the time taking a lot of photographs. It was more a way to pass the time and I expected maybe to get one or two that were decent. I got several more and I’m going to put them together in a series called “Scenes From a Train”. This is one of them.

I call this “Now is Forever Gone”. Riding on the train I was intrigued by this car that was driving on the road next to us. It stayed with us for a short while until a change in the road took it off to the side. When I first looked at the photograph I wished that I had taken it when the car was more in the frame and I got to thinking about time. I remembered the phrase that is now its title. Say that phrase once to yourself and let it sink in. What I have done is blurred in circles. The car signifies us traveling through life. The outer circle at the left is very blurred, representing the far past. We remember things from our past but blurred. As each circle gets closer to the car it is less blurred until the circle surrounding the car is in sharp focus. The area in front of the car is blurred as well. We think we can see the future but it is blurred as well. And just as the road took a turn our future can as well.

I will share more of these with you in the coming days.

Riding the Train

This is the life. I don’t think I shall ever fly again, well probably, but I will definitely nbe back on a train again. I splurged at the last minute and got myself a roomette. I am sitting here in perfect privacy, with my own toilet even. I get to look out this great big window. I can’t see too much since it is dark outside but it will be great in the morning. I just had a very nice dinner in the dining car and the sleeping car attendant will be here in an hour or so to set up my bed for sleeping. I’ve only traveled in a roomette once before but the sleeping that time was heaven. The train just rocked me to sleep.

Unfortunately I’ll be going coach on the way back unless I can find myself a deal so it won’t be quite as comfortable but this is definitely the way to travel.