A Life Less Ordinary

The Dolles sign following the 1998 NorEaster in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Not the first time a storm absconded with that "D" - and certainly not the last.

"Bart's End." I shot this sad scene next to the railroad tracks at Point of Rocks, MD on a whim in 1996 and promptly forgot about it. Looking at it now, I think it has far more to say than a lot of my photos. Symbolism 101: What does it MEAN? Discuss.

It's wall-to-wall pandamonium at the National Zoo, ladies and gentlemen! (2008 photo)

Chickens in the street! It's not quite the composition I had wanted, as I only had a few seconds, but I love that there are wild chickens in Key West, sharing Greene Street with locals, tourists and the occasional Hemingway cat. (2000)

Who needs opposable thumbs? Here, my old pet corn snake, Bubba, has pushed his shoebox lid "house" over his water dish and (mostly) hidden beneath it, awaiting mice from the sky. Frederick, MD - 1995.

Retro McDonald's sign, found on US Rt. 1 near Jupiter Island, FL in 1999.

Molly the cat would sit in literally anything. Rockville, MD - 1996.

More symbolism: A school bus stop along US Rt. 50 in The Middle of Nowhere, WV in 1997. "Mama says we don't need to know nuthin' 'bout no book-learnin' - now get off the property!"

Seeya!

Trainless Railfan Days

It is possible to spend an entire day sitting by railroad tracks and not see a single train. That isn't always a bad thing, especially if you're willing to get dirty, climb trestles and shoot everything you find. Above: Looking west on the CSX bridge over the Monocacy River near Dickerson, MD in 1993.

Okay, so there is ONE train in this set, but it's far away and of little overall consequence to this composition. This is westbound CSX Q397 approaching the east end of the yard at Brunswick, MD in 1992.

Winchester Station in Winchester, VA - 1997.

Old B&O target signal at Barnsville, MD - 1995.

It's not always pretty. Grafton, WV is the second ugliest place I have ever seen. Sorry, midwestern city who shall not be named here - you're still number one. This shot includes CSX "D" Tower and the hulking old B&O Railroad Willard Hotel, both of which stand as symbols of the Great American Railroad, as well as its decline. The year was 1997.

"WB" Tower in Brunswick, MD in 1999. One of the last of its kind.

The iconic B&O station at Point of Rocks, MD in 1991. Its church-like appearance is no accident. It was designed by E. Francis Baldwin, a devout Catholic responsible for many of the B&O stations in Maryland, as well as several churches and seminary buildings.

The east portal of the Sykesville, MD tunnel on B&O's Old Main Line.

Silver rails and the old "HO" Tower at Hancock, MD - 2001.

Slightly less silver rails leading into the yard at Brunswick, MD in 1991.

Right. I think that'll do it for trains for a while. Miles to go before I get to my digital material...

Trains In Black And White

Trains look older when photographed in black & white. We railfans tend to like our trains old. Above: Idle Power at Brunswick, MD in 1993.

CSX GP40 #6223 emerging from the west portal of the Point of Rocks, MD Tunnel in 1999.

At the same location, but facing west, the eastbound Q216 is captured in 1997 with the C&O Canal tow path and the Potomac River in the background.

Q398 rumbles east through Dickerson, MD in 1993.

At Riverside Shops in Baltimore in 1993, this ex-Burlington Northern E-9 has received its new MARC identifiers and awaits a "67" number board.

In 1992, westbound Amtrak train #29 "Capitol Limited" rolls toward its first stop in Rockville, MD. It will be in downtown Chicago by lunchtime tomorrow.

Two shots of a CSX freight heading east out of Cumberland Yard and past Mexico Tower at North Branch, MD in 1992.

A train robbery reenactment at the old Western Maryland Station in Cumberland, MD in 1996.

Westbound Q217 approaching Cumberland Yard in 1992 and not making nearly enough noise.

Check back for more. So much more...

Look To The Sky

Clouds have always intrigued me as a photographic subject. From a technical perspective, they're usually not difficult to shoot. The trick is to compose an image with the right amount and complexity of cloud cover, and to put the clouds into an appealing context. Before the days of digital photography and at-home editing software, the composition challenge was far greater. It was still just as much fun, though. The frame above is a crop from one of my shots of a Barbados beach in 1993.

Sunbeams - Thurmont, MD - 1999 (Shot by [Maris] on an Olympus Stylus point-and-shoot 35mm camera. That little camera had an incredible piece of glass in it, and that little woman has a hell of an eye.)

Clouds Behaving Weirdly - Harpers Ferry, WV - 1999.

Old Cape Elizabeth Light - Cape Elizabeth, ME - 2004. After slogging through a wall of torrential rain from Brunswick down east to the cape, we were rewarded for our patience here and at Portland Head Light, which will be featured in a future post.

Weird Sky at Point of Rocks, MD - 1997. It was really that color - no filters or retouching!

Sunset over Germantown, MD - 1996.

And one over Burtonsville, MD - 1996.

Storm clouds lit by the sun setting behind the camera - Germantown, MD - 1997.

B&O Railroad Museum and Skyline, shot from Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD - September, 1993.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weirdness and Miscellany

While I go about the ugly business of attempting to decide where to go next, subject-wise, please enjoy this little collection of photographic whimsy. I'm nothing if not . . . random. Above: Jolt Cola Cans - Rockville, MD - 1987. Jolt was among my very best friends, that year.

Jack-O-Lanterns - Rockville, MD - 1991. Guess which one is mine.

Sand, Water, Light - near Indian River Inlet, DE - 1992

Nor'easter Damage - Rehoboth Beach, DE - 1992

My first nephew rearranging my tape collection in 1991. He's putting a Simple Minds tape under "Q." He's gotten much better at his alphabet, since then.

Statue at St. Mary's - White Chapel, VA - 1999

Is that a castle, you ask? In Berkeley Springs, WV? In 1996? Yes. Yes, it is!

Dancers at the resort hotel in the middle of nowhere - Dominica - 1993. I had slow film, no tripod or flash, low light and fast action, but I fired away, just for fun. This is about a quarter-second exposure, and it ends up saying what it needs to say just fine, IMHO. Note the "Cheers" dart board in the background. Can't get TOO far from home, can we?

Rear View - Gaithersburg, MD - 1992. Neat!

Airman Autographing Kid's Shirt at the Desert Storm Victory Celebration in Washington, DC in 1991. 'Nuff said.

MORE TO COME! Seeya!