Unpacking a suitcase or knapsack I like to be fast; unpacking my head after a trip I like to be slow. The foto (doubleclick enlarges) below I took Christmas morning 7:57 am . . . Hiwassee River under I-75 . . . it was so moody, so unwelcoming of Christmas scenes that I stopped the car on the shoulder just beyond the bridge and ran back to get this foto. I know you’re not supposed to do that, but . . .
Notice that I’ve added many new fotos to the Flickr show on the left side of this page, all taken at Old Car City in White, Georgia, a place of ghosts like this one of Hernando de Soto. His face here looks as disoriented as I felt walking through the
4000 cars haunting this woods. The image below is interactive.
Obviously I saw cars here, in various states of degradation, but I also saw people from my past. No . . . I’m not really a lunatic, but seeing a De Soto I think of the great-uncle who sponsored my father to this country. Seeing a Hudson I remember Ernie, the farmer from across the valley who drove one unless he was sitting on his Minneapolis Moline face flushed from a combination of sun and hard cider he made himself.
My parents drove me home from my birthplace/hospital in a Plymouth.
Cadillacs and almst all the cars of my youth were massive, chromeplated, and evocative of greatness with their artdeco decorations. I could go on, but check the Flickr shots.
I’ve said before . . . Wilmington is a place I’ll go back to next December if not sooner. Meet Log Dog, launched 1953, (ex-D. E. 51) and
Isco . . . Here’s a foto of Isco from the bank of Eagle Island.
Pelicans . . . I still need to get a foto of a squadron of these guys wingtips skimming the water. Help me out here: I recall someone telling me of a pelican sighted on Jamaica Bay last summer. Anyone see it or hear of it?
Last ones . . . my March 2011 shots of Vinalines Queen has been getting lots of views the past few weeks.
I’m not sure why, but here are a few I hadn’t published. I’d love to hear from you.
So . . . the unpacking continues. Hope you enjoy the new Flickr shots.
6 comments
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January 5, 2012 at 9:13 pm
TomT
Lovely series Will. Regarding the Pelican, I did not see it myself, but it was somewhere in Jamaica Bay this last summer. I am guessing in the midst of the bird sanctuary off of CrossBay Blvd. All White. Apparently it had a bad eye but appeared to be eating and foraging alright. One birder told me there had been a lone pelican in Jamaica Bay a few summers back as well. I’d love to see one this summer if we are lucky enough to get one again, but I seem to miss most of the exotics myself.. with the exception of one freakishly huge Raven in Far Rockaway. I just about had it mistaken for an eagle. Quite a specimen!..Posed for me for about a minute too, but of all the luck, my camera didn’t focus by the time I got it set up.
January 6, 2012 at 7:37 am
newenglandwaterman
That bulker disappeared in the pacific around Christmas day.
January 6, 2012 at 7:44 am
tugster
newenglandwaterman– thanks so much for that info. so sorry to hear of this . . . found bunches of articles like this: http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/National/2012/1/99239/
January 7, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Mage Bailey
Welcome home. Boy did you catch my attention with those 4000 cars. Perhaps that’s the ultimate in hoarding. Thanks…
January 8, 2012 at 6:39 am
Lan
Thanks for uploading the photos of Vinalines Queen. The vessel has been missing together with our 22 crew, leaving a great void in our people.could you share with me when and where you took those pictures? Thanks and happy new year
January 8, 2012 at 7:52 am
tugster
hi lan– first, my condolences. second, i took those pictures in new york harbor on march 8, 2011, less than a year ago. if you want larger/higher resolution versions of those images, contact me by email. happy new year to you as well.