Mike WJ, Ziva, 00dozo, Bryan, Elizabeth A., John Nonamedufus, Katherine, Kristen, LaughingMom, Malisa, Mariann, Meleah, Mo, Nicky & Mike, Nora, and Tanya.
Tomorrow's prompt is: Fire. For some reason, I can't keep my mind out the gutter on this one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
my mind wanders back
reflects upon days long past
too often I stare
hours on the tractor
alfalfa, clover, and grass
fell under the blade
we wielded pitch forks
spread, turned, released the sweet scents,
and watched for storm clouds
piles built in the fields
gathered and pitched on the cart
forked into the loft
sweat-soaked, exhausted
we lazed on the new-mowed hay
content and fulfilled
memories play tricks
create illusions of bliss
it's risky to stare
I heard about that story. I think everyone did. It is sad. I don't know why people think they can kill their way out of problems.
ReplyDeleteThat story makes the picture even more poignant.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the photo, it reminded me of photos I've seen of Mackinac Island in Michigan. I think they have a hotel there that looks similar to this.
Thanks for thinking of me. That's a great looking building and I'd just love to golf there. Funny (not ha, ha), I was drawn to the flags at half mast in your photo and then when you explained why I went "Oh, yeah, I heard that story." So sad. I'm sure you were affected by it living as close as you do to where it happened.
ReplyDeleteI have to drive through this town on the way to and from work, either on the main drag or on the town roads. I pass by the house where this happened. The signs all over town are so damn sad. This is a small state and this region is very close-knit. There's a give and take between all the communities. I know I'll shake this but the constant reminders make it tough. I don't think it should be easy to forget. Hopefully someone somewhere will learn something from this.
ReplyDeleteStill trying to wrap my head around how senseless this was. It's not coming fast or easy.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Mackinac Is. and there's a hotel that's very similar. It's a beauty.
Active addicts and alcoholics don't have the capacity to think clearly. That's part of the tragedy of this whole thing.
ReplyDeleteThe post and photo gave me goose bumps. That's just so tragic..
ReplyDeleteYou've waited forever for Bird, huh? But seeing as you've used photos of birds for several other themes, are you sure you haven't already filled your bird quota? ;)
the half mast flags are very sobering...i agree in that addicts dont think clearly....i am working with one now and see this kind of desperation...
ReplyDeleteMy love of birds knows no bounds. You do not want to see my photo library. The most used word to label my folders is 'bird' or the name of the actual bird. Other top named folders hold photos of dragonflies, damselflies, bees (oh dear gawd, how I love honey and bumble bees), butterflies, and planes. If it flies, I want it. Flowers are way up there too. People? Not so much. If I can't get a spontaneous shot of people, I tend not to take it.
ReplyDeleteIf I could help teach people one thing it would be that anyone under the influence of anything addictive is not predictable, doesn't think clearly, and cannot be trusted. People don't need to understand the full depth and breadth of active addiction, but they do need to know this.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the person you're trying to help.
we heard this on the news and just felt so sad for his family...
ReplyDeleteA very beautiful building and photo for today's theme. I love historical towns and cities but it is really tragic that the story behind the flags had to become part of the history of your town.
ReplyDelete;-)
I saw that story on the news and just felt so terrible for all involved. That is a beautiful photo to capture the honor being paid.
ReplyDeleteI heard this tragic story. Makes me so sad.
ReplyDelete"/
PS. I am looking forward to seeing your bird photo tomorrow.
Sad, very sad, but the building and your perfect shot of it, are striking.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo. Terribly sad story, though.
ReplyDeleteWhat a chillingly horrid thing to happen.
ReplyDeleteThat building looks marvelous though.
That's just awful. I actually didn't hear anything about that story in my area.
ReplyDeleteOh, Cheryl, what a gut-wrenching story! The part that got to me the most is when you said that the chief was scheduled for retirement tomorrow! What a waste. What a tragedy. Your photo is excellent as always, but it is your words that grabbed me today!
ReplyDeleteThat's a magnificent building, and a tragic story -- one that we hear all too often here in what I think of as gun-crazy America. Someday we'll wake up and put an end to our ridiculous and deadly fascination with firearms. I hope.
ReplyDeleteI like shots of people flipping the bird. That'd make an interesting coffee table book.
ReplyDeleteI saw your post about this tragic event on Facebook. That it should happen so close to his retirement makes it doubly gut wrenching. We have a less developed gun culture over here, but senseless killings still happen from time to time and, at the moment, our media is full of reports about the Breivik massacre; a different kind of madness!
ReplyDeleteI love taking photos of people. It's a bit tricky to take the photo without someone noticing, but when you succeed and capture them in an honest moment, it's worth it. However, I am NOT good with birds. At all.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened in Oslo shook the world. And still we seemed to have learned nothing.
ReplyDeleteMe too.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I'm seeing around here, the waking up is unlikely to happen in my lifetime. I grew up around hunters who never picked up their guns unless it was to shoot game to put food on the table. The generation that's just come of age has a frightening obsession with all kinds of weapons. I simply do not understand what's so intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThere's something so very chilling when something this terrible happens in a small town. The party the townspeople had planned for his retirement reached out to everyone. Now they gather to mourn. The signs along the roads are heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThe pressure to produce a bird of wonder is staggering. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHe is being honored everywhere, especially in our hearts.
ReplyDeleteI travel to or through this town almost daily. The sadness is a living thing.
ReplyDeleteSomething in me wants the Governor to raise the flags again to bring some normalcy back to the region and the state. The constant reminder is crushing.
ReplyDeleteSadly enough, it's not the worst thing that's happened in the region in the past 10 years.
ReplyDeleteI still can't wrap my head around it.
ReplyDeleteOn some level, you're lucky. It's all over the news in this area and there's no doubt in my mind there will be some blame cast on others. I dread that more than anything.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I don't like photographing people, it's just that I want to be a fly on the wall so I'm unnoticed to catch the shots you're talking about. My camera is older and really quite big. Hard not to be noticed at family gatherings. Far more easy to blend into a crowd of strangers. Those of some of favorite shots.
ReplyDeleteI've never angrily flipped the bird in my life. I'm terrified of the backlash. Around here, we have a lot of drivers from the lesser state of Massachusetts who drive like they're unstable. I just know if I flipped one of them off, they'd mow me down.
ReplyDeleteNice shot!
ReplyDeleteI heard that story too and felt so very very sad for him and for his family. I wondered if you were nearby. There are no words, really, to make this right because it is just so wrong. In so many ways. Hugs to your whole community, and especially his family.
ReplyDeleteThe senselessness of it is why it's so hard to move on.
ReplyDeleteOn 9/11 I remember the sky: that perfect late summer blue. When I see a comparable sky now, I think of that day. When I read your post I immediately looked at the sky in the photo. I wonder if people there will remember the blank winter white in conjunction with this tragedy.
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