I think it was an interesting week in the 365 Day Photo Project:
Day 37 – In My Mailbox
Day 38 – A Leaf
Day 39 – Sunlight
Day 40 – Illusion
Day 41 – At Night
Day 42 – Generations
The themes for this week:
Day 43 – B&W
Day 44 – Hero
Day 45 – Together
Day 46 – Homework
Day 47 – Seat
Day 48 – First Thing You See
Day 49 – Strange
This week’s Personal Photo Project was to photograph the No. 844 (The Living Legend) when it passed through Boone.
I actually photographed it on3 separate occasions. I took a “salesman’s lunch” on the day it came in and stood on a bridge west of Boone with a small contingent of people (including my Mom) waiting for it to enter Boone.
That night I visiting the UP Freight Yard in Boone to photograph it again. Unfortunately, they didn’t have it open to the public. So I did what I could.
Then the next morning I setup near Jordan Corner before I went to work to photograph it leaving Boone.
Here is the story of The Living Legend from the Union Pacific website:
Steam Locomotive No. 844 is the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific Railroad. It was delivered in 1944. A high-speed passenger engine, it pulled such widely known trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.
Many people know the engine as the No. 8444, since an extra ‘4’ was added to its number in 1962 to distinguish it from a diesel numbered in the 800 series. The steam engine regained its rightful number in June 1989, after the diesel was retired.
When diesels took over all of the passenger train duties, No. 844 was placed in freight service in Nebraska between 1957 and 1959. It was saved from being scrapped in 1960 and held for special service.
The engine has run hundreds of thousands of miles as Union Pacific’s ambassador of goodwill. It has made appearances at Expo ’74 in Spokane, the 1981 opening of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Los Angeles Union Station in 1989.
Hailed as Union Pacific’s “Living Legend,” the engine is widely known among railroad enthusiasts for its excursion runs, especially over Union Pacific’s fabled crossing of Sherman Hill between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming.
The rest of the The Living Legend Series:
Next week’s Personal Photo Project will involve a sunflower.
Even though my lily patch didn’t take off quite like I had hoped this year (due to neglect and heat), all of these lily pictures are either my lilies or my Mom’s lilies. I didn’t go trolling for lilies any place else this year. Although I did check out my grandma’s lilies, but I missed my window of opportunity on those this year.
More pictures from the The Girl in the Blue Skirt Beta – 2012 Series:
I suppose I should have given you some warning that you would be looking at picture of Naked Ladies. I hope that didn’t offend anyone. Okay, I don’t really care if it offended anyone.
More lily pictures on the morrow.
My Personal Photo Project of the Week this week was to photograph the historical event of a sitting President of the United States visiting Boone. It hasn’t happened since Eisenhower.
It was a surprise bonus that I would be able to photograph my Mom in the crowd. I wasn’t sure she would be able to attend this event, despite being a big Obama supporter, because it was a standing event that required standing for several hours. However, she handled it very well. Then walked home.
I was able to get at least fairly close to Obama for the rally because rather than getting tickets and going to the event, I volunteered to work it. This was partially because I didn’t want to wait several hours in line to get tickets. Even if it meant meeting the former Mr. Reese Weatherspoon.
I also had never volunteered to work this kind of event, so there was a certain amount of intellectual curiosity that contributed as well.
I signed up to work with Amy. We originally were assigned to hand out water bottles, but since there were so many volunteers we ended up working the “door” to the pavilion. We made sure that people with Blue Tickets went into the Blue Ticket Section and people with Red Tickets went into the Red Ticket Section.
Becky also ended up working the event with us, when she wasn’t working the crowd for votes.
Here are more pictures from the The Audacity of Hope Series:
If you look closely, you can see Pastor Phil Webb in the crowd!
I know I stated last Friday that my goal was to publish lily pictures this Friday, but I changed my mind so that these pictures would at least be timely and so Russell might stop calling me Mr. Flowers. Okay, I kind of like it when Russell calls me Mr. Flowers. Almost as much as I like it when he calls me Foursquare Boy.
Next week’s Personal Photo Project might involve lilies or sunflowers or trains for that matter.
This week’s Personal Photo Project was to photograph my Mom’s hibiscus.
The rest of the Inferiority Complex – 2012 Series:
My goal is for next week’s Personal Photo Project to be lilies, but realistically it will probably be sunflowers.
I don’t want to rehash the painful memories of being denied a trip to the Rusty Duck. It is sufficient to say that I was invited to a dinner to the Rusty Duck and then disinvited to the Rusty Duck by Sara. I hold no grudges against Sara or Shawn since this disinvitation was out of their control AND because Shawn and his mom took my side on the divisive issue.
Plus, the next day Sara brought be a day old Rusty Duck burger and even though it was a day old and I warmed it up in a hospital microwave, it was still the best burger I’ve ever had in my life.
A few weeks later, I hopped in a car with Teresa, Ernie, and Mom and went to have a fresh burger from the Rusty Duck in Dexter, Iowa.
Here are a few pictures from the trip:
It did not disappoint. Eating that burger was a transcendent, nearly spiritual experience. I can’t wait to do it again.
Relay for Life for Boone County was last Friday night. The picture below, although not many, would have been considered a miracle in January. They are still considered a miracle now.
Willy ran 40 miles and was able to raise some money for the cause that way. He decided to do this at the last second. Perhaps we will have to organize him for next year?!?!?
Pretty sure none of these pictures were faked as well.
05-29-2012 – 7:50 AM
05-30-2012 – 10:19 PM
05-31-2012 2:45 PM
06-01-2012 6:34 PM
06-02-2012 2:30 PM
06-03-2012 4:53 PM
Wow. Officially caught back up on The Self-Portrait Project!
This week’s Personal Photo Project kind of borders on the edge of being a failure. I wanted to photograph this flower because I found it to be interesting looking. Unforutnately, the time I took these pictures is the only time I saw this flower blooming.
I checked on it on a regular basis until it died and never saw it blooming again.
I’m pretty sure this flower is a weed, but my policy on things that I don’t know about is this:
“If it produces a pretty flower, it can stay.”
Some serious gardeners might scoff at such a policy, but I didn’t get to be Boone’s premiere moonflower and hollyhock gardener by accident.
This mystery flower/weed was in my Mom’s front yard. I have no clue what it is, so if you know, leave a comment in the comments section of this blog.
The rest of The Conundrum Series:
It would appear I’m almost within striking distance of being caught up with my Personal Photo Projects!
Here are a few pictures from Logan’s graduation.
Looks like only one niece/nephew to go!
