Industrial & City Scapes Photography

Lovely as it is to take nature pictures, I also like what I call industrial photos. And cityscapes, like 1940's movies. There are no cityscapes in our town, nor much industry, but there's the Lehigh Cement Plant, right by the road I take when I drive to town.

There's a railroad crossing by the plant. The other day, I was lucky to get stopped by a train. Lucky, so I could take some pictures. 

I think this was an interesting capture because I've never seen this type of railway car before. It looks really old to me. I don't know for sure, but I like that I got a chance to take its picture. 

A bit more of a modern version, but this one still looks old. I imagine most freight trains run until they can run no more. 

Not much graffiti on this train, but the entire side of this car made up for it.

This is what I would love to do more of.  A man in a yellow safety vest walking against the backdrop of the huge plant.

I would have to use my camera, of course. It's gathering dust in a drawer now. I only use my phone.

Capturing moments like this would be so much fun.

Train Graffiti

 I never mind getting stopped by one of the many trains that come through our town every day. The other day I was first in line and had a prime seat for graffiti viewing. 

I have no idea if there's anything not kosher depicted here, but then I suspect neither would you, my blogger friends. I'm often delighted by the talent I see in these artists. And it somehow makes the trains more interesting and time waiting for them to pass less boring. 

This post was inspired by Ginny at Let Your Light Shine

who always notices and takes photos of the many fun and interesting things she and her hubby encounter on their outings. 

A Train In The Rain And More

It's Thursday afternoon here in California and I've been feeling a bit down. More about that later. This morning, thunder rolled around the mountains. I had to go to Walmart to pick up some groceries and Samson's eye drops. By the time I left, it was raining. First rain since the spring. Much needed, much grateful for it and for my windshield wipers working as they should. 

Samson is scared of thunder. Not panicking, but not comfortable and I didn't like to leave him, but somehow I knew he would be OK. He's not an easily frightened dog, it's more that he doesn't like noise. Faith is not bothered at all. Labs must have both guns and balls, replacing the birds they're supposed to retrieve, etched in their DNA.

You know I'm always happy when I get a train. Just so I can take a few pictures. And I love them, I really do. The trains I mean. It's fun to take a picture through your side mirror and see the rear of the train pulling up. 

Before I left Walmart, I took this picture of the dark clouds. I haven't seen a good cloud cover for months now, so I just had to.

So after I got home, I was feeling a bit down. Mainly because I get so darned tired after I come home from town. I mean, these days I don't go shopping, I just sit there and wait for the people to come and load my groceries for me. Then I go to the post office and walk maybe 30 steps, get my mail, walk back another 30, get in my car and drive home. Once home I unload the groceries, not much this time, wipe them down, and put them away. Big deal. So, so tired, I'm getting on my own nerves.

I sleep in this room now because it faces north. I got this antique bed from my friend Lin when she moved to an assisted living place. One of the four posts has scratch marks from her cats, Siam and MeTo, gone for so many years now. As is Lin. 

So I sat in this bed in my other bedroom, feeling blah. Wondering why I'm not in my living room. The bed was not made, I hadn't slept in it, but for some reason it was not made up. There was a mess all around. Stuff in it, laptop, calendar, notebook, notepads, pens, and you get the picture. I hate piles of stuff. I hate even more when I feel too tired to deal with piles. 

What would make me happy, right now, I asked myself. To strip the bed, put on a bottom sheet only since I'm not sleeping in it, and then take out the quilt that I washed a while back and make up the bed. 

This I did and felt immediately so much better. I can now sit  in it, it looks nice and my much loved Purple Cottage picture is on the wall opposite, so I see it all the time.

I still wonder why I'm not in my living room. But I'll worry about that some other day.

Sorry to bother you with all this, but sometimes you just have to share. I have been here alone now since March after all.

Night Train

I hardly ever go to town at night and at first I couldn't remember why I was there this August night last summer.

Then I realized it must have been on our way home from the ER, where my nephew took me when I had a kidney infection.

I'm glad we had to stop at the railroad  crossing so I could try for some night photos with my phone. 

After being treated with fever reducers, antibiotics, and best of all been re-hydrated with a drip, I was feeling so much better. But not well enough to remember I took these pictures, which I found on my phone the other day.

A Train Goes Through the Tehachapi Loop

This post is for the husband of my blogger friend in Vancouver. I know he is fighting a difficult battle for his health with my friend at his side. I know he loves trains as much as I do and I hope my train pictures will reach him and cheer him up. I thought of him when I took them. All the best to both of you.

Train enthusiasts and those among you who may just want to see something really cool, check out the You Tube video link below. At about 2.34 minutes in you will see how this 19th century engineering feat really works. The Wikipedia link below provides a brief description of the Loop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Loop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLb_99f_JSE