Sunday, January 18, 2009

Caption This 104


Please caption this image
[Click here for Caption This instructions]
Williamsburg, KY, January 2009
About this photo: Thematic Photographic explores "aged" photos all week long. If you've got a similarly-themed perspective that you'd like to share - and I hope you do - please head over here. But only after you share a caption, of course. On with the show...
It's day 2 on our way home from Florida. The rain-soaked fog of the night before has turned into monumentally blinding fog through the rolling hills of northern Georgia and the mountains of Tennessee. By the time we get to Kentucky, my knuckles are white from the drive and I'm ready for a break.

As we get off the interstate, my wife notices an abandoned old gas station just off to the right. From the moment she mentions how neat it would be to get pictures of it, my mind races. On the one hand, we're in the middle of a 2,400-kilometer drive and we hardly have time to waste on photo shoots of ruined urban architecture - or much else, for that matter. On the other hand, when else are we going to have the opportunity?

My understanding wife agrees to let me run across the way for a quick photo shoot while she picks up some mid-trip snacks with the kids. Her last words of advice to me as I giddily set off: "Don't get into a fight with anyone when you're there."

No worries: the place is as devoid of life as the cemetery next door. I walk its crumbling, rusting remains, doing my best to grab every last perspective in the shortest amount of time. In the end, it takes me 11 minutes to bring home 45 pictures. We may get into our driveway a little later than planned, but something tells me it's immaterial. With my wife's blessing, I seized the day and got to experience something unique in a faraway place. Now, I hope you'll help me put words to the images. Please read on.

Your turn: Please suggest a caption for this photo. You can be funny, poignant, or any other emotion you wish. You can submit one or you can submit dozens. All I ask is that you keep it family-friendly - our youngest son reads this! - and that you have fun with it. I'll announce a winner next Sunday. And as added incentive, all winners from this point forward will be added to my new-and-improved blogroll. I'll also add you to my "Follow" list. (Sorry, no free iPods...gotta feed my kids first. But if any sponsors are reading this, e-mail me.) If you're new to Caption This, click here for a glimpse at where it all started.

About last week's picture of a munchkin's hands: I liked this photo as soon as I shot it. So did everyone who visited, apparently, because the submissions were many and varied. Here's this week's honor roll of honorable menschens:
  • Mel Fraase: "Okay, now did you want your sandwich with butter or without?"
  • Me: "Today a sandcastle, tomorrow the world."
  • Judy: "The sands of time stop here."
  • Robin: "Mr. Sandman's hands."
  • Photowannabe: "The sands of time."
  • Hilary: "True grit."
  • PastorMac's Ann: "Instruments of construction...or destruction."
Strange Pilgram's "Nitty-Gritty" takes it this week. If you haven't yet seen her site, you must. She blogs from Italy, and her perspectives on life there are not to be missed. Click here to send her some bloggy appreciation from all of us at Written Inc.

19 comments:

Terri said...

"It's been a gas."

Bobkat said...

Hey Carmi. Glad you had time to snap away :)

I'm going with "This Sale: ends here"

Netchick sent me over to play but I hang around here sometimes anyway as you know :)

awareness said...

out of gas

rusty relic

empty tanked

the arrow points to empty

gas from the past.



GREAT photo Carmi. Good on you to take your beautiful life partner's advice! Nothing like clearing the old noggin with a creative escape.

Anonymous said...

Hello Carmi!

"Metered out"

"Pumped out"

"Fill'er up like it's 1999"

Terri

Lori said...

"A rust in time...1 9 9 9"

Hope your new year is going well!

P.S. I love your bride and groom picture!

Mojo said...

For a caption... I got nothin'. At least at the moment.

But I didn't come empty-handed. For you and Written, Inc. I've got a little somethin'...

Diamonds in the Rockpile: Class of 2008. An award that's Certified 100% Tag-Free, with no obligation to... do anything, actually.

Christine Gram said...

Thank you thank you thank you so much Carmi! I actually almost teared up a little when I discovered you had chosen my caption for last weeks tender little "caption this."

And the very best thing about this photo is that you stopped to take it. I love detours and tangents... makes life more interesting!

My two cents for this week...
"busted"

kenju said...

No caption for this one...yet.

Thanks for the menschun!

Zuzana said...

Very interesting and very popular blog.;) I very much like the picture of the (wedding) couple below.

I have never suggested a "caption" in my life; I am better the other way around. That is, "illustrating" a given text.
But I guess the photograph evoked feelings of loneliness and abandonment in me. I guess what comes to mind is:

"Sorry, we are closed."

Thank you for visiting my place and leaving a very kind comment.;)

Michael K. Althouse said...

No caption, but I do have some historical content...

When I was 18, I worked at a service station as a "petroleum transfer technician," otherwise known as a pump jockey. It was after the first OPEC oil embargo and during the second. When gas hit more than $1.00 per gallon, the pumps had to be modified to reflect the added digit. I guess no one ever imagined gas would ever top $1.00... and I remember when I thought $.75 was expensive.

As an aside... We used to wash the windows, check the oil and tire pressure and, of course, pump the gas. Ah, the good ole days.

Charli Henley said...

How about "America and The World: 2009."

Great pic!

Pamela said...

The last sale

awareness said...

why is it that some photos just stay with you?? this one has been lingering in my head since I first looked at it on Sunday....and what i've been thinking is that despite the fact that it wasn't useful for the fueling up of your car, it was useful for your own fueling up for the next stage of the drive home.

so....

Refueling of the creative soul

Petrol for Photographer

Carmi's Fuel Stop.

:)

David Edward said...

"i still feel abused, but thanks for the vaseline"

David Edward said...

drive like its only $1.999!

Pamela said...

has anyone suggested:

fossil fuel

Anne said...

Nothing is coming to me this week, but maybe the simple 'fill'er up' will suffice.

It's interesting that is has a 06-07 inspection sticker on it so it hasn't been abandoned that long.

Max Sartin said...

I don't know why, but I find abandoned buildings and other man-made structures fascinating. Would that abandoned gas station be the Stonehenge of the 31st century, if it weren't for the likelihood that some developer is bound to tear it down?

JAM said...

Abandoned buildings and forgotten places are my favorite things to photograph, but I rarely find ones I have access to. Glad you got to go over there for a bit. My wife understands like that too, and I appreciate her patience a lot.

Total brain fart on a caption though.