Thematic Photographic 33 - Surprise

Rock face
Renfro Valley/Mount Vernon, KY
December 2008 [Click to enlarge]

About this photo: This week's new Thematic Photographic theme, surprise, touches on moments that seem to happen, almost magically, out of nowhere. Have you ever taken a picture of something neat, something unexpected or just something that stuck in your mind as totally worth remembering because it was so improbable? If you have, I hope you'll share it with us. Please scroll down for more details on how TP works.

The scene: It's just after 5 p.m. We've left the massive blizzard and ice storm now battering our hometown behind us and are finally enjoying the relatively warm and dry I-75 deep in the Kentucky mountains. The combination of an 8-year-old-boy and too much apple juice at lunch means another unplanned pit stop. Which is fine, because we're all exhausted, and a few minutes of walking around a parking lot will be good for me.

We take an exit carved out of rock and soon find ourselves in a shadowy spot behind an old Shell station. As Debbie heads inside with the kids, I get out of the car for a quick stretch. As usual, I find myself staring at everything. There's an old restaurant perched precariously on the edge of the hill that looms over my head. That same hill casts a deepening late afternoon shadow over the parking lot, painting everything with a curious mixture of blue-gray that on any other day would seem dull.

Despite being out of the way, this place is hopping. Pickup trucks endlessly pull up to the pumps and local folks chat with each other as they make their way to and from the cashier inside. I'm in a different world than I'm used to, and I realize I could get used to being here a little while longer.

My eye catches something on the sheer rock face at the edge of the lot. It's getting darker by the second, and I'm not sure why I keep staring at that spot. But there's something there. My brain chews on it for a while before it spits out the obvious: a face!

And no one seems to notice. Deep in the middle of seemingly nowhere, in the shadows of an old, bustling gas station, I seem to have found a piece of geological coolness. I feel like I have a big secret as I reach for my camera and fight the deepening light to capture the moment. When Debbie and the kids return, we discuss the happenstance of this experience, and we all agree it was a good thing Noah had that extra bit of juice at lunch.

Your turn: Please share a "surprise" moment or image with us. Here's how Thematic Photographic works:

• Every Wednesday evening, at precisely 7 o'clock Eastern, I post a new Thematic Photographic entry.
  
• Each entry has a unique theme. This week's is...surprise.
  
• You post a similarly themed image over on your blog.
  
• You paste a link to your entry in a comment here.
  
• If you've already posted something that fits (on a blog, Facebook, MySpace, wherever) simply post the link to the existing entry. Old or new, all photos are welcome.
  
• You may post as many photos or links as you wish. For the next week, I'll be supporting this theme with a related picture/posting each day. I encourage you to do the same. This is all about sharing, so feel free to share to your heart's content!
  
• Please share this link with friends, too, and encourage them to join in. The more, the merrier.
• And please accept my thanks for your enthusiasm. Your participation has made TP a true highlight for me each and every week.