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Reaching Back

Dan Antion
2 minutes
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I’ve gotten used to participating in Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge on Monday. Cee didn’t post a CFFC this week because Chris is still recovering from major surgery. The good news is that Chris is home, but she needs Cee’s support, so Cee won’t be able to post the challenges, other than the flower of the day. I am holding a good thought for Chris’s full recovery and I am keeping Cee and Chris in my prayers. I’ve shared the latest update link before, but if you missed it, it’s here.

On this side of the country, we are looking at a couple of days of possible snow. You never know in March. We could get several inches of snow, or rain, or the dreaded “wintry mix” between this afternoon and Wednesday afternoon. For today, as the title suggests, I am reaching back into Cee’s list of CFFC prompts tp a point before I joined the challenge. Today, I’ve chosen a challenge from April 2017:

The Seasons and Elements. Hopefully this series will bring out our creative side with some unique perspectives and ways of looking at things. This week the topic is Autumn – Metal.

You can take photos of anything that relates to the season of Autumn or metal. For metal I would like to see its strength and beauty. Have fun with this challenge. Use your imagination for this theme. The thing is to have a lot of fun with this challenge.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

Let’s see what we can find in the archive. I’ve got some metal things, some things made with metal, some things that include metal parts (legs on the coffee table I made), and some autumn shots.

This flat metal marker commemorates the life of Gilbert O. Ahlman, who sailed on ore freighters on the Great Lakes. He was a member of the Seafarers International Union of North America.
These metal flowers adorn each of the corners of the building.
Simple steel structure, decorated with stone.
This shows how the intense heat caused the steel to bend under the weight.
There are two coasters in this photo. The Phantom Menace (steel coaster) travels through the Thunderbolt (wooden coaster).
Close-up of the steel structure.
The main attraction in the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden is Horton.
An old band saw and drill press as sculpture.
If you look close, you’ll see the railroad trestle through there
It’s been well over a year, but they are still working on the railroad bridge. I’m looking forward to a picture without a toolbox.
Until we did something like try to accelerate, we felt like just another vehicle out there, even though we had about 30 more feet of truck/trailer behind us.
CT Rail – Ready to roll.
CT Rail – The Hartford Line – Being pulled by an AMTRAK loco across the trestle across the Connecticut River.
I like bridges and railroad trestles.
the coffee table has found its new home.
This is the way I like to see our flag flying – high and strong.

58 responses to “Reaching Back”

  1. Prior... Avatar
    Prior…

    nice archive selections – with lines, designs, and art as you showed the strength and beauty of metal.
    Also, sending good vibes for Chris as she recovers :) and for Cee as they take it one day at a time.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks Yvette. And thanks again for posting the interview over at your place. I’m sure Cee and Chris appreciate the good vibes.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Prior... Avatar
        Prior…

        I need to go and visit Cee at her blog and add my thoughts there

        And doing the interview was fun!
        I hope it came out to your liking – and I just say that I was surprised at how much content I had –
        I know I can make the interview as long as I want to – but I left off the “good reads book given away” mention because it just was not needed –
        Oh and do you have a photo of any of your Salomon shoes?
        Just curious

        Like

        Reply
  2. rugby843 Avatar
    rugby843

    Goid news and intoned recivery fir Chris💕

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks Cheryl.

      Like

      Reply
  3. Oddment Avatar
    Oddment

    You sure had the perfect photos waiting for this challenge. Of course I love the trestle through the autumn trees, but that sculpture of band saw and drill press is a winner too. There is artistry in tools, isn’t there? Well, in some tools. I like its placement near what looks like an old stone wall.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks! The old cast iron tools were often made by people who liked to show off the beauty they could achieve in the casting process. The two items sit outside the building where I had my cabinet shop in 1985. They renovated the building, and I guess they found those in some of the abandoned spaces. The mess of twisted steel was what remained after a fire destroyed a four-story textile mill. The building I had my shop in had been the workshop for the mill. It was far enough away that it survived the fire. Those tools were probably used in support of the mill when it was in operation.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Oddment Avatar
        Oddment

        There’s always a story in tools, isn’t there? Sounds as though your cabinet shop was located in an interesting place. I bet that fire took a lot of history with it. That metal looks really tortured.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Dan Antion Avatar
          Dan Antion

          Several different groups had tried to renovate and turn that mill into apartments/condos but none were able to get all the necessary approvals. The river ran right through the building (it was the original power source) so of course the building was in a flood plain. That always seemed to complicate plans for use of the first floor. Oddly enough, when I had my shop, there was a Waterbed store on the first floor, and there were several small businesses like mine on the lower level.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
  4. Murphy’s Law Avatar
    Murphy’s Law

    Lots of metal here….cars, trains, trestles, tracks, sculptures, even flowers. You covered the prompt nicely Dan. Of course, I particularly like Horton!

    Hope you ride out the approaching storm without any problems.
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks Ginger. I’ve used Horton before for CFFC, but I like him a lot, so I stick him in whenever the prompt works for a big steel elephant.

      he forecast for this storm keeps changing. I’m not sure what we’re going to get, but I guess we’re as ready as we can be.

      Like

      Reply
  5. GP Avatar
    GP

    You picked well. I like trains and bridges as well, but that flag looks tremdous!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      It’s funny, GP. I love seeing that flag blowing in the wind, but I don’t enjoy walking with that wind blowing on me, especially in the winter.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. GP Avatar
    GP

    What the heck did I post, tremdous? Yikes!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      That’s OK. We know what you meant, and typos are always well received on this blog ;-)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread Avatar
    Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread

    The coffee table looks like a good fit there, and I like the metal flowers and the old saw. We’re suppose to be getting 4-12″. Oh well, it is still March. :-)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      That was the second coffee table I made for my office. I gave it away to a coworker when I retired. I gave the first one away to my best boss, when he retired. I enjoyed making them, but they liked them better than I did. Our forecast is moving from all rain to a mix of rain and snow. Who knows what we’ll actually get. Hang in there.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. Rivergirl Avatar
    Rivergirl

    Love the metal flower sculpture. That kind of repurposing is so creative….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      I love those flowers, too. That add an unexpected touch of color. That building is an old railroad warehouse that has been turned into studio space.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Rivergirl Avatar
        Rivergirl

        In Maine they repurpose a lot of textile mills. Wonderful old buildings, full of quirk and character.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  9. lois Avatar
    lois

    The melting metal is quite something, Dan. I’ve never seen anything like that, and you know the heat down here–the humidity alone could kill you!
    I do like the train trestles. All good photos.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      The humidity in FL is one of the reasons I’m staying in the north. I remember missing a great action shot of a bird taking off. I had just come out of my nice cool hotel, and as soon as I took the lens cap off, my camera fogged up so bad, I had nothing in the frame. Do you leave your camera outside?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. lois Avatar
        lois

        No, I never leave my camera or phone outside or even in the car–even if my husband does say, “Let’s just crack the windows a bit.” That does not help. It is way too hot. Ugh, foggy lenses. I get it, Dan. Royal PITA.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Dan Antion Avatar
          Dan Antion

          I figured you’d leave your husband outside before your camera ;-)

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. lois Avatar
            lois

            hahah! Oh my gosh, Dan–you know me so very well! But, yes. You’re right. I would. 🤣

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
  10. Ally Bean Avatar
    Ally Bean

    I love the metal flowers. I love your coffee table. Bring on the quirky.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Quirky is fun sometimes. I do love those flowers. The coffee table(s) were fun to make, and they both made their new owners very happy.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  11. circadianreflections Avatar
    circadianreflections

    You had a lot of really good ones in your collection. I liked Horton, was that Bullwinkle too? The trestle bridge is wonderful, and that sculpture made from industrial shop tools was pretty neat. My favorites though were the autumn images with all the trees in orange and green, and even reds with the trestle bridge. Just beautiful!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      The statue garden with Horton is at the Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, MA. That would be Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. I knew when I saw Autumn and Metal together I had to find a autumn photo of the railroad trestle.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. circadianreflections Avatar
        circadianreflections

        How do I not know Thidwick?!!! I’m going to look for him in my collection of Dr. Seuss!

        The trestle bridge with all the autumn colors is wonderful. I’m glad you included it.

        Like

        Reply
      2. circadianreflections Avatar
        circadianreflections

        I don’t have this book about Thidwick by Dr. Seuss!!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Dan Antion Avatar
          Dan Antion

          Sounds like a trip to the bookstore is in order.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. circadianreflections Avatar
            circadianreflections

            I looked for one at a used book store. There’s one listed for $191.00!! It must be a really rare one!

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
            1. Dan Antion Avatar
              Dan Antion

              Yikes! Is that one of the ones they aren’t printing anymore?

              Liked by 1 person

            2. circadianreflections Avatar
              circadianreflections

              I don’t know. I did find it on amazon new for under $15 though so it’s in my cart.

              Liked by 1 person

  12. John W. Howell Avatar
    John W. Howell

    Super photos, Dan. I enjoyed a trip through the archives.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      I’m glad, John. Metal and autumn were nice things to search for.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. John W. Howell Avatar
        John W. Howell

        Yes they were.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  13. Dale Avatar
    Dale

    Excellent photos for the theme. I like the metal flowers and that table is so lovely.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Those flowers are my favorite. They add such a nice bit of color, and they’re fun.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Dale Avatar
        Dale

        They really do!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  14. Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard Avatar
    Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard

    I like those artistic metal flowers on the building, Dan. They spruce the place up a bit. I also like the Horton sculpture – nice centerpiece to the garden. Glad to see the coffee table resting comfortably in its new home. I gather your area will be “participating” in the next Nor’easter? As has been the case throughout this Winter, we won’t…but it is supposed to still be very windy the next two days and along with ourselves…the trees and wires will also be working to stay upright.😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks Bruce. I love those flowers, and Horton is a favorite from childhood. The sculpture garden is a fun place. Thing-1 and Thing-2 are also in there.

      They were saying we’d be getting rain. Then a mix. Now they say snow.

      I hope everything stays in place.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. quiall Avatar
    quiall

    Wonderful as all the pictures are, I have to love Horton best! He’s holding aloft his prize, protecting it, the movement in his body is just spectacular. We never stop to think how much metal is all around us and in everything we do. But even metal can wear out, just like us.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Horton is the best! I think the artist had to be a big fan. He captured Horton well. I won’t last as long as a lot of the steel around me. That railroad trestle dates to the 1850s.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  16. Teagan Riordain Geneviene Avatar
    Teagan Riordain Geneviene

    I really can’t stop laughing at myself. For a second there, I was surprised to see so many trains (or train related things) for “metal.” I should have known that was the first thing you’d think of, Dan. :D All these are great. I really like the metal flowers, and Horton is terrific (particularly since I have elephants on the brain for my next serial episode). Well done. Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Haha – I have too many train photos, Teagan. But my first thought was Horton. The metal flowers (at a renovated train station) are some of my favorites. I love the color they add, and just the right amount of whimsy.

      Like

      Reply
  17. Liz Gauffreau Avatar
    Liz Gauffreau

    I particularly like your trestle photos. There is something about a train trestle I find very appealing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Me too. Once the trees leaf out, it becomes hard to see.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. dweezer19 Avatar
    dweezer19

    I love that coffee table, Dan. You have some nice metal images! So diverse.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks Cheryl. This let me reach back for some favorites.

      Like

      Reply
  19. Zoe Brown Avatar
    Zoe Brown

    I am so sorry to hear about Chris’s surgery and I hope she makes a speedy recovery! I’m glad she’s home and I’m keeping her and Cee in my prayers. I can’t wait to see what the next CFFC challenge is!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Cee announced that the CFFC will resume next Tuesday. I’ll reach back for and old one on Monday, but I’m glad they are getting better.

      Like

      Reply
  20. robertawrites235681907 Avatar
    robertawrites235681907

    Hi Dan, some very interesting pictures here.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      Thanks Robbie. Metal and autumn are two of my favorite things.

      Like

      Reply
  21. Jennie Avatar
    Jennie

    The sculpture garden with Horton and the stone train trestle are my faves.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Dan Antion Avatar
      Dan Antion

      I love that sculpture garden.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Jennie Avatar
        Jennie

        🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

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