the creek, the guardrail, the cars, and the shadows of leaves

[asakiyume]

There is a tiny creek that I love to pass by; it's a little cleft in the land, and it's protected from automotive intrusion by a guardrail. This winter, the guardrail was not sufficiently strong to prevent a wayward car from forcing its attentions on the creek:



For several months thereafter, the guard rail lay like that, much more intimate with the creek than it had every been before. Finally, the highway department put in a shiny new guardrail.

. . . But the other day I went by and . . .



This time it almost looks deliberately rammed, as if its very shininess was provocation.

There's shivered safety glass in the crannies:



I like the green shadows of the leaves on the post:

Comments

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

A particularly dangerous corner? Or is there something that deserves more investigation about that creek?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The Force is strong in this creek? Somebody reversed the polarity ( . . . of . . . something)? Micro-black hole, with concomitantly strong magnetic pull?

It's a mystery. The corner is very gentle.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what all corner-owners say...

[sovay]

For several months thereafter, the guard rail lay like that, much more intimate with the creek than it had every been before.

In fact, the metal bow of it, it looks like a boat.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I tell you it's all in the training! No corner is vicious unless it's badly trained!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

It does at that!

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Oh that is too bad about the rail. Pretty pictures, though!

[duccio.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it was the same person. I bet they were phoning or texting that they were almost home. You can see where the tire jumped the curve - just a moment of non-observance and... The broken window safety glass gives a noir movie feel, and the leaf shadows on the metal, a cemetery feel. You have constructed a mini photo essay.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Even gentle corners sometimes lie in wait for the unwary and then pounce unexpectedly.

Here where I live, you are always on the lookout for corners because they are so common here. But people who visit from parts of the country where corners are much rarer are often caught out by our wild corners and therefore come to grief.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I love the way you notice things like that. :)

There's a wicked (90 degree) turn on my street between here and my office. I have seen the aftermath of many cars not making the turn, with track marks in the swamp or on the snow. Last month, they finally put in a guard rail. I wonder how long before ours looks like yours?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

It must be hard for a corner to resist the temptation presented by a hapless tourist!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I had to go back looking for the earliest photo--I hadn't remembered that I took it in winter. Funny to see the seasons change.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

You have constructed a mini photo essay.

Not without your sympathetic and imaginative viewing! For which, thank you. I wonder if I could lead crowd-sourced investigations: present the photographic evidence and see what truths visitors deduced.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I bet it's only a matter of time! Especially if you've seen those skid marks over the years. Pretty much any place I've walked that has a guardrail, I've seen the guardrail bent or dented from an impact.

[duccio.livejournal.com]

I wonder if I could lead crowd-sourced investigations: present the photographic evidence and see what truths visitors deduced.

You would probably get good insights from each witness, but then you would have to sort through the Rashomon Effect. Truth would be elusive, but interesting stories would abound.

[c-maxx.livejournal.com]

The mokies have been jumping out of the woods and scaring the drivers...

[c-maxx.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I googles 'mokies' and did not get Red Eddy's meaning- semi-mythical creatures that burrow in the ground, and burrow out and attack us mortals.

He was a very tall faded red-headed driller (and company owner) I worked for in Western Colorado. A very gentle big guy, but probably not one you wanted to get riled when he was a young man.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I do love that Rashomon Effect! I can easily be distracted by the stories and forget about truth.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I was wondering what mokies were, and hadn't yet gotten around to Googling them. Thanks for the explanation.

Red Eddy sounds like a character out of a tall tale, himself.

[yamamanama.livejournal.com]

That glass looks like a semiprecious stone.

[core-opsis.livejournal.com]

Most excellent green shadows. That's something a painter would notice. And bummer about the repeated guardrail disaster, though I love the notion of it being intimate with the creek. That makes it seem like there's hope for happiness, even in things mangled....

[core-opsis.livejournal.com]

That's because the stories are ultimately more interesting!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

It does! That seems like something out of a story: having the way you create a semiprecious stone be to break safety glass.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

That makes it seem like there's hope for happiness, even in things mangled….

That's a beautiful way of putting it, and something I want to believe.