Comments on: Ten Pieces of Inspiration #54

By: Evita

Evita — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:32:50 +0000

Good post.
I really enjoyed your choice of photographs. The overuse of the words “incredible” and “incredibly”, not so much.
(I know, expecting too much from a writer….)

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:58:55 +0000

“Stories say that the electricity building was illuminated by incandescent lights, the only building in the city lit up like that. It stood out like a beacon in the night.” If you want to see this effect, travel to North Korea. The capital buidling and a few blocks around it are a shinging beacon of light in the dark and the rest of the country has almost no electricity. It’s even more striking from satelite, South Korea (not socialist / not Communist) lit like a Christmas tree, the whole country, and North Korea, by contrast (Communist) black as pitch at night, with one tiny area of blazing light where the important politicians are lodged, and the rest unable to afford, or without proper electic services, living in the dark. Capitalism: 2012, Communism: 1893, at the same time!

By: Briana

Briana — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:30:07 +0000

photo #5 – While it looks like there is a bit of dust build-up, many farmers also lived in homes that were half-dugouts and when they enter they step down.

By: Jules

Jules — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:10:57 +0000

So, Trent, how long before you figure out what that “something” is? :-)

By: Maureen

Maureen — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:05:56 +0000

I loved seeing these pictures and listening to how you see them. Since we don’t know the exact history about most of them, it’s up to our interpretation. Thank you for this post. I enjoyed it.

By: lurker carl

lurker carl — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:32:03 +0000

The photographed man from the Umingmaktormiut Tribe is staring at the flash, photography was a foreign concept to him. The expression is more likely surprise and amazement as the flash powder exploded. This gentleman lived in the Artic, a typical day rather than an intense weather experience for him.

By: David

David — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:45:37 +0000

There isn’t a door in the front of the mailbox. There is an opening at the top of the mailbox covered by a flap, but the boy is not tall enough to pull the flap down, so he is trying to post the letter in the narrow gap between the top of the flap and the opening in the mailbox. What is slightly puzzling is that the Doremus mailbox of which this is an example wasn’t patented until 1889, yet the photo is dated “c. 1880″.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:11:17 +0000

I always made my children’s hallowe’en costumes. Their costumes included: pumpkin, rosebud, Lion King, fireman, clown, baby, witch, devil, basketball(with hoop and backboard), skydancer, dalmatian, princesses, medusa,wizard,Harry Potter, Arwin(LOTR), Geisha, knight etc. Now as young adults they make their own if they go to costume parties. My daughter has made costumes for an FBI agent and circus ringmaster.

We find thrift stores are great sources for costume pieces. Most costumes require only minimal sewing skills.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:33:15 +0000

#1 Aerin it looks like in the #5 photo from the lower hinge on the door that the building is at least 6 inches under built-up sand. I’ve been in West Texas dust storms (1970′s, early 1980′s) where the view from the camera would have been a lot blurrier. The dust comes in like a wall & totally destroys any visibility & could leave up to an inch by the time it passes.

#6 – I was in grade school late 1950′s/early 1960′s and remember either we or our mom would make our Halloween costumes. We’d start planning a month ahead of time. It was a huge deal one year when she purchased a spaceman costume for my brother; we envied him the helmet/mask but we actually felt sorry for him at the cheap quality of the actual costume compared to our home made ones.

By: SwingCheese

SwingCheese — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:19:44 +0000

I love the last picture. There is just something fascinating about hoses for toddlers – my parents have a picture of me (circa 1980) in almost that exact pose, and I have memories of my son from just this last summer in almost that exact pose. Kids are kids, in many ways.

By: Aerin

Aerin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:00:30 +0000

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing them. The dust storm photo is especially interesting to me. I wonder if the building was built that short, or is it being swallowed up by the dust bowl?