Too many times in my life, I’ve said, “I should get a picture of that. Not today. Another time. It’ll always be there.”
And then it wasn’t. So many missed opportunities.
I’ve learned to take the time. Sometimes, it means I have to force myself to slow down when I don’t feel like it. Other times, I let life’s pressures get the best of me. But, more and more, I don’t let these opportunities slide by.
An editor once reminded me, back in the days of film, “A good picture is better than a poor picture, but a poor picture is better than no picture!”
This morning, the sun burned hot in a clear sky. We decided to head out for the day. As we travelled, the winds shifted. A haze became noticeable in the air. Then, heavy smoke from northern wildfires settled on the landscape.
The vibrant colours we normally think of as summer faded to sepia. The sharp, direct sunlight turned to a diffused glow that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
I could have made a mental note of places we passed and promised to come back when conditions were more ideal. But who knows when we’ll pass this way again? Too many missed opportunities. Not today.
I like old motels. I feared many of these roadside attractions would be lost. But a lot of them are being lovingly preserved, restored or modernized.
A long time ago, I was assigned to crisscross the province to photograph economic development projects. It was a whirlwind tour that took me to every corner of Saskatchewan and so many places in between.
On my way to someplace from someplace else sometime on that assignment, I made it as far as Outlook one evening. I found a roadside motel as I entered the town and that’s as far as I got that day. That particular motel later closed and is now gone. But as I rolled out of town early next morning, I saw the Red Wheel Motel. Lucky for me, that motel is still there, so this trip I got a photo. Better late than never.
On a lark, we turned down O’Malley Road just after leaving Swanson. Past Rabbit Foot Lake, around the curve, just past a dirt road, we spied an old building next to a fence, an abandoned ball diamond, and old swing sets.
The building was a bit off the road, well into the field. Could it have been a town or other settlement? Perhaps a community hall or other gathering place? I’m sure someone knows, but not us. It doesn’t show on any of my topo maps.
One of the photos on my bucket list is the Viterra terminal in Saskatoon. But the light has never been right. Or the weather has been bad. Or I had to go grocery shopping. Or I was tired. Or I didn’t feel like leaving the house.
Today, the light wasn’t right, but it was interesting. The weather wasn’t great, but it made for interesting contrast. I was tired, but this was right on our route. We were already out of the house, and we didn’t need groceries.
That facility is 107 years old now, parts of it, anyway. A major upgrade in the 1930s nearly doubled its size. It’s a significant architectural, agricultural, cultural and historical structure. So, like much of our heritage, it will be demolished when it no longer pleases its owners.
I will look for other opportunities to photograph it again, but I’m glad we stopped today.
This safari yardscape happened to be across the street from where we parked to get a photo of the Viterra terminal. A chance enounter of a whimsical sight to wrap up our day.