Saturday, January 21, 2012

What Does Jimbo Have in That Yellow Plastic Bag?

When the kids asked what features I wanted in my new camera, I said I wanted one with the most powerful zoom. So they gave us a Canon Powershot SX40HS.  It has a 35x wide angle optical zoom.

I think in a former life I may have been a spy or at least a private eye.  I find people watching fascinating.   When I capture an interesting subject (at least interesting to me) doing something very ordinary, I begin to wonder who the person is.  Where are they going.  What is their story?

For instance while we were stopped at a traffic light today, I saw this guy walking up the street. He had dark hair, a receding hair line and a mustache.  He had a yellow plastic shopping bag in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

 Well, he kind of looked something like this.


Maybe he had a sandwich in that bag and maybe he was heading down to the bay where his boat was still  in its slip at Tony G's marina.  He hasn't taken his boat out of the water yet because his boat is his refuge.  It was approaching evening and Jim (I'm sure that was his name) was thinking about how pleasant it was going to be to sit on the boat and contemplate his life and perhaps his future while enjoying the beautiful sunset.

Jim used to work 50-60 hours a week in a high pressure job.  Even weekends were not his own.  One day Jim collapsed at work.  The heart attack changed his life.  That's when he quit his job and bought the boat.

Now the reason I feel it was okay to take Jim's picture and post it on my blog is that I am sure Jim will never see the picture because he will never read my blog.  I mean it's not like I am the Huffington Post.
Even though Ross said I wasn't exactly subtle and that I probably wouldn't make a good private eye, I'm pretty sure Jimbo didn't notice that I was taking his picture.

Now I am not sure about the other guy whose picture I took today.  I'm sure he noticed that I was taking his picture.  In fact I think he was even posing.
 And his story, well his story is pretty obvious.







I swear he winked at me.


6 comments:

  1. Actually, Lynda, I think that might be Walter.  You know Walter?  He works on that construction crew downtown.  He was married but his wife left him for the guy who runs the snack shack down at Tony G's?  I think he discovered this morning that he was all out of toilet paper so he stopped at Safeway to get some - but only one roll b/c that's how he is.  And while he was there, he picked up another package of chips to use with that leftover dip in the frig.  At least I think that's Walter.  Oh, and he also finally remembered to get some more salt - those little picnic salt and pepper things?

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  2. Wait a second.  This isn't Huffington Post?  I have been sadly mis-informed.  I like the pictures, though, and the contributing authors...

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  3. I love the picture of the gull diving for fish, it looks amazing. And i bet the guy secretly liked being papparazzoed! Makes him feel like a celebrity.

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  4. You know I took a closer look at Jim and I think you are right.  It was Walter, not Jim.  I always get those two mixed up.  

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  5. No, Mar,k, get a life.  This is better than Huffington Post.  Much more real.

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